| yanaostanina@mail.ru |
Duration: 2-2,5 hour
• We will meet in the very heart of the city, on Nevsky prospect.
•we will start with a beautiful bird-eye view opening from the terrace of a private museum. There i will tell you some facts about the city centre and its architecture and history (entrance fee to the private museum - 50 RUR, photo permission - 100 RUR)
•we will see funny monuments and statues and ask them to fulfill our wishes
•we will find little Italy and the only castle in Petersburg
•we will talk about art standing in the centre of the Art Square
•we'll see the Saviour on Spilt blood church, Kazansky cathedral and several non-orthodox churches. If possible, we will visit one of the oldest banks here (beautiful interior)
• we will visit a former aristocratic house with the most instagammable entrance door. If we have time, I will show you a "back to USSR" cafe where their serve traditional Leningrad doughnuts
•I will show you the secret way leading to the Palace square where…
•We will talk about its history, architecture and about the Hermitage museum!
•Our tour will end on the Millionaire street:) where you will make a wish again. I will show you whom and how to ask;)
We will see some of the most important sights without walking too much. And afterwards you may visit the colonnade of St Isaac's cathedral
•We will meet under the clock of the General staff Building. Traditiobal meeting point and the main entrance to the Palace square.
•We will talk about the Palace square and everything standing on it: from the Winter palace to the Alexander column
•You will find out what the Hermitage is... and where the Garage of Nicholas II is
•We will ask Atlantis to make our wish come true
•we will enjoy the most Venetian view of Petersburg
•We will see beautiful Neva, Peter and Paul fortress, Spit of the Vasilievsky island, Admiralty
•We will walk along the shortest embankment in the city, we will greet the famous lions and we'll see one of the most unusual monuments to Peter the Great
•we will "meet" the famous Bronze horseman
• we will see Saint Isaac's cathedral with a very unusual signature of its architect
•if we will have time I will show you the old (and beautiful) post office
•we will finish our wall at the widest bridge next to the palace which was built as a very expensive wedding gift
What you will see:
• Nevsky prospect. We will see it from above! (entrance tickets to the terrace are not included in the price; adult ticket+permission to take photos - 150 rub or app.2 Euro)
• the Palace square and the Winter Palace;
• the Admiralty;
• The Spit of Vasilievsky island with famous Rostral columns;
• The Bronze Horseman
• The Senate and Synod buildings;
• Beautiful Bolshaya and Malaya Morskaya streets;
• Bolshaya and Malaya Konyushennaya streets (there you can visit famous "Pyshechnaya" cafe and try real Leningrad donuts - "pyshki" - "back to USSR" experience is guaranteed!);
• the Arts square, where you will see the Russian museum (former Mikhail palace) and the monument to Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, famous Russian poet;
• You will visit amazing Kazan cathedral and the Singer House, widely know as the House of books;
• St Isaac's cathedral;
• Mariinsky Palace;
• The widest bridge in the city;
• The Church of the Saviour on Blood.
While admiring exqusite architecture, we will immerse ourselves in a vibrant life of the Russian imperial capital.
Details:
•You will find out where "the city"of Saint Petersburg was situated;
•We will visit one of the most beautiful and even fairytale-like "office buildings" of the pre-revolutionary Petersburg;
•We may stop for a cup of coffee in cafe where one famous composer loved to have a glass of wine (or something stronger...);
•We will visit the place where the ladies from the high society went to have their "five o'clock tea";
•We will find out where masons, rich merchants, soviet writers and... Patricia Kaas used to live or stay for a night (yes, it is the same place!);
•We will talk about a very taleneted and clever French architect;
•I will show you the place where His Majesty Nicholas I went to buy gifts for his daughters and where Marius Petipa ordered some rare items for his ballets;
•I will tell you a horrible story about the Duel of four (une partie carrée) and will show your the cafe where Pushkin went before his last duel;
•We will see the stores where the gentlemen and noblemen ordered gifts for their future brides and beautiful mistresses (and even visit one of these places)...
and more!
Let me introduce to you this "handsome" district! Petrograd side (or Petrogradsky district) is the centre of art-noveau architecture and the birth cradle of Saint Petersburg.
