Saint Petersburg: Maps , pictures and information.

[scubacruiserx2]

The Hermitage was named the #1 museum in the world by Tripadvisor. So enjoy your visit !

 

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-Attractions-cMuseums-g1

 

 

 

Palace Square and the Hermitage.

 

[goldie888]

We love visiting museums, and The State Hermitage Museum has been on our wish list for a long time. With Carnival pricing so reasonable, we booked B2B and hoping to spend at least one day at the Hermitage. None of the local group tour would allow us to stay at the museum without booking as private at over $1000 for us.

 

So we applied for our Double Entry Visas. First we were told we could not get a double, only a single. Now we got notice that we have to meet the Russian Consulate in person in Ottawa before they may grant us the visa. That would be $2500 just to fly 6 hrs each way and may have to stay in hotel for a few nights. I phoned Russian Consulate this morning and couldn't even talk to the person who is making the request, but confirmed that we have to meet them in person. With that, I told them please send back our passports.

 

Do any one know of any company in St. Petersburg, that will give you a day tour at the Hermitage Museum? Or have you paid them the fee for Visa, and let you do your own thing without paying $1000 for two.

[scubacruiserx2]

We love visiting museums, and The State Hermitage Museum has been on our wish list for a long time. With Carnival pricing so reasonable, we booked B2B and hoping to spend at least one day at the Hermitage. None of the local group tour would allow us to stay at the museum without booking as private at over $1000 for us.

 

So we applied for our Double Entry Visas. First we were told we could not get a double, only a single. Now we got notice that we have to meet the Russian Consulate in person in Ottawa before they may grant us the visa. That would be $2500 just to fly 6 hrs each way and may have to stay in hotel for a few nights. I phoned Russian Consulate this morning and couldn't even talk to the person who is making the request, but confirmed that we have to meet them in person. With that, I told them please send back our passports.

 

Do any one know of any company in St. Petersburg, that will give you a day tour at the Hermitage Museum? Or have you paid them the fee for Visa, and let you do your own thing without paying $1000 for two.

Hi Goldie888,

Sorry to hear about your visa experience. Please try this site. http://www.guide-petersburg.com/design/

We have used this guide on our land visits and I believe he does cruise ships also. He is very knowledgeable - esp. art. If you have any problems , please e-mail me. scubacruiserx2@gmail.com

Good luck.

[goldie888]

Hi Goldie888,

Sorry to hear about your visa experience. Please try this site. http://www.guide-petersburg.com/design/

We have used this guide on our land visits and I believe he does cruise ships also. He is very knowledgeable - esp. art. If you have any problems , please e-mail me. scubacruiserx2@gmail.com

Good luck.

 

We already booked with this web site for our Hermitage Museum, and when I let them know about having no visa to visit, they informed me about having a blanket Visa now for cruisers. I am so happy with these people. Here is the link.

http://www.sputnik8.com/en/st-petersburg/category/history%20and%20literature

 

So now we will keep adding things we like to do for the two days. Our second cruise will be with SPB Tour at a reasonable price.

 

I know of the guide you refer here, but just two of us will be really expensive. I will email you soon.

[scubacruiserx2]

We received our 3 year Visa last week. We can now visit for 6 months before we must leave - for 1 day. We can then return for another 6 month period. The total cost was $250 p.p. So where do Russians vacation ? We found this poster for Norway across the street from the Senate and Synod. You can see the buildings reflected in the poster.

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

As we began lunch , (Nellie is a great cook) we shared life experiences. Nellie is a retired Entomologist and Yuri is an accomplished artist who draws , paints and works in porcelain. We later Googled him and found his bio and some of his work.

 

http://www.petrochenkov.net/cgi-bin/user/gallery.cgi?id=9&action=1&folder=Gallery&sold=0&lang=0

 

 

We later phoned Yuri and requested a purchase of some of his miniature eggs as unique gifts for family back home. He drove to our apartment where we met . As we said our goodbyes , we believed that we had made some new friends - in Russia. We never dreamed that we would return to Russia again but we did in 2011. We e-mailed Yuri and Nellie before we left home and they invited us to dinner at their home again. After we arrived we were treated to more fellowship and the best meal that we have had in Russia ! We really love their apartment with the icons and the art. Its so different from our home in the U.S. and yet- we have so much in common.

 

 

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

Most visitors will only encounter an immigration officer as they enter and leave St. Petersburg. On our cruise tour our driver Alexander ( the great) parked several feet into a no parking zone. Before we could exit the van , a police officer greeted him and pocketed his drivers license. He moved the van and let us off to ride the Metro. We are not sure what happened but he met us later - with his drivers license in his wallet.

