Explore both sides of the Neva and walk in a complete loop the city center.
Canals
We learned about the Fontanka river, the Catherine canal, the Moika river that are the channels built during the 18th-19th centuries and about major buildings on their banks and events happened in them.
Sights
As well as visiting we heard great historical stories about St. Michael castle, Summer Garden, Field of Mars, Church on a Spilt Blood, Michael palace (Russian Museum), Marble palace and many more historical buildings.
Petrograd
We crossed the Neva river to the historical nucleus of St Petersburg and visited the main spots connected with its foundation such as Peter and Paul fortress and cathedral. You'll also see the Trinity square and Kshesinskaya mansion. Then we'll walk along the embankments to check out the grand Duke's magnificent palaces and spit of Vasilievskii Island (promontory of land created for former city port and latter used as official city center).
Along the embankment
We'll continue our rout along the Neva embankment, the only place where you could see first museum, first academy of science, first university, first military school, first art academy, first theater and first senate and synod (highest regulating body for Orthodox church).
More sights
On the St Isaak square with impressive bulk of the cathedral we were told about the history of political reforms in Russia and bloody events connected with the reign of those tzars. We'll finished the day at Big and Small Maritime streets that originally were the first two streets in St.Petersburg and later became the most prestigious ones in Russia. A lot of banks, insurance agencies and jewelry shops (Faberge was one of them) appeared there in the end of the 19-th century.
More canals & sights!
We walked along more canals spotting the mansions of the richest Russian families of the Usupovs, the Stroganovs, the Sheremetievs and the Demidovs. Each of them owned a land compared to any kingdom in Europe. We find out about their fortunes and their famous representatives influenced the history of Russia.
We also saw places connected with history of Russian literature, music and ball room dancing; nodel salons that were frequented by famous Russian writes and poets such as Pushkin and Dostoevsky, famous musicians and composers like Chaikovsky and Rubinstein, ballet dancers from Mariinsky and Bolshoi Theater.
It was a big day! I think we walked about 12 km.
Day 2 Private Hermitage tour and surrounding area. You need a guide to get to all the famous art and galleries in this monster building.
Day 3 Peterhof & St Catherines Palace - by hydrofoil then taxi.
This excursion has no reviews yet. You may add your own review for excursions you have taken.
global.reservation
Two Days Walking Tour
Saint Petersburg Walking Tour
Explore both sides of the Neva and walk in a complete loop the city center.