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St. Petersburg, Russia
A Suggested 48-Hour Itinerary

By Stanj

The following is an excerpt from a thread in Cruise-Chat.com on St. Petersburg. I thought it interesting enough to post here for everyone to enjoy. Thank you Stanj for allowing me do share this information.

"What would I do if I only had two days? Sulk;

The more you know about what there is to do and its fascinating history, the more you become convinced anything you do will mean 95.78% goes uninvestigated. It is almost better to be unfamiliar with the city when first visiting, so you do not feel like you are missing out. I've had guests from the US who asked the same question and I try very hard to create an effective tour but it turns out that sending them on one of the private tours (like you had with Den Rus) packs more into a couple days than I could. That is because of the early admissions to major attractions and the efficient timing using experienced drivers add up to seeing a lot more per day I could even for myself.

For someone never in the city before the first thing would be a orientation drive around the city center and on ajacent islands. This gives a good overview of the city, its layout, major landmarks and sheer beauty on a macro level.

The Hermitage is, for many the best museum in the world. I agree with them and its venue is certainly worth the visit even if it did not have one of if not the best collection of art in the world. A walking tour south west of the Palace Embankment would also be high on my list, in a big circle covering the major canals, Summer Gardens, Church on Spilled Blood, Arts Sq, the Russian Museum, Nevsky prospekt, Kazan Cathedral, Gostiny Dvor, Passage, and heading back towards the river again following the Moika River to St Isaac Cathedral, St Isaac Sq. Decemberists Sq, the Senate, Admiralty, Bronze Horseman and back to the Neva Embankment. That is all doable in an afternoon.

The next day I would get up early and explore the city waking up (it is not a very early wake up since it parties till dawn) I would take the hydrofoil to Peterhof and visit the lower park and the Grand Palace or the smaller, but more intimate palaces on the grounds. If there was time I would then go to Pushkin and Catherine Palace (my favorite palace), the grounds and then on to Pavlosk to see one of the most beautiful parks and palace grounds in the world. Not many cruise ship passengers see that, but it is will work it if that short ride from Pushkin can be fitted in.

On the first night, regardless of how exhausted I was, I would take in a classical Ballet performance at the incomparable Mariinsky Theater. In the summer, small intimate performances are also available at the Hermitage Theater. Except for viewers clothing, it would be almost impossible to detect clues what century your performance was being performed in. Sitting with the same view and opulent surroundings as the Tsars and court is a pretty heady feeling. Everyone walks out of one of these personal performances walking taller and dressing nicer the next day. Really.

Well, i left out many of my favorites but this is a good beginning. What do you think?

Stan. on a BEAUTIFUL day sitting in an window within a stones throw of the Admiralty and Palace Sq."

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