Culture and Art tour of St. Petersburg

The splendor of the city and the side trips to Novogorod, Pushkin, and Peter Hof make this one of the most exciting places in the world to visit. I am proud to be an American guide (MMARTTRAVEL.com) assisted by a team of Russians who speak good English and who anticipate needs before being asked. The sense of humor of the staff and their willingness to try and help every individual on every tour is laudable. If there is something we can not fix, we make folks understand that every effort is made to make the situation acceptable. My love for the city is apparent in everything we do. The beauty of the city is unreal. The architecture, art, museums, palaces, canals, and friendliness of the people are perhaps the biggest and most pleasant surprise. Next is the excellent food and feeling of total safety. I am always gratified to see a real effort on behalf of the Russians to take advantage of a free market economy. I have traveled all over Western Europe and North America and have to rank the historical section of St. Petersburg as one of the best cities I have ever seen. Best to me means architecture, art, cuisine, accomodations, friendliness of the people, and interesting places to tour. I love water, and the Finnish Gulf begins at the city's edge. The people are extremely attractive and there are no lines to get into sites. The palaces and historical sites have to be seen to be believed. This journal highlights some places you should see whether or not you go to Russia with a tour company. I hope you will give us an opportunity to show you how much fun a trip to Russia can be!

Quick Tips:

Take a tour with an experienced tour company that has done it many times. I, of course, think that the M&M ART Ltd tour is the greatest! Russia is still not like going to the rest of Europe, but with an experienced leader, you can have a great time and be totally safe and pleased at every turn. Regardless of whether or not you use a tour company for your visit, take mosquito repellent in the summer and spray your room the first night and you will never see a single mosquito. Take handi wipes. Take a portable umbrella although it only rained for 15 minutes during our tour. Take a wind breaker and sweater. Learn a few Russian words and it will carry you a long way as many Russians speak English but like to hear tourists make some little effort to speak their language. Make an effort to find a guide who can take you into the famous art University museums. They are unique and not often seen by Americans.

Best Way To Get Around:

The Metro System is safe and clean and not difficult to use if you purchase a Metro Guide in English (50cents). Trolley buses are everywhere and electric trains go out to the Tsarist communities. Our tour company, M&M Art Ltd., uses a private bus most of the time which is handy because we are able to leave our things on the bus knowing they would be safe. Our lead guide used the bus speaker system to point out points of historical interest as we made our way from point to point. Even with all of the many modes of public transport available, we still walked a ton everyday. It was great. If you are an old hand in Russia you can take a private car to get you somewhere in a hurry and very cheaply. It is best to do this with a Russian. When taking a taxi let the hotel negotiate the price it will be much cheaper.

Very clean and Western style rooms with excellent service and an English speaking staff. The beds were Western style and either king size or twin double beds were available. The hotel boasts a bar, sauna, hair salon, and a modest "nightclub." The hotel is very secure and has individual safe boxes in each room. The hot water does not come on until about 0730 in the morning and appears to be clean. There is a store right next to the hotel where one can purchase food of any kind.

My next six tour groups are going to be staying at the Hotel St. Petersburg. The construction of the hotel is what could be described as "Constructivism". It was not a popular choice when the hotel first opened some time ago. It is huge and occupies a prime position in the city. You could not find a more beautiful location for a hotel in the city. It is right on the banks of the beautiful Bolshoi Neva just across from the mouth of the Nevka. The Cruiser, Aurora, is anchored there and the Naval Academy is just across the river. In the hotel, there are 65 rooms that have just been upgraded to Western standards. These rooms represent the best value in St. Petersburg. When you enter a room you feel as if you were in any fine Western hotel. The hotel has several private conference rooms that are great for our private art exhibits and classes that will be taught by the faculty from the Academy of Arts. The Commercial Manager, Olga, has always done her very best to make Americans feel at home. The hotel has considerable shopping available and there are stores nearby to offer snacks as well as bottled water. The kitchen staff has a brand new chef and we are looking forward to some of the native dishes to be had there. Even though we will eat many meals at other restaurants it will be of great comfort to come home in the evening to a hot four course meal.

