3 day shore tour of St. Petersburg - for cruise passengers (with Faberge museum and Yusupov palace)

Get maximum impressions and information out of your visit to St. Petersburg with our 3-day tour. It’s full and diverse itinerary shows you the main highlights of the city with its suburbs and lifts the veil covering the color of local life. You will have a private boat trip with excursion, a pleasant walk along Nevsky prospect and adjacent streets, go for a metro ride and visit all the major sights: Hermitage, Peter and Paul Fortress, Church of the Savior on Blood, Saint Isaac's Cathedral, Faberge museum and Yusupov Palace. This tour also includes two suburb trips: to luxurious Peterhof with visit to the fountain park and Grand Palace and to Tsarskoye Selo with visit to Catherine palace and park.

Each ready made tour you find on our web site is customizable and can be adapted to your interests and needs.

If you make e-visa, please, double-check that all data is entered correctly.
If you don't have visa we will make tour tickets (blanket visa) for you to go ashore (at extra cost). Please, provide your passport details for that.    

TOUR PROGRAM 
Day 1 9:00 - 18:00
08:45 - 09:00 Meeting with your guide at the port terminal beyond the passport control (the start time will be adjusted to your arrival time). 
Panoramic city tour covering major sights of St. Petersburg.
10:30 - 11:15 Private excursion in Peter and Paul Fortress
11:15 - 13:00 Private excursion in the Hermitage museum
13:00 - 14:00 Way to Peterhof 
14:00 - 15:00 Lunch (not included).The guide will recommend you good restaurants and cafes on the way or we can make a preliminary reservation at your wish
15:00 - 17:00 Private excursion in Grand Palace and Lower Gardens with fountains of Peterhof 
18:00 Return to the ship. 

Day 2 09:00 - 17:00
08:45 - 09:00 Meeting with your guide at the port terminal beyond the passport control (the start time may be changed upon your request).
10:00 - 12:00 Private excursion in Catherine Palace and park of Tsarskoye Selo
13:00 - 14:00 Private excursion in Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood 
14:00 - 15:00 Lunch (not included).The guide will recommend you good restaurants and cafes on the way or we can make a preliminary reservation at your wish
15:00 - 16:15 Faberge museum tour
17:00 Return to the ship.

Day 3 09:00 - 17:00
08:45 - 09:00 Meeting with your guide at the port terminal beyond the passport control (the start time may be changed upon your request).
09:30 - 10:30 Private boat tour along rivers and channels of St. Petersburg
11:00 - 12:00 Private excursion in St.Isaac's Cathedral 
12:15 - 14:00 Private excursion in Yusupov Palace and exposition "Grigory Rasputin: pages of life and death"
14:00 - 15:00 Lunch (not included).The guide will recommend you good restaurants and cafes on the way or we can make a preliminary reservation at your wish
15:00 - 16:15 Metro tour and Nevsky prospect walk
17:00 Return to the ship.
  
Please note, that the sequence of this St. Petersburg shore tour can be changed because of the traffic, museum time limits and days-off.  
If you need some free time for shopping, please, inform your manager!   

ENTRANCES 1 DAY - 9 hours duration
1. Peter and Paul Fortress – the first architectural monument of St.Petersburg. On its territory the burial place of Romanov tzar family is situated and you will see it in Peter and Paul Cathedral as well as view fortifications, the prison of Trubetskoy Bastion, an unusual monument to Peter the Great and other important places of Russian history.

2. State Hermitage – world-wide famous museum – will astonish you with its interiors and grand scale. The winter residence of the Russian Emperors, one of the biggest museums in the world, with 25 kilometers total halls length, nowadays presents the rich collection of the world masterpieces. Our guides will show you the most interesting and important items from the whole variety of the museum exhibits!
Additional options: permanent exhibition of the Impressionists in General Staff Building.
Visit to one of Treasure Gallery rooms - Gold or Diamond.  

3. Splendid Peterhof  - favorite suburban residence of Peter the Great, a real pearl of Russian Baroque and Empire Style, often called Russian Versailles. Great palace and park ensemble, amazing fountains and golden sculptures, playing in the sun, create absolutely unique combination, which is a must see for every visitor of St. Petersburg. During this excursion you are welcomed to walk through the Lower Park, admire the famous fountains and visit gorgeous Grand Palace.
Options: travel to Peterhof on the Hydrofoil.


ENTRANCES 2 DAY - 8 hours duration
1. Tsarskoye Selo (Pushkin) - former summer residence of the Russian monarchs, also known as "the town of muses", because in different periods it was a refuge for the great Russian writers A. S. Pushkin, M. Y. Lermontov, S. A. Esenin. You will walk along the Catherine Park, on the territory of which more than 100 different sculptures, pavilions, bridges, monuments and other constructions are situated. And, of course, you will visit the Catherine Palace, see its marvelous interiors and admire restored famouse Amber room.

2. On the way to Tsarskoye Selo you will visit a Monument to the heroic defenders of Leningrad during the great Patriotic war. 

3. Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood - wonderful, fabulous nine-dome cathedral, which was constructed on the spot of the fatal attempt at the Tsar the Liberator Alexander II. Its interior is a real mosaic museum, which you can look over for hours. This is one of the biggest collections in Europe.  
Additional option: a pleasant walk in the Summer Garden with excursion. 

4. Faberge museum - world's largest fabulous collection of works by Carl Faberge including nine Imperial Easter eggs that were made to the order of the last two Romanov Tsars – Alexander III and Nicolas II. The museum also holds many of other items made by Faberge and his contemporaries.


ENTRANCES 3 DAY - 8 hours duration 
1. Private boat trip - it is a really incredible experience to see St. Petersburg from the water. Many highlights are situated on the river Neva embankments and you will have a chance to compare your impressions by seeing them from the ground and from water. Sailing under famous bridges and along contemplating houses, palaces and well-known sights of the "Northern Capital", you will get absolutely special feeling about the city.

2. Saint Isaac's Cathedral - a prominent sample of the Russian cult constructions with unique rich decoration. There are more than 150 art pieces of the middle of the XIX century in its interior. Stained-glass windows, mosaics, sculptures and fine combination of colored stones create the great color scheme, which amazes every visitor of the museum.
Additional option: climb the 300 steps up to the Cathedral's colonnade.

3. Yusupov Palace - will amaze you with its luxurious interiors and chambers, where many significant events of Russian history occurred. In the 19th century it was the centre of social life in St. Petersburg and hosted emperors and famous artists within its walls. Here in 1916 the murder of Grigory Rasputin took place. Now there works a special exposition in memory of this tragic event: "Grigory Rasputin: pages of life and death". You will visit it with your guide.

Evening and active options:
- rooftops excursion; 
- visit to a theatre (opera or ballet);
- evening Russian folk-show; 
- night car or walking tour with view of draw bridges (May-September);
- boat trip along Neva during a day or in night time watching draw bridges (May-September).