St. Petersburg at night

Has anyone done a tour of St. Petersburg in the evening? Was it interesting to see the city at night?

I should have mentioned that we aren't interested in the ballet, maybe just a boat ride. Will we be too tired to do this after touring all day?

Depends.

Some people get tired after touring all day, some don't. I don't know your capabilities so I can't give you a better answer than this.

We did night tour after our first day in SPB and had a great time. After the 2nd day we would have been zonked.

Has anyone done a tour of St. Petersburg in the evening? Was it interesting to see the city at night?

If you take a brief rest after dinner and, then, head back downtown for a midnight boat ride on the Neva River, you'll be treated to the sight of the drawbridges opening up one after another.

If you're in SPB during the White Nights Festival, you'll find there are lots of evening performances being offered that would be an alternative to ballet. Nightly fireworks displays during White Nights Festival, too.

We just returned from our Baltic cruise and for SPB, at the end of the first day, we visited Faberge Museum in the early evening (fabulous) and then drove around the city at night, with stops at the river across from the Hermitage, and on to the Church on the Spilled Blood and the bridge nearby ( accompanied by vodka shots!). These were beautiful to see in the night light. Yes we were tired from our long day, but the evening drive wasn't too strenuous and the sights we saw were quite memorable. If you're only there once, you should do it!

Has anyone done a tour of St. Petersburg in the evening? Was it interesting to see the city at night?

Good question and much depends for when you will be there in scenic and historic St. Petersburg. During the summers, for much of the key, peak tourism periods, it does not get dark until 10 or 11 pm. A couple of the key churches are open until 7 pm. That timing allows more flexibility to see and do more and MORE in St. Petersburg rather than just departing back to the ship at around 5 pm. Yes, the boat/canal tour can work out well and be very interesting. We did that and enjoyed it very much.

If you have arranged a flexible private tour, you can also do some evening "driving around" to see many different and interesting parts of this super city with so much character. See some of my photo example and ideas.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Did a June 7-19, 2011, cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Dozens of nice visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc. We are now at 204,170 views for this live/blog re-cap, including much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

Lots of beautiful church towers and buildings are located all over in historic St. Petersburg. Some “riding around time” allows an opportunity to see the variety of buildings in this historic capital. Sampling the great architecture and history in St. Petersburg are two of the big, BIG joys from being there in this charming city.:

Here is an example of the many buildings and bridges you will see on the canal boat tour in St. Petersburg. This one-hour canal boat tour worked well for seeing St. Petersburg and its amazing architecture/history from a different angle and vantage point. It was also relaxing, too! No added walking or standing!:

Another royal structure seen on the canal boat tour:

An example of bridge details you will see on the canal tour:

On the canal boat in front of the Hermitage, here is a speed boat enjoying the water:

Thanks for the responses. We will be going in May, and after doing a little research, we realized that it will probably still be light out at night. We had hoped to get some pictures of the buildings lit up in the evening. We will probably stick with the day tour.

Love the pictures - we have decided to do a Baltic cruise in 2017 because everyone who has done them seems to have had a great time. Think we'll need to explore the canal experience - great views!

Hi! Thanks for the pictures! We were there in the end of July. It was absolutely light till 11 pm., even later. We arranged a private tour for three of us. After it my DH with the kid returned back to the ship and I continued with a group tour. We’ve been to the Faberge museum (fantastic!), walked through the Summer gardens- charming!, tried Russian ice cream. Delicious! Great experience! Highly recommended:)!

Jess :)

If you are using SPB Tours (Vika) do the Vodka Canal Cruise! When in Russia do as the Russians do! You can drink as much or as little as you wish. You will still be off the ship. What we did was take the moderate tour during the day. This way we saved the canal trip for the evening, plus had extra time for dinner in the MDR without rushing.

Has anyone done a tour of St. Petersburg in the evening? Was it interesting to see the city at night?

Yes it was ! We have spent over 30 nights in this beautiful city and there are some things that are best done or only done at nights . Here's Spilled Blood at night .

And a video clip of Nevsky Prospect and Dom Knigi ( The House of Books ) at night .

