Travel Horizons: St Petersburg

Showing posts with label St Petersburg. Show all posts

9.10.2019

postcards from St Petersburg | Catherine's Palace

Catherine's Palace is one of the most popular attractions near St. Petersburg. The wealthy and powerful residents of this region of Russia were able to build some of the most elaborate homes imaginable, all at a time when the vast majority of people lived in unimaginable poverty.

The top two photographs, taken from outside the palace, show some of the statues and carvings that odorn the building.

The walls of the famous Amber Room (pictured below) are covered with naturally occurring amber from the floor of the Baltic Sea. I rather surreptitiously snapped this picture with my camera resting in the crook of my arm, as photography is not allowed within the room.

Pro Tip: Do not visit Catherine's Palace UNLESS you go with a guide from a connected tour company who can get you in and skip the lines. Otherwise, you could be in a queue for as long as three hours.

copyright (c) 2019 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

9.05.2019

selfies in St Petersburg

The Church on the Spilt Blood is one of the quite remarkable places to visit in St. Petersburg. It gets it name from the historical event that here took place in March, 1881 — the fatal wounding of Emperor Alexander II. The imperial family built this elaborate memorial between 1883 and 1907.

The church's interior is decorated with elaborate glass mosaics. These are dramatic pieces of religious art, well worth a visit even if you're into neither religion nor art. But, seriously, I don't get what the two teenagers in the photo are doing — taking selfies with their phones and not admiring the the mosaics.

St. Petersburg is a most incredible destination, and be watching for more "postcards" from here.

9.01.2019

running through the fountains

We visited the fountains at Grand Peterhof Palace our first morning in St. Petersburg. One of many ornate palaces in Russia, Peterhof was built by Peter the Great. Though one of the most popular attractions in Russia, we never felt hemmed in by crowds because the grounds are so massive.

Don't miss the Joke Fountains (pictured at the very top of the article). A fountain randomly* shoots jets of water at pedestrians who walk along the cobblestoned path in front of these benches. The young girl in the picture has dashed along that path, successfully missing the spray of the fountain. Obviously, it's a fun place for kids!

The beautiful gardens of Peterhof Palace rival Versailles in their scale. Be sure to visit on a sunny day!

*randomly? ... not really!!! A park attendant, hidden in a small booth behind the fountain, controls when the fountain shoots its water.

7.25.2019

so why am I going on a cruise?

Some travelers are born cruisers who revel in the shipboard experience. Viewing sunrises and sunsets as they sail the seven seas, taking perhaps too much advantage of 24/7 dining opportunities, enjoying myriad opportunities for on-board entertainment, all this comes with one, affordable cruise fare. I'm not one of those travelers! Given my druthers, I'd much rather stay in the center of things with all the attractions of a city, village, beach, or mountain resort just outside the front door of my hotel.

So why am I, a hotel specialist, going on Windstar's Baltic Delight next week? Here are the top three reasons why I'm really excited about this trip...

I love this itinerary. I'm especially looking forward to Tallinn and St. Petersburg, but I've never been to any of these countries. Denmark, Poland, Lithuania, Estonia, Russia, Finland, and Sweden are brand new destinations for me to check off my bucket list.
Pack and unpack just once... that's really appealing when you're on a 10 day cruise and get to visit all the ports on the map above. Touring by day and traveling while we sleep, I can't think of any other way to see all these places in 10 days.
Our ship is small, intimate, and luxurious. Star Pride (formerly Seabourn Pride) has just 106 suites, and even the smallest one is 280 square feet — small for a hotel room but large for a cruise ship. You'll never catch me on a mega-ship with thousands upon thousands of guests crammed into half as many tiny, postage stamp rooms. Large ships are like Las Vegas casino hotels floating in the middle of the ocean. If Vegas doesn't float your boat for travel luxury, don't settle for a huge Vegas-sized ship at sea.

A true luxury cruise ship line, Windstar is not as all-inclusive as Seabourn or Regent Seven Seas, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Drinkers can take advantage of a very reasonable beverage package, but unbundling alcohol from the cruise price works to the advantage of non-drinkers.

