St Petersburg Incentive
Programme Overview
Duration: 4 days
A 4-day St Petersburg incentive programme.
Highlights: St Petersburg
Arrive St Petersburg
Upon arrival in St Petersburg you are met and escorted through the Fast Track route before being transferred to your hotel in the centre of St Petersburg. Buffet lunch will be available in a private room for those arriving this morning.
PM: Orientation tour
This afternoon, enjoy an orientation tour of this fascinating city. This is a city of infinite charm, with its majestic palaces, churches and cathedrals, river embankments, beautiful parks and numerous bridges – a city of imperial proportions and romantic vistas which has been a source of inspiration for generations of artists. Visit the Peter and Paul Fortress, the historical nucleus of the city as well as one of the most interesting and beautiful architectural landmarks. The Peter & Paul Cathedral with its long gilded spire is the burial place of all Russian emperors from Peter the Great to the last of the Romanovs – Tsar Nicholas II. Designed to protect newly acquired lands in the mouth of the Neva River, the fortress lost its military significance before it was completed. It was turned into the most dismal political prison of Russia for almost 200 years.
Evening activities:
This evening, enjoy welcome drinks in the hotel bar followed by a luxurious welcome dinner in the famous Davidoff Restaurant, including a caviar tasting.
Overnight: Astoria Hotel
Meal Plan: L,D
St Petersburg
AM: Pushkin
This morning, take a short transfer over to the fortress and then take a helicopter ride over to Pushkin, home of the magnificent Catherine Palace, once the official summer residence of Russian Tsars. A pearl of Russian Baroque architecture, the palace was built in 1752 for the Empress Catherine.
The most famous room here is the Amber Room, looted by the Nazis during World War II and completely restored in 2003. Surrounding the palace is a park covering more than 570 hectares with bridges, terraces, fountains and small galleries.
Lunch:
Drive to neighbouring little town of Pavlovsk to take a horse ride through the park to the traditional Russian restaurant "Podvorie". The restaurant is a typical wooden log-house resembling a fortress. Taste genuine Russian cuisine with delicious appetizers and famous "borscht" (beetroot soup) accompanied by Cossack's folklore singing and, of course, Russian vodka!
PM: Return to St Petersburg
Return to St Petersburg by road mid afternoon and spend the rest of the afternoon at leisure and getting ready for this evening's entertainment.
Evening activities:
Take an early evening transfer to the Backstage Restaurant, close to the Mariinsky Theatre. This is a favourite haunt of theatre goers and performers.
Following dinner, enjoy a ballet performance at the Mariinsky Theatre.
Overnight: Astoria Hotel
Meal Plan: B,L,D
St Petersburg
AM: A Private visit to the Hermitage
This morning, enjoy a memorable guided visit to the famous Hermitage. By special arrangement we enter the museum before the official opening hour to enjoy the State Rooms of the Winter Palace in private. From here we shall continue to the Small Hermitage, then to the priceless masterpieces exhibited in other areas of the Hermitage building. The Hermitage museum was the residence of the Russian Emperors in the past; nowadays it comprises five palaces and is one of the largest museums in the world.
Lunch:
Lunch today will be taken at Restoran, a minimalist restaurant designed by Andrey Dimitriev. Lunch will be preceded by a special vodka tasting.
PM: Private tour of St Isaacs Cathedral
Boasting the fourth highest cupola cathedral in the world St. Isaac's is awe-inspiring for its size and decoration. The cathedral can accommodate 13,000 worshippers in a time. The monolithic columns of the portico cut from red granite are seventeen meters high and weigh 114 tons each. The mosaic inside has twelve thousand shades and colours, the walls are five meters thick and the main cupola is coated with one hundred kilos of gold. Your private tour will include a special choir concert.
Evening activities:
This evening, you will be transferred to the unique Yusupov Palace for an evening of entertainment and dining. The palace takes its name from five generations of the aristocratic Yusupov family who owned the magnificent palace from 1830 to 1917. The palace gained notoriety in 1916 as the site of the assassination of the controversial Siberian monk Grigory Rasputin by Prince Felix Yusupov and friends. Your evening at the Palace will include a private tour, a special Tchaikovsky concert in the Palace's own small, richly decorated theatre and a four course dinner in one of the magnificent dining rooms.
Overnight: Astoria Hotel
Meal Plan: B,L,D
Depart St Petersburg
After breakfast, meet your private limousine for the transfer to St Petersburg airport and your return flight home.
Meal Plan: B