Directly across from the Spilled Blood Church was a Dinner show with singing , dancing , wine and vodka that began at 8:30 PM which we enjoyed with some Russian friends .

Boat tours are nice , but we do them in the day and save the nights for dining or strolling Nevsky Prospect or the Summer garden like CrazyJess said where you're sure to spot some some beautiful brides .

Since 2013 , the new Superstar in St Petersburg is the Fabrege Museum .

Photo from the fabregemuseum.ru

Before 2013 you used to have to travel to Moscow to see Imperial Eggs , like these , some of which took over a year to complete and are worth millions of dollars each!! But now , you can see them right here in St. Petersburg , along with thousands of other priceless Fabrege items .

The good news is that after 6 PM and until 8:45 , you don't need the expense of one of the museum's guides and the museum will be empty . You could do this before the dinner show .

You may also consider climbing to the top of St. Issac's Cathedral .

Where you can see a breathtaking panoramic view of the city . Here you can see The Neva River ,the Admiralty , Peter and Paul Cathedral , the Hermitage , Palace Square and Spilled Blood Church , all in one photo .

There are many good restaurants and other things that we can recommend , but by all means , get out and enjoy your one night in this beautiful city ! You will have plenty of other days at sea to enjoy the ship .

Love the pictures - we have decided to do a Baltic cruise in 2017 because everyone who has done them seems to have had a great time. Think we'll need to explore the canal experience - great views!

scubacruiserx2: Since 2013 ' date=' the new Superstar in St Petersburg is the [b']Fabrege Museum.[/b]

Glad that you liked the pictures that I posted. Wonderful to see the great visuals from scubacruiserx2. That Fabrege Museum looks super. Fortunately during our 2008 Baltics trip, we had a day in Moscow where we got to see the Fabrege items there. Fascinating history and details about how Fabrege produced those unique treasures.

Below are a few more items of "eye-candy" for St. Petersburg to help build excitement for those planning to visit there. Yes, it is very worth the time and effort to maximize doing as much as possible there.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 187,038 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

Here are some of the fountains and water at the spectacular Peterhof outside of St. Petersburg. The greatest technological achievement of Peterhof is that all of the fountains operate without the use of pumps. Water is supplied from natural springs and collects in reservoirs in the Upper Gardens. This elevation difference creates the pressure driving most of the fountains for the Lower Gardens, including the Grand Cascade.:

As we entered Catherine's Palace in St. Petersburg, here was the welcoming band. This Rococo summer residence of the Russian Czars is located in the town of Pushkin, 15 miles SE of St. Petersburg. The residence originated in 1717, when Catherine I engaged a German architect to construct a summer palace for her pleasure. In 1752, Empress Anna found her mother's residence outdated and had her court architect demolish the old structure and replace it with a much grander edifice in a flamboyant Rococo style. Construction lasted for four years and in 1756 the new 325-meter-long palace amazed courtiers, foreign ambassadors and other visitors. During Elizabeth's lifetime, the palace was famed for its lavish exterior, including more than 100 kilograms of gold used to gild the sophisticated stucco façade and numerous statues erected on the roof.:

At St. Petersburg’s Hermitage, here is just one of the many, many great galleries with so many different and great architecture details, soaring ceilings, dramatic floors, etc., in areas where the Czars entertained and impressed other Royals and nobility. Even without the art items, these five palaces are so spectacular! This room is adorned with 19th-century Russian lapidary works and feature Italian and Spanish canvases of the 16th-18th centuries, including Veronese, Tintoretto, Velázquez and Murillo.:

Here is a wide shot of the Spilled Blood Church interior in St. Petersburg. Its exterior design is more traditionally "Russian" or Orthodox than St. Isaac.:

The Peter and Paul Cathedral is a Russian Orthodox cathedral located inside the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg. It is the first and oldest landmark, built between 1712 and 1733 on Zayachy Island along the Neva River. Both the cathedral and the fortress were originally built under Peter the Great. The cathedral's bell tower is the world's tallest Orthodox bell tower and is an integral part of the main building. This cathedral is sometimes considered the highest Orthodox Church in the world. Its golden spire reaches a height of 404 feet and features at its top an angel holding a cross. The cathedral was closed in 1919 and turned into a museum in 1924. It is still officially a museum, but religious services resumed in 2000. The cathedral houses the remains of almost all the Russian Emperors and Empresses from Peter the Great to Nicholas II:

