 Sample Itineraries
For Incentive Travel
The
Rise and Fall of the Russian Empire
St.Petersburg is a city that holds magic for everyone. Here
visitors can feel the power of the former Russian Empire. The succession of the Romanovs in St. Petersburg mirrors Russia's turbulent history.
Each of the rulers have left their own mark on the city, beginning with Peter the Great, followed by Elizabeth,
Alexander I, Paul I, Nicholas I, Alexander II, Alexander III, and ending with Nicholas II.
You will see the most spectacular
architectural monuments of the 18th - 20th centuries and step inside perfectly restored
palaces allowing you to experience first hand the greatness of the former
Russian Emmpire.
Tour duration: 5 days and more
Tour highlights: Peter & Paul Fortress, Peterhof,
The Hermitage,
Tsarskoye Selo, Pavlovsk, St.Isaac’s Cathedral, Alexander’s Palace, Yusupov Palace.
Optional: Church on Spilled Blood, Marble Palace, Mariinsky
Palace, Palace of Paul I in Gatchina. On request: banquets, lunches, and dinners with
concerts arranged in the palaces.
Stars of the White Nights
In June when night never falls, some Petersburgers and guests
alike stay out all night, enjoying the miraculous twilight of the city from river boats hovering
between the water and the sky along the Neva river and the canals of the “Northern
Venice”.
Welcome to St.Petersburg during White Nights, when for one month the city
will be full of great music played by brilliant artists. Interesting concerts and
performances, and opera and symphony premieres are awaiting you. In
addition, The White Nights Art Festival
has its own special and breathtaking rhythm. You will visit the Mariinsky Theatre, where the
famous choreographers Petipa and Fokine used to work. During the Festival, well-known
groups such as the “Classical Ballet”, “Choreographic Miniatures” and others will
perform on the stages of famous theatres. Following the tradition, the Festival program
includes a concert by students of the Vaganova School of Choreography, the oldest ballet
school in Russia.
In the day-time enjoy a sightseeing tour of St.Petersburg, a city of
magnificent architecture, take a stroll along the shady alleys of the Summer Garden and go
by hydrofoil to Peterhof, the Summer residence of the Russian Tsars. This tour
will make a trip to St.Petersburg unforgettable!
Tour duration: 5 days
Tour highlights: rivers & canals, Peterhof by Hydrofoil, Summer
Garden with visit to the Palace of Peter I, Peter’s Log Cabin, White Night Festival
(opera and ballet premieres).
The Sun of Russian Poetry
Poet Alexander Pushkin is one of the most famous Russian
writers and his work is known throughout Russia. However the difficulty of translating Pushkin’s subtle “poetry of
grammar” leads to the fact that he is not well-known outside of Russia. Here,
in Russia, he is
considered not only the nation’s greatest poet and the father of Russian literature,
but his
tragic death also caused him to be known as a national martyr. Many foreigners enjoy famous Russian
operas & ballets like: “Ruslan & Ludmila”, “Eugene Onegin”, “Boris
Godunov”, and “Queen of Spades” but not everybody knows that their librettos are based
on Pushkin’s novels and poems.
Tour duration: 5 days
Tour highlights: Literary Museum (Pushkinsky Dom), Pushkin Memorial
Apartment, the Lyseum in Tsarskoye Selo where Pushkin was brought up, Black River - the
place where Pushkin was fatally wounded in a duel, and other places of interest.
Optional: Theatre performances - opera or ballet (librettos
based on Pushkin’s novels)
Famous Women in the History of St.Petersburg
Palaces and Love Stories
The tour includes sites of the city connected with the famous women in
the history of St.Petersburg these women either contributed a great deal to the flourishing
of Russia, to the development of literature and art, or tried to change the existing order
of things by extraordinary methods. This tour gives you the opportunity to see the places connected with their lives and listen to the stories about
these remarkable women.
On this tour you will learn about the Empress Elizabeth, the daughter of Peter the Great
who was
devoted to Russia and laid the foundations for the rapid development of the
country. At the same time, private life deserves even more attention than her political activities. Catherine the
Great was also a very influential figure in Russian history, and her name
has inseparably connected with the Golden Age of Russia. You will also
encounter the greatest
adventuress of the 18th century and the pretender to the Russian throne, Princess
Tarakanova, supposed daughter of Empress Elizabeth. Next there is Countess Dashkova, the
first president of the St.Petersburg Academy of Sciences, one of the most educated and
intellectual women in Europe, and the associate and friend of Catherine II.
