- Daily Tours
- Post-Congress Tour
Post-Congress Tour to St. Petersburg
Date: Wednesday, 20 May to Friday, 22 May
Length: 3 days/2 nights
Price: EUR 756 per person, sharing twin/double room;
EUR 202 single supplement
Meeting place & time: Helsinki railway station, 6.50 am
St. Petersburg
Created by Peter the Great in 1703 to be his “window on Europe”, St. Petersburg combines a fascinating Russian heritage with a distinctly European outlook. The squares are huge, the streets wide and long, and everywhere are historic buildings and palaces, in the Baroque and Neo-classical styles. In addition to the River Neva, a network of rivers and canals criss-cross the city, spanned by countless bridges.
Wednesday, 20 May
7.23 Departure on the Finnish Sibelius train from Helsinki railway station. The train arrives in St. Petersburg at 14.05, where a local guide and coach is waiting to begin a city tour. On this introductory tour, a visit is made to the Peter & Paul Fortress, built in 1703 by Peter the Great. The tour ends at hotel for check-in.
Dinner and overnight at the centrally located ***Hotel Ibis.
Thursday, 21 May
After breakfast, visit the world famous Hermitage Museum, one of the world's greatest art collections including masterpieces by Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Rembrandt, Monet and many more.
Enjoy lunch in a local restaurant before visiting the Yusupov Palace. The palace has maintained its original 18th century grand interiors, and is best known as the place of the murder of Rasputin.
Overnight at the Hotel Ibis.
Friday, 22 May
After breakfast visit Pushkin, located 25km from the city centre of St. Petersburg and one of the great Imperial estates. The magnificent Grand Catherine Palace is the architectural centrepiece, sitting amongst luscious landscaped parkland. Originally built for Catherine 1st, wife of Peter the Great, the palace was developed by leading architect Rastrelli into a masterpiece of Russian Baroque.
Russian-style lunch in Podvorie before transfer back to the railway station for the 16.44 departure to Helsinki, arriving at 21.58.
The price includes:
- 2 nights accommodation in twin/double room with breakfast at the Hotel Ibis
- Meals and excursions as per the above itinerary
- English-speaking guide in St. Petersburg
- Train Helsinki-St. Petersburg-Helsinki, 2nd class return
Supplements:
- Those who wish to upgrade to 1st class on the train, the supplementary charge will be around EUR 70 –90 per person (exact price to be confirmed at a later date).
Important notes:
Each guest should get a Russian visa from the Russian embassy in their home country before travel to Finland. We provide a visa support letter, which is part of the visa application process. Visa cost is not included in the tour package price.
At the time of writing (August 2008) 2009 prices in Russia are not yet fixed. We reserve the right to amend the price should estimated increases exceed expectations.
The organizer reserves the right to cancel the tour in case of less than 10 registered persons.
