Excursions in St.Petersburg

Here you can find the most popular half-day excursions in St.Petersburg, which we would be happy to orginize for you. You can do them separately or in any combination. If you book two or more excursions per day, you will get a guaranteed discount.

City Tour

The tour will take you round the historic center of the city included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. You will see the most important sights: Nevsky Prospect, the main street; Palace Square with the imposing buildings of the Winter Palace and the General Staff Headquarters; Isaac Square with St.Isaac’s Cathedral, the 4th largest in the world; Decembrists’ Square with the Bronze Horseman, the symbol of the city; the Spit of Vasily Island with Rostral Columns and the Stock Exchange, the spot with the breathtaking view of the Neva River embankments and Peter and Paul Fortress, the birthplace of the city.

Approximate duration: 3 hours

The city tour can be extended by one/two hours and include inside visits to the following sights:

Peter and Paul Fortress

Peter and Paul Fortress is the birthplace of the city, founded by Peter the Great in May 1703. While walking across the grounds you will see St.Peter-and-Paul’s Cathedral, the tallest building of St.Petersburg, the still functioning Mint and the impressive bastions. You will visit the beautiful baroque Cathedral of St.Peter-and-Paul, the burial place of the Russian Tsars from Peter the Great to Nicholas II.

Log Cabin of Peter the Great

The Log Cabin of Peter the Great is the first house of the city with only three rooms, built for the Tsar in May 1703 by military carpenters overnight. This is where he lived until his Winter Palace was built across the river. The Log Cabin was preserved by his successors as a memorial to the foundation and founder of St.Petersburg.

St.Isaac’s Cathedral

The splendid St.Isaac’s Cathedral was the main cathedral of Russia in the past. It is the fourth largest domed cathedral in the world. You will be impressed by the stunning interiors, including the extraordinary 20 ton bronze doors covered with reliefs and sculptures, walls decorated with more than 100 murals, multicolored marbles, mosaic panels and the Iconostasis framed with majestic columns of malachite and lapis.

Church on Spilled Blood

The stunning Church on Spilled Blood was built in the early 20th century in the ‘Old Russian’ style, as a memorial to the Russian Emperor Alexander II. You will see the amazing 7,000 m2 of glass mosaics more than anywhere else in the world as well the magnificent marble floors and the Holy Gate, decorated in glass enamel technique, the same as used in the production of Faberge jewellery.

St. Nicholas Cathedral

St. Nicholas Cathedral is a beautiful example of Russian Baroque style of the second half of the 18th century. It has been a functioning cathedral throughout its history, including the Soviet period, due to which you will be able to see the authentic collection of old icons.

As you will be visiting a functioning Russian Orthodox church, the following dress code applies: you should have your shoulders and knees covered; men should not wear shorts; women are recommended to have a head dress.

Synagogue

The Big Choral Synagogue of St.Petersburg is an architectural monument, built in the 19th century in the Moorish style by the order of Russian Emperor Alexandre II. It is the second largest synagogue in Europe. The Synagogue is located in the so called Kolomna district of St.Petersburg, a thriving Jewish neighborhood in the past. The Synagogue has been functioning since its opening and throughout the Soviet period.

Feel Local

This tour will give you an opportunity to go off the beaten track and feel local. You will be transferred to Puskinskaya metro station to travel to Vladimirskaya metro station. St.Petersburg metro was started in 1954 and is still being extended today. The stations are richly decorated with marble, statues, mosaics, crystal… It’s a real underground palace! The stations you will see belong to the oldest and most beautiful line. On exiting the metro, you will visit Kuznechny farmers’ market, located in the adjacent building, where a lot of locals prefer to shop for food. You can’t miss the impressive displays of fruits and vegetables, meats and fish, flowers and dairy products, Russian pickles and honey. According to the Russian tradition, you will be offered to try almost everything you see. After the farmer’s market you will cross Vladimirskaya Square on foot and go to the Land supermarket to continue familiarization with the everyday life of the city.

