Explore the connection Peter the Great had with the sea and its influence on Imperial Russia. Includes visiting the Cruiser Aurora which is signifficant in Russian history and the largest  Naval Museum in the world plus  a cruise from Peterhof on the Gulf of Finland to the Palace Embankment in the city center docking in front of the Hermitage

Welcome to St. Petersburg! As soon as you have reported to our DenRus representative, after having cleared the Russian Immigration inspection, you'll be introduced to your local guide and driver. Without any further delay you'll be on your way to the first scheduled attraction.

City Tour -  You'll either see, or  visit the major sites and historical  attractions of St. Petersburg old center, including statues, monuments, rivers and canals, beautiful bridges, cathedrals and palaces, memorial squares and parks. You shall also enjoy photo opportunities in selected locations.  

Aurora Cruiser: The battleship of the Russian Navy and the symbol of the Great October Socialist Revolution. The battleship cruiser Aurora was launched in 1903 and experienced a baptism of fire at Tsushima Bay in the Pacific during the Russian-Japanese War. Then docked for overhaul just before the February revolution in 1917, Aurora's crew was the first ship in the Imperial Navy to side with the revolutionary Bolsheviks. On the night of October 25 she gave the historic blankshot at the Winter Palace - that was the signal for the revolutionary forces to storm the building, where the Provisional Government had its seat.

In the early 1920's Aurora was converted into a training ship. In 1948 the cruiser was declared a national monument, and later a museum was opened on board.

 Central Naval Museum is one of the largest naval museums in the world. Its origins go back to the Ship-Model Chamber that was founded by Peter I as an Admiralty repository for models and working drawings of naval vessels. It is located in the building of the former Stock Exchange and its most prized exhibit is the boat of Peter I - vessel, which is often, called the Grandfather of the Russian Navy. Today the museum boasts over 800,000 exhibits telling the story of Russian Navy from ancient times to the present day. These include about 2,000 models of old and modern ships, 5,000 paintings, a collection of ships' laying-down plaques, c. 7,000 examples of weaponry and combat equipment, and a collection of medals, coins, navigational devices, maps and photo-material. It also houses over 3,000 flags and banners, numerous war trophies and the personal effects of famous Russian seafarers and naval commanders.

Lunch Time; Stop for a quick bite or a complete fine dining experience in one of the many quality cafes and restaurants of your choosing. As with other international cities almost any cuisine is available from Russian to Asian, European, and Latin American.

The State Hermitage Museum and the Winter Palace: The Hermitage Museum is one of the world’s leading and most respected museums today, and the real “must” place for every visitor in St. Petersburg. The State Hermitage museum is a complex of five buildings: The Winter Palace, the former official residence of Russian Tsars, the Small Hermitage, the Big Hermitage, the New Hermitage and the Hermitage Theatre.  The Winter Palace was the city residence of the ruling royal Romanov family until 1917 when the Russian revolution took place and ended the monarchy. 

The Winter Palace section is of no lesser interest than the rest of the Hermitage Museum. You will see the huge white marble ceremonial entrance stairway, the Saint George Hall, where the Czar’s throne still stands today,  the Malachite Room, the Armorial Hall which was the center stage of fashionable state receptions and balls. From the windows of the Winter Palace you will see the lonely angel of the Alexander’s Column standing in the center of  the immense historical Palace Square. The vastness of the Winter Palace alone includes 1,057 rooms, 117 staircases, 1.786 doorways and 1.945 windows.

 The Hermitage Museum  houses one of the world's greatest art collections, and the Hermitage Theatre, once a most private and exclusive royal family theatre, today is open for anybody wishing to purchase a ticket to its open performances. Works of classical artists like Leonardo da Vinci, Titian,  and Michelangelo, then El Greco, Velazquez, Goya, or of the more recent painters like Degas, Renoir, Monet, van Gogh, Matisse or Picasso and many other masters of the 19-20th century French art are all prominently represented. It should also be mentioned that the Hermitage displays one of the world’s largest and incomparable collection of Rembrandt’s work.  The Winter Palace was designed by the Italian architect Rastrelli in the 1700's. in Baroque style. The splendor of the interior and the room decorations, patterned parquet floors, molded and painted ceilings, period furniture, decorative objects of malachite, lapis lazuli, jasper and others simply dazzles the visitors' eyes. Other materials used in decoraions inclcude bronze, crystal, gold, valuable exotic woods and tapestries. It is said that to visit every one of its rooms would involve an excursion of not less than 13 miles or about 20 kilometres.

