The Hermitage Museum ranks among the most prestigious museums in the world, containing about three million objects of unparalleled importance. The route takes you through the State Rooms of the Winter Palace, the collection of Western European art featuring Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Titian and others, Dutch and Flemish Art collections, including masterpieces by Rembrandt, Rubens and Van Dyck, and the French Impressionists Collection. You’ll see the collection of Spanish art (second only to Madrid’s Prado), and the collection of French art, which is the largest outside France, displaying works by Degas, Renoir, Monet, Cezzanne, Van Gogh, Gauguin, and Matisse.

From the Hermitage, your coach proceeds to drive towards one of the main landmarks of St. Petersburg – the Church on Spilled Blood. This exquisitely decorated cathedral was built on the spot were Tsar Alexander II had been fatally wounded by a member of the People’s Will revolutionary terrorist organization on March I, 1881. Combining the artistic styles of the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries, the cathedral is a kaleidoscope of decorative elements, with an extensive collection of mosaics that cover over 8,400 square yards, and five domes that are covered with more than 1,000 square yards of jeweler’s enamel.

Take a short drive to the city center while your guide introduces you to the history of St. Petersburg. You’ll stop on the Spit of Vasilievsky Island for an opportunity to take in the views of the Neva River, the Rostral Columns, the Winter Palace and other buildings of the Hermitage Museum, as well as St. Peter and Paul Fortress, situated right across the river. The tour continues with a drive along the Neva River embankments, passing St. Peter and Paul Fortress. The tour will then take you to St. Isaac’s Cathedral for another photo opportunity and a tour of this remarkable building, one of the largest cathedrals in Europe and capable of accommodating 10,000 worshipers. The interior of the cathedral is richly decorated with different kinds of marble, malachite and other semiprecious stones. After, you’ll proceed to a dining venue for lunch.

In the afternoon your tour takes you outside of the city to the historical town of Pushkin. The drive will take you to the Egyptian Gates, the entrance to the Tsar’s Village. Catherine’s Palace in the Tsar’s Village ranks as one of the masterpieces of world art. From the time the palace was built until the time of the last Russian Tsar, Pushkin was used as the summer residence of the Royal Family. In 1756, Bartelomeo Rastrelli expanded Catherine’s Palace in Baroque style. The palace tour takes you through a series of magnificent rooms, including the famous Picture Gallery and, of course, the Great Hall. The parks of the estate add to the splendor of the palace, and several of them are embellished with a number of charming pavilions. The town of Pushkin is famous not only for its remarkable palace and parks, but the man it was named after. Since 1937, it has been named after Alexander Pushkin, the most celebrated poet in the country and a resident of this town at the beginning of the 19th century. The lyceum where he studied is connected to the palace by an arch.

Your journey starts with a transfer to Peterhof, also called the Russian Versailles. Peterhof, the town of palaces, fountains and parks, was built by Peter the Great to rival Versailles. It lies on the southern shore of the Gulf of Finland, 22 miles west of St. Petersburg. The Grand Palace, built in the beginning of the 18th century, is known as the most brilliant of all the summer residences of the Russian Tsars. The estate construction spanned two centuries and upon its completion, it encompassed seven parks and more than 20 smaller palaces and pavilions. The layout of the 300 acre park and spectacular fountains was designed by Peter himself. The Grand Cascade, consists of three waterfalls, an avenue of 64 fountains and 37 gilded statues. Samson, the main attraction of Peterhof, is located at the base of the Great Cascade. During World War II, the estate was occupied and all the buildings and fountains were completely demolished. For many years, the palace and the Grand Cascade were under extensive restoration.

Now all guests of the city can enjoy the spectacular view of the fountains and the palace. After your tour of the Grand Palace, you’ll proceed to the magnificent gardens of the Low Park to admire the numerous fountains and statues of the Grand Cascade. As part of your Imperial tour experience, we have arranged a special hydrofoil boat transfer from Peterhof back to the city center, which will take you on a short 30 minute ride across the Gulf of Finland. After arriving back to town, you’ll be taken to the Spit of Vasilievsky Island, where you’ll enjoy views of the city including the Hermitage Museum and St. Peter and Paul Fortress, which you will tour next. Once inside the Peter and Paul Cathedral, you’ll be surrounded by marble columns, glittering chandeliers and painted decor, combined with carved and gilded iconostasis which create a magnificent setting for the tombs of Romanov monarchs. In July 1998, the remains of the last Russian Tsar Nicholas II and his family were also brought to the cathedral. The tour continues along the Neva embankment.

This special tour is designed for guests who would like to look at the city from a different perspective, learn about the tragic death of one of the most mysterious figures in Russian history – Grigory Rasputin – and witness one of St. Petersburg’s masterpieces, also surrounded by the mystery of murder and intrigue – the amazing Cathedral of Our Savior on Spilled Blood. Your coach will bring you to the pier in the city center, where you’ll start your fascinating journey through the rivers and canals of St. Petersburg. You’ll see the city from the water, which surrounds its numerous squares, monuments and palaces. After an hour of touring the waterways, you’ll arrive near Yusupov Palace, where you’ll disembark to discover an intriguing story about the palace, its owners and the dramatic events which ended the life of the famous favorites of the last Romanovs. Yusupov Palace is located on the banks of the Moika River and is one of the 57 palaces in Russia, four of which are in St. Petersburg and were owned by Felix Yusupov – often said to be almost as wealthy as the Tsar himself. This palace was Yusupov’s favorite and exemplifies his wealth and very eccentric style. Among the palace's treasures are French tapestries and porcelain, and Venetian mirrors and woodcarvings. It was here in 1916 that the notorious Grigory Rasputin was assassinated. He was lured to Yusupov's palace by several influential figures of the time, given poison cakes, which for some reason had no effect on him, then shot several times and thrown into the river.

The tour will take you through the rooms of the palace, and after climbing down the narrow, winding staircase, you’ll see the very place where Felix Yusupov and his accomplices assassinated Grigory Rasputin. After lunch at a nearby restaurant, you’ll visit the magnificent Cathedral on Spilled Blood. This marvelous old Russian-style church was built on the spot where Emperor Alexander II was assassinated on March 1, 1881. The cathedral should not be perceived as simply a cult building; its idea is broader and deeper. The image of the Savior in this cathedral reflects not so much the cult aspect, but the political, historical, artistic, stylistic importance of the monument, and underscores its importance for the city. Built in 1883-1907, the church was designed in the spirit of 16th and 17th century Russian architecture, inspired particularly by St. Basil's Cathedral in Red Square, Moscow. With its distinctive cupolas, the Muscovy design is unique to St. Petersburg and provides a dramatic contrast to the Neo-Classical architecture which dominates the city center. The interior of the church, a memorial to the late Emperor Alexander II, is decorated with different marbles and several thousand square yards of mosaics. These mosaics are far from being ordinary; their surfaces were left unpolished, so that they reflect sunlight, which impressed worshipers and visitors alike. The Cathedral of Resurrection, as it is also called, is the only surviving monument to Alexander II in the city.