Our hosts often choose to offer MillenniuM Travel crafted excursions to their group to enhance their cruise experience. Our excursions focus on the region’s culture paired to it’s unique culinary and wine flavors. Guests will receive a formal invitation on excursions that their hosts select after their reservation has been made. These excursions are exclusive only to our small groups, they are not available through the cruise lines. All excursions are optional and are offered at an additional fee. Advance reservation and prepayment is required and pricing is subject to change based on the final number of guests. Minimum number of guests required for tour to operate.
St. Petersburg 3-day Excursion Program
Day 1
8:55am: Meet our tour guide and private vehicle beside the ship after passing through the Russian visa checkpoint.
9a-12n: St. Petersburg city overview; a private boat ride with discussion about famous Russian political leaders, Stalin, Lenin, Khrushchev, Yeltsin as we visits to many historic treasures. Later a guided tour of the Great Choral Synagogue.
12:30pm: Traditional Russian Lunch with Russian borscht, beef stroganoff, crepes and wine or vodka (included).
1:30pm: Scenic drive to Pushkin aboard our private bus.
2:30pm: Inside guided tour of Catherine’s Palace and the Amber Room. A former country residence of Russian emperors, it is an impressive monument of the worlds architectural & gardening arts of the 18th century.
3:30p: Depart Pushkin & return to the ship by 4:30pm. Ship overnights in port.
Optional Evening Dinner out followed by a “White Nights” Drawbridge Boat ride Tour on the Neva River
8:00pm: Meet our private driver by the ship to transfer to one of St. Petersburg’s finest restaurants chosen by Monty and Sara, for cocktails and dinner. You can order off the menu and pay direct. After dinner celebrate the “White Nights” with a boat ride & reception to witness the majestic choreography of the drawbridge openings along the Neva River. Return to ship after 2:00am. From $75 per person (depends on final number of guests; dinner not included). A minimum of 6 guests required for optional evening tour.
Day 2
9:25am: Meet our tour guide and private vehicle beside the ship after passing through the visa checkpoint.
9:30am: Travel to Peterhof aboard our private bus.
10:30am: Guided tour of Peterhof, the “Russian Versailles” Fountain Park and the Upper gardens.
12n: Drive back to the St. Petersburg.
1pm: Traditional Russian Lunch with Pirozhki/Pelmeni, Chicken Kiev & Blini, wine or vodka (included).
2:15pm: Guided tour of the iconic Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood. It’s exuberantly decorated domes covered in jeweler’s enamel & their expansive mosaic collection attract travelers from around the globe.
3pm: Guided tour of the Faberge Museum. The Fabergé Museum was founded to preserve, study, and pro mote Russia’s cultural heritage and the collection contains the world’s largest collection of works by Carl Fabergé, including nine of the famous Imperial Easter Eggs. The collection also includes decorative and applied works made by the Russian masters of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
4:30pm: Guided tour of St. Isaac’s Cathedral, the largest orthodox basilica in the city and the fourth largest cathedral in the world. It is dedicated to Saint Isaac of Dalmatia, a patron saint of Peter the Great.
5:30pm: Return to the ship. Ship overnights in port.
Optional Night at the Theater for Russian Ballet / Dance / Folk Show $tbaper person:
From 7:30pm: Meet our private vehicle and driver by the ship to transfer us to the Theater performance TBA. The performance will be selected after the season is announced.
Day 3
9:25am: Meet our tour guide and private vehicle beside the ship after passing through the visa checkpoint.
10am: Skip-the-line guided tour of the Hermitage Museum before official opening hours. The Hermitage Museum is one of the oldest and largest museums in the world. The buildings of the museum are architectural masterpieces. The collections of the Hermitage house over 3 million items from prehistoric to modern times. Magnificent works embracing prehistoric culture, Egyptian art, the art of Antiquity, Scythian gold, and great collections of Western-European paintings and sculptures are displayed in 400 halls. Our guide will help us discover the treasures of the Hermitage with ease.
1pm: Our appetite beckons for a quick stop at the Soviet Café’ on Bol. Konushennaya, one of the oldest cafes in the city. We recommend their famous pishki (doughnuts)! Order off the menu and & pay directly.
2pm: Return to the ship. Ship sails at 6pm. END private SERVICES in St. Petersburg. We will find free time during these 3 days for Russian Souvenir shopping.
3-Day Tour Includes:
Included all this – 3-day private program with:
· Three days of guided touring with admission to all monuments, palaces, parks and museums in the program
· Two traditional Russian lunches with local specialties as borscht, stroganoff, kiev with wine or vodka
· Hydrofoil ride along the river
· Skip-the-line Early admission to the Hermitage Museum before official opening hours
· Boat-ride with political discussion of famous Russian leaders.
· Professional English-speaking, friendly guide services for 3 days
· Russian Group Visa throughout (requires guests to be with the group at all times).
· Private Driver’s services in a comfortable Mercedes or VW mini van with A/C for 3 days
· Photo and video permissions at the museums.
· Bottled water in the coach
· All local taxes and port fees
Not Included: Gratuities to guides & driver; Lunch at the café on July 14.
Optional evening activities are available at an additional cost as noted on the itinerary.
*Times are subject to change due to ship’s arrival & departure times. Advance reservation and prepayment is required and pricing is subject to final number of guests. Venues are subject to change based on availability.