At a Glance:

What is Included:

£3985 per person.
For more information please see below or call
Catherine on 020 8780 7979

Detailed Itinerary:

Day 1

ARRIVAL AND WELCOME COCKTAILS, HERMITAGE LECTURE

Upon arrival we will bring you to the deluxe Grand Hotel Europe which will be your home for the week. After some time to relax and refresh we invite you for welcome cocktails and dinner at the Caviar Bar of the hotel, where lead Hermitage scholar Tatyana Pasynkova gives us a presentation on the history of the Hermitage and its collections.

Day 2

HERMITAGE: OPENING OF THE CLOSED MUSEUM

On Monday the Hermitage is closed to the public, so this is a rare opportunity to see the most popular galleries without crowds - including, on this day only, a return to the galleries after lunch. The visit begins with a survey of the museum as a palace, examining the 'Peter the Great memorial Throne Room', the Armorial Hall, the main Throne Room and 1812 Gallery.

We pass through the Pavilion Hall and see the famous 'Peacock Clock' made by James Cox of London. Continued by a study of the Italian galleries, including some of the most famous pieces by Leonardo da Vinci and Titian. Passing through the breathtaking Raphael Loggia which Catherine the Great had copied from the Vatican, we look at the two Raphaels, study Michelangelo's 'Crouching Boy' and pass through the Skylight Galleries, making our way to lunch in the staff canteen (off limits to the public).

After lunch with the staff and curators, we continue on to the world renowned Hermitage Impressionists and Post-Impressionists collection, housed in rooms formerly used by the maids of honour. We spend the rest of the afternoon enjoying these pieces, without the crowds they attract during regular museum open hours. En route to dinner, we have a St. Petersburg by night tour of Peter & Paul Fortress, Alexander Nevsky Monastery, and Nicholas, Smolny and St. Isaac's Cathedrals, Church of the Spilled Blood and St. Isaac's Cathedral.

Day 3

HERMITAGE: TREASURY II, HIDDEN TREASURES;
COMMUNAL FLAT; MARIINSKY THEATER

This morning we will visit the remarkable Hidden Treasures exhibition, continuing on to the Romanov portrait gallery, and Malachite Room created by Nicholas I for his wife and the reconstructed family rooms. After a break for coffee in the museum cafe, we see the spectacular Treasury II containing Peter the Great's collection of Siberian gold dating back to 5th century BC but unearthed by 17th and 18th century tomb robbers.

We depart the museum for the day, and juxtapose the glories of the Hermitage with a visit to a communal flat, where you will have a chance to meet ordinary Russians and have tea with typical Russian pirogi. Tonight we will enjoy a performance of either ballet or opera at the world renowned Mariinsky (Kirov) Theater.

After the performance we will have supper at restaurant Backstage, located next to the Mariinsky Theater. This is a favourite haunt of Maestro Gergiev, conductor of the Mariinsky.

Day 4

HERMITAGE: TREASURY I, OLD MASTERS;
BALLET REHEARSAL AT CONSERVATORY

This is the day for Treasury I, one of the great highlights of the museum, combining glitter and art history, starting with Greek and Scythian gold and including a spectrum of the diplomatic gifts received by the Tsars courts over the years.

After a pause for coffee we return to the great Old Master paintings and sculpture collection, inspect the famous collection of 25 works by Rembrandt, followed by the Dutch "little masters", Rubens, Van Dyck and Snyders and return past the parade staircase of the New Hermitage to the gallery of Canova sculpture.

We leave the museum to have lunch at a popular local restaurant. After lunch we enjoy a ballet rehearsal at the Conservatory, and spend some time meeting the dancers and chief choreographer after rehearsal. Time to relax this afternoon before dinner.

Day 5

HERMITAGE: STORAGE FACILITIES;
SPRING: ST. PETERSBURG PHILHARMONY

This morning we drive to the Hermitage's new state of the art Storage Facility, on the edge of the city at Staraya Derevnya. The Hermitage Museum collections include around three million pieces of world class treasures. Only about a tenth are on display in the Museum complex, and the rest stored away. In these fascinating storage facilities, we see architectural genius: the ability to beautifully both store (on a large scale) and display world treasures (in a high security environment). We see the marvelous collection of State carriages and an embroidered tent given to Catherine the Great by the Sultan of Turkey.

As well as rows upon rows of great masters in their glass fronted filing cabinets, their breathtaking icon collections, and sculptures from many genres and epochs. After having lunch in the staff dining area, we return to the city, en route seeing new areas of St. Petersburg constructed after World War II. Since most of our time in this programme is spent in historical downtown, this drive gives us the chance to see some of the metro area of the city, as well as see one of the cemeteries dedicated to the fallen heroes of the Great Patriotic War (WWII).

Day 6

FREE DAY AND FAREWELL DINNER

Free day to relax and explore the city by yourself. Farewell dinner at the Old Customs House, one of the leading restaurants of St Petersburg (and a favourite of Mrs. Medvedev).

Day 7

DEPARTURE

For more information or to book please call Catherine on our dedicated Glories of the Hermitage number 020 8780 7979

Guest Comments

"An excellent trip we will be recommending to all our friends. Hopefully they will be lucky enough to have Natasha as their guide!"

"Being in the museum on Monday when the museum is closed to the public with such an excellent curator - was one of the biggest highlights and having a small group is another pleasure for a tour like this."

"It was the experience of a lifetime. I will tell all my friends about it!"

"I particularly appreciated the home visit, where we learned a great deal of Russians and Russian lifestyle which added another dimension altogether to our visit"

"Overall impression of the programme: absolutely first class"

"Communal apartment: shockingly enlightening. Programme: Loved the pace. Busy every minute"

"I never realized the immense heritage in the cultural arts of the Russian people!"

"Tatyana"s gift in conveying her love and knowledge of the Hermitage collection was an inspiration!"