The Experience

St. Petersburg is synonymous with the power and opulence of the czars, and it remains the most beautiful and Western-influenced city in Russia. View the priceless treasures of the Hermitage Museum in the Winter Palace and walk the corridors of Peterhof, Peter the Great’s vast estate. Day 1: Arrive St. Petersburg
On arrival in St. Petersburg you are assisted with Fastrack service through the airport. Transfer by private vehicle to your centrally located hotel, where your Guardian Angel is on hand to assist with check-in. The remainder of today is at leisure for you to relax, enjoy the hotel,™s facilities or start exploring this historic city.

Hotel Astoria or Angleterre Hotel
Day 2: St. Petersburg & The Hermitage
Embark on a full day’s sightseeing with your driver and guide. Driving through the historical city center, observe the main city sights: Nevsky Prospect, Palace Square, the Winter Palace, the Admiralty and Vasilevsky Island. Visit the fascinating Peter & Paul Fortress, which Peter the Great built in 1703 to provide protection from the Swedes. The Fortress Cathedral is the burial place of most of Russia’s czars and czarinas from the 18th century onwards, including Peter the Great himself, the founder of St. Petersburg.

In the afternoon, continue with a visit to one of the most famous museums in the world, the awe-inspiring Hermitage in the lavishly decorated Winter Palace. The Hermitage occupies six magnificent buildings and houses 3 million pieces of art 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 czars 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. By the time Nicholas II ascended the throne in 1894, he was heir to the greatest collection of art in Europe. The whole museum complex was bombarded during the siege of Leningrad in World War II but re-opened to the public in 1945.

Hotel Astoria or Angleterre Hotel | Meals: B
Day 3: Peterhof
Explore beyond the city with your guide to Peterhof, the great summer estate and artistic gem of Peter the Great, nestled on the shore of the Gulf of Finland. 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. Over 5,000 laborers, serfs and soldiers were employed in the creation of this magnificent estate that was officially opened in 1723. Afterward, enjoy a hydrofoil trip back to St. Petersburg, where your afternoon is at leisure. You may wish to browse through the city,™s 19th-century shops and art nouveau stores along Nevsky Prospekt, visit the newly restored Church on Spilled Blood or explore the Russian Museum,™s outstanding art collection.

Hotel Astoria or Angleterre Hotel | Meals: B
Day 4: Depart St. Petersburg
Assisted private transfer to St. Petersburg airport.

Meals: B