OPTIONAL PROGRAM

1
OPTIONAL PROGRAM

• Saint Petersburg18.06, 19.06 and 22.06.2009

2
Dear Guest!

• MIR Travel Company
• is pleased to offer you the
• CULTURAL PROGRAM
• during your stay in St.Petersburg,
• before and after the official
• 4 th World Cup days.
• If you are interested in private excursions,
• please contact us ze_at_mirtc.spb.ru
• Tel. [phone]
• Fax. [phone]

3
PROGRAM All rates are given in EURO per person
Date Program Price per person Per excursion
18th of June Tuesday 09.00 Departure from the hotel. 09.00 12.00 - City tour 12.00 13.00 - Visit to St.Peter and St.Paul Fortress 13.30 14.30 Boat trip along rivers and canals 15.00 - Return to the hotel 25 EUR 20 EUR
19th of June Friday 10.00 Departure from the hotel 10.45 14.00 - Visit to the Peterhof (Monplaisir and park) 15.00 Return to the hotel 35 EUR
22nd of June Monday 10.00 Departure from the hotel 10.30 11.30 - Visit to the St.Isaacs Cathedral 12.00 Boat trip along rivers and canals 23.00 departure from the hotel 00.30 draw bridges watching 20 EUR 20 EUR 30 EUR

• The price includes
• Entrance fees to the mentioned museums
• Transportation
• Guide service (English language)

4
City tour
5
City tour

• During the tour you will become acquainted with
  architecture, history and present day life of the
  former capital of Imperial Russia, the history of
  the Romanov dynasty. Among the rich parade of
  sights to be enjoyed will be Palace Square with
  the Winter Palace, the Square of Arts with the
  Russian Museum, the Smolny Convent, the famous
  Nevsky Avenue, the Summer Garden and the Field of
  Mars. You will enjoy the classical ensemble of
  the Senate Square with its famous Bronze
  Horseman, the spit of Basil island, many other
  architectural monuments, gorgeous palaces,
  marvellous bridges and picturesque embankments.

6
Peter and Paul Fortress
7
Peter and Paul Fortress

• Peter and Paul Fortress is the first construction
  of SaintPetersburg. By the order of Peter the
  Great it was built here to defend these lands
  from Sweden, during the war, which lasted 21
  years and came down into the history as the
  Northern War. The first day of the fortresss
  construction 27th of May 1703 became the
  Birthday of the whole city. The architect of the
  fortress was Domenico Trezini, the first
  architect of the city. For a long period of time
  the fortress was used as a political prison. The
  architectural centre of the ensemble of the
  Fortress is the Cathedral of Saints Peter and
  Paul. The Cathedral is a burial place of Russian
  Emperors from the time of Peter I. In 1998 the
  remains of the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II
  and his family were buried in the Cathedral.

8
The Petehof (Monplaisir and park)
9
Monplaisir Palace and park

• Peterhof is a jewel of the Russian art, a town
  of parks, palaces and fountains. It was built by
  the order of Peter the Great to commemorate the
  victory of Russia over Sweden in the Northern
  War. The architectural ensemble of Peterhof is
  rivalling the summer residence of the French
  kings Versailles. In the past Peterhof used to
  be an exquisite summer residence of the Russian
  tsars. Three monumental cascading fountains lead
  from the Grand Palace to the Low Park, which is
  the real masterpiece in itself, 173 fountains of
  different kinds are on its grounds.
• Peter the Great's pet project at Peterhof was
  this small but charming summer palace, which the
  Tsar designed by and for himself, although he
  sought the help of several architects to do so.
  Monplaisir was completed by 1723, and became
  Peter's preferred retreat, where he entertained
  only his closest friends and advisors. The rooms
  inside are almost entirely paneled in oak, and
  contain an interesting collection of 17th century
  art, much of which comes from Peter's own
  collection. Among the highlights inside is the
  delightful Lacquered Gallery, the creation of
  which required Russian icon-painters to spend
  months studying Chinese lacquering.Typically for
  Peter, Monplaisir displays an intriguing mixture
  of grandeur and homely comfort.

10
Saint Isaacs Cathedral
11
Saint Isaacs Cathedral

• St. Isaacs Cathedral is the largest cathedral of
  the city. It is also one of the biggest onedome
  cathedrals in the world after St. Peter in Rome
  and St. Paul in London. It was designed by the
  French architect A. Montferrand. It took 40 years
  to construct it. The cathedral is decorated with
  mosaics, painted ceiling murals, bronze gilt
  statues. The cathedral is surrounded by 112
  monolith granite columns, which were transported
  from one of the suburbs of the city. St. Isaacs
  Cathedral was the main cathedral of the city from
  the second half of the 19th century. Now the
  cathedral houses the museum, but for the Major
  Orthodox holidays Religious services are held
  here.

12
Boat trip Along Rivers and Canals
13
Boat trip Along Rivers and Canals

• A relaxing cruise by boat along the Neva River
  and some other waterways out of the 66 rivers and
  canals of Northern Venice(as St. Petersburg
  used to be called) is one of the unique ways to
  discover the city. The main river of the city is
  the Neva, which is one of the youngest rivers in
  Europe. The magnificent architectural ensembles,
  churches, cathedrals and monuments seem to exist
  in astonishing harmony with the watery element.
  All the St. Petersburg embankments are faced with
  granite and each has its own distinctive
  character.

14
Saint Petersburg at Night
15
Saint Petersburg at Night

• To feel the unique spirit of St. Petersburg one
  have to look at it at night. Far from being a
  dusty museum piece St Petersburg is a thriving
  modern city that really knows how to enjoy
  itself, and theres nowhere better to take St
  Petersburgs pulse than along Nevskiy Prospect.
  It is busy round the clock everyday. This
  handsome boulevard doubles as the citys
  commercial aorta. A comfortable couch will drive
  you around the downtown, which is extremely
  charming at night both in romantic twilights of
  the Wight Nights and electric lights in winter.
  Saint Petersburg is also known as the City of
  Bridges. There is no wonder, because the city is
  situated on more then 45 islands.
  SaintPetersburg wins the leading position in
  Russia in the quantity of bridges. Of course the
  most amazing fact about the St.Petersburg bridges
  is that all the bridges across the Neva river are
  drawbridges. It means that at night they are
  lifted to let the big steamers and ships pass
  through the the river into Ladoga Lake. That is
  the picture of majestic beauty, especially during
  the famous period of Wight Nights from May till
  July, when nights are as light as daytime and
  there is a wonderful feeling of magic all around
  the city.