For two centuries St Petersburg was the capital of the Russian Empire, the scene of several revolutions and of the longest battle of the last war.  In the 19th century it was also a centre of cultural life, and many of the great Russian composers, artists and writers studied, lived and worked in the city, among them Pushkin, Gogol, Dostoyevsky, Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov.  While the great collections of the Hermitage contain Western Art collected by Catherine the Great and the rich merchants, the Russian Museum has a magnificent display of icons and narrative and landscape paintings by indigenous artists, barely represented elsewhereK.

Itinerary

Day 1 – Fly to St Petersburg and transfer to our hotel, where we stay throughout.

Day 2 –We visit the Peter and Paul Fortress, first built in 1703 by Peter the Great; the Cruiser Aurora, which fired the shot to signal the start of the Russian Revolution; the Piskarevskoe war memorial, the Smolny Institute by Quarenghi, the Church on Spilled Blood, St Nicholas Cathedral and other places of interest.  We also explore aspects of the city known to Dostoyevsky and Gogol.

Day 3 – We visit the Hermitage Museum to see the ornate Palace rooms and some to the great masterpieces, especially Rubens, van Dyck, the Raphael Loggia and Matisse, van Gogh and Cézanne. We will then go on a short walking tour around the Sennaya Ploschad area to see the setting of Crime and Punishment In the afternoon we visit the Yusupov Palace, where the rooms exhibit the Russian taste of 1840, including a most beautiful small theatre.  It is in the cellars here that Rasputin was murdered by Prince Yusupov in 1916.  There is an optional visit to the opera or concert this evening.

Day 4 - We visit the Russian Museum, housed in the Mikhailovsky Palace by Rossi.  Starting with a small, but outstanding collection of Icons, the collection reflects the social and political history of art in Russia.  There will be an afternoon trip to the St Petersburg history museum.

Day 5 – We travel out to Tsarkoe Selo to see the Catherine Palace, designed by Rastrelli. Catherine replaced the interiors with neo-classical designs by Cameron.  It is famous for its agate and amber rooms, the latter fully replaced after its loss during the war.  There are also French gardens and the first landscape Park in Russia.  We travel to the airport for the return flight to London.

St Petersburg Cultural Tour
Price: £725 per person
Single Supplement: £105
Deposit: £200 per person

Price Includes:  4 nights bed and breakfast accommodation at the 3-star Hotel Dostoevsky in the heart of St Petersburg, three dinners, transfers for recommneded flights, and a full itinerary of visits accompanied by an expert local guide.
Not Included: Russian Visa

Travel: Travel to St Petersburgis not included.  We can arrange and book your flights for you.

Suggested British Airways scheduled flight timings.