Here is an overall view of the size and scale of St. Isaac's interior in St. Petersburg. It is the largest Russian Orthodox cathedral in this historic city and was dedicated to Saint Isaac of Dalmatia, a patron saint of Peter the Great. The cathedral took 40 years to construct, 1818 to 1858, under direction of a French architect. During Soviet rule, it was nearly destroyed and was made into a Museum of Scientific Atheism. It has been restored to its religious beauty/role. The cathedral's main dome tops out at 333 feet and is plated with pure gold.:

We just returned from our Baltic cruise and for SPB, at the end of the first day, we visited Faberge Museum in the early evening (fabulous) and then drove around the city at night, with stops at the river across from the Hermitage, and on to the Church on the Spilled Blood and the bridge nearby ( accompanied by vodka shots!). These were beautiful to see in the night light. Yes we were tired from our long day, but the evening drive wasn't too strenuous and the sights we saw were quite memorable. If you're only there once, you should do it!

This sounds fabulous! We are going next August, and was wondering if you did this with a tour company or on your own!

Hi! There is also one thing which is much cheaper at night ;) It ‘s rather strange but a visit to Faberge museum after 6 pm is MUCH cheaper than day time :):):) Use the chance!

Jess :)

Hi! There is also one thing which is much cheaper at night. It ‘s rather strange but a visit to Faberge museum after 6 pm is MUCH cheaper than day time :):):) Use the chance!

If you visit the Faberge Museum during the day with a medium-sized group, your private guide will be able to take you around and discuss the objects. If you're with a small group, you'll be bundled with other visitors and assigned to a guide -- a Russian speaking guide -- on the museum staff. If you visit after 6:00 PM, you'll be allowed to rent an English language audio guide and go at your own pace. No forced grouping. No official pushing you through the museum.

We loved our night time visit.

Hi Pet Nit Noy

I absolutely agreed. I also loved my night visit to Faberge. We all had English language audioguides, no one pushed us. More over it wasn’t too many visitors inside which was rather surprising. Eggs were just beautiful, the rooms itself and the whole atmosphere of the palace were charming. Great visit!

Jess :)

My in-laws visited the Faberge museum without a guide and said that it would have been so much better to have her there to tell things to know.

Visiting the Faberge Museum is a bit of a logistical challenge. If you're with a very small group and you visit before 6:00 PM, you'll be required to join other visitors and use the services of a museum guide, a Russian speaker who posters complain moves too fast for all the members of the group to see. There's some threshold size for groups before 6:00 PM that will let English speaking visitors use the services of their own private guide. (You'll have to ask your tour arranger if your group qualifies for for staying with your private guide.)

After 6:00 PM, visitors can view the collection individually, at their own pace by renting excellent audio guides. These guides cover the rooms of the palace -- itself a jewel of a building -- as well as the main room with the Easter eggs. There's no narration for the additional rooms that display the frames, pills boxes, desk clocks, comb and brush sets, etc. However, you can borrow a book that at least gives some minimal detail about each of the objects.

At the end of the day, I found that I had the energy to look carefully at the Easter eggs and the building. However, once past the Easter eggs, I was content to simply stroll and "oh" and "ah" without a lot of study.

Yes, you are absolutely right. It’s really a logistic problem.

I’ve just checked the website of the museum http://fabergemuseum.ru and I think I’ve got a key.

If you check the prices you will see that a private tour is 9000 rub which is about 140 US $! So to get inside with your private guide you are to pay 140 $+ the interest of a tour company. It’s probably OK for a group of 15 but for two adults plus a kid it obviously too much. They also sell tickets online. As far as I understand these are tickets for group tours with museum guides. The cost of such tickets is 300 rub ( less than 5 US $!!!!!). You also can visit Faberge museum on your own – I mean without a guide at all - after 6PM, the cost of such visit will be also 300 rub. All the info you can find on the website.

Good luck!

Jess :)