St Petersburg for Christmas

Transcription

1 St Petersburg for Christmas What's Included Return scheduled flights Five nights accommodation in your own spacious room Porterage Personal audio guide system Hosted welcome drinks reception with Russian canapés Half board (some meals out locally) A performance at the world famous Mariinsky Theatre Private Christmas concert at the Sheremietev Palace Private Christmas Russian gala banquet in the panoramic bar of the hotel with drinks, live jazz band and dancing Dinner of the Russian Tsars with drinks and folklore show Executive coach on all trips Exclusive services of an expert local guide Exclusive services of a One Traveller Tour Manager Excursions as follows: Guided city tour, including the Peter & Paul Fortress and St Isaac s Cathedral interiors The State Hermitage Museum (full day) Catherine s Palace (including the Amber Room) Kazan Cathedral and Pavlovsk Palace, including a troika ride through its grounds Not Included Holiday Insurance You need to arrange your own but we can help). For more information, please see our suggested insurance services. Visa: You will need to complete the visa form we will send with your holiday confirmation; we will then issue you with an official visa form and letter of invitation that you will need to take to the Russian visa application centre either in London, Edinburgh, Manchester or Dublin and lodge your visa application in person where

2 your fingerprints will be scanned. The Russians operate this system very efficiently and the process only takes a short amount of time. The locations are very central so easy to combine with a day out in the great UK or Scottish capitals. We will apply to the Russian authorities on your behalf in the following four easy steps: STEP ONE: complete the visa form which we will send you with your holiday confirmation and return it to us in the pre-paid envelope provided. STEP TWO: approximately six weeks before departure we will issue you with an official visa form and letter of invitation. STEP THREE: you will need to attend the Russian visa application centre either in London, Manchester, Edinburgh or Dublin for a fingerprint scan on a day convenient to you no later than 21 days prior to travelling. STEP FOUR: your passport will be returned by secure courier direct from the Russian visa application centre within 21 days. The cost for a Russian visa is approximately 99 (paid direct on the day of application). Should you wish to apply for your own visa, you will require certain documents that we have to obtain from overseas and an administration charge of 25 will apply. Itinerary Key: Breakfast Lunch Dinner Drink Afternoon Tea Longer walks and steps may be involved on this day 1 Fly to St Petersburg Meet your One Traveller representative at Heathrow Airport and fly to St. Petersburg. Transfer to your hotel for a five-night stay. After time to freshen up you will be taken on a short orientation of the area close to your centrally located hotel, where you will experience the illuminated festive atmosphere of the city of the Romanovs. Evening: welcome drinks with Russian canapés and caviar in the hotel bar overlooking the city, followed by dinner. 2 Guided city tour, the Peter & Paul Fortress and St. Isaac s Cathedral

3 Morning: your city tour by coach will take in all the highlights of St. Petersburg including the Peter & Paul Fortress situated on its own island in the River Neva and housing the burial crypt of the Romanovs. Afternoon: visit the vast St Isaac's Cathedral with its impressive interior. Evening: dinner in the hotel, followed by a beautiful classical ballet/opera performance in the world-famous Mariinsky Theatre. 3 Christmas Eve - Catherine s Palace and the Pavlovsk Palace troika ride and folklore evening Morning: trip to Catherine s Palace, including the breathtaking worldfamous Amber Room. Afternoon: after exploring the wonderful Pavlovsk Palace you will be driven through the grounds on a Russian troika pulled by horses, to admire its splendid setting. Evening: this evening celebrate in true Russian style as you enjoy the dinner of the Russian Tsars in a local restaurant with drinks and a Cossack show. 4 Christmas Day Kazan Cathedral and the Sheremietev Palace, with private choir concert Morning: start the day with a guided tour of the Russian Orthodox Kazan Cathedral (inspired by the Basilica of St. Peter s in Rome and the country s main Orthodox church). Afternoon: after a champagne lunch you will see the impressive State Rooms of the Sheremietev Palace before a private Christmas choir sing Russian carols to you in one of the State Rooms one of the highlights of this holiday. Evening: this evening a fabulous Christmas celebration in the private panoramic bar of the hotel with fabulous views over the city. Drinks and a feast of local delicacies, with your own jazz band. A truly memorable Christmas Day in St. Petersburg. 5 Boxing Day - State Hermitage Museum Morning: guided tour of the State Hermitage Museum with its

