St Petersburg

With a couple of busy days in front of us we passed through Russian immigration fairly easily, meet up with our tour guide and driver and off we went.

Our itinerary was as follows:

Day one:
08.00-08.30 - Meeting near the ship-Direct pier pickup
08.30 -10.00 -Introductory city tour, drive to Pushkin (Tsarskoe Selo)
10.00 - 12.00-Catherine's palace & Amber room (inside tour)
12.00 - 13.00 -drive to Peterhof
13.00 - 13.30 -lunch time
13.30 - 15.00 -Peterhof Fountain Park and Upper Garden
15.00 -16.00 -Monplaisir Palace, Catherine’s Block
16.00 -17.30 -Drive back to St Petersburg with Subway tour, return to the ship.

Day two:
8.30 - 10.00-Meeting near the ship, St Petersburg City highlights Tour

10.00- 10.30- Grand Choral Synagogue,  Nevsky Prospect walking tour
10.30-  11.30- Peter and Paul fortress and Cathedral (inside tour)
11.45 - 12.15- St Issac's Cathedral (inside tour)
12.15 - 12.45-lunch time
13.00 - 16.00 –State Hermitage Museum (inside tour)

16.00 – 16.30 Private transfer to your ship
16.30    return to the ship

Again the weather is being very kind to us with day one reaching over 30c and day two in the high 20’s.

The gardens in Peterhof were amazing the fountains were spectacular and all gravity feed. 

The many palaces in date back 350 years approx. they were very opulent and show the luxurious lifestyle in which Russian royalty lived.

On day two for lunch we went to the Russian equivalent to McDonalds, we what can I day, a bit different, no burgers here David had mushroom soup.  

Gold domes on church at Catherine's Palace

View of Catherine's Palace 

Ballroom inside Catherine's Palace

Another view of Catherine's Palace

Some of the fountains in Peterhof

and more

and more

Subway station in St Petersburg

Cathedral  of Spilt Blood