Imperial Petersburg

Day-by-day program

1. Day 1 — Arrival and introduction to the centre

   transfer 25 km, walk 2.5 km

   Meet at Pulkovo Airport or Moskovsky Rail Terminal to suit your schedule, with no waiting for other groups. Private transfer in a well-kept minivan with a comfort kit of water, wipes, chargers and dates. Check-in to the central 4★ boutique hotel is usually around 14:00; we arrange early check-in in advance when possible. Domina Prestige 5★ is available as an upgrade on request, with a prayer mat and qibla marker in the room. We can assist with SIM/eSIM. After a short rest, take a gentle walk along Nevsky Prospekt (~2.5 km), with time for prayer. Around 19:00, enjoy a halal dinner at Sadko and a briefing, including a rain-day alternative. Your coordinator checks in via WhatsApp at the end of the day.

2. Day 2 — The Hermitage and an evening on the Neva

   walk 5 km, boat 12 km

   Breakfast at around 08:30, then private entry to the State Hermitage at 09:15, before the main crowds arrive: the Winter Palace, the Jordan Staircase, the Italian and Dutch galleries, and works by Rembrandt, Leonardo and Raphael (~3 hours with a licensed art-historian guide). A prayer pause is arranged in the museum rest area. Around 13:00, have halal lunch near Palace Embankment, then walk through Palace Square to the Bronze Horseman and Admiralty Embankment. Around 16:30, the day closes at the Fabergé Museum in Shuvalov Palace: the imperial Easter eggs in calm rooms, without the evening queues. In heavy rain, choose the Hermitage General Staff Wing or the Russian Museum instead, by agreement. In the evening, in the April–October season, your group has a private two-hour cruise on the Neva and canals (departure around 20:30): seasonal drawbridges, illuminated façades and blankets on board; a light dinner is served aboard or after the cruise at Sadko. No other tourists join your boat.

3. Day 3 — Peterhof and a return across the gulf

   transfer 60 km, boat 30 km, walk 4 km

   After an early breakfast at around 08:00, travel by private minivan to Peterhof, leaving at 09:00 (~30 km, ~45 minutes) to reach the Grand Palace by about 10:00, before the peak crowds. Visit the state rooms, then the Grand Cascade and Lower Park, home to 147 pump-free fountains from May to October; in winter, see snow-covered statues and ice sculptures. The visit follows an unhurried pace, with stops for children and prayer in the park pavilions. Halal lunch is served near the Lower Park between 13:00 and 14:00. Return to St. Petersburg by fast boat across the Gulf of Finland, departing around 15:00 (~1.5 hours), with windbreakers on board. If the weather is stormy, return by minivan via Primorskoye Highway. You are back at the hotel by roughly 17:30. The evening is free for the Mariinsky Theatre (tickets on request, roughly $50–120 per seat), a spa visit at Domina Prestige or a walk along the embankments. Dinner is optional and not included.

4. Day 4 — Tsarskoye Selo and a farewell evening

   transfer 60 km, walk 3 km

   After breakfast at around 08:30, travel to Pushkin and Tsarskoye Selo around 09:00 (~30 km) for private, queue-free entry to Catherine Palace at opening, about 10:00: the Amber Room, state rooms and Agate Rooms (~2.5 hours). Continue with a walk through Catherine Park, passing the Hermitage Pavilion, ponds and tree-lined paths (~3 km). Enjoy halal lunch at a café by the park around 13:00, then return to St. Petersburg by 14:00. The afternoon is free for rest, prayer or shopping at Gostiny Dvor on Nevsky Prospekt. Around 19:30, share a farewell dinner at Grand Cru or Baklazhan, with Russian and Middle Eastern cuisine. In summer, an optional evening drawbridge cruise is available (departure around 23:00); in winter, choose a Mariinsky ballet (tickets separate, roughly $50–120). Your guide concludes the route and presents a gift set.

5. Day 5 — Departure

   transfer 25 km

   Enjoy a halal buffet breakfast at the hotel. The morning is free for final shopping on Nevsky Prospekt or an optional visit to St. Isaac's Cathedral (entry separate). After collecting luggage — check-out is usually by 12:00 — take a private transfer to Pulkovo Airport timed to your flight; we recommend a departure at least three hours after leaving the hotel, arriving around 3 hours before your flight. Receive a gift set of Russian delicacies: caviar, honey, Alyonka chocolate and herbal teas. Your host remains in touch until boarding, with no shared transfers.

Pricing

30% deposit at booking confirmation