2-day Jewish heritage shore excursion
Tour snapshot:
Duration
18 hours
VISA FREE
No visa required
Transportation
By private car/minivan
No hidden cost
All port fees and local taxes included
Private guide
Professional & licensed
Skip-the-line tickets
No Waiting lines at monuments or museums
The tour is all yours
100% private tour
During this 2-day Jewish tour you will miss neither St.Petersburg highlights nor history and culture of Jews in Russia. The tour starts with panoramic city tour, that also includes old Jewish district Kolomna and Grand Choral Synagogue visit. Built in the late 19th century in Moorish style Grand Choral Synagogue is famous for its unique acoustic. The words whispered at one end can be clearly heard at another end of the hall. You will have a unique possibility to check it by yourself. Afterwards, you will discover three major cathedrals of the city, that are absolutely different and unique. An interesting exhibition of the ethnographical museum will show you details about the history and culture of Jews in Russia. The State Hermitage museum consists of five buildings and comprises about 3 mln items. The guide will help you not to get lost among the treasuries and show you all the highlights.
In the evening we will be happy to arrange something special for you, like night boat tour with a spectacular view over open drawbridges, delicious typical dinner, Vodka museum visit, ballet or opera in one of 4 imperial theatres, music concert in a palace or traditional folk show.
Your second day in St.Petersburg will be dedicated to imperial summer residences. You will spend an unforgettable day enjoying impressive fountains ensembles in Peterhof and stunning interiors in Catherine Palace.
Please note: this tour is fully customizable and can be modified any way you wish. We can easily change timing of the tour, museums, add free time, shopping, local market and shops visit and anything according to your preferences.
Tour price includes
- visa-free tour ticket
- all port fees and all local Russian taxes
- skip the line entrance tickets to the museums shown on the itinerary
- professional private English-speaking guide service (other languages upon the request)
- private vehicle (business class) for two days with this timing
- one pass for the camera per person in the museums
- bottled water
- audio headsets for larger groups of 7 and more people
- metro tickets
DAY 1 itinerary
08.30 Meeting with a guide at the cruise terminal
08.30 – 10.00 Panoramic driving city tour including stops at the main highlights, metro ride (optional), local market (optional)
10.00 – 10.30 Saviour on the spilled blood church guided tour
10.30 – 12.30 Kolomna and Grand Choral Synagogue visit (tour of the old Jewish district and old Jewish history sights)
12.30 – 13.30 Lunch (optional, cost is not included)
13.30 – 15.00 “The History and culture of the Jews of Russia” exhibition in St. Petersburg Museum of Ethnography guided tour
15.00 – 17.30 The State Hermitage museum guided tour
18.00 Back onboard the cruise ship or optional evening program
DAY 2
08.30 Meeting with a guide at the cruise terminal
08.30 – 09.30 Way to Pushkin
09.30 – 10.00 Holocaust memorial visit
10.00 – 12.00 Catherine Palace and Imperial park guided tour
12.00 – 13.00 Way to Peterhof
13.00 – 14.00 Lunch (optional, cost is not included)
14.00 – 16.00 Peterhof fountain park guided tour
17.00 Back onboard the cruise ship
Saint-Petersburg city tour
Tour overview:
Important information:
The itinerary above is a sample only. In case your ship is in port for less time, we will adjust it easily. You can also change the program in case you would like to visit different museums or spend more time in the city. Please contact us for more details.
Please note the visit to the Hermitage does not include the collection of impressionists and post-impressionists which moved to the new General Staff building. You can request it additionally when booking the tour.
Children/Students receive a discount of 25 eur for the tour. Students must have a valid ISIC Card – Please, let us know about students and children in your group in advance so that we can reserve the right tickets for them.
The order of museum visits may change depending on availability of entrance tickets, museums days-off, traffic situation in the city.
The tour is private with your personal guide and driver. There will no be other people joining your tour.
The tour is driving. We use licensed drivers with cars (up to 2 people), minivans (3 – 7 people) and Mercedes Sprinters (8 – 19 people).
Tipping your guide and driver is not obligatory, but appreciated.
Guided visits:
Hermitage Museum
Dive into splendid halls full of treasuries in one of the best museums in the world. The Hermitage museum consists of 5 buildings: Winter Palace, Small Hermitage, Old Hermitage, New Hermitage and Hermitage theatre. During the tour you will visit four of them except for the Hermitage theatre, that is an active one. The Hermitage is a really unique place, it is an imperial residence, revolution site, great museum and all in one place. Your expert guide will help you no to get lost in 3 min items of the museum and show you all the highlights and rooms, that big groups never visit. Marvel at masters like Da Vinci, Rembrandt, Titian and others while you will be exploring this former royal residence.
