Private Faberge Museum & Canal Cruise (Visas Included)

St. Petersburg's past and present unite on this delightful tour of Russia's second largest city. Tour the renowned Fabergé Museum to see the priceless eggs known for their intricate designs. Then it's time for a guided tour of St. Petersburg by boat on a relaxing canal cruise.

On this unique St. Petersburg excursion, you'll see 12 of the 50 Faberge Easter eggs remaining in the world. Located in the heart of St. Petersburg, the private Fabergé Museum opened in 2013. The Link of Times Foundation, financed by Russian billionaire Viktor Vekselberg, is responsible for repatriating the famed eggs to the Shuvalov Palace - the opulent abode of a noble family prominent during the reign of Empress Elizabeth.

While over 4000 works of art are displayed, all 12 Fabergé eggs (masterfully crafted by jeweler Carl Fabergé) are connected to Emperors Alexander III and Nicolas II. Nine of the regal eggs belonged to the prominent Romanov family. Your learned, English speaking guide will supplement the superb quality of the Imperial Easter eggs with startling details.

Following your Fabergé Museum tour, enjoy a comfortable boat cruise, affording views of the city's primary landmarks. Your licensed captain navigates the Fontanka, Moyka, and Neva Rivers. Opportunities to photograph the enchanting Summer Gardens and Field of Mars, dedicated to the Roman god of war, are ample.

Next on this St. Petersburg tour, you'll encounter the stunning, romantic-style Church of our Savior on Spilled Blood. Erected in 1883, following the assassination of Emperor Alexander III (on its location), the church was completed in 1907.

The culturally rich boat tour also includes views of the St. Peter and Paul's Fortress, plus the popular Winter Palace. Erected in 1703, the Fortress was the keystone building in the Tsar Peter the Great's Great Northern War against Sweden. The 18th century ecclesiastical structure also served as the city's central places of worship, defense, and burial (for the Romanov nobility).

The lavish Winter Palace (designed by Italian-born F.B. Rastrelli) can be seen in all its baroque beauty. Today, it's the home of the famed Hermitage Museum.

This spectacular St. Petersburg tour covers all fees, plus bottled water. Snacks are available for purchase, and your guide can offer restaurant recommendations. Please note: this limited excursion must be pre-reserved no later than 90 days prior to a scheduled tour date, and tours are available from April to October but do not operate on Fridays.

Please Note: All of our tours in St. Petersburg 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.