Does anyone care to critique my SPB plans for a tour with children?

My husband and I are traveling with our children (who will be ages 6 and 10) on the Getaway in June. We will be in SPB for two days and are planning to do a private tour, most likely with TJ Tours. None of us are big art buffs, and based on the reviews of the Hermitage being hard to navigate with children, we have decided to skip touring the inside. Here is what I am thinking and would love any feedback. We love history and seeing local culture. I will let the tour company chose the order and timing.

-Peterhof gardens and inside the palace

-Church of the Spilled Blood

- Peter and Paul Fortress

-Outside of the Hermitage

-Subway ride

-Farmers Market

We will likely have time to do one more stop and am considering the following that are a bit more off the beaten path and geard towards children. I would love any input! I am leaning towards the park since my children love playing outdoors and a chance to stretch their legs with a busy touring schedule might be a good idea.

-Grand Maket

-Matroyska painting

-Russian History Museum

-Soviet Arcade Museum

-Russian Cat Museum/Cafe (my daughter is a cat lover)

-Alexandrovsy Park

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Hi.Can't quite agree with ditching the Hermitage altogether. You could do just the parts that are interesting for a kid - ancient Egypt (mummies and all that), Knight Hall (armor and arms)... You could skip the Da Vincis (even though I remember seeing Madonna Litta as a kid - and I was certainly impressed. Not like drop-dead awestruck, but impressed nonetheless).

Peterhof is a good choice.

Never heard of Matroyska.

Arcade museum - good pick.

Have you considered the Kunstkamera (not only for the macabre twist, but also for a the ethnography bit) or the Artillery Museum?

Not sure about the youngest one, but the 10-year-old may be just old enough to appreciate - and ask questions about - more somber and solemn sights like the Siege museum or Piskaryovskoe memorial cemetery.

With the children you might consider a canal boat ride.

If you feel you'd be missing something, do the Hermitage. Vacation is for the parents too. If you really don't care, then skip it. My 10 yo ds could have cared less about anything in the Hermitage, mummies and knights included, but gamely went along because he knows it's not always about him. I enjoyed the grandeur of the Hermitage and the variety of art.

I'm still kicking myself for "wasting" my time at the Ufizi in Florence when I could have used my precious few hours at the Galileo museum instead. That wouldn't be everyone's opinion, but it turned out to be mine. Bottom line - "must see" is relative.

Only you know your kids. My ds really doesn't care for museums period. Doesn't matter what they cover. He's not a deep thinker. (FWIW he thought the Vasa in Stockholm was pretty cool.)

He would have loved a canal boat ride though. We did the Cat Museum. It's really just a way to get your cat fix while on vacation. My 3 daughters still talk about it, 2 years later.

My kids like to try new food, so they also enjoyed lunch and dinner out. We also used TJ and they did a great job. We were flagging towards the afternoon and made an unscheduled stop for coffee and ice cream - also a highlight for the kids.

My husband and I are traveling with our children (who will be ages 6 and 10) on the Getaway in June. We will be in SPB for two days and are planning to do a private tour, most likely with TJ Tours. None of us are big art buffs, and based on the reviews of the Hermitage being hard to navigate with children, we have decided to skip touring the inside. Here is what I am thinking and would love any feedback. We love history and seeing local culture. I will let the tour company chose the order and timing.

 

-Peterhof gardens and inside the palace

-Church of the Spilled Blood

- Peter and Paul Fortress

-Outside of the Hermitage

-Subway ride

-Farmers Market

 

We will likely have time to do one more stop and am considering the following that are a bit more off the beaten path and geard towards children. I would love any input! I am leaning towards the park since my children love playing outdoors and a chance to stretch their legs with a busy touring schedule might be a good idea.

 

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What about the Yusupov Palace ? What child would not like to hear about Rasputin :D All the best, Tony

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One thing to remember about the Hermitage is that it's not just an art museum: it's the winter palace:

(my then-7-year-old on our trip last summer).

We did an early entry with our tour group, which was not a private tour group but a group of about 16 people. (And since we were traveling mid-summer during school break, about half of our group was kids.) My kids, ages 7 and 11, especially liked the gardens at Peterhof (notably the trick fountains) and the subway ride (with the reeeeally long escaltors). They probably would have enjoyed the cat museum but got their cat fix anyway in the Peter and Paul Fortress:

The cat was just hanging out by the Romanov tombs.

Taking a 6 year old around St Petersburg is not my idea of fun (we took our DD to Paris when she was 8). That being said, we are big fans of TJ Tours. You might e-mail them a similar question and seek their advice. Peterhof might be fun with the children since the park is expansive and they will have some room to run, sit, etc. Not sure the children will appreciate the inside of the Palace at Peterhof. And we agree with the other post that missing the Hermitage is not good (some would call it akin to a crime).

Getting back to traveling with kids, we took our DD on her first European trip at age 8...and she was pretty mature (and an art lover) at that age. We did a Eurorail trip which had its moments. DD is now in her thirties (with her own child) and her main memory from that European trip is buying a pair of shoes in Paris and eating a lot of ice cream.. Most of the sight seeing is long forgotten.

Hank

I would say the knights and just the palace interiors at the Hermitage would interest a lot of kids. I agree the room after room of 17th century portraits might not be ideal. I second the Kuntskamera suggestion. On a nice day Victory Park could be fun. It's not touristic but has rides and a chance to see " real Russians".

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On a private tour, you can easily take a brief tour of the Hermitage. You can get there right when they open during early admission. The interiors are impressive and my 3.5 year old was fascinated by Renaissance paintings for a half hour. Then he was done, and ate cake in the cafe (it is an internet cafe if one parent wants to see artwork).

