Private Tour of St Petersburg
Programme Overview
Duration: 5 days
A 4-day private itinerary exploring the highlights of St Petersburg and the surrounding area.
Highlights: St Petersburg, Petrodvorets, Pushkin, Pavlovsk
Arrive St Petersburg
On arrival at St Petersburg airport you will be met your English - speaking guide and driver for the transfer into the hotel where you will be assisted with check-in.
The remainder of the day is at leisure.
Overnight: Moika 22 Kempinski
St Petersburg
Today travel with your private vehicle and guide to the Hermitage museum. The museum is situated in the lavishly decorated Winter Palace and occupies six magnificent buildings with 3 million pieces of artwork from the Stone Age to modern times. The main building and largest part of the museum is the rococo-style Winter Palace, residence of the Tzars from 1762 to 1917. The museum was commissioned by Catherine the Great and she and her successors built the Hermitage collection in large part with purchases of the private collections of the Western European aristocracy and monarchy. You might also see the Gold Treasure with great collection of Scythian Gold (subject of reconfirmation 3 days prior the visit).
Have lunch at leisure and proceed to Yusupov Palace, which belonged to Prince Felix Yusupov, who organized the assassination of the infamous Siberian monk Gregory Rasputin. Also visit the room where the assassination took place.
Have evening to explore the city independently.
Overnight: Moika 22 Kempinski
Meal Plan: B
St Petersburg - Petrodvorets - St Petersburg
Today you will be driven to Petrodvorets (also known as Peterhof), the great summer estate and artistic gem of Peter the Great, nestled on the shore of the Gulf of Finland (part of the Baltic Sea). After his victory over the Swedes at Poltava in 1709, Peter decided to build a palace “befitting to the very highest of monarchs” and a visit to Versailles in 1717 furthered these ambitions. This magnificent estate that was officially opened in 1723. A prominent highlight is the Grand Cascade, a delightful sequence of 37 gilded bronze sculptures, 64 fountains and 142 water jets descending from the terraces of the Great Palace to the Marine Canal and the sea. The park features numerous palaces, summer houses and pavilions.
Return to the city by hydrofoil. Drive throughout the historical city centre to see main city sights Nevsky Prospect, Palace Square, Winter Palace, Admiralty, Vasilevsky Island. Visit Peter & Paul Fortress inside which was the first construction of St Petersburg put up by Peter the Great in 1703 to provide
protection from the Swedes. The Fortress Cathedral is the burial place of most of Russia's Tsars and Tsarinas from the 18th century onwards, including Peter the Great. You might also wish to visit St Isaac’s Cathedral. It was built between 1818 and 1858, by the French-born architect Auguste Montferrand, to be one of the most impressive landmarks of the Russian Imperial capital.
Overnight: Moika 22 Kempinski
Meal Plan: B
St Petersburg - Pushkin - Pavlovsk - St Petersburg
Today, travel with your private vehicle and guide outside the city to visit Tsarskoe Selo (renamed Pushkin in 1937 to commemorate the centenary of famous Russian poet death). You may visit the summer palace, created for Catherine I, expanded and redesigned for Empress Elizabeth and remodeled again for Catherine the Great. The baroque Catherine Palace, whose exterior features golden domes and blue and white facade mouldings, suffered extensive wartime damage, but is today a masterpiece of restoration thanks to the reinstatement of the world-famous amber room that enhances the interior that gleams and glitters with mirrors, chandeliers and gilded woodcarvings.
Enjoy a traditional hearty Russian lunch at Podvorie Dacha restaurant and travel to Pavlovsk. The Great Palace at Pavlovsk, a gift from Catherine the Great to her son Paul. Originally designed by Charles Cameron, it was partly redesigned at Paul’s request by several famous European architects including Quarenghi and Rossi. Although severely damaged in World War II, the palace has been beautifully and lavishly restored, and is set amidst delightful parkland which, when created, was the largest landscaped area in the world.
Overnight: Moika 22 Kempinski
Meal Plan: B
Depart St Petersburg
Today you will be privately transferred to the airport or to the sea port to take your cruise ship.
Meal Plan: B