From May to July, the city of St. Petersburg is aglow with festivities, laughter and light. Because of the high latitude, the sun never sets completely – a brief twilight descends on the city and region, creating a silvery glow and a mystical, romantic affect. This is also the height of the theater season in St. Petersburg, with two months of world-class opera, ballet and symphony performances. On this special 7-day tour, you’ll see all the major sights of St. Petersburg, such as Catherine Palace, Peterhof Palace, and of course the Hermitage Museum. And you’ll have prime seats at the kind of outstanding entertainment once enjoyed by the emperors and empresses.
Itinerary highlights:
▪ Prime tickets to four White Nights Festival performances
▪ Early entrance to Peterhof and the Hermitage
▪ Private backstage tour of the Mariinsky (Kirov) Theater
▪ Private tour of the exclusive Gold Treasures Rooms of the Hermitage
▪ Private visit to the Amber Room Workshops at Catherine Palace
Price: $6,550 per person
Single Supplement: $2,000
Prices are per person, double occupancy. No airfare is included.
This tour is limited to a small, intimate group. To book this itinerary, please contact us.
Arrival into St. Petersburg and transfer to your deluxe hotel in the center of the city.
This afternoon meet your guide in the lobby for a visit to the Peter and Paul Fortress – the birthplace of St. Petersburg. As Peter the Great’s original outpost against the Swedes, St. Petersburg was born from this fortress and its historical significance is felt to this day by the presence of every Romanov tomb from Peter the Great.
End with an overview city tour of St. Petersburg including Nevsky Prospect, Vasilevsky Island for the best views of the city, the "prep school" to Russia’s noble class and St. Petersburg’s beautiful Grand Synagogue.
Evening
Tonight enjoy a welcome dinner. Dinner consists of three courses, mineral water, and coffee or tea.
Exeter Services: Transfer; Half-Day Vehicle, Driver & Guide
Hotel: Four Seasons Lion Palace
Meal Included: Dinner
This morning is at your leisure to relax and enjoy some down time before touring. This afternoon you will tour the famed Yusupov Palace on the Moika Canal. This elegant city mansion of the Yusupov family is best known as the site of Rasputin’s murder.
Exeter International Extraordinary Experience
Later, you will be invited backstage for an exclusive and rare tour of the historic Mariinsky Theater. Starting from the Tsar’s Box, you will explore the sets, costumes and technology of the theater. You may also see firsthand the backstage preparations for tonight’s performance.
Evening
Prime tickets to a White Nights Festival Performance. Please note that the White Nights performance schedule will not be released until approximately 4-6 weeks prior to departure.
Exeter Services: Half-Day Vehicle, Driver & Guide; Theater Transfers
Hotel: Four Seasons Lion Palace
Meals Included: Breakfast
Today you will travel out to Peter the Great’s summer palace, Peterhof, to see first- hand the palace’s countless fountains and gardens.
Exeter International has a special early admission time confirmed for touring today.
You will tour the Grand Palace, Gardens and Grottos of Peterhof. When you walk to the upper gardens, you can enter the Grand Palace. This stately palace overlooks the gardens and smaller palaces, as well as the Baltic Sea. The ornate baroque interiors or the Grand Palace will no doubt amaze you and no one soon forgets the unique Chinese Room filled with lacquer and ancient silk.
Later you will visit the Grottos of Peterhof. The tremendous variety of fountains is one of the principal features of Peterhof where their extravagance and playfulness indicate the atmosphere of early 18th century Russia. You will journey underneath the fountains and learn of their remarkable engineering and history.
Lunch today is casual and will be at one of the restaurants on the grounds of Peterhof. Lunch consists of two courses, mineral water, and coffee or tea.
After touring, you will return to the city via the express hydrofoil. This one-hour ride takes you out of the city traffic and into the Baltic Sea. Your guide will go with you on the hydrofoil and your driver will meet you back in the city.
Evening
Prime tickets to a White Nights Festival Performance. Please note that the White Nights performance schedule will not be released until approximately 4-6 weeks prior to departure.
Exeter Services: Vehicle, Driver & Guide; Theater Transfers
Hotel: Four Seasons Lion Palace
Meals Included: Breakfast; Lunch
A day outside of the city to see two of the grandest palaces in Europe: Catherine’s Palace in Pushkin and Pavlovsk in the nearby countryside. Both are extraordinary examples of Russian and European architecture.