You will hear about the love story of Prascovia
Zhemchugova, a star of Russian theatre, and the wife of the powerful statesman count
Sheremetiev. Finally there is Matilda Kshesinskaya, prima
ballerina of pre-revolutionary Russia, whose affair with crown prince Nicholas (later tsar
Nicholas II) was the talk of St.Petersburg at the turn of the century.
Tour duration: 7 days
Tour highlights: Tsarskoye Selo, Winter Palace, Sheremetev
Place, Kshesinsky Palace, Peter & Paul Fortress, Smolny Institute,
Anitchkov Palace,
Shuvalov Palace.
Historic Libraries of St. Petersburg
In Russia like in the rest of Europe the first libraries were formed by
the Church. In the 18-th century, side by side with the monastic and ecclesiastical
libraries and in conjunction with the founding of universities there grew up secular
collections which were both the stronghold and the spreaders of knowledge. It was the Enlightenment
that first made public access to libraries possible.
The tour of libraries gives the opportunity to learn more about the
rare objects and curiosities contained in these famous collections and to appreciate the
beauty and historic value of the buildings.
Tour duration: 7 days
Tour highlights: Theological Seminary’ Library of
Alexandro-Nevskaya Cloister, Russian National Library, Mayakovsky Central City Universal
Library, Library of Russian Academy of Sciences, St.Petersburg Theatre Library, St.
Petersburg State University Library, Main Music Library of the State Academic Mariinsky
Theatre, Libraries of the major museums of St.Petersburg - Hermitage, Russian Museum, The
Russian Ethnographical Museum, The Museum of the Political History of Russia.
The Magic of Russian Theatre
Russian culture has a lot to
offer and St.Petersburg has always been the
center of musical life. During this city tour one can see and visit some memorial places
connected with the musical life of St.Petersburg and its famous composers.
Through our special arrangements
it is possible to extend your knowledge of Russian ballet, opera and classical music. You
will delve into various aspects of theatre life, its past and present.
Tour duration: 5 days
Tour highlights: Museum of Theatrical and Musical Arts,
Rimsky-Korsakov Memorial Apartment, Chalyapin’s Memorial Apartment, attendance of a
rehearsal of the Makarov Dancing Group, Mariinsky Theatre, visit to the Vaganova Ballet
School, a folk show and evening theatre performance.
St. Petersburg. Past & Present
St.Petersburg, Petrograd, Leningrad and now, again, St.Petersburg - the city’s
succession of names mirrors the turbulent history of Russia. Founded in 1703 by Peter the Great
as a “Window To Europe”, St.Petersburg was the capital of the
Tsarist Empire for two centuries and was characterized by excess and magnificence. The city is associated with a
host of renowned figures of Russian culture and history. Now St.Petersburg
is a modern European city but it has still kept its rich historical and architectural values. Take
this chance to
acquaint yourself with the highlights of Imperial St.Petersburg, former Red Petrograd and
present St.Petersburg.
Tour duration: 5 days
Tour highlights:
DAY 1
City tour “Imperial St.Petersburg”, Hermitage, evening at the Mariinskiy Theatre.
DAY 2
Visit to Peterhof - the summer residence of the Russian tsars, lunch at the
“Imperatorsky Stol” restaurant.
DAY 3
City tour “Ten Days That Shook the World “ – the story of three revolutions with
focus on events of October Socialist revolution, visit to Peter & Paul Fortress and
Kshesinskaya Palace, Visit to Piskarevskoye Cemetery (resting place of those
who perished during the 900 day siege).
DAY 4
City tour “One Day a la Russe” – visit to Russian church, market, Elisseevsky
Grocery, department store “Gostiny Dvor”, lunch at a city restaurant, Russian
folklore, Russian Night Club.
DAY 5
Leisure time and shopping
Seven Days with St.Petersburg Police
What do you know about the Russian police? Would you agree that your knowledge is based
on something like “From Russia With Love”, “Gorky Park” or “Red Heat”? Could
you imagine someone offering you a chance of patrolling the streets of
St.Petersburg at night with a Russian cop just few years ago ?
We want to present you with new unique program that will give you an opportunity of taking
an unprecedented insight into the life of the police featuring such higlights as
a visit to the
Militia Museum at the Department of Internal Affairs of St.Petersburg, a visit to the Study
of Skill Training at the headquarters of the St.Petersburg police, a visit to the
headquarters of the St.Petersburg State Automobile Inspection (road police),
a visit to the
Primary Training Center of the St.Petersburg police, a visit to the training center of the
Special Purpose Police Detachment (known as OMON), a visit to “Kresty” prison and
excursion to its museum, a visit to the Service Dog Training Center. We are ready to
put the aforementioned visits into any itinerary.
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