Details of the tour:
•We will see one of the first houses of the city and the Mosque straight from the 1001 Nights;
•We will feel like giants walking in the centre of "mini Petersburg" and will sit at the table with the main architects of Saint Petersburg;
•We will see the mansion of a famous Russian ballerina and... the Lenin's balcony;
•We will explore in details the house bulit by the main architect of art-nouvean in its northern version;
•I will show you the local "Hollywood" and the houses of articts and actors;
•I will tell the detective stories about terrorists of the 19th century;
•You will discover some interesting facts about the soviet way of life in 1930s. Spoiler: it seems very modern!;
•We will stop for a coffee at one of the tiniest and cutest coffeeshops hidden in the inner courtyard of a beautiful building;
•We will count owls, spiders, fantastic creatures and towers.
The other side of Petersburg: some buildings seem to be "transported" here from Paris or Vienna, Little Italy in Petersburg, our own "china town", beautiful churches, unusual courtyards, cute sculptures and a real castle right in the city centre!
This walking tour is recommended for families with kids!
Highlights of the tour:
•First pedestrian street of Petersburg;
•Monuments to cats, tiny bird, toy soldiers, architects, photographer with his cute dog and emperors, of course;
•Little Italy;
•Mosaic courtyard inspired by Gaudi;
•Alma mater of Piotr Tchaikovsky;
•The Knight's Castle;
•Montmartre in Saint Petersburg and the most beautiful academy;
•The most "bohemian" courtyard and loft in Saint Petersburg (we can have a coffee with a view there!);
•One of the oldest churches in Saint Petersburg. And it was built following the Roman example;
•The most elegant and "French" street in Saint Petersburg;
•Liteyny avenue with its amazing architecture: from neo-russian to exotic mauritanian, including the Muruzi house where Joseph Brodsky lived.
Details of the tour:
• We will see beautiful residential buildings of the 19th century, so-called tenement houses;
•I will show you the house where the most famous Russian nanny lived;
•We will see contemporary sculpture and real Russian bears guarding the doors of an old factory;
•You will be very surprised seeing some Russian style architecture in our very European city;
•We will visit the "gingerbread" house and the house of the merchant who was the neighbour of Dostoevsky;
•We will try to find the mysterious masons' symbols on the facade of Tolstoy house;
•We will see the house of Dovlatov, legendary cafe "Saigon" and Leningrad rock-club. Yes, even in the USSR people were listening to rock music!;
•I will show you a piece of France on Marata street;
• We will find the Fifth corner with its famous tower;
•We will visit a well-preserved merchant's house to explore its amazing interior designed by famours artists, including Vrubel and Roerich*
* Unfortunately, I can't guarantee the availability. This is not a museum, so I will check the dates beforehand. Entrance is free.
Highlights of the tour:
•Exquisite eclectic and art-nouveau architecture;
•An old garden which have been very popular among locals for 2 centuries already: in winter we go ice-skating and in summer we have picknicks there;
•The most mystical church in Saint Petersburg (open from Wednesday to Sunday);
•Street-art gallery. Botticelli❤ ;
•Cathedral surrounded with throphey Turkish cannons;
•Old orangery where we can stop for a coffee with a nice view;
•Grim sphynxes and the dark prison;
•Suvorov's museum which looks like the small copy of Kremlin;
•Ancient Egyptian "temple" in Saint Petersburg;
•Taurida palace;
• Beautiful and well-preserved tenement building. We will enter it to see its amazing lift and stairs;
• French-style house with the famous "Tower". It was the main centre of bohemian and artistic life in the Silver Age of Russian art, 1900s-1910s;
•Gorgeous Smolny cathedral.
Highlights of the tour
•We will start with Catherine the Great and her friend, also Catherine. They reached so high and achieved so much! Feminists would approve;
•We will talk about generous benefactors and real Saints;
•You will be surprised to know the story of the only female designer at the Faberge company!
•We will visit the Sheremetev palace garden to talk about a very romantic and sad "cinderella-like" story of the serf actress who became Countess;
•There we will also stop for a cup of coffee in the house which once belonged to the greatest female poet of the Silver Age;
•Houses, palaces and theatres will tell us the stories of femme fatale, actresses and ballerinas;
•I will show you one of the famous Institute for noble maidens, and there we will talk about them, their lives and education;
•Strict rules of court and theatrical etiquette, fashion, shops... - we won't forget these important topics!
