St. Petersburg by High Speed Train
The Allegro, a high speed train on the historic track between Heslinki, Finland and St. Petersburg, Russia.
Price per person, based on double occupancy, for the Best of Imperial St. Petersburg: please call for pricing, including allegro train transportation.
Travel by Allegro Train
We are so excited by this exciting, new route, we've put together a 2 night/3 day package that includes high speed rail transportation from Helsinki to St. Petersburg and back.
The best of Imperial St. Petersburg in 2 nights and 3 days
Day 1 - From Helsinki follow take the high speed Allegro train to Finland Railway Station near St. Petersburg city center. The historic terminal was built in 1870. For over a 100 years, the track you follow was the only rail route between Finland and Russia.
Before registering at your hotel, you'll explore the canals and squares of the Venice of the North with an English-speaking guide. See the beautiful palaces that line the Neva River. St. Petersburg is a planned city, the dream of Peter the Great, who dreamed of a port city for his empire that rivalled any in Europe. During the city tour a stop will be made at St. Isaac's Cathedral. Once the largest church in Russia, it has been a cultural museum since the 1930s. You'll be dazzled by the mosaic icons, and columns of lapus lazuli and malachite.
Hermitage Museum
No trip to St. Petersburg is complete without a visit to the Hermitage State Museum. A magnificent collection of Old World Masters, archeaological artifacts and cultural displays are housed in six majestic buildings that line the Neva River. At the heart of the museum is the Winter Palace, an Italianate masterpiece built as a home for the Russian czars. Catherine the Great began the museum's collection in 1764 when she purchased 255 paintings from a collector in Berlin. The collection has grown to 3 million items over 250 years. See works by Renoir, Cezanne, Leonardo de Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian and Rembrandt - to name only a few of the artists represented.
Ask us about attending a special after-hours event in the Pavilion Hall of the Small Hermitage that includes cocktails and a performance by a classical quartet.
After registering at the Sokos Hotel Vasilievsky, the evening is at leisure. The hotel is located on the island of Vasili, about 15 minutes by foot from the Hermitage. Amenities include a fitness center, free Internet access, a pub, a Russian restaurant and a lobby bar.
Day 2 - After breakfast at your hotel, you will explore the countryside around St. Petersburg associated with the czars and the romantic age of Imperial Russia. Transportation for the excursion is varied. A hydrofoil transports you to Peterhoff Palace, a country retreat with manicured gardens and fountains. Lunch is served in a restaurant called the Summer Palace, because of its architectural style, reminiscent of 18th Russia. Afterward, board a bus for Oranienbaum (Lomoonosov), the residence of Alexander Menshikov. He was a courtier of great influence in the courts of Peter the Great, Peter III and Catherine II. A hydrofoil zips you off to the island of Kronshtadt - fortress city surrounded by water and dikes. It was here that Peter the Great built and outfitted the first Russian navy, 200 years ago. The day's excursion ends at your hotel in the late afternoon.
Mariinsky Theater
Russia has a grand tradition of ballet and classical music. Anna Pavlova, Rudolph Nureyev, Mikhail Baryshnikov danced on there. Musorgksy's opera Boris Godunov and Tchaikovsky's The Maid of Orleans premiered in St. Petersburg's renowned theatre, once known as the Kirov. During Maestro Valery Gergiev's term as Principal Conductor of the theatre, the original name was restored. The Mariinsky Theater has a 200 year old history, and you are part of it. We have included tickets to either a ballet or opera performance in our outstanding St. Petersburg extension.
After the performance enjoy dining in the Russian style at the Russian Ampir Restaurant. Elegance is in every detail of the decor; from the porcelain by Versace and glassware of Bohemian crystal. The restaurant is locatedin the former palace of the Stroganoff family. The menu shows French influences from the fois gras to the black caviar.
Day 3 - After breakfast, recall the highlights of your imperial adventure, as you return to Helsinki aboard the Allegro train.
To add this essential extra to your North Pole voyage call 1.888.892.0334 (+1.203.803.2888) or email.