 

When we stayed in St. Petersburg in May of 2009 , I took a nap one afternoon. Upon waking, my wife informed me that there were "tanks outside". As we looked out our window , we saw this sight. :eek:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note the French Embassy across the river. We walked down to street and found many military vehicles staging for the Victory Day parade in Palace Square on the next day. It was a strange sight to see, in person, for a man who grew up seeing these parades in Red Square on TV in the former USSR.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 2011 we received the dreaded knock on the door. At door stood a Red Army officer and a conscript. I open the door and he asked for a certain man (in Russian). I replied in English that we didn't know who they were looking for. With a perplexed look on his face , they said goodbye an exited the building. I told the apartment manager about the incident and she told us to NEVER open the door. I'm not sure what that means but we hope to find out when we see her in September.

[scubacruiserx2]

We are looking for whale sharks in cancun. Will post when we return later this week

[scubacruiserx2]

People who like to DIY should look into the City Card. Priced @ $55 for 2 days ,it allows admission to 40 museums and attractions and 20 tours. We will be using it in the near future and will share how it works when we return.

 

 

http://www.petersburgcard.com/eng/

[scubacruiserx2]

Its off topic but we found our Whale sharks near Cancun. The thread runs here.

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1894258

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

We received the new DK Eyewitness Travel guide which updates information to April 2013. I was surprised to find a nice fold out map in the book that can be detached.

 

 

 

On the back of the map is some very useful information for the independent minded traveler who would like to take advantage of the excellent mass transit system in the city.

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

Everyone who cruises to St. Petersburg will pass through the barrier near Kronstadt. There is a good video posted here. In the event of flood conditions , the gates will close preventing a flood but restricting ship passage.

 

http://www.halcrow.com/Our-projects/Project-details/St-Petersburg-Flood-Barrier-Russia/

[scubacruiserx2]

Another good web site for planning your trip to St. Petersburg is found here. It also works for many other cities.

 

http://aroundguides.com/Saint_Petersburg

[scubacruiserx2]

Greetings from St.Petersburg. We are preparing for a dacha trip tomorrow and Moscow on Saturday.We look forward to sharing pictures and more info. When we return next week. Loved our cruise on the Legend , so goodbye and good cruising. Scubacruiserx2.

[scubacruiserx2]

We just returned from a St. Pete stay and are beginning our recovery. To those future cruisers to St. Petersburg with a night free you may want to consider a new option. We took our Russian friends Yuri and Nellie to the restaurant Санкт -Петербург (Saint Petersburg) for dinner and a show. Here's a small video clip.

 

[scubacruiserx2]

We looked at this option before our trip and you know - this card is a nice idea but it would not work for the majority of the cruise passengers. First of all you can not visit 40 museums within 2 or three days :). If you are on a land based tour it is different. The card would pay of if you have about 5 days in St.Peters.

We actually also considered getting a visa, but then decided that as St. Petersburg is definitely not a DIY place and we would have a guide anyway it wasn't worth the trouble.

 

Thank you for your post we hope that you had a great time. This thread exists to help everyone make informed choices for their visit . This includes cruisers , and visitors who stay. Most of our time in St. Petersburg is DIY but we still use guides for unique experiences and to help us facilitate our independence. Having used this card and having just returned, we have found that it is getting very easy to get around on your own. St. Petersburg is becoming more user friendly and more DIY for those willing to give it a try. You do know that just because the card offers 40 museums it does not mean that you must use every coupon. We would never consider going to all the attractions - even in the 9 days which we stayed. At $54 for the 2 day card ( it includes the same coupons as the 5 day one) and $250 for a 3 year passport , the price is very close to a 2 day guided tour. For those who like to come and go as you please (like us) you can't put a price on that freedom .

[scubacruiserx2]

In addition to the museum coupons there are various addition options included. There is transportation , trips and excursions .

 

 

 

 

We used the Peterhof Express to commute to and from Peterhof.

 

 

 

 

 

Our stewardess was kind enough to pose for us

 

 

 

 

We stopped by the Summer Garden (see self guided audiotours coupon) to see the fountains.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We found the meaning of a helpful Russian word Mozhna ? Which means May I ? It is the polite way to ask if you may photograph someone like this cutie .

 

 

 

 

This card also carries a E transport purse which can be refilled. It comes with 100 rubles - which is about 4 Metro , bus , tram or trolley rides. Just wave the card over the scanner and away you go.

[RJ2002]

Thank you for your post we hope that you had a great time. This thread exists to help everyone make informed choices for their visit . This includes cruisers , and visitors who stay. Most of our time in St. Petersburg is DIY but we still use guides for unique experiences and to help us facilitate our independence. Having used this card and having just returned, we have found that it is getting very easy to get around on your own. St. Petersburg is becoming more user friendly and more DIY for those willing to give it a try. You do know that just because the card offers 40 museums it does not mean that you must use every coupon. We would never consider going to all the attractions - even in the 9 days which we stayed. At $54 for the 2 day card ( it includes the same coupons as the 5 day one) and $250 for a 3 year passport , the price is very close to a 2 day guided tour. For those who like to come and go as you please (like us) you can't put a price on that freedom .

