Stanj- How long at St. Petersburg stops?

[Phoenix cruiser]

I haven't seen addressed anywhere how long is considered adequate at various locales. We are currently 6 people trying to customize a Denrus tour. The standard tour allows about 1 hour each inside Catherine's Palace and Peterhof? Is this enough or will be on a fast march through each palace? Also, the standard tour allows only about 2 1/2 to 3 hours at the Hermitage. We feel a minimum of 5 hours is needed to even try and do it justice (we spent 9 hours on 2 separate trips at the Louvre and we still have a lot to see). Any advice on the Hermitage? To see more we are thinking about skipping Yusupov. It has historical value but seems like lower in prioirty than doing justice to other sites. After all, then we would have a reason to return! Finally, I noticed Denrus standard tours start well before the posted times in our Guide books, do they get entrance as much as 1 1/2 to 2 hours before opening to the public? Thanks for all your guidance!

[stanj]

I haven't seen addressed anywhere how long is considered adequate at various locales. The standard tour allows about 1 hour each inside Catherine's Palace and Peterhof? Is this enough or will be on a fast march through each palace? Also, the standard tour allows only about 2 1/2 to 3 hours at the Hermitage. Any advice on the Hermitage? To see more we are thinking about skipping Yusupov. After all, then we would have a reason to return! Finally, I noticed Denrus standard tours start well before the posted times in our Guide books, do they get entrance as much as 1 1/2 to 2 hours before opening to the public? Thanks for all your guidance!

 

Hi Phoenix Cruiser

Personally, I am a little slow so think these times are not enough but the 1 hour inside both these suburban palace estates is going to cover the most signifficant parts of the exhibits. Both are very interesting and worth seeing....but so are the hundreds of other palaces and museums so a difficult decision needs to be made. Again, personally, I am a museum hound and agree that the Hermitage is a world class museum that warrants as much time as you can spare. I've been there at least 50 times and have not seen the entire collection because portions rotate into public display so at any one time only about 2,000,000 artifacts in the vast collection can be seen. Den Rus is suggesting this itinerary based on the interests of an "average" of thousands of western visitors they have hosted. It is not uncommon for western visitors to be very interested in anything to do with the last Romonov Tsar and family since there is some emotional connection particularly with Anastasia. Yusupov Palace is popular for that connection but the family name is very important to Russian history although probably of less interest to Americans than the Tsars. The time suggested for viewing highlights of the collection is for seeing the grand interiors most significant sights and an overview of the most famous western European art. If you are art buffs, you would do well to skip Yusupov and spend more time in the Hermiage. I normally spend hours in just the Dutch Masters section and additional hours in the French Impressionist rooms but that is my interest. The beauty of having a private tour is that YOUR interests are addressed. Are you more into the building arts for example....you can spend more time on city tours than museums. History your thing? You would be kept busy exploring the vast number of really historic portions of the city and see the homes and neighborhood of the people and events of countless history books. Same with the important performance art and litrature figures in St Petersburg's past and present.

What it really comes down to is the sudden realization that you will need to return, possibly for an extended land based stay.

Good luck in trying to narrow down your choices. If you have specific interests, let me know and I can suggest some points of interest.

Stan

[Phoenix cruiser]

I appreciate the insight. DenRus has been very helpful in creating a customized tour, and Ilya also mentioned we can make changes on the fly if our small group wants to. Based on our interest in art, he has suggested rearranging the itinerary to spend the time we wanted at the Hermitage, and he added a few hours at the Russian Museum instead of shortening one of the days. I know we will be tired by the end, and probably will sleep right after dinner, but we can't wait!

[stanj]

I appreciate the insight. DenRus has been very helpful in creating a customized tour, and Ilya also mentioned we can make changes on the fly if our small group wants to. Based on our interest in art, he has suggested rearranging the itinerary to spend the time we wanted at the Hermitage, and he added a few hours at the Russian Museum instead of shortening one of the days. I know we will be tired by the end, and probably will sleep right after dinner, but we can't wait!

 

Hi Phoenix Cruiser

A few points: One I forgot yesterday to reply to...yes, you can get entry much earlier than the public on the Den Rus tours because special agreements with the museums directors.

 

If art is your prime interest, it is well worth your while to spend most of your time in the city center visiting the Hermitage and Russian Museum. Also in the center are many lesser known galleries and artist co-ops. There are two world class art institutes that might be open for tours at that time.

 

As for being tired, yes you will be. But not just from walking a long time but I find that spending a long time with art is tiring emotionally due to the intensity of new experiences in a short time. My advice is to take it in smaller doses, taking breaks in cafes or just relaxing over desert and quiet talk. A counterpoint is going to also have a strong but opposite effect....White Nights or summer in general is different in the far north. After a long winter of short days, White Nights with its day and night sun(actually dusk at 3am or later), people seem to be energized but the round the clock activitity and people who normally are ready for by by 10pm have no interest in turning for 4-8 hours later. I sleep very little during that period, just don't get sleepy or tired until 4-5am and then get up again refreshed and ready to go by 8-9am. My seasonal sleep habits seem to be common to my friends as well. They make up for it in the winter when sleeping becomes the common pasttime. Going back to the ship by 5 or 6 pm in the summer is a real shame, the day is just getting started;>)

Good cruising

Stan

[Phoenix cruiser]

Thanks for the additional tips. We have been in northern Scotland in July where the sun set at midnight, so we understand about being out late and rising early. You are right about pacing, we did the same thing in Paris.