Visa-free cruise from Helsinki to St. Petersburg

The Winter Palace on Palace Square in St. Petersburg

Prices from £742 per person
Period: February-December 2012

Enjoy 72 hours city break in St. Petersburg without the hassle of getting a Russian visa. Cruise on a modern M/S Princess Maria overnight from Helsinki, and combine the modern Helsinki and the historic St. Petersburg for a memorable cultural holiday.

Peter the Great founded St. Petersburg in 1703 as his capital. The city is majestic with palaces, cathedrals, river embankments and canals, handsome parks and dozens of bridges.

Helsinki, the Finnish capital, offers dozens of museum and galleries, design boutiques and interesting architecture.

This is a great holiday for independent travellers, who want to explore arts and history, but there is also a good selection of optional excursions and evening programmes with opera, ballet, circus or folklore.

Wednesday: Modern Helsinki
Arrival to Helsinki.

Helsinki is easy to explore on foot as everything is within easy reach – it is a beautiful city on a human scale. The architecture ranges from graceful neo-classical to art nouveau and modernism.

There are dozens of museums and galleries ranging from the outdoor museum of old Finnish buildings to the cutting edge modern art.

For keen shoppers, Helsinki offers an interesting choice of design boutiques and open-air markets. For the year 2012 Helsinki has been chosen as the Design Capital of the World.

There are also excellent restaurants using Finnish ingredients like reindeer, game, fish and berries. To get in the mood, why not pop into one of the several top-level Russian restaurants?

Thursday: Day in Helsinki and overnight cruise
Day of free programme in Helsinki. We recommend the huge outdoor museum of Seurasaari with dozens of old buildings, the Ateneum Museum with works from the Golden Period of Finnish art and a city sight-seeing tour with commentary in 11 languages, including Latin.

Departure to St. Petersburg at 19.00 on M/S Princess Maria.

This modern passenger ferry was built in Finland, and can take 1,638 passengers and 395 vehicles.

Friday: Welcome to St. Petersburg
Arrival in the morning.

The Panoramic sightseeing tour includes the most essential sights of this magnificent Russian city, such as the Admiralty, the Peter-and-Paul Fortress, the brilliant St. Isaac’s Cathedral, St. Nicholas Cathedral, Palace Square and Smolny Convent.

Former palaces of czars, extravagant mansions, and richly decorated churches create an imperial ambience all around the city, the home of Russian rulers for two hundred years.

Saturday: For art lovers
Breakfast at the hotel.

Optional tour on foot to The Hermitage, one of the greatest museums in the world. The tour includes Old Masters, State Rooms in the Winter Palace, and the Impressionists’ Exhibition. The Hermitage has works by Leonardo Da Vinci, Raphael, Renoir, Degas and Matisse. The collection of Spanish art can only be compared to Prado Museum in Madrid, and the French collection is the largest outside France.

Wear good walking shoes. Besides the long walks in the museum, there is a 10-minute walk from the hotel.

Sunday: Imperial jewel
Breakfast at the hotel.

Optional  excursion to Pushkin, one of the former imperial summer residences, and a visit to the Catherine’s Palace. The town of Pushkin was originally called Tsarskoye Selo (Czar’s Village). The Empress Elizabeth had the original palace, named Catherine’s Palace, expanded and renovated in 1752. The work continued during the reign of Catherine the Great. The palace is a combination of white and gold, and has a huge ballroom and ornately decorated drawing rooms. The most famous of these is the Amber room, which was raided by the German’s during the war, and restored after its return to Russia.

A lunch in a traditional Russian style at a local restaurant.

In the evening, an optional transfer to the ferry terminal. Departure from St. Petersburg at 19.00.

Monday: Farewell to Helsinki
Arrival in Helsinki in the morning at 08.30.

There is still time to visit the boutiques, market square or museums before your flight home. During the summer, the tree-lined Esplanadi comes to life with live music and cafes.

Prices per person:

From £742 in a twin room and £1079 in a single room.

What is included in the price:

• Scheduled return flights from London Heathrow with Finnair. Flights from other airports are available for additional charge
• One night in a city centre hotel in Helsinki including buffet breakfasts
• Transport by ferry M/S Princess Maria in B-class double cabin
• Panoramic city tour with a visit to the Peter & Paul Fortress
• Services of a local English speaking guide in St. Petersburg
• Two nights at Hotel Belveder-Nevsky (or similar) in St. Petersburg with breakfast
• Registration fee and VAT at hotel

Please note that transfers in Helsinki and departure transfer to ferry terminal in St Petersburg are not included in the price.

Optional extras:

• Meals on board: Breakfast eur10, Deluxe breakfast eur18, buffet dinner eur33
• Optional excursions as per program as follows: Hermitage eur100 per person, Pushkin including lunch eur155 per person
• A-class cabin +eur150 per cabin
• departure transfer to ferry terminal eur85 per car
• Optional evening program: ballet or opera eur90-120 per ticket, folklore or circus eur60 per ticket
• Additional nights in Helsinki
• Helsinki Card