 

I agree with the previous poster... this card might be a good option for someone on a land tour, with a longer stay in St Petersburg. However, for a cruise passenger with only 2 or 3 days, I don't think it is a viable option - particularly for the first time visitor. Another factor with this card, I suspect, is that you'd have to wait in line for admittance, whereas the escorted groups frequently bypass the lines.

[scubacruiserx2]

In the Summer Garden there was a bevy of beautiful brides.

 

 

 

 

This is my bride of 35 years

 

 

 

 

We saw this bride as we exited the garden to catch the Hop-on hop-off bus tour

 

 

 

The SPB card includes a Hoho bus tour with commentary in English through headphones. It stops at many of the major sites in the city.

 

 

 

http://citytourspb.ru/en/about-excursion/routes.html

 

 

 

The high angle of the upper level offered us a unique chance to take photographs.

 

 

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

Beginning in 2014, City tour will offer a Hop -on hop-off boat tour that covers many of the main sites of the city (included in the SPB card).

 

http://citytourspb.ru/en/News/news050813.html

 

 

We saw the boat after we had returned from Peterhof.

 

 

 

 

 

This is a video clip of crossing the Neva from the HOHO bus.

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

I agree with the previous poster... this card might be a good option for someone on a land tour, with a longer stay in St Petersburg. However, for a cruise passenger with only 2 or 3 days, I don't think it is a viable option - particularly for the first time visitor. Another factor with this card, I suspect, is that you'd have to wait in line for admittance, whereas the escorted groups frequently bypass the lines.

 

 

There were NO lines when we went . That why we go in September or May. We have always maintained ( after our 2 day cruise in 2006) that 1 or 2 days in St. Petersburg is not enough time to do this great city justice. We think it's smart to first visit with a guide ( if you are not comfortable DYI ) and then return post cruise for a real time visit instead of a fast forward drive by. For those who have not seen the fountains come on at Peterhof , here's our visit on September 17. Extra brownie points to whoever can name the song and author. This song always opens the fountains and when you arrive on the Sapsan at the Moscow train station.

 

[scubacruiserx2]

September 14 we went to dinner at this place just across the street from the Spilled Blood Cathedral

 

 

 

 

Here's another video clip of some of the dancing

 

 

 

Many people who visit St. Petersburg will go to the Hermitage to see it's amazing collection of paintings. But few realize that there are no Russian paintings (except on the ceilings). Most of the Russian art that they see will be in the palaces , Metro or churches.

 

Here is a painting in St. Issac's Cathedral

 

 

 

 

 

 

This painting is on the ceiling is by the artist Karl Bryullov. It is named The Celestial Virgin in Majesty. It covers an area of 8,780 sq. feet !

 

 

 

 

These mosaics are from the Church on Spilled Blood

 

Christ Pantokrator

 

 

 

 

Here is a close view of the birth of Jesus so you can see the tiles

 

 

 

 

 

This mosaic of Jesus as a boy is on one of the cupolas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Having seen this art before we wanted to see Russian art in a Museum. Because it was our first time there and we wanted to see the guide that we had first used when we cruised to St. Pete. It was great to see her and have her as our guide to the Russian Museum. This is a small video clip as we entered the building.

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

The Russian Museum is in the Mikhaylovskiy Palace designed by Carlo Rossi for Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich . Alexander III had plans to create a public museum and these were fulfilled by his son , Nicholas II , the last Tsar. The museum opened in 1898 thus it is older than the Hermitage. In front of the building is this statue of the poet Pushkin. On the left you can see the Church on Spilled Blood through the trees.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mikhaylovskiy Palace

 

 

 

 

 

The main staircase

 

 

 

 

The paintings are arranged chronologically and begin with Russian icons.

The Angel with the Golden Hair is from the 12th century.

 

 

 

 

 

Here's St. George slaying the dragon

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

This bust of Peter the Great was done by the architect's father

 

 

 

 

 

 

Notice anything strange about this painting of Catherine the Great ? In addition to the elongated arm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can see it in this close up

 

 

 

 

The tiny little tiles are metal covered by porcelain. The scientist Mikhail Lomonosov invented the process. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikhail_Lomonosov

 

 

You can see it better in this "painting".

 

 

 

 

 

This statue is called Catherine the Great as a Legislatress

 

 

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

This is The Tombstone of Princess Yelena Kurakina

 

 

 

 

Entering The Large Academic Hall (Room 15) we observe many of the largest and most important works. The Brazen Serpent by Fiodor Bruni was painted in Italy and is based on the Bible story found in Numbers 21:4-9.

 

 

 

 

The Last Day of Pompeii by Karl Briullov , was painted in Italy and took more than five years to complete. It was shown in Rome , Milan and Paris and he was the painter of The St. Issac's Cathedrals ceiling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Tenth Wave is considered to be Ivan Alvazovsky's masterpiece .