Choosing shore excursions has been a LOT of fun! Claire and I immersed ourselves in the lists of excursions offered by Windstar, Shore Trips, and Viator. Looking at all the possibilities got us excited about each destination. We eventually chose excursions from each of these three companies. (I now realize how time consuming planning shore excursions can be, so do rely on your travel advisor's destination knowledge to enhance your cruise).

As I'll be posting periodically during the tour on Travel Horizons and Facebook, subscribe to Travel Horizons (use the link in the right column) and follow me on Facebook.

12.05.2012

Anna Karenina | visit St. Petersburg

Exeter International, Virtuoso tour company with expertise in Russia

Has seeing the movie Anna Karenina inspired you to visit St. Petersburg, Russia? The northernmost city in the world, St. Petersburg was founded by Peter the Great in 1703 and served as the Imperial capital of Russia until 1918. It is a compelling tourist destination with over 200 museums, including the world-famous Hermitage Museum... and the release of Anna Karenina will inspire even more tourists to visit in the summer of 2013.

We've got the connections for you! Exeter International is a Virtuoso tour company that can custom-design your own bespoke tour of St. Petersburg, as well as open the doors to exclusive experiences not normally open to the public. Contact your Virtuoso travel consultant to get things started.

Where to stay in St. Petersburg? One option is to come on a cruise (either a sea cruise or a river cruise) with countless possibilities next summer. The other option is to spend time in the center of things in one of St. Petersburg's Virtuoso hotels. The brand new Four Seasons St. Petersburg is opening in 2013, or choose Rocco Forte Hotel Astoria, Grand Hotel Europe (Orient Express), or Taleon Imperial Hotel. The Virtuoso or Four Seasons Preferred Partner amenities will make your stay an even better value.

Virtuoso travel consultant (search here on Google)

9.14.2012

top 10 family activities in Europe

idea # 7: scavenger hunt through the Louvre

Continuing this series of top 10 recommendations from luxury travel provider Abercrombie and Kent, here are their ideas on the top 10 family activities in Europe.

Rome — Gladiator School

Amsterdam — bicycling

Croatia — sea kayaking

Bruges — chocolate workshop

Moscow — backstage tour and live performance at the Moscow State Circus

Tuscany — horseback riding

Paris — scavenger hunt through the Louvre

Florence — behind the scenes at Florence's best Gelateria

St. Petersburg — Matryoshka doll painting

Scotland — search for Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster, on your own chartered boat

A scavenger hunt through the Louvre sounds like fun, and what a creative way to bring a museum to life! When you're ready to plan your next family vacation to Europe, and want to create special memories that your children will carry throughout their lives, contact your Virtuoso luxury travel consultant. We've got the connections that can make these family activities possible.

top 10 family activities in Europe (search here on Google)

9.11.2012

top 10 unique travel experiences in Europe

underground at the Eiffel Tower: the machinery that runs the elevators

You can do that? Abercrombie & Kent recently came out with several top ten lists for visiting Europe. Here is their list of the top ten Behind the Scenes unique travel experiences. Pricey, yes, but you'll always remember these unique experiences... and what stories to share with your friends!

St. Petersburg, Russia — special private access to the Hermitage store rooms

Rome, Italy — private visit to the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel

Moscow, Russia — private backstage tour of the Bolshoi Theatre

Venice, Italy — private evening opening at St Mark's Basilica

Florence, Italy — behind the scenes at a jewelry workshop in Florence

Paris, France — visit the Eiffel Tower's machinery room and technical gallery. I've actually done this, and the picture above was taken during my tour.

London, England — private viewing of the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London

Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic — private tour of Cesky Krumlov Castle and exclusive access to the Castle Theatre

Vienna, Austria — private drinks reception and tour of Belvedere Palace

Spain — see how Castanets are made at the only makers in Spain

Want to plan an unique travel experience of your own? Contact a travel consultant who specializes in luxury foreign travel.

unique travel experiences (search here on Google)

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