st petersburg explored - 4 days

Day 1: St Petersburg
Welcome to Russia and the start of your holiday! Meet and greet arrival transfer from St Petersburg Pulkovo Airport. En route to your hotel enjoy a city orientation tour of this stunning city of Tsars, with the amazing Church on Spilled Blood, St Isaacs Cathedral and Nevsky Prospect. (tour is dependent on time of arrival). Rest of the evening is free. Your guide will recommend some local bars and restaurants for you to try out. Overnight - St Petersburg

Day 2: St Petersburg sightseeing
St Petersburg - breakfast. A day of sightseeing in the northernmost major city in the world. Founded by Peter the Great in 1703, St Petersburg is built around a series of bridge-connected canals and rivers, with many Baroque buildings. We start off with a visit to the Peter and Paul Fortress. Within the Peter and Paul Fortress compound is SS Peter and Paul Cathedral with its angel shaped weather vane perched on top of the razor thin needle; housing the tombs of the Romanov monarchs. Formerly a prison, Dostoevsky, Gorky, Trotsky and Lenin’s brother all spent time in the somewhat gruesome political prison.

This afternoon we enjoy a guided visit to perhaps the best museum in the world, housed in a majestic building - the Hermitage. With only 10 % of the 3 million exhibits on show, the variety and quality of the museum is breath-taking, ranging from gifts to the Tsars to archaeological finds and includes masterpieces from some of the greatest painters, as well as gilded Imperial carriages. Overnight – St Petersburg

Day 3: Peterhof or Catherine Palace
St Petersburg - breakfast. Today we visit a summer palace of the Tsars, either Peterhof or Catherine Palace. Both stunningly beautiful buildings, the Peterhof boasts one of the largest fountains in the world, whilst Catherine Palace is home to the Amber Room, made from several tons of amber. The lavish Palace and gardens offer insight into the privileged lives of Russia’s Tsarsist aristocracy. Overnight – St Petersburg