Privyet (hi), comrades, from St. Petersburg. We hired a Russian company, Alla Tours, for two days to usher us around the city. It was the best decision we made for many reasons: unique stops, a charming guide, priority access to popular venues, front door drop-off and pick-up service, front row seats for the ballet at the famed Mariinsky Theater and atmospheric restaurant selections – all at a fraction of the cost of Viking’s optional excursion. Our guide and driver met a small group of us at the cruise ship terminal after clearing Russian immigration and escorted us to a small Mercedes bus. Then we toured the city.
Full of opulent pastel buildings lining a network of canals, St. Petersburg is aptly called the Venice of Russia. As an elegant cultural center built by Peter the Great in 1703, the city attracts hordes of tourists, waiting for hours to gain entrance to its ornate palaces, grandiose museums and domed churches, all designed with the Midas touch. Our first stop was alongside St. Petersburg’s main river, the Neva, spanned by some of the most elegant bridges in the world as it flows toward the Baltic Sea. On St. Petersburg’s waterways, canal boats and speedy hydrofoils transport workers and tourists around the city. Most of the city sights can be accessed via the river.
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Our tour guide, Polina, proudly ushered us through the St. Petersburg Metro. Artfully designed and embellished with nautical themes to celebrate the city’s waterways, the metro is not only one of the most beautiful subways but also – at 86 meters (252 feet) below the ground – one of the deepest metro system in the world. We rode down the longest escalator we had ever seen and took the train to the next station, where our driver met us. If you ever visit the city, make sure to ride its metro.
We visited the Hermitage Museum before it opened to the public. During our visit, we noticed hundreds of people lined up waiting for the doors to open. Many would have to wait hours to walk through the entrance doors. Built by Catherine the Great, the Hermitage, one of 5 of the largest museums in the world, houses some of the finest European art is the world. Our group, being seasoned travelers who have visited many European art museums, opted to spend our time viewing the opulent Russian artifacts from the Russian aristocracy. Pete put together this video to capture the scope and mind-boggling opulence of imperial Russia.
Many travelers scoff at the number of churches on the itineraries of most guided tours, so much so that they often humorously call the experience ADC “another damn church.” Nevertheless, the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood should not be missed. With its colorful onion and gold domes, it is hands down the most striking church we have ever seen. Built on the site of the 1881 murder of Emperor Alexander II, it is filled with massive panels of intricate mosaics. Every nook and cranny is decorated floor to ceiling.
Once the largest cathedral in Russia, St. Isaac’s Cathedral stands out in the St. Petersburg skyline for its massive golden dome. In the video below watch for its unusual monumental interior columns, two of them made of lapis lazuli and ten, out of malachite.
Alla Tours provided us with lunch at the swanky Cafe Metropol. Notice the opulent Swarovski crystals dripping from the ceiling. This must be a local hangout of the oligarchs!
After our decadent lunch, we visited the royal summer estate of Catherine I, the second wife of Peter the Great. Thank goodness we entered the palace though a separate entrance from the one used by hundreds of eager tourists waiting an eternity in line. The baroque palace has one of Europe’s most extravagant interiors, including the famous over-the-top Amber Room, once considered the “Eighth Wonder of the World.” Built in the 18th century, the original Amber Room was dismantled and mysteriously disappeared during WW II. The room was reconstructed in the palace between 1979 and 2003. We had to wear booties to protect the flooring.
Day 1 on Alla Tours was a long one, beginning at 7 AM and ending around 11 PM. We finished the day by watching “Swan Lake” at the famous Mariinsky Theatre, also known as the Imperial Bolshoi Theatre and the Kirov during the Soviet Era. After the theater was designated as principal venue of the Imperial Ballet and Opera in 1886, it housed many of the the premieres of the works of Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky, and Prokofiev. It also launched the careers of many famous Russian dancers such as Anna Pavlova, Vaslav Nijinsky, George Balanchine, Rudolf Nureyev and Mikhail Baryshnikov to name a few.
We were fortunate enough to get front row seats thanks to Alla’s “connections?” The ballet was long with 3 intermissions. When we exited the theater at 11 PM, it was still light outside and the streets were full of people shopping, singing and dancing. They obviously were seizing the day with its unusually warm weather.
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