Church of our Saviour on the Spilled Blood
This unique historical monument, a masterpiece of architecture, painting and decorative art is one of the most remarkable highlights of St.Petersburg. It seemed that this ornate church with onion cupolas came to us from early Russian epic tales. However, it’s a memorial structure built on the spot where Emperor Alexander II, who had abolished serfdom in Russia, was assassinated. The church interior is awesome. Its splendid mosaic decoration, that occupies over 7,000 sq. meters includes great variety of coloured semiprecious stones from Italy and Russia.
Russian Jews exhibition in the St. Petersburg Museum of Ethnography
“The History and Culture of the Jews of Russia” exhibition in the Museum of Ethnography appeared as a first step to the full-value museum of the Jewish culture in St. Petersburg. You will definitely enjoy the collection which consists of more than 2500 items, including utensils, costumes, home decor items, amulets and charms, decoration of the Torah storages and unique photos.
Grand Choral Synagogue
Visit the second largest synagogue in Europe. Built in 1893 The Grand Choral Synagogue of St. Petersburg has been always operating and never closed. You will be amazed by the beauty of this magnificent building, designed in Moorish style and beautiful interiors.
Catherine Palace with Amber Room
Catherine Palace ranks as one of the masterpieces of world art. This palace became favourite summer residence of the Russian tzars from Peter the Great to Nicholas II. The palace tour takes you through the luxurious gilded rooms – Golden Enfilade, including the famous Great Hall and the gem of the palace – Amber room. A nice view of the Catherine park opens through the windows. Charming pavilions decorate the park and add to the splendour of the palace.
Peterhof Fountain park
The large fountain cascade is the main attraction of Peterhof and architectural dominant of the whole Park complex. This famous ensemble of fountains classed as a World Heritage Site, where the Grand Cascade comprises 64 different fountains, and over 200 bronze statues, bas-reliefs, and other decorations. At the centre stands Rastrelli’s spectacular statue of Samson wrestling the jaws of a lion.
Optional tours:
Private guided boat tour through canals and Neva river
Nothing captures the majesty of St. Petersburg quite like breezing along the Neva River and charming canals, which offers an endless parade of breathtaking monuments.
We provide classy private boat open or with panorama roof and deck, depending on weather conditions.
Faberge museum visit
Located in the Shuvalov Palace, this museum with stunning interiors represents a private collection of Faberge jewellery items, including nine of the world-famous Faberge Imperial Easter eggs.
Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings in General Staff building
The works of the Impressionists (Monet, Renoir, Degas, Sisley, Pissarro) and post-impressionists (Van Gogh, Gauguin, Matisse, Cézanne) are widely presented in the Hermitage (General Staff building).
VISA FREE
In St.Petersburg for cruise passengers there are 72 visa free hours, we will provide you with a document called a Tour Ticket which acts as your blanket visa during your stay in St. Petersburg. This document will allow you to take your tour with us.
Please, send us requests for shore excursions at least 4-5 days prior to your ship’s arrival to St. Petersburg. Otherwise, there is not enough time to issue travel documents for you required for passing passport control.
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS
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Marvel the second biggest synagogue in Europe
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St.Petesburg highlights and history of the Jews in Russia
- a fast-pass tickets that get you straight inside the museums
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Enjoy the beauty of tzar’s summer residences
- discover part of 3 million masterpieces in the Hermitage with your private expert guide
Kazan Cathedral
The Cathedral looks fascinating due to its monumentality on the outside and the amazing beauty inside. The Kazan Cathedral was built and named in honor of the Kazan icon of the Mother of God, which Is placed inside the temple and is considered to be one of the most revered icons in Russia. So the queue of people wishing to touch the shrine is a common thing here. Read more
Best viewing points in St. Petersburg
When you are a regular traveler, it is difficult to explore one of the most beautiful cities in the world — Saint-Petersburg — in a short period of time. A great opportunity to literally look over the whole city look is to visit one of the viewing points of the Northern Capital. The panoramic terraces of cathedrals, museums, restaurants and hotels will allow you to combine a walk and a tour, arrange a romantic date and make great photos. Read more
The mystery of the Mikhailovsky castle
The Mikhailovsky (or the Engineer’s) castle became infamous immediately after the death of Emperor Paul I, who was strangled in his bedroom in the castle. And no wonder the palce gained bad reputation, since Palace coups and the Emperor’s murder were not a common thing for Russian Empire after all. Read more