Your first stop will be Pavlovsk Palace, built by Paul I and his wife Maria. This is the understated summer palace of the tsars. Started by Catherine the Great’s favorite architect, Cameron (a Scot), the palace was later finished by Paul’s and his wife Maria’s preferred architect, Andrei Voronykhin- a Russian serf who later became one of the greatest architects ever to work in Russia. (For those interested in Russian history, with a focus on architecture and design, you won’t want to miss reading Suzanne Massie’s "Pavlovsk: the Life of a Russian Palace.")
Lunch today is in the village of Pavlovsk. Lunch consists of two courses, mineral water, and coffee or tea.
Afterwards, visit Catherine Palace and its fabled Amber Room. This palace was started by Catherine I (Peter the Great’s second wife and not Catherine the Great) and it bears her name. The baroque design is truly a masterpiece and this palace, with its striking blue and gold exterior, is one of the symbols of St. Petersburg. Russian Baroque means gilded statues, gilded mirrors and gilded wall, ceilings and picture frames! The gardens are laid out in the highly stylized French fashion and are definitely worth a stroll.
Exeter International Extraordinary Experience
While visiting Catherine Palace, you will be invited into the Amber Room workshops where craftsmen rebuilt the famous amber panels lost in World War II.
Evening
Prime tickets to a White Nights Festival Performance. Please note that the White Nights performance schedule will not be released until approximately 4-6 weeks prior to departure.
Exeter Services: Vehicle, Driver & Guide; Theater Transfers
Hotel: Four Seasons Lion Palace
Meals Included: Breakfast; Lunch
Russia Independence Day: Please note that June 12 is Russia Independence Day due to which you might experience traffic congestions and delays.
Exeter International Extraordinary Experience: Hermitage Early Entry
Today you will have the opportunity to enter the Hermitage approximately one hour before it is open to the public. This will allow you to begin your exploration of this vast collection before the thousands of tourists gain entry at the standard opening time.
Exeter International Extraordinary Experience
While visiting the Hermitage, your guide will take you into the exclusive Gold Treasures Rooms of the Hermitage. Here you will see some of the great treasures of the museum, including Peter the Great’s ancient Scythian Gold Collection. These special tours are conducted by Hermitage Guides. Some Hermitage guides speak English, but the tour may be in Russian with your Exeter guide translating. Please note that these special rooms require an advance appointment. Once confirmed, appointments cannot be rescheduled.
This afternoon, your guide will take you into the stately St. Isaac’s Cathedral. Its malachite and lapis lazuli columns are not to be missed! St. Isaac’s was built between 1818 and 1858, by the French-born architect Auguste Montferrand, to be one of the most impressive landmarks of the Russian Imperial capital. During World War II, the golden dome was painted gray to avoid its being targeted by Nazi fire. For those with strong legs, you can climb to the top of the cathedral’s dome for the finest views over St. Petersburg’s historic neighborhood.
This afternoon is at your leisure to explore on your own. Perhaps you would like to take a stroll down Nevsky Prospekt to view the fabulous architecture of the city’s main boulevard. Alternatively, for a bird’s eye view, you may wish to climb the stairs at St. Isaac’s Cathedral, right outside your hotel.
Note: All touring today is on foot. Please wear appropriate footwear.
Evening
Prime tickets to a White Nights Festival Performance. Please note that the White Nights performance schedule will not be released until approximately 4-6 weeks prior to departure.
Later, you might want to take a romantic late evening stroll on the banks of the Neva River – the famous bridges of St. Petersburg are raised just before 2AM and it’s near daylight at midnight. It’s the magic of the White Nights season.
Exeter Services: Half-Day Guide; Theater Transfers
Hotel: Four Seasons Lion Palace
Meals Included: Breakfast
This morning will be left open for shopping and personal exploration.
At 2:00 PM, you’ll meet your guide in your hotel lobby and it’s off to the Russian Museum in the city center to view one of the greatest collections of exclusively Russian artists, including an extraordinary Repin collection. The Russian Museum also houses one of the world’s largest collections of ancient Russian icons. Around the corner you will stop into the Church on Spilled Blood.
Evening
Farewell dinner tonight in one of St. Petersburg’s finest restaurants. Dinner consists of three courses, mineral water, and coffee or tea.
Exeter Services: Half-Day Vehicle, Driver & Guide
Hotel: Four Seasons Lion Palace
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Morning at leisure until your airport transfer and flight onward.
Exeter Services: Transfer
Meals Included: Breakfast
