In 2012 Silversea are offering two unique opportunities to start or end your cruise in the St Petersburg. This is a very rare opportunity as St Petersburg does not usually feature at the start or end of any Baltic Cruise.

We can tailor make an itinerary to your exact requirements. Alternatively join us on our exclusive small group tours that are designed to highlight some of the best in each city.

St Petersburg - pre or post cruise: Explore St Petersburg at the peak of the legendary White Nights (Belye Noche) before or after enjoying the elegance of Silversea on board the Silver Whisper. These pre and post cruise options feature three nights in each city. In St Petersburg enjoy two nights at the Taleon Imperial Hotel and one night on board the Silver Whisper. Highlights of the tour include visiting the The Hermitage when it is closed to the public, a tour of Catherine Palace and Peterhof – Russia’s equivalent of Versailles.

Day 1

24 June Sunday

St Petersburg

08:00 arrival on the Silver Whisper. At 10:00, your guide will be waiting to take you into the Russian countryside to see two of the city’s most elegant and beautiful palaces- Catherine Palace (formerly Pushkin) and Pavlovsk, in the nearby village of the same name.

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.

You will have lunch today at the restaurant Podvorye. This charming restaurant is made of wood and features lively folk entertainment at lunch.

After lunch you will visit Catherine Palace and its fabled Amber Room. This palace was originally designed in the 1750s in the Rococo style by the famous architect Rastrelli (who also designed many of St Petersburg’s grandest buildings like the Winter Palace, parts of Peterhof, the Stroganoff Palace, and Smolny Cathedral) for the Tsarina (Princess) Elizabeth, who named it after her mother Catherine I – Peter the Great’s second wife. Later, Catherine II (the Great) commissioned the Scottish architect Charles Cameron to re-design the palace’s interiors in the then-fashionable Neo-Classical style. After Catherine the Great’s death, the palace remained largely unchanged for centuries until the Second World War when the Nazi army, retreating after the unsuccessful siege of Leningrad, destroyed the palace almost completely. After the war, the palace was painstakingly rebuilt.

Hotel: Silver Whisper

Meals: Breakfast (Silver Whisper), Lunch & Dinner (Silver Whisper)

Day 2

25 June Monday

St Petersburg

This morning you will disembark from the Silver Whisper and meet your guide on the pier at 09:30.

Today you will be among the few ever to be allowed into the Hermitage and Winter Palace on a Monday, when it is closed to the public. You will be able to enjoy the collection without the usual summer crowds for a truly extraordinary experience.

The Hermitage museum is closed on Mondays and special arrangements have been made to open the museum especially for you for a private tour.

This afternoon lunch will be served in a local restaurant (two courses and unlimited mineral water, tea or coffee).

Later you will visit Peter Paul Fortress: the birthplace of St Petersburg. After walking through the many gates and across the bridges and moats, you can begin to feel the late 18th century era that required such fortification. As Peter’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.

Finally today, your guide will take you into St. Isaac’s Cathedral. 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 who do not suffer from vertigo, you can climb to the top of the Cathedral’s cupola for great views of St Petersburg.

Check in at the Taleon Imperial Hotel located on Nevsky Prospect and within a short walk to Palace Square and the Hermitage.

Dinner this evening at a leading St Petersburg restaurant.

Hotel: Taleon Imperial

Meals: Breakfast (Silver Whisper), Lunch & Dinner

Day 3

26 June Tuesday

St Petersburg

This morning your guide will meet you at 09:00 to take you on another special excursion- to Peter the Great’s summer palace, Peterhof, on a day that it is closed to the general public.

Peterhof Palace (or Petrodvorets in Russian) is often called the Russian Versailles due to the prominence of the gardens and fountains. There are many parts to the palace complex and to view them all, you will need to devote most of the day.

Lunch today is in the historic Orangery of Peterhof Palace opposite the famous Triton fountain. The grandfather of the modern greenhouse, this Orangery served as the palace’s main garden centre and was used as a freeze shelter for the garden’s many orange, apple, and other fruit trees during the harsh Russian winter. Although the café located inside the historic building is not a fine dining restaurant, the buffet style restaurant offers hot soups, rolls, salads and other light cuisine. Cost of lunch today is included in the tour.

If the weather is fine you will transfer back to the city centre by hydrofoil.

Evening at leisure in St Petersburg. Please contact Exeter International if you are interested in attending a performance at the Mariinsky (Kirov) Theatre this evening (cost not included in the programme).

Hotel: Taleon Imperial

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Day 4

June 27 Wednesday

St Petersburg onwards

Your driver will meet you at your hotel and transfer you to the airport for your onward flight.

Meals: Breakfast

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Cost per person

£1,480.000 per person, double occupancy. Single Supplement: £200.00

Accommodation:

St. Petersburg

One (1) Superior Room for Two (2) nights at the Taleon Imperial; tax (18%) and buffet breakfast daily included. (The third night of this programme will be on board the Silver Whisper)

Meals

Meals are included only where noted. Breakfast is included every day at your hotel or onboard the Silver Whisper and includes the buffet breakfast in the main restaurant. Room service items will be charged separately. All meals other than breakfast will feature a set menu and will offer coffee, tea and mineral water as beverages. No alcoholic beverages, soft drinks or speciality coffees are included in the cost, unless noted, and they must be paid locally.

Services

Vehicle, Driver and Guide services as described in the programme. Please note that any extra services that you might wish to add will be charged additionally.

Transfers

All transfers to and from airports and rail stations are included in the programme.

Guides

Hand chosen for their knowledge on local history, art & architecture. Guides are at your disposal between 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM daily.

Tickets

All museum tickets as described in the program.

Not Included:

Theatre

We will advise the programme nearer the time, once performances are announced. Please let us know if you wish to book tickets.

Flights

No flights are included.

Visas

Individual visas are required of ALL guests on this programme, as well as passengers who are just taking the Silversea cruise to or from St Petersburg. No blanket visa will cover arrivals or departures from the airports of Russia, so an individual visa will be needed for all guests on this Silversea cruise. We can advise on all aspects of obtaining your Russian visa.

Please note that your passport will have to be valid for a minimum of six months after the date of travel and you will need to have two blank pages available.

Insurance

It is a booking condition that every passenger holds adequate travel insurance cover for a holiday booked with us.

For more information please call us on 020 8956 2756 or email us at enquiries@exeterinternational.co.uk