 WHITE NIGHTS IN SAINT PETERSBURGWHITE NIGHTS IN SAINT PETERSBURG
6 days / 5 nights
 DAY 1. Arrival in St. Petersburg. Meeting and transfer to the hotel. Accommodation.
DAY 2. Breakfast. Sightseeing tour. During the tour you will get acquainted with architecture, history and present day life of the former capital of Imperial Russia, the history of the Romanov dynasty. Among the rich parade of sights to be enjoyed will be Palace Square with the Winter Palace, Art Square with the Russian Museum, the Smolny Convent, famous Nevsky Avenue, the Summer Garden and the Field of Mars. You will enjoy the classical ensemble of the Senate Square with its famous “Bronze Horseman”, the spit of Basil island, many other architectural monuments, bridges and embankments. City sightseeing tour includes a visit to Peter and Paul’s Fortress, the first structure in St. Petersburg. Inside the Peter and Paul’s Cathedral you will see tombstones of all Russian Emperors from Peter I to Nicholas II.
In the evening we invite you to join us for “White Nights” excursion. Saint Petersburg is known as the City of Bridges. There is no wonder, because the city is situated on more then 45 islands. Saint Petersburg wins the leading position in Russia in the quantity of bridges. Of course the most amazing fact about the Saint Petersburg bridges is that all the bridges across the Neva River are drawbridges. It means that at night they are lifted to let the big steamers and ships pass through the river to Ladoga Lake. That is the picture of majestic beauty, especially during the famous period of White Nights from May till July, when nights are as light as daytime and there is a wonderful feeling of magic all around the city.
DAY 3. Breakfast. Tour to Peterhof, which is a jewel of the Russian art, a town of parks, palaces, and fountains. It was built by Peter the Great to rival Versailles. In the past it used to be an exquisite summer residence of the Russian tsars. It is famous also for brilliant interiors of the Grand Palace. From Peterhof Grand Palace three monumental cascading fountains (one of them comprising the famous Samson) lead you to the Low Park, which is also a real masterpiece; there are 173 fountains in the Low Park.
In the evening you can enjoy the classical Russian ballet performance in one of St.Petersburg theatres (optional).
DAY 4. Breakfast. Excursion to State Hermitage Museum, one of the largest museums in the world after Paris Louvre and the National Gallery in London. The collection of it numbers over 3 million exhibits from prehistoric to modern times. Russian Empress Catherine II founded it in 1764, when she bought a large number of Western European paintings. For this collection she ordered to construct a new building. Now the permanent museum display occupies five buildings, which form a brilliant architectural ensemble. The Hermitage acquires authentic masterpieces by the greatest painters and sculptors such as Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Titian, Rembrandt, Rubens, El Greco, Claude Monet, August Renoir, Paul Cezanne, Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Pablo Picasso and Matisse. The Hermitage complex is a veritable spiritual universe.
Boat trip “Along The Rivers and Canals”. A relaxing cruise by boat along the Neva River and some other rivers and canals of the “Venice of the North”, as St. Petersburg used to be called, is one of the unique ways to discover city. Saint-Petersburg is situated on the banks of the River Neva, which is one of the youngest rivers in Europe. The magnificent architectural ensembles, churches, cathedrals and monuments seem to exist in astonishing harmony with the waterways of the city. All St. Petersburg embankments are granite faced and have their own distinctive character.
DAY 5. Breakfast. Tour to Tsarskoye Selo. The palace-and-park ensemble of Tsarskoye Selo (Tsar’s Village) – a former country residence of Russian emperors – is a fascinating monument of the world’s architecture and gardening of XVIII-XIX centuries. Its three parks occupy the area of 600 ha, each park has over 100 architectural constructions – from magnificent palaces and grand monuments to pavilions and park sculptures. The compositional centre of the Tsarskoselsky ensemble is the Catherine Palace, containing exquisite decorative objects, furniture, Russian and Western-European paintings, bronze, and sculptures. You will see the famous Amber room, which is almost complete now.
Your visit to Russia will be incomplete without visiting a folklore show. The professional ensembles of our country will show you the best of Russian folk art (optional).
DAY 6. Breakfast. Transfer to the airport.
During the White Nights International Festival the Stars of the White Nights organized by Valery Gergiev takes place in St. Petersburg. You have a unique opportunity to attend a performance (opera, ballet or concert), which casts the world famous stars
Your visit to Russia will be incomplete if you miss a chance to see the local Folk show. The best folk companies give their shows in St. Petersburg |
