Private Church on Spilled Blood and Canal Cruise (Visas Included)

Experience overview

Russians are known for their flamboyant near-east design tastes. You'll enjoy a comfortable boat cruise affording views of the St. Peter and Paul's Fortress, the Trinity Bridge, and Winter Palace. As a licensed captain navigates the Fontanka, Moyka, and Neva rivers with an English-speaking guide, you'll see the Church of our Savior on Spilled Blood, the enchanting Summer Gardens, and the Field of Mars (dedicated to the Roman god of war). As you arrive at the Neva River, St. Peter and Paul's Fortress, Trinity Bridge, and the Winter Palace are seen. Originally designed by Italian F.B. Rastrelli for the Tsars, this Baroque style Winter Palace features over 1,057 lavish halls and rooms. Since 1764, it's housed the main portions of the Hermitage Collection. Next on your St. Petersburg tour, you'll encounter the Church of our Savior on Spilled Blood. Erected in 1883, following the (on site) assassination of Emperor Alexander III in 1881, the church was completed in 1907. Designed in the style of ornate seventeenth century Russian architecture, the Church of our Savior is inspired particularly by St. Basil's Cathedral on Red Square in Moscow. Inside, the church's many marble mosaics are simply mesmerizing. Nearby, a charming gift shop offers unique Matryoshka dolls, lacquer boxes, and woolen shawls to commemorate your journey. St. Petersburg's golden domes, lavish palaces, and grand gardens reflect canal waters, creating the atmosphere of a fairy tale. This world-class regal city's key sights are easily accessible. Your Visas Included St. Petersburg tour covers all fees and permits, plus bottled water. Snacks are available for purchase and restaurant recommendations are made. Touring April - October; not operating on Wednesdays. Please Note: All of our St. Petersburg tours are operated by authorized guides, and you therefore do not need to secure an independent visa in order to participate in this tour. However, in order to book this tour, you must provide us with full names, dates of birth, nationality, and passport numbers for each tour participant so that our guides can secure the proper tour visas on your behalf. Note also that, if you wish to explore St. Petersburg on your own while not accompanied by one of our guides, you will need to secure an independent visa. Please be aware that cruise lines occasionally mislead passengers by telling them that they are not allowed to disembark the ship in St. Petersburg unless they are on an excursion purchased through the cruise line. In addition, the cruise lines also sometimes tell passengers that they cannot disembark the ship until the passengers on the cruise lines' excursions have done so first. This is incorrect, and you are free to exit the ship as soon as passengers start to disembark because Russian law states that a cruise ship cannot hold passengers onboard against their will as long as they have the proper documents. In order to clear immigration, you will need to bring along: 1) Your passport; 2) A photocopy of the picture page of your passport; and 3) A copy of your tour tickets. We will provide you with your tour tickets as part of the documents we e-mail to you after you make a tour booking.