You should take the hydrofoil to Peterhof, and your kids might like a canal ride. My son loved the fountains at Peterhof (if it is a cold day you might want to bring bathing suits to change into since the trick fountains aren't close to the entrance) and the subway ride.

The meat and sweet pies are excellent at Stolle, and it is quick and very kid friendly.

My review of our Baltic cruise is included in my signature line below and has a lot of information about taking children on this cruise, although my son was younger than your kids.

Thank you all for these helpful suggestions! I am reconsidering skipping the Hermitage and instead seeing a few of the less crowded palace and knight rooms. I am looking into the other suggestions as well.

Am I right to expect that the knights rooms and other palace rooms would be less crowded than the most talked about rooms which appear to be the art collection?

Has anyone been inside the palace at Peterhof?

 

Has anyone been inside the palace at Peterhof?

I have been inside the palaces at Peterhof during my multiple trips to St. Pete. In which palace are you interested? I suspect that you are referring to the Grand Palace but below is a list of the ones that I have visited:

The Grand Palace, Monplaisir, Cottage Palace, Hermitage Pavilion, Marly (apologies if I have left something out).

I have been inside the palaces at Peterhof during my multiple trips to St. Pete. In which palace are you interested? I suspect that you are referring to the Grand Palace but below is a list of the ones that I have visited:

 

The Grand Palace, Monplaisir, Cottage Palace, Hermitage Pavilion, Marly (apologies if I have left something out).

I guess I don't know enough yet as I did not realize there were multiple palaces to tour. But likely the grand palace. Thanks!

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I guess I don't know enough yet as I did not realize there were multiple palaces to tour. But likely the grand palace. Thanks!

 

 

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The Grand Palace, another ornate Rastrelli masterpiece, can get quite busy simply because it is not nearly as huge as the Hermitage or Catherine Palace. It is the largest of the Peterhof palaces and has, if memory serves, 30 rooms. Highlights include the exquisite East & West Chinese Cabinets, Chesme Hall, Peter the Great's study, the Picture Hall, & the Throne Room. It is truly spectacular and well worth a visit.

The Grand Palace, another ornate Rastrelli masterpiece, can get quite busy simply because it is not nearly as huge as the Hermitage or Catherine Palace. It is the largest of the Peterhof palaces and has, if memory serves, 30 rooms. Highlights include the exquisite East & West Chinese Cabinets, Chesme Hall, Peter the Great's study, the Picture Hall, & the Throne Room. It is truly spectacular and well worth a visit.

Thank you for this very helpful information! We want to see a palace interior, but will likely only have time for one. Do you have any thoughts as to which might be a better experience between the Peterhof Grand Palace and the Winter Palace rooms at the Hermitage? I realize this may be an apples to oranges comparison but am having a hard time figuring it out. Thanks!

Thank you for this very helpful information! We want to see a palace interior, but will likely only have time for one. Do you have any thoughts as to which might be a better experience between the Peterhof Grand Palace and the Winter Palace rooms at the Hermitage? I realize this may be an apples to oranges comparison but am having a hard time figuring it out. Thanks!

"Better experience" is completely subjective and I have no idea as to your interests. I can say that the Hermitage is the #1 visited site in St. Petersburg and, therefore, very busy (crowded). The Hermitage is located in the center of the city on the bank of the Neva - the entire Palace Square is quite impressive. It is absolutely filled with art (think Louvre, Vatican Museum).

Peterhof Grand Palace is much smaller in comparison and it is much less of an "art" museum than the Hermitage. The Grand Palace is located in an absolutely gorgeous setting (think Versailles). Personally, there is absolutely no way on earth that I would miss the Hermitage (assuming that this is your first visit) but everyone has different interests and priorities.

It is my understanding that you will have children with you - perhaps they would enjoy the 'trick' fountains at Peterhof - most of the kids I've seen running through them seemed to be having a blast.

"Better experience" is completely subjective and I have no idea as to your interests. I can say that the Hermitage is the #1 visited site in St. Petersburg and, therefore, very busy (crowded). The Hermitage is located in the center of the city on the bank of the Neva - the entire Palace Square is quite impressive. It is absolutely filled with art (think Louvre, Vatican Museum).

 

Peterhof Grand Palace is much smaller in comparison and it is much less of an "art" museum than the Hermitage. The Grand Palace is located in an absolutely gorgeous setting (think Versailles). Personally, there is absolutely no way on earth that I would miss the Hermitage (assuming that this is your first visit) but everyone has different interests and priorities.

 

It is my understanding that you will have children with you - perhaps they would enjoy the 'trick' fountains at Peterhof - most of the kids I've seen running through them seemed to be having a blast.

Thank you! We aren't so much interested in art but rather just seeing the inside of a palace. We are going to Peterhof for the gardens but will only have time to tour the inside of one of the palaces. I'm thinking we will do the hermitage palace rooms but not the art collection. Thanks again for all the information!

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If you love history why skip the Hermitage? You could take a short tour including Imperial apartments and Peacock clock, children love it!:D

Yes I think we've decided to see some of those rooms at the hermitage. Thank you!

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I'd agree that seeing the Hermitage for the architecture and design is just as impressive. I'll warn you that it will spoil you kids for further trips, though.

Dds's HS band just played a concert in a renovated "famous" concert hall a few hours away. It's pretty, and much more ornate than what you see day to day, but after places like the Hermitage, my dds were not impressed. LOL, the downside of travel!