Guided tours St. Petersburg

Panoramic city tour

St. Petersburg is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It is often referred to as the Venice of the North or the Paris of the East, but its beauty is really a brand all its own. From the White Nights festival during the mysterious summer twilight to top theater and ballet productions and concerts on magical winter evenings, the city offers a vibrant cultural life that is second to none.

Welcome to our tour of St. Petersburg! Here we will introduce you to Russias greatest historical and cultural treasure, its "Northern Capital" - the famous "Venice of the North". Virtually unharmed by the 1930-50s period of Stalinist reconstruction, downtown St. Petersburg is crowded with splendid palaces, impressive historical monuments, tree-lined avenues and beautiful bridges. Although not yet 300 years old, St. Petersburg is a city crammed with historical and cultural associations and a refined air of mystery.

St Petersburg is a relatively young city, by both Russian and European standards, and was only founded in 1703 by Tsar Peter the Great. Despite its short life so far, Petersburg has a rich and exciting history. From the early days of Peter the Great's "Venice of the North" to the modern events of the 1991 coup d'etat, the city has always bustled with life and intrigue, revolution and mystery.

Peter was a grandson of Tsar Michael Romanov (who was crowned as Tsar in 1613). In 1682 Peter was proclaimed Tsar at the tender age of 10. But due to power struggles between different political forces in the country, the young Tsar was forced to rule jointly with his brother Ivan, under the patronage of their sister Sofia. In 1689, after a failed coup d'etat, Sofia was overthrown and exiled to a convent. When Tsar Ivan died in 1896, Peter remained monarch and engineered a series of reforms that were to put Russia among the major European powers of the day. Peter opened Russia to the influences of the West and invited the best European engineers, shipbuilders, architects, craftsmen and merchants to come to Russia and modernize the country. Hundreds of Russians were sent to Europe to get the best education possible and learn the different arts and crafts that would sustain Russia in its future growth.

One of Peter's main goals was to regain access to the Baltic Sea and Baltic trade. In 1700 he started the Northern War with Sweden, which lasted for 21 years, and resulted in a victorious Russia taking the vast lands on the Baltic coast as its spoils of war. During the course of the war St. Petersburg was founded (1703) on the delta of the Neva River and the city rapidly grew to become a major seaport, as Russia gained greater and greater access to European trade routes.

In 1712 Peter the Great moved the Russian capital to St. Petersburg and continued to channel all the countrys energy and resources into the construction of his European "paradise". When the Northern War ended in 1721 Russia was declared an Empire and Peter the Great proclaimed himself its Emperor. Meanwhile, Peter continued his political and economic reforms. He reorganized the government: established the Senat as the highest government institution and 10 semi-ministries " kollegii". Peter introduced a new poll tax, which brought him funding for an active foreign policy and for boosting national manufacturing and trade. The "Tsar-reformer" was the first leader to organize a Russian regular army and found the Russian navy (he was also an experienced shipbuilder). Peter the Great was buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg.

Peter's personality has been the cause of much debate and discussion in the 300 years since his death. He was a big strong man (6' 8'' inches - 2.04 meters) who, unlike previous Russian monarchs, was not afraid of physical labor. He was an experienced army officer and navy admiral, a skilful shipbuilder and an amazingly energetic personality. It has to be said that Peter was also very cruel. Several coup attempts against him ended with mass executions. He personally interrogated his own son Alexei, whom he suspected of plotting against him, and installed him as the first inmate of a high security political jail in the Peter and Paul fortress. Nevertheless, the scale of Peter's personality and massive reforms have inspired generations of historians, writers and ordinary Russian people.

There are many monuments to Peter the Great in St. Petersburg. Among the most prominent are the "Bronze Horseman" and another equestrian monument in front of the Mikhailovsky Castle.

St. Petersburg is a beautiful and fascinating holiday destination and one of the most intriguing and historically significant cities in Europe. Whether you chose to visit the city in the midst of a romantic and snowy Russian winter or during the dazzling White Nightsof the summer months, you will be spellbound by St. Petersburgs culture and beauty.

The Neva River is an essential part of St. Petersburg's charm. Many generations of locals and visitors to the city have been completely enraptured by long, evening walks along the banks of the Neva during the citys famous White Nights. Very few things can be more romantic than strolling along the Neva's granite-clad embankments and admiring the citys open bridges, the marvelous architecture and the large ships as they pass by.

Since the foundation of the city, the Neva was intended to be the "main street of the city". Throughout most of the 18th century there were no bridges across the river and people were ferried from one bank to the other, just the way Peter the Great intended when he founded his "Venice of the North".

The Neva River is only 46 miles long and flows from Lake Ladoga to the Gulf of Finland, in the eastern part of the Baltic Sea. Before joining the Baltic, the Neva splits into several branches forming a delta, where downtown St. Petersburg is located. On average the river is 1300-2000 feet wide, but near the Peter and Paul fortress and the Hermitage it exceeds 2600 feet. The river is covered with ice between mid-December and early April and during this period ships are unable to navigate the river. But, whatever the season, the Neva River is a wonderful accompaniment to the architectural splendor of the Winter Palace and Hermitage, the Admiralty, the Peter and Paul fortress, the Summer Gardens and the major landmarks that stand on its banks.

St. Petersburg has the largest number of bridges of any city in the entire world. With a total of 539 bridges (315 in the downtown area alone), not even Venice, Stockholm or Amsterdam can beat the citys total!

The first bridge in St. Petersburg was built in 1703, in the first year of the city's history. It connected the Peter and Paul Fortress with the rest of the city.

The longest bridge in St. Petersburg is the Alexander Nevsky Bridge (Most Aleksandra Nevskovo ) 2971 feet 5 inches (905.7 meters) long.

The widest bridge in St. Petersburg (and in the world) is the Blue Bridge (Siniy Most ) - 319' 2'' (97.3 meters) wide.

The narrowest bridge in St. Petersburg (excluding bridges in parks and gardens) is the Bank Bridge (Bankovskii Most ) - only 6' 1'' (1.85 meters) wide.

The first permanent bridge across the mighty Neva River is the Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge (Most Leitenanta Schmidta ) and was built between 1842 and 1850.

The cost of the guided tour: "Panoramic city tour" (all in RUR)