4 elaborate interiors and lavish art and architecture. Afternoon: free to enjoy the Hermitage further, or simply relax. Evening: dinner and drinks in the heart of the city. 6 Free morning - Return to the UK Today we end our Christmas holiday with a relaxing morning. You can choose to visit the Christmas Markets or the Farmers Market, stroll on the Nevsky Prospekt or visit the Orthodox Vladimirsky Church opposite the hotel. This is a fitting end to a wonderful stay in a magnificent city. Afternoon: fly back to the UK in the late afternoon. Included excursions Guided city tour, including the Peter & Paul Fortress and St Isaac s Cathedral interiors St. Petersburg, Petrograd, Leningrad and now, again, St. Petersburg, the city s succession of names mirrors Russia s turbulent history. A half day guided sightseeing coach tour with an official guide to see the best of this city. St Petersburg was planned to perfection by Peter the Great; it is full to the brim of Palaces and monuments and there are many colourful stories that your official guide will be able to tell you. Entrance into the burial crypt of the Romanov's is included as well as a guided tour of the 4th largest Cathedral in the World. The spectacular St. Isaacs Cathedral. State Hermitage Museum The State Hermitage Museum, one of the world biggest art and cultural museums, is housed in 5 buildings: the Winter Palace, Maly (Small) Hermitage, Bolshoi (Big) Hermitage, New Hermitage and the Hermitage Theatre. The Hermitage collection started in 1764 when Empress Catherine the Great had purchased 255 paintings from Berlin. The museum was opened to the public at the end of the 19th century. Today, the Hermitage boasts over 2.7 million exhibits and displays a diverse range of art and artifacts from all over the world. The Hermitage collections, both enormous and diverse, contain unique works by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian, Rembrandt and Rubens, works by French Impressionists Renoir, Cezanne, Manet, Monet and Pissarro, numerous canvasses by Van Gogh, Matisse, Gaugin and several sculptures by Rodin. Experts say that if you were to see all the works on display at the Hermitage and spend no more than a minute looking at each exhibit, it will take you approximately 11 years. We suggest you let us show you the highlights! Private Christmas concert at the Sheremietev Palace

5 The impressive interiors of the Sheremietev Palace are the backdrop for your private concert. A male voice choir will sing with passion in either a tenor or bass voice which has been known to move people to tears. It will be a very special occasion. Kazan Cathedral The Kazan Cathedral (also known as the Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan) is a cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church on the Nevsky Prospekt in St. Petersburg. Modelled on the St. Peter's Basilica in Rome the cathedral was perceived primarily as a memorial to the Russian victory against Napoleon. After the Russian Revolution of 1917, the cathedral was closed and re-opened again in 1932 as the pro-marxist 'Museum of the History of Religion and Atheism.' A performance at the world famous Mariinsky Theatre You will taken to a Performance of a ballet/opera at the Mariinsky Theatre on Christmas Eve (show to be advised 6 weeks before). Catherine s Palace (including the Amber Room) and the Pavlovsk Palace, including a troika ride through its grounds Two of the most famous palaces in St. Petersburg. The Catherine Palace and Pavlovsk Palace were the Rococo summer residences of the Russian Tsars, located in the town of Tsarskoye Selo (Pushkin), 25 km south-east of St. Petersburg. The Catherine s Palace is the jewel of Russian baroque - We take you inside the Amber Room (which is considered to be one of the world's wonders), the Ball Room (where Elton John gave a piano concert recently), the Picture Gallery and the Crimson Room. A stroll in the grounds after makes for a great start to the day. After a break for lunch we will continue to Pavlovsk Palace designed by Scottish architect Charles Cameron. We will have a guided tour to see the interiors. From here you will be wisked through the grounds of the palace on a troika - a great experience. Dinner of the Russian Tsars with drinks and folklore show Folklore is a vital part of their culture. Tonight you will eat good food, drink some nice wine and let the ambience take over. A thoroughly Russian experience. Hotels St Petersburg: Hotel Dostoevsky The Hotel Dostoevsky is a four-star hotel located in the very heart of the city. Just five minutes stroll away is the Nevsky Prospekt (the main street) where you will find The Hermitage, Kazan Cathedral and the Church on the Spilled Blood. The hotel s bar on the 7th floor offers a fabulous city panorama. The guest rooms are well-furnished, with, telephone, safe, television with satellite reception, WiFi, and refrigerator.

6