Itinerary
Day
1
:
In Transit from North America
Air Program travelers will depart their gateway city for St. Petersburg, Russia. The AHI Travel Group Air Program offers advanced seat assignments on most airlines; an air price guarantee that includes all fuel surcharges and airport and airline taxes; arrival and departure transfers, including baggage handling; and many other benefits.
Meals—Appropriate In-Flight Meal Service
Day
2
:
St. Petersburg
Arrive at Pulkovo Airport. After passing through immigration and customs, Group Air Program passengers will be met by an AHI Travel representative in the arrivals hall. Independent Air Program passengers who are able to join the group transfer and Land Program passengers who have purchased an AHI transfer should proceed to the group flight arrivals hall to meet the AHI representative.
Transfer to the Angleterre Hotel. After checking in, your luggage will be delivered directly to your room. Your AHI Travel Director will be with you throughout your journey to handle all program logistics and will be available daily to assist with sightseeing arrangements, dinner reservations, shopping suggestions and any other assistance you may require.
Join your fellow travelers for a festive Welcome Reception and Dinner at the hotel this evening.
Accommodations—Angleterre Hotel
Meals—Appropriate in-flight meal service and dinner
Day
3
:
St. Petersburg
Educational Focus: The Poetic Soul of St. Petersburg: The Literature and Poetry of Russia
Excursion: Highlights of St. Petersburg
See The Bronze Horseman, the famous statue of Peter the Great on a rearing horse; the neoclassical Admiralty; and the historic buildings, palaces and churches that help make the city one of Europe’s most dazzling capitals. Visit St. Isaac’s Cathedral and the Peter and Paul Fortress.
Educational Focus: Czarist Russia
Accommodations—Angleterre Hotel
Meals—Breakfast and lunch
Day
4
:
Catherine Palace/ Palace of Pavlovsk
Excursion: Catherine’s Palace, including the Amber Room
Visit Catherine’s Palace, a Russian baroque masterpiece that is home to the famed Amber Room. A splendid chamber of intricate amber panels and mosaics made of jasper and agate, its priceless decorations were stolen by the Nazis in World War II. It has been recreated as the result of a German-Russian joint effort.
Excursion: Pavel and the Palace of Pavlovsk
Discover the stunning neoclassical palace built for Catherine the Great’s son, Czar Paul I, considered to be one of the greatest achievements in Russian architecture.
Accommodations—Angleterre Hotel
Meals—Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day
5
:
State Hermitage Museum
Excursion: State Hermitage Museum
Visit the Hermitage, part of the opulent Winter Palace constructed by Catherine the Great, and home to one of the world’s foremost collections of fine art. The dazzling array of works includes Russian prehistoric artifacts, relics from ancient Greece and Rome, examples of Russian jewelry, and art by French Impressionists and Dutch and Italian Masters.
Accommodations—Angleterre Hotel
Meals—Breakfast
Day
7
:
The Russian Museum/The Church of the Spilled Blood/Hermitage Theater
Educational Focus: Russian Art
Excursion: The Russian Museum and the Church of the Spilled Blood
Visit the Russian Museum, which houses the largest collection of Russian art in the world. Continue to the Church of the Spilled Blood. Built on the spot where Czar Alexander II was assassinated in 1881, it is one of the most beautiful churches in St. Petersburg.
Excursion: Performance at the Hermitage Theater
This evening, attend a cultural performance at the magnificent Hermitage Theater. A part of the Hermitage complex of palaces, the theater is justly renowned for its magnificent architecture and sumptuous interiors.
Accommodations—Angleterre Hotel
Meals—Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day
7
:
The Russian Museum/The Church of the Spilled Blood/Hermitage Theater
Educational Focus: Russian Art
Excursion: The Russian Museum and the Church of the Spilled Blood
Visit the Russian Museum, which houses the largest collection of Russian art in the world. Continue to the Church of the Spilled Blood. Built on the spot where Czar Alexander II was assassinated in 1881, it is one of the most beautiful churches in St. Petersburg.
Excursion: Performance at the Hermitage Theater
This evening, attend a cultural performance at the magnificent Hermitage Theater. A part of the Hermitage complex of palaces, the theater is justly renowned for its magnificent architecture and sumptuous interiors.
Accommodations—Angleterre Hotel
Meals—Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day
8
:
St. Petersburg
Independent Exploration
The day is at leisure.
Tonight, attend a Farewell Reception, Graduation Ceremony and Farewell Dinner.
Accommodations—Angleterre Hotel
Meals—Breakfast and dinner
Day
9
:
In Transit to North America
Following breakfast, depart for Pulkovo Airport for your return flights home.
Meals—Breakfast and appropriate in-flight meal service
Note: Itinerary sequence and/or scheduled events may change. Many excursions in this program involve an element of walking.