Christmas in St. Petersburg and Vyborg

Breakfast at the hotel.

Meeting with the guide in the lobby of the base hotel. The sign "Petersburg greets".

For the schedule of departure of buses from hotels, see the "Important to know" section.

10:30-12:00 Bus tour "Under the shadow of the Tsarskoye Selo Gardens" with a tour of the Catherine Palace with the famous Amber Room. Tsarskoye Selo is the favorite summer residence of Empress Catherine II.

The center of the ensemble is the Catherine Palace, an outstanding monument of the Baroque era, in which a unique Amber Room was recreated for the tercentenary of St. Petersburg: all its walls are decorated with "gifts of the sun."

There is a picturesque park next to the palace, consisting of regular and landscape parts.

14:00 Free time in Tsarskoye Selo (2.5 hours) or for an additional fee, a bus tour to Pavlovsk.

14:00 Additionally: Excursion to Pavlovsk with a visit to the Pavlovsk Palace. The palace was built for the family of the future Emperor Paul I.

Its interiors, inspired by the impressions of a trip to Europe and the delicate taste of Maria Feodorovna, create a special, romantic mood characteristic of its crowned owner (when recruiting a group of 18 people or more: 1,750 rubles. adults, 1,300 rubles. school, 1,500 rubles. art., pence.).

Transfer from the museum to the base hotels until 17:00 (19:00 when recruiting a group in Pavlovsk).

The time depends on the recruitment of the group for an additional excursion and the confirmed time of entry to the Catherine Palace.

Breakfast at the hotel. Room release.

09:30 Meeting with the guide at the monument to Peter the Great at the Moscow railway Station, St. Petersburg, plaque "History and secrets of Medieval Vyborg".

Transfer to Kronstadt. Sightseeing tour of Kronstadt. Kronstadt is the smallest district of St. Petersburg. A city on the island of Kotlin, whose history began with a fortress on the water — Fort Kronshlot.

We will visit the pearl of Kronstadt — St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral: the last and largest of the naval cathedrals built in the Russian Empire.

13:00 Lunch for an additional fee (950 rubles).

14:00 Transfer to Vyborg. A guided tour that tells about the historical events and nature of the Karelian Isthmus. Arrival in Vyborg.

16:00 Walking tour of the center of Vyborg. Each epoch and culture has left its own vivid impressions in the appearance of the city. On the narrow, cobblestone streets side by side: the oldest stone house in Russia, which has been inhabited by ordinary citizens for 400 years; the witch's house.

Various towers: Clock tower, Round Tower, Town halls; Burgher's houses, knight's, merchant's; schools: Russian, Finnish, Swedish.

There are three cascaded squares, each with its own church: Cathedral Square with an Orthodox one, Theater Square with a Lutheran one, and Market Square with "temples" of commerce and banks; and in the middle is the Vyborg tramway. Krasnaya and Sigovaya squares, although not neighbors, but two Russian rulers "live" there.

Bears, squirrels, goat's heads, sheep's heads and rich floral ornaments — all these and other inhabitants of the northern territory on the portals and facades of the creations of the Art Nouveau era we will see on the streets of Vyborg.

Visit the Castle Island, where the medieval knightly Vyborg Castle is located.

Vyborg Castle is a symbol of the city, its heart and core. It was from him that the difficult history of the city and people began, and all roads in Vyborg lead to the Castle.

We are greeted by the following witnesses of the tradition of deep antiquity: castle towers: the tallest in South Karelia is the tower of St. Olaf, the most unusual with a Heavenly name; artifacts of maritime archeology are the Swedish anchor and cannon of 1790.

Real medieval walls in a cozy courtyard. And each of us can witness a different, museum and cultural-historical life of the ancient castle.

18:30 Participation in the interactive program "Manor pretzel". A burgher, a rich Swedish citizen, will meet you and treat you to the famous Vyborg pretzel. You will be transformed into the heroes of medieval Vyborg and glegg tasting.

After the program, you can visit the manor itself, where you can buy souvenirs, take pictures with dolls of the owners of the Carriage House, and the Louhi witch.

19:30 Accommodation. Free time.

Recommended cafes for dinner: "Champion", "Medieval tavern", "Espila", "Borchard's", panoramic restaurant "Taste".

Breakfast in the hotel restaurant. Room release.

09:20 Meeting with the guide at the Druzhba Hotel, 09:30 Meeting with the guide at the Vyborg Hotel.

10:00 Monrepos Park tour. Monrepos Park is a unique harmonious union of nature and man. During the tour, within the limits of a small park, we will travel to various countries and historical eras, recall myths and legends — ancient, Scandinavian and Karelian.

We will visit the Champs-Elysees, from where we will admire the Chinese bridges and the wooden manor house in the classical style, from the swing hill we will see the most international obelisk to the Broglio brothers and we will feel the sea smell of the Protective Bay.

Once on the Neptune Peninsula, we will immerse ourselves in the history of the owners and creators of the Baron Nicolai Park, whose ashes rest on the granite island of the Dead, and find out which ferryman was most feared.

The farthest point of our journey will be the End of the world, the path to which will pass through the Grotto of Desires and the gorge of St. Nicholas, where we will be greeted by the first monument to the literary hero. And the radon water of the Narcissus spring will remain a fresh memory of the Monrepos Park.

Our trip through the Monrepos Park will be framed by picturesque granite rocks covered with mosses and lichens, in a variety of rich colors.

12:00 p.m. Master class on baking Vyborg pretzel at the Pretzel Factory in Domus Posso at the intersection of "5 balconies". You will learn about the history of Vyborg pretzel, recipes and participate in the manufacturing process yourself. We will try an authentic recipe for a medieval pretzel.

15:00 Lunch for an additional fee (950 rubles).

16:00 Guided tour to the Alvar Aalto Library. The library is a unique "box" in the treasury of Finnish modernism in Vyborg, the "white flower", which grew up 90 years ago in the city's Lenin Park (Esplanade). And the genius of architect Alvaro Aalto "planted" it.

Let's look into this "box" and feel the comfort and warmth of all its comfortable values: in the lecture hall we will hear impeccable acoustics; in the most unusual reading room we will see diffused light without shadows and glare.

We will orient ourselves to the four cardinal directions; we will sit on the famous stool-60; we will see the original railing and a tray for wrapping paper; and at the very bottom of the box we will breathe along with the old books of the vault.

17:00 Free time in the Old Town to buy souvenirs.

18:00 Return to St. Petersburg at approximately 21:00 at Moskovsky railway station.

We recommend purchasing tickets for night trains or booking an extra night in St. Petersburg.