St. Isaac's Cathedral or Yusupov's Palace

[dbh62ark]

It looks like we may need to choose between these two attractions. I don't hear or read a lot about Yusupov's Palace, and I haven't been there. We do have the Church of the Spilled Blood on our itinerary, and I think there is a cathedral at the Peter & Paul fortress too, which we will also be visiting. The palaces on our tour are Peterhof (or possibly one of the smaller palaces at Peterhof) and Catherine's Palace at Pushkin.

 

So if you've been to St. Isaac's and/or Yusupov's Palace, I would appreciate your opinion on those sites as well as you opinion as to which would be a better enhancement to our itinerary.

 

Thanks,

Donna

[NancyIL]

Hmmm....wondering why you can't do both. I got quotes from Red October and DenRus...and was able to fit in all of those sights.

[dbh62ark]

We have the option of doing both, but we don't have enough time to do both with all of the other activities that we have planned. Yes, both Red October or Denrus will take us to both places if we choose to do that, which we don't. We have lots of other things planned to that are higher priority on our list (subway ride, canal cruise, etc.), so we have to choose between these two sights. We're also choosing to stay at the Hermitage for almost 4 hours.

 

Stanj, I love reading your posts and know that you will give us some great info soon.

 

Donna

[42trvl]

I think that if you're already seeing two palaces, then my preference would be to forego Yusopov for St. Isaac's Cathedral, but that's just our thinking...

[stanj]

We have the option of doing both, but we don't have enough time to do both with all of the other activities that we have planned. Yes, both Red October or Denrus will take us to both places if we choose to do that, which we don't. We have lots of other things planned to that are higher priority on our list (subway ride, canal cruise, etc.), so we have to choose between these two sights. We're also choosing to stay at the Hermitage for almost 4 hours.

 

Stanj, I love reading your posts and know that you will give us some great info soon.

 

Donna

Hi Donna

Humm, visit one of the world’s great architectural wonders, and best view of the city, or visit the home of members of the most significant non-tsar family in the era of St Petersburg’s founding and the site of one of the most famous murders in history of one of the most mysterious and fascinating individual from the time just before the October Revolution in the second decade of the twentieth century?

 

Both are fascinating but I think you will get the most “wow” factor from St Isaac, particularly if you climb the exterior staircase to the dome with camera in tow. They are both within walking distance of the Palace Embankment. St Isaac is on…what else…St Isaac Square and is an interesting destination in itself. Yusupov Palace is just around the corner on the Moika Canal. To get the most feel for the city and how special it is, getting in the activities you selected will give a glimpse of life in St Petersburg and well as placing it in its historical context. But as with any well designed tour for only 2 days, it will create a strong desire to return because it is one city that refutes the common claim “we did St Petersburg”. Hardly.

 

 

 

The desire to return comes from the clear realization that no matter how many hours and how many miles of walking, you know you missed 99.345% of the real St Petersburg, and the other motivation to return is the realization that everything you knew about Russia was wrong and a second visit, armed with what you have learned and found a comfort level, would be easy and relaxing going it alone if so desired. Next time visit Yusupov Palace, spend a weekend in a woodlands dacha and take a Russian Banya, shop in an open air market for your dinner ingredients, take a long romantic stroll on the river late after the midnight sun during White Nights, take in a few comedy theater performances, ballet concert, circus, ….or ??

 

 

So with the prediction that you will return to St Petersburg later, I suggest that you visit St Isaac this time and some of what you missed next time.

 

Stan

[dbh62ark]

I was leaning toward St. Isaac's and found an inside photo yesterday that added to the anticipation (http://www.planetaru.com/en/exc/church/isaac.shtml). Stan, I love all the information you give us, and we appreciate it so much.

 

Best wishes to you,

Donna