Approximate duration: 3 hours

If you would like to visit a Russian family and have tea with them, this tour can be extended by one hour, thus giving you a chance to meet Russians “face to face”, see how they live, discuss their everyday joys and problems as well as taste home-made specialities of the Russian cuisine

Hermitage Museum

The tour will take you to the State Hermitage Museum, one of the world’s greatest museums, which occupies six magnificent buildings situated along the embankment of the River Neva. Put together throughout two centuries and a half, the Hermitage collections of works of art (over 3,000,000 items) present the development of the world culture and art from the Stone Age to the 20th century. You will see the lavishly-decorated reception quarters of the Winter Palace, the former official residence of the Russian Emperors; the highlights of the Old Masters’ Collection: Leonardo da Vinci, Titian, Rafael, Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Rubens, Van Dyck, Poussin and others and the highlights of the famous Impressionist and Post-Impressionist collections: Renoir, Monet, Cezanne, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Matisse, Picasso and others.

Approximate duration: 4 hours

As a part of the tour you can visit the Gold Room, where you will see the breathtaking collection of antique gold, including Scythian gold, and Imperial jewellery (to be booked a month in advance)

Yusupoff Palace

This tour will take you to the most elegant former private palace of the Counts Yusupoffs, where they lived from the beginning of the 19th century till the revolution of 1917. The palace is included in the Registry of the best private palaces of Europe published in London. The Yusupoffs were one of the richest families not only of Russia but of Europe as well. Their annual income in the early 20th century often exceeded the income of the Russian Royal family. You will see not only the elegant and fascinating reception quarters, but you will also have a rare opportunity to look at the private rooms of the family, which preserve their original charm till nowadays. The palace is also closely associated with the name of Grigory Rasputin, as he was murdered there in December 1916, since one of the plotters was Felix Yusupoff, the last owner of the palace.

Approximate duration: 3.5 hours

Russian Art Museum

The tour will introduce you to the Russian Museum, the world’s largest collection of Russian fine art covering the entire history of Russian fine art from the tenth century to the present day, numbering over 400,000 works. This famous collection is exhibited in the Mikhailovsky Palace, a splendid residence of Grand Duke Michael Romanov. You will see unique Russian icons, including icons by Andrey Rublev, Simon Ushakov; paintings of 18th-20th centuries, including the outstanding works by Repin and Aivazovsky; as well as the world’s finest collection of Russian avant-garde, represented by Malevich, Kandinsky and others.

Approximate duration: 3.5 hours

Menshikov Palace

This tour will take you to the Menshikov Palace, the first stone palace in the city, commissioned by the first governor of Saint Petersburg and close associate of Peter the Great Alexander Menshikov. It is the most luxurious building of St.Petersburg of Peter’s time, where you will see the original interiors of the early 18th century, including the rooms decorated with the world famous Delft tiles.

Approximate duration: 3.5 hours

Summer Palace of Peter the Great and the Summer Gardens

This tour will take you to the first summer residence of Peter the Great in St.Petersburg. It was built in 1712 and was recently reconstructed according to its original design. You will visit the palace where Peter the Great spent his summers till 1725. In this small cozy house, consisting of 14 rooms only, you will admire the typical interiors of the early 18th century and the personal belongings of the Emperor. Then you will walk through the unique regular Summer Gardens, richly decorated with sculptures and fountains.

Approximate duration: 4.5 hours

Erarta Museum of Contemporary Art

This tour will take you to the Erarta Museum, the largest private museum of contemporary Art in Russia with nearly 2000 exhibits. The museum opened its door in September 20120. The collection includes works of over 140 artists beginning from non-conformist artists of the 1950-60’s up to the artists of post-perestroika Russia and of the early 21st century. The bulk of the collection is formed by paintings, while graphics, sculpture, installations and other forms of contemporary art are also represented.

Approximate duration: 4 hours

Rivers and Canals

St.Petersburg is one of the world’s most beautiful cities famous for its picturesque settings and impressive architecture. Its sheer elegance has attracted visitors for generations. Built on 42 islands, formed by over 60 rivers and canals and linked by over 300 charming bridges, St.Petersburg is affectionately called the “Venice of the North”. Being built on water, St.Petersburg can be seen at its best from the water. A tour along its rivers and canals will give you a different perspective of its unforgettable buildings.

Approximate duration: 1-1.5 hours