Day 1 – St Petersburg

Upon arrival in St Petersburg, you will be taken to your hotel. Along the way, you'll get your first chance to glimpse the incredible sites the city has to offer.

Day 2 – Sightseeing tour (morning)

Crammed with splendid palaces, impressive historical monuments, tree-lined avenues and beautiful bridges, it's no wonder St Petersburg is known as Russia's cultural capital. A relatively young city, it was founded in 1703 by Tsar Peter the Great, but it's still managed to pack a lot into its rather short life. From the early days of its inception to the 1991 coup d'etat, the city has always felt alive with mysterious intrigue and bloody revolution.

The tour will take you to the city's major attractions, including the impressive Kazan Cathedral and the Stroganov Palace, which houses a waxworks museum. The Peter and Paul Fortress, which is the city's original citadel, and the Bronze Horseman, a monument to Peter the Great, are also en route.

Along the way, you'll also be able to admire views of Vasilievsky Island from the Palace Embankment and take a stroll down Nevsky Prospekt. Religious icons such as the golden-domed St Isaac's Cathedral and the distinctive Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood are included, too.

The Hermitage State Museum (afternoon)

Absolutely enormous, the Hermitage is the biggest museum in the world. Consisting of five main buildings, it's visited by several million people every year.

Founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great, the bulk of the museum's 3 million artefacts are housed in the Winter Palace, formerly the official residence of the Romanov Tsars. Only a small part of the museum collections is on display, but you're not missing out – works by Titian, Leonardo da Vinci and Rembrandt as well as a whole host of others are on view for all to see.

Our guided tour is designed to help you find your way around this huge building and its exhibitions, including a detailed tour of the main site.

P.M. option

Day 3 - Tsarskoe Selo

(Free morning)

Tsarskoe Selo & Amber Room tour (afternoon)

A guided half-day trip to Tsarskoe Selo. Tsarskoe Selo is a suburban Tsarist estate about 25 km outside St Petersburg. Built for Empresses Catherine I, Peter the Great's second wife, and Elizabeth I, their daughter, it offers a fascinating glimpse into imperial country living.

Decorated externally in distinctive pale blue, white and gold, all the buildings are impressive, but the Catherine Palace is perhaps the most so. An astonishing example of baroque architecture, its striking interiors include the legendary Amber Room. A hall decked with slabs of real amber, it paid the price for its ostentation during World War II, when looters stripped it of its glory. It took until 2003 for it to be fully restored, a painstaking process which took over 20 years and cost more than $12 million. Tour includes an English-speaking guide, transfer to Tsarskoe Selo, and the entry fee to the Catherine Palace.

Day 4 – Peterhoff & VALAAM

Peterhoff

Enjoy a guided tour to Peterhoff Grand Palace & Park in the morning.

Peterhof, an erstwhile residence of the Czars of yore. Visit the Grand Palace and be amazed with its fascinating & elaborate interiors. This world-famous Palace, Fountain and Park ensemble of Peterhof shines forth as a glittering landmark of Russia's aesthetic culture in the 18th and 19th centuries. Its wonderful parks, 176 fountains of various forms, majestic palaces, numerous gilded statues of ancient gods and heroes, paintings and works of art and culture make Peterhof a veritable gem of art, often called the 'Capital of Fountains,' unique in the world.

5.00 P.M. Start your Russian river cruise adventure to Valaam island.

Valaam island is often called the “Athos of the North” and "Ladoga Pearl", as this place is characterised by architectural sights, picturesque scenery and an ancient male monastery dating back to the 10^th century. 

Valaam tours start in St Petersburg. Enjoy the beauty of Lake Ladoga (which is an ancient sea, in fact) and its amazing landscape views.

Valaam tour includes:

• Round trip on a comfortable motor ship: St Petersburg-Valaam-St Petersburg
• Valaam excursion programme (see itinerary)
• Full board
• English-speaking guide service at Valaam

Itinerary

20.00 Board MS Furmanov at St Petersburg river port

Day 5 - Valaam

08.00 Arrive in Valaam, transfer to the monastery by runabout

09.00-12.00 A walking tour across the central estate of the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery.

Walk to Favor mountain, crowned with the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery. Here, you will see the unique monastery garden, which is a miracle in itself, considering the severe weather conditions. Visit to the marble Znameskaya Chapel, built after Alexander II’s visit to Valaam. Tour includes a Valaam monastery choir concert.

12.30 Lunch back onboard the boat

15.00-18.00 Walking tour of Valaam’s “skits” (small, separate settlements for hermit monks)

Valaam archipelago is famous for its spiritual life. Walk from Nikon skit towards Voskresensky, Gefsiman and Konevsky skits.

Voskresensky skit. Andrei the First-called preached Orthodox Christianity here some 2000 years ago. He also erected a stone cross here. The tour ends with a visit to the Monastery farm.

20.30 MS Furmanov departs for St Petersburg

Please bear in mind that you will have at least 3 hours of extra time after the planned end of the tour. The reason for this is the unpredictable weather and Ladoga lake conditions such as fog etc, which may cause a delay.

Please kindly respect the VALAAM monastery rules:

For Gents: please don’t wear any headdress. Decent, modest attire is a must (not sports style)

For Ladies: please wear a headdresses (a shawl) and a skirt. You can borrow both items at the entrance to the monastery if required. Decent, modest attire/skirt is a must (not sports style)

All visitors: the monastery is not a tourist site. Please keep silent, and please turn off your telephone. No video or photos within the territory are allowed unless you have special permission. No food or chewing

Day 6. Return to St Petersburg and departure

08.00 Arrive at St Petersburg river port

Our driver will meet you at the River Port upon docking, and will take you and your luggage to the airport.

OPTION: Extra guided tours in St Petersburg, depending on your flight times – transfer to airport with guide (not included in this package, tailor-made programme will be prepared upon request).