•We will finish our walking tour at the room of one of the most famous Russian ballerinas, where you can take beautiful photos and have a cup of coffee or even a glass of wine and dicsuss everything you have heard and seen.
"Do you love theater as much..." as we love it in Saint Petersburg? The Cultural capital of Russia is home to more than 150 theaters and concert halls! So let me tell you about some of them.
Details of the tour
•We will see the most perfect street with the most perfect proportions... where the most perfect ballerinas are learning to dance;
•I will show beautiful Alexandrinsky theatre. Its stage, auditorium and backstage were full of scandals, rumours and love stories;
•We will enter the fromer Direction of the Imperial theatres. So many famous people used to visit it, from Schalyapin to Anna Pavlova;
•You will find out that the first Bolshoi theater was not located in Moscow!
• We will visit one of the most modern theatres of Saint Petersburg; the view from its bar is amazing;
•I will tell you about the favourite musical instruments of the Emperors, about the sensitive composers and strict theatrical etiquette;
•You will hear the Cinderella story with the sad end;
•We will see the theatres which did not close during the Siege of Leningrad;
•We will talk about the magnificent balls that were thrown in the Grand Philharmonic hall;
•We will see the Imperial Theatre that doesn't look like one!
We may finish the tour at the cabaret of the Silver age or in the memoral rooms of Anna Pavlova.
Highlights of the tour
•We will find out why Vasilievsky didn't become either the city centre of Petersburg or New Amsterdam;
•the first port of Saint Petersburg;
•Palace of the first Russian "olyigarch" who knew how to party like a Russian! and we may stop for a cup of coffee there;
•First museum in Russia;
•Academy of sciences and the story of its first female president (in 18th century!) and about her caprice;
•The main University of Saint Petersburg;
•Academy which became alma-mater for the most important Russian artists;
•The monument to Vasiliy;
•The most mystical pharmacy, which owner was the alchemist (guided tour upon request);
•The narrowest strett in Saint Petersburg and its sad destiny;
•Tanya Savicheva's house, one of the symbols of the Leningrad's Siege;
•Beautiful churches: orthodox, catholic, lutheran;
•Architecture: from the still remaining traces of the Petrine epoch to exquisite art-nouveau.
Details of the tour
•You will see 5 churches: from sky-blue orthodox cathedral to mauritanian-style synagogue;
•Let's make a wish at "Semimostie" or "Seven bridges";
•We will check if the Lions on the Lions' bridge are really laughing;
•We will find a French castle, Italian palazzo, German-style gingerbread house! Pure architectural delight;
•I will show you the bridge decorated with Sphynxes;
•We will the famous arch of the New Holland island (and we can visit the island to relax a little!);
•Kolomna has always been popular among bohemian people: writers, poets, musicians, artists, ballerinas, so we will try to find their houses. And the places where literary characters "live";
•We will see the main centre of attraction and cultural life, the Theatre square with famous Mariinsky theatre;
• We will stop for a coffee or a glass of wine in a very unusual place! The former aristocratic mansion with built-in fountain!!! It The atmosphere is very friendly and artistic...
These tours are to be booked in advance (the earlier - the better) and are to be prepaid!
Price for the individual tour varies from object to object depending on their rules. All the details will be sent directly to your e-mail box.
Sometimes I will organize group tours (for 6-8 guets max.) in Russian, follow me on Instagram.
Where can we go?
•Palace of Grand Duke Vladimir. Fiorentinean palazzo on outside and luzurious preserved interiors;
•Mansion of femme fatale Aurora Shernval;
•Polovtsov's mansion. Aristocratic house with preserved interiors;
•Anichkov palace, one of the residences of the Romanovs;
•Beloselsky-Belozersky palace;
•Eliseev mansion. It belonged to one of the richest merchant families;
•Schroder mansion. It belonged to the piano factory owner and was often visited by top musicians;
•The Benois Apartment. Descendents of the famous artistic family are still living there! They have managed to preserve interiors, furniture, archives and atmosphere!
•Old apartment in the 19th century residential building. Real time-travelling in the company of its owner, historian and culturologist.
•Fine arts academy
•Museum at the Stieglitz Academy of applied arts