City Tour -  You'll either see, or  visit the major sites and historical  attractions of St. Petersburg old center, including statues, monuments, rivers and canals, beautiful bridges, cathedrals and palaces, memorial squares and parks. You shall also enjoy photo opportunities in selected locations.  

Return transfer to the Port: Our active program of the day is coming to an end, and now it is time to return to the Port and to your ship.  We hope you have enjoyed your special program and wish to thank you.

Drive through the southern residential area and to the suburban palace estates and rural countryside and parks

The Grand Palace still has the exterior planned by the Empress Elizabeth I. After 1745 she had the initial building altered by the architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli, who, after enlarging Peter I's original palace, added to it a couple of single-floor galleries, each ending with a pavillion (a church on the east side and an amorial pavillion on the west side).You will walk through its different rooms and ceremonial halls (Chesme Hall, Throne Room, White Dinning Room, Chinese rooms etc.), marvel its beauty and luxury, admire the centuries old china, dishes, art, textiles and furniture, and wonder how luxuriously did the royal people live.

Peterhof, one of  the  oldest  Imperial summer  residencies in the St. Petersburg  region, it perhaps the most exotic of all because of its seaside situation. It is named  for the first Emperor of Russia, Peter the Great    The palace grounds consist of a main palace, about 20 smaller palaces and pavilions and seven incredible, peaceful park areas. In addition to the parks the real pride and highlight of Peterhof are the 140 different fountains and water cascades of which the gilded, terraced fountains shooting water high up into the air, have gained worldwide fame and have become the symbol of the city. Perhaps the greatest technological achievement of Peterhof is that all of the fountains operate without the use of pumps. Water is supplied from natural springs and collects in reservoirs in the Upper Gardens. The elevation difference creates the pressure that drives most of the fountains of the Lower Gardens Several fountains are designed with the specific purpose of soaking visitors.

Lunch Time; Stop for a quick bite or a complete fine dining experience in one of the many quality cafes and restaurants of your choosing. As with other international cities almost any cuisine is available from Russian to Asian, European, and Latin American.

The St. Isaac's Cathedral:  Designed by Auguste  de Monferrand in 1818 the church was named in tribute to Peter the great who was born on the day of St. Isaac of Dalmatia. The Cathedral is 101,5 m (333 ft) high and the dome (for  the making of which 100 kg (220,5 lb) of gold was used) is 26,5 m (87 ft) in diameter, making it one of the largest in the world after St. Peter 's Cathedral in Rome and St. Paul's Cathedral in London.
The interior is “a symphony of gold, marble, lapis lazuli, malachite and porphyry”. The walls and vaults are decorated with paintings and mosaics by the leading artists of the day, and the walls and floors are lined with marble from Russia, France and Italy. The columns of the iconostasis are faced with malachite and lapis. There are all together 112 columns of polished granite holding the building up, of which 24 support the dome.
The Cathedral can accommodate 14,000 people.

Souvenir Shopping at the Open-air Souvenir Market and a Photo Stop near the Cathedral of the Spilled Blood:  There will be time allocated for souvenir shopping in your program, and one of the best selection of typical Russian gifts and souvenirs can be found at the open-air Souvenir Fair, at the intersection of the Moika and Griboedova Canals. Here you shall find the wooden nesting Matryoshka dolls, which come in all shapes and sizes, to black laquer jewelry boxes, amber and silver jewelry, glass and chrystal items, chess sets, toys and dolls, art and paintings, handicraft  . . . . .all the way to the military and political memorabilia of the old days of the Soviet Union.

Next to the Souvenir Market is one of St. Petersburg's most famous and popular photo stops, the Church of the Saviour on the Spilled Blood. - Have your cameras ready, otherwise you'll regret it.

Return transfer to the Port: Our active program of the day is coming to an end, and now it is time to return to the Port and to your ship.  We hope you have enjoyed your special program and wish to thank you.