Weekend in St.Petersburg

3 nights/4 days

St. Petersburg is one of those Russian cities whose historical center was preserved completely. That is why you can walk along its streets without any plan – sooner or later you will come across an interesting attraction anyway. However, there are a number of locations which you will not feel the spirit of the city without seeing them.

Nevsky Prospect is the main grand street of the city 4.5 km long that crosses the historical center from the west to the east.

One of the must-see sights is the Hermitage with one of the world’s best collections of works of art (especially by Italian and Dutch painters). The great museum is located in the former imperial palace where the luxury of the rooms is on a par with the beauty of the exhibits.The large Palace Square (Dvortsovaya Ploshchad) in front of it with the Bronze Horseman monument is also very beautiful. The largest collection of Russian art is presented in the Russian Museum. Both museums are huge and deserve a full-day visit.

You can also visit the Peter and Paul Fortress that first used to serve as a defense bastion, then a prison where many famous people were kept.The Peter and Paul Cathedral with its beautiful golden decorations also deserves attention. The Kunstkamera, or “the cabinet of curiosities”, founded by the great Russian Emperor Peter I is also a popular attraction.

You will be impressed by two huge city cathedrals – Kazan Cathedral with a huge colonnade and Saint Isaac’s Cathedral with the dome that can be climbed. The best painters and sculptors of their time worked on the luxurious interiors of the cathedrals.

Day 1

Arrival to St-Petersburg, meeting in railway station with the Guide , check in to the hotel

Day 2

City Tour 

Standard sightseeing tour of St. Petersburg begins at the Moscow station - one of the city's oldest station (opened in 1851). It is here that the basic number of guests of St. Petersburg start exploring the city. Sitting in the car, you will pass through the main streets of St. Petersburg. Every part of the city plays an important role in the history of St. Petersburg. On a tour of the St. Petersburg guide will tell you about the history of the main street - Nevsky Prospect. Later you will visit all the major attractions of the northern capital. During a city tour you will see the most important and historically significant attractions - Hermitage (the legendary art treasure-house) - Palace Square, Bronze Horseman (Monument to the founder of St. Petersburg) - Peter and Paul Fortress (Fortress, the tomb of the Russian tsars and former prison) - Palace square with Winter Palace - Spit of Vasilievsiy Island - Cathedral on the spoiled blood

Day 3

Tour: Saint - Petersburg - the city of World's religions

One of the characteristics of St. Petersburg is a lot of temples and churches. Some of them are well preserved and continue to operate, some are museums and open for worship only in rare cases. Tour “Temples of Petersburg” consists in visiting the most popular religious buildings of the Northern capital. A large part of the cathedrals and churches of St. Petersburg were built in the period from 1703 to 1917.

You will visit: Orthodox Catherals: Kazan, St. Isaac's ,  Smolny, St. Sampson, St. Andrew, Trinity Izmailovsky and the Prince Vladimir Cathedral, Mosque, Synagogue,  St. Catherine's Church, the Lutheran churches: the Catherine and St. Michael's Church on Vasilevsky, the Armenian Church on Nevsky Prospekt, as well as a Buddhist temple.

You will also learn by the example of the Petersburg churches. The tour introduces you to the basic historical types of the Orthodox Church, its structure (actually a Church and an altar, porch and additional buildings such as the belfry or bell tower, chapels, crypts, chapels, sacristy), however, it is a worship temple symbolism, the main temple images, vestments of the clergy and used during the worship of sacred utensils.

Day 4

Transfer to airport Pulkovo  St-Petersburg, flight home.

Inclusions:

-  3 nights’ accommodation in 3* in City Center

-  Airport and railway transfers

-  Sightseeing with English Speaking Guide

-  Registration in hotels

-  Russian Visa Invitation letter

-  1 bottle  of drinking water per day/person