St Petersburg Neva River Sightseeing Cruise

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: Neva Embankments, St. Petersburg Russia

Your expert local guide will pick you up from your central city hotel and walk with you to St Petersburg’s boat station, passing along Nevsky Prospekt – the city’s swanky main street that’s filled with chic boutiques and beautiful architecture.

Built on the river, central St Petersburg consists of a network of waterways with countless canals and more than 300 bridges of varying sizes from different architectural periods. As you hop on board your luxury sightseeing boat, your guide will talk to you about the grandeur of the Neva River and its fascinating history. Hear tales of Peter the Great, one of Russia’s more famous tsars, who founded the city in the 18th century, intending it to be his ‘Venice of the north.’

As you cruise up and down the river, watch out for all the top St Petersburg attractions that line the Neva’s granite-clad embankments. See the Peter and Paul Fortress that was created by Peter the Great in the Northern War to protect his city from a feared Swedish attack, and pass numerous other castles and palaces, like St Michael’s Castle and the Imperial Anichkov Palace.

See the city’s oldest and most charming park – the Summer Gardens – that was built in a distinctive Dutch Baroque style, and admire the imposing Aurora Battle Ship -- once a battleship in the Russo-Japanese war but now a museum. Pass Mariinsky Theatre where classical ballet and opera performances have taken place since the 1800s, showcasing masterpieces by esteemed Russian composers like Tchaikovsky.

Glide past romantic New Holland Island, admiring its majestic arches and early Russian Classicist buildings, and pass St Nicholas Naval Cathedral and St Isaac’s Cathedral – two of the largest city cathedrals. After cruising up and down the Neva, your sightseeing boat returns to the boat station where your tour finishes.

Duration: 2 hours