Day #2 of our "Grand Tour" of St. Petersburg started off with a boat trip along the many canals of the city. This was actually my favourite part of the two days spent in the city. The weather was sunny, warm, and perfect for a boat ride to admire the many beautiful sites from a water view point.
After a lovely hour on the canals, we got off the boat and made our way to Yusupov Palace, which was the home of a Russian noble family. This place is famous because Grigori Rasputin, an influential friend of Nicholas II (the last tsar of Russia) was murdered here. This place is a bit creepy because it contains wax figures depicting the scene of the crime. Apparently Prince Felix Yusupov tried to give Rasputin tea and dessert laced with poison but in the end he shot Rasputin with his gun. The palace itself was very elegant but the best thing about it was that there were hardly any tourists there! Unlike every other tourist attraction in St. Petersburg, Yusupov Palace seemed empty since we got there early (even before opening time). There was just one other tour group there at the time.
From Yusupov Palace we took a hydrofoil boat to Peterhof Palace, also known as the "Russian Versailles" because of its grandeur, beautiful gardens, and huge fountains. This palace was created for Peter the Great. We didn't go inside the palace but we toured the gardens and the fountain area. At the top of the Grand Cascade fountain was a great view of the garden area.
Our final stop of the tour was one more palace - Catherine Palace, created for Catherine I, the wife of Peter the Great. Catherine Palace was PACKED. There were a bunch of tour groups crowding the golden gates at the front, but each tour group had a specific time they were allowed to enter. We literally had to push and shove to get through the gates, and once we were inside it was a bit better in the sense that you just followed another tour group, and when the tour group left you would then enter the next room. The best rooms of Catherine Palace were the grand ballroom and the Amber room. The Amber room was not very big compared to some of the other rooms, but it contained beautiful amber panels on the walls. This room was actually looted in WWII but restored and re-opened in 2003. We weren't allowed to take photos inside the room but it seemed like you could sort of get away with it by taking a photo from the doorway of the next room looking in.
After two full days touring St. Petersburg we were super tired, but the city was worth it. It was a very extravagant place which seemed like a living museum. Everywhere you turned was something historic and grand. Two days was really not enough to tour the place, but Alla Tours did a great job giving us a whirlwind tour of this historic city.
After a lovely hour on the canals, we got off the boat and made our way to Yusupov Palace, which was the home of a Russian noble family. This place is famous because Grigori Rasputin, an influential friend of Nicholas II (the last tsar of Russia) was murdered here. This place is a bit creepy because it contains wax figures depicting the scene of the crime. Apparently Prince Felix Yusupov tried to give Rasputin tea and dessert laced with poison but in the end he shot Rasputin with his gun. The palace itself was very elegant but the best thing about it was that there were hardly any tourists there! Unlike every other tourist attraction in St. Petersburg, Yusupov Palace seemed empty since we got there early (even before opening time). There was just one other tour group there at the time.
From Yusupov Palace we took a hydrofoil boat to Peterhof Palace, also known as the "Russian Versailles" because of its grandeur, beautiful gardens, and huge fountains. This palace was created for Peter the Great. We didn't go inside the palace but we toured the gardens and the fountain area. At the top of the Grand Cascade fountain was a great view of the garden area.
Our final stop of the tour was one more palace - Catherine Palace, created for Catherine I, the wife of Peter the Great. Catherine Palace was PACKED. There were a bunch of tour groups crowding the golden gates at the front, but each tour group had a specific time they were allowed to enter. We literally had to push and shove to get through the gates, and once we were inside it was a bit better in the sense that you just followed another tour group, and when the tour group left you would then enter the next room. The best rooms of Catherine Palace were the grand ballroom and the Amber room. The Amber room was not very big compared to some of the other rooms, but it contained beautiful amber panels on the walls. This room was actually looted in WWII but restored and re-opened in 2003. We weren't allowed to take photos inside the room but it seemed like you could sort of get away with it by taking a photo from the doorway of the next room looking in.
After two full days touring St. Petersburg we were super tired, but the city was worth it. It was a very extravagant place which seemed like a living museum. Everywhere you turned was something historic and grand. Two days was really not enough to tour the place, but Alla Tours did a great job giving us a whirlwind tour of this historic city.
It's amazing to think so many people actually lived the castle life back then! What a wonderful opportunity to get a glimpse of their world.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a beautiful city. Interesting seeing how royalty lived.
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