Siragusa Tours Ltd

Description

Considered the most Western of Russian cities, St Petersburg, located on the Neva River, was known as Leningrad from 1924 – 1991. It was founded by Tsar Peter the Great in 1703 and was Russia’s capital until 1918; the centre is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, because of its important Baroque and Neoclassical architecture and its cultural background. Because of this, and its social and political history, there is much to see. The huge Hermitage Museum, including the Winter Palace, once the official home of Russian Emperors, has a superb collection of paintings, sculpture and decorative arts. An early construction by Peter the Great is the Sts Peter and Paul Fortress and Cathedral, the city’s tallest building. Other important buildings include St Isaac’s Cathedral, the Alexander Nevsky Monastery (the burial place of Dostoevsky and Tchaikovsky), and the Church on Spilled Blood. Nevsky Prospekt is considered the ‘High Street’ of the city and there is a very efficient Metro. Two important palaces outside the city are Peterhof on the Baltic (built for Peter the Great) and Catherine the Great’s Baroque palace, Tsarkoe. St Petersburg is a city to be visited at least once in a lifetime! We may also include a visit to the Mariinskv Theatre.

Other Details

Accommodation

5 nights at the centrally located Hotel Ibis*** in St Petersburg, Bed and Breakfast tariff in twin-share room with private facilities.

Course Cost

£895 inclusive of tuition, airport transfers (airport transfers are only available for the Siragusa Tours Ltd nominated flight), accommodation, breakfast, day excursions, local guide where obligatory and entrances as specified in the itinerary.

Single Room Supplement

£200

Visa and Passport Requirements

We will put you in touch with RUVISA who can organise your Visa. This costs ca. £100 – 120 and will be payable at that time of issue. There will be forms to be filled in on line and printed ca. 2 months before departure and sent in with your passport, the process takes ca. 2 – 3 weeks. You must have a valid passport which does not expire earlier than 6 months after the date of your return from Russia (please check and apply for a new one if necessary asap).

Travel Insurance

You MUST have travel insurance for this tour. Once the tour is viable and if we have booked a flight for you through Travelpack, you can call Larraine on 08444 930465 for an immediate quote (unless you already have insurance)

Flight

Ca. £300 – 390 scheduled flight to St Petersburg. Note that this is an estimate (if it is less you pay less), please see Booking Conditions for more information concerning nominated flights.

Local Transport

Airport transfers and most visits (see itinerary) by private coach

Group Size

18 (note that we need a minimum of 13 people for this tour to be viable, therefore please tell us as soon as you can whether you would like to join so that we can make the necessary arrangements).

Tutor

Mary Hawkins, BA (Hon) and NFF, Cert Ed, is an experienced lecturer and art historian. She has worked for the Open University, the Universities of Cambridge and Essex and the WEA. She has led numerous studytours to Italy, Belgium, Holland, France, Austria, Spain, Portugal, Hungary , the Czech Republic and St Petersburg.

Related OU Courses

General Interest

Itinerary / Study Programme

Day 1, Wednesday, 9th May 2012

Arrival in St Petersburg, transfer to hotel and orientation

Day 2, Thursday, 10th May 2012

AM Guided tour of St Petersburg incuding Alexander Nevsky Nevra and St Isaac’s Cathedral

PM Peter & Paul Fortress and Prisons

(by private coach, obligatory guide and entrances included except for St Isaac’s Cathedral)

Day 3, Friday, 11th May 2012

AM & PM Peterhof, including gardens and the Grand Palace followed by War Memorial visit

(by private coach, obligatory guide and entrances included)

Day 4, Saturday, 12th May 2012

AM & PM Metro tour, Hermitage Museum

(by metro, obligatory guide and entrance included for Hermitage)

Day 5, Sunday, 13th May 2012

Free Day (or optional walk around Nevsky Prospekt including the Church on Spilled Blood, optional boat trip on the Neva River)

Day 6, Monday, 14th May 2012

Excursion to the village of Pushkin

Catherine the Great’s Palace, Alexander Palace (Pushkin)

(by private coach, obligatory guide and entrance for Catherine’s Palace included)

This itinerary and study programme is provisional and may be subject to change in response to local conditions