Seattle Ring Cycle :: Florida :: St Petersburg :: Berlin
Moscow :: Bratislava :: Barcelona :: Dresden

ST PETERSBURG - A RUSSIAN ORTHODOX EASTER
OPERA AND BALLET HOLIDAY

16 APRIL 2009, 5 DAYS

The Russian Orthodox Easter follows a week behind our Easter in 2009. Although not an official holiday in the Russian Federation, it is a time of great celebration today, with processions, painted eggs, fairs, orchestral and choral concerts. Our special holiday will permit us to witness, and maybe participate, in some of the unique events of a Russian Easter.

St Petersburg itself was created by Peter the Great as the expression of the will of an autocrat to overcome the inhospitable and insalubrious marshes surrounding the Gulf of Finland. But it was also a statement of fear; the need of a worried ruler to escape the intrigues, dangers and bloodshed endemic in Moscow court life.

Today, after substantial restoration, the city of St Petersburg is indeed the dazzling 'Venice of the North'; a treasure of magnificent buildings, canals, great works of art, and rich history.

Late April is a perfect time to visit the city. Spring will have arrived, the days will have lengthened, but we should be able to avoid the tourist hordes that descend on the city from early May.

Flights are scheduled to conveniently depart in the morning with KLM, via Amsterdam, with evening return flight. Flights are available from several UK airports including Manchester, Leeds Bradford and Heathrow.

St Petersburg offers a wealth of artistic venues, including the Mariinsky, the Maly, the Alexandrinsky and the Conservatoire. Whilst schedules are usually only released about six weeks prior, the productions are principally classics of the Russian and Western European tradition, emphasising traditional production values.

Thursday, April 16

Arriving late afternoon in St Petersburg we are met by our guide and driven to our hotel for the next 4 nights, the four-star Pribaltyskaya.

Splendidly situated overlooking the Gulf of Finland on Vasilyevsky island and facing its own square, the Pribaltyskaya is virtually a city in itself. Its facilities include nine restaurants and bars, sauna and swimming pool, beauty salon and barber's shop, a business centre, a post-office, and entertainments, including folk shows. The hotel was extensively renovated in 2002. All rooms are en-suite and have mini-bar, direct dial telephone, air-conditioning, TV and radio. This evening we enjoy an included welcoming meal together at the hotel.

Friday, April 17

Our coach and guide provide us a general orientation tour of the city today. We see the great city squares and streets: Senate Square, St Isaac's Square, Palace Square and Nevsky Prospect. We admire some of the royal and nobles' palaces: the Winter Palace, the Summer Palace and the Marble Palace. We will visit the astoundingly beautiful Church on the Spilled Blood, constructed on the site of the assassination of Alexander II.

After lunch (included) we drive to the Peter and Paul Fortress. This was the first building constructed by Peter the Great to protect the development works on his new capital. Rarely used defensively, it has a colourful history as the main political prison in Russia's turbulent past. It also played a vital role in the 1917 revolution. Within the fortress complex is the Peter and Paul Cathedral, which contains the tombs of the tsars, including the last Romanov, Nicholas II and his family, who were murdered after the Bolshevik revolution.

We return to our hotel mid-afternoon in plenty of time to dine and prepare for an optional evening ballet, concert or opera visit.

Saturday, 18 April

Tsarskoe Selo (the Tsar's Village) was founded by the wife of Peter the Great as a country retreat, sixteen miles from the city, and on more salubrious raised ground. The favoured residence of the Romanovs, the palace complex was continually embellished. Renamed as Pushkin in 1937 and severely pillaged by the Nazis, the heart of the complex, Catherine's Palace, has been beautifully restored to its classical glory, together with the surrounding park. 100 kilograms of gold were lavished on gilding the blue and white exterior of the palace. The Grand Enfilade of interior rooms culminates in the legendary Amber Room, which took 20 years from 1982 to recreate and cost $12 million. We spend the morning in and around the palace before enjoying an included typical lunch at a traditional Russian restaurant and early afternoon return to St Petersburg.

Optional evening ballet or opera visit.

Sunday, April 19

Both a palace and a museum, the Hermitage is considered one of the four most prestigious museums in the world and one of the largest. This morning we enjoy an orientation tour of this vast complex and are guided through some of the highlights of the collection. The museum is housed in the former Winter Palace of the tsars and the State Rooms are also a testament to their incredible wealth and extravagant tastes.

We are then at leisure to either continue our visit in the Hermitage or explore St Petersburg on our own. As this is Easter Sunday timing of Hermitage visit may be adjusted to accommodate participation in Easter celebrations.

Optional evening ballet or opera visit.

Monday, April 20

The morning is at leisure for individual city exploration, before afternoon airport transfer for the return flight to the United Kingdom.

Holiday price is £890pp sharing a twin, including flights from Leeds Bradford, Manchester or London Heathrow via Amsterdam, four nights BB in the Pribaltyskaya Hotel, transfers, guided excursions, meals (2 lunches and 1 dinner) and entrance fees as above. Single supplement is £190. Deposit £190pp.

Opera/ballet tickets are not included in the above prices. Dependent on the theatre and performance good seats with transfers currently cost between about £30 and £70 (subject to change), with highest seat pricing for Mariinsky (Kirov) ballet performances. When the schedule of events is known we will contact you.

All British passport holders must obtain a visa for Russia. We intend to apply for a group visa in February, at which time we will need passports. Additional cost currently £75pp (prices subject to change). Individual visa applications can also be made if passports are needed at this time, but there will be a supplement.

Travel insurance (if required) is £18pp for Friends aged up to 65 at time of booking, £36 aged 66 to 75, £45 aged 76 to 79, and £60 aged 80 to 86. Excess waiver £10 extra. Conditions do apply. Annual insurance is also available

To reserve your place on this special holiday please contact Grosvenor Travel. Closing date for bookings is 15 October or sooner subject to availability. This holiday will operate on the basis of a minimum of 25 clients participating. Firm bookings are taken but no deposits cashed until minimum numbers are reached.

This opera holiday operates in conjunction with Friends of Opera North.