The Senat Bar is most impressive. The first thing you see upon entering is the photo taken of a President of the United States who always eats there while he is in St. Petersburg. The rest room facilities are great, and the food and dining area look better the deeper you go into the restaurant. The food is beautifully presented and served in ample enough portions. The quality rival of the meals rival that of a four star establishment in New York. Adding to the enjoyment of the meal is the historical setting. It seems that the old Tsarist Parliment used to meet and eat in this same building. The attractive waitresses still wear the colorful uniforms of the old Parliament. Every meal I have had at the Senat Bar was at least a four course meal and the presentation, service, and quality of the meals is always superb. It has always been a favorite place for the members of our tours. M&M Art picks up the tab, but the Senat Bar is an expensive restaurant by St. Petersburg standards. The Club St. Petersburg was another fine place that we ate where everything exceeded all expectations. Breakfasts at the hotel for the last group tour were Swedish buffets and evening meals were mostly Russian with some other cuisines (a simply divine Chinease meal!) every third night or so. The tour provided non-alcoholic beverages with every meal, but wine from Georgia would be highly recommended as well as a shot or two of vodka!

For the past several years I have always ended a tour with a farewell gala at the St. Petersburg Restaurant. This past June was no exception and I am delighted to say that the place is even better than ever. Our group ate at thirty three different restaurants during this "White Nights" tour and the St, Petersburg was the favorite of the group. Our vegetarian attorney from Atlanta, GA raved about the vegetable tournedos, a layer each of zucchini, super-sweet onion, grilled eggplant, and tomato topped with a sharp but understated sauce that seemed to draw out the individual flavors of each item. The floor show was spirited, the cavier and blinni (crepes) were great and our meals were also superb. We spent a total of ninety dollars for five to each eat a four course meal with champagne, cavier and a floor show. My old friend Nataly Tabaeleg, the manager, was everywhere making sure things were correctly done. Our waiter, Sasha Nastushenko, could work at any five star establishment in New York or Paris and never miss a beat. All things being said I can say that I have paid far more and far less for a meal than that night at the St. Petersburg in Russia, but never have I ever had a better meal.

The Peter and Paul Museum of Curiosities is colocated with two other museums under one roof. One is a marvelous museum about other cultures from various parts of the world. This includes one of the finest museums about American Indians I have been seen. I am sure that this stems from the Russian interest in tribes from Siberia that migrated across the land Bridge to the American continent. The Samurai warrior armor is really impressive as well as the 'tools of life' from various cultures from Africa and the Middle East. The Museum of curiosities that is the main attraction has a sort of 'Ripley's Believe it or Not' quality of oddities that Peter I bought from around the world and brought to Russia to expose the people there to what life had to offer beyond their horizons. There are preserved life forms of malformed animals, the skeleton of a French giant, teeth pulled by Peter himself, Siamese twins, and a whole assortment of rare finds that Peter's agents purchased from around the world. At the top of the museum is the laboratory of Lumonosov, Peter's chief scientist. The combination of the three museums takes a good three hours to view properly and they are located in the ancient Kunstkamera, which is located amid the Twelve Colleges where Peter's governmental departments were located. Just around the corner is the famous statue of Lumonosov himself and the current site of the University of St. Petersburg.

It is an exceptional place to shop because it is arguably one of the oldest "malls" in the civilized world. It was founded in the mid 1700's and consisted of hundreds of specialty shops confined to one grand roofed structure bordered by Nevsky and Sinaiya streets. It has its own Metro station (subway) and is next to the beautiful Our Lady of Kazanski Cathedral, where the hero of the Napoleonic Invasion, Generalissimo Katusov is buried. Once, during a restoration of the walls of this marvelous mall, bricks of solid gold were found in the 1950's where they had been hidden for many years. One can only imagine who may have hidden them there with plans to return for them on a better day. This mall is a thriving place where young and old, poor and rich, mingle on a daily basis. It gives one a real feeling of the new Russian effort to convert to a free market economy.

The tour is very relaxing. The group was free to travel with a guide from the Academy of Arts, go off on separate shopping trips, stop at the many shops of the vendors, or just take in the many museums and sights all by yourself. The tour begins with a visit to the Millennium of Russia Memorial, which celebrates 1000 years of Novgorod's contributions to the state and cultural development of Russia. This beautiful statue, which was stolen by the Germans, was located and returned to its rightful place at the end of the war. Next, comes St. Sophia. It is the oldest stone structure of the city and conveys the cultural and spiritual essence of the city itself. The building of the church was final proof that Russia had become a Christian country. The closely knit structure of the domes and walls expressed by massive pilstar strips; narrow windows resembling battlements; and the soft semicircular tops of its facades bring to mind the fantastic past recorded in the famous folk tales, Bylinas. There are many fantastic art treasures to be found inside, from the bronze chandelier of Boris Godenov, to the Great Zion, dating back to the 12th Century. The beautiful iconostasis retains its 14th Century classical forms. There are many other wonderful churches, too many to name or describe here, that must be seen. The tour had lunch in a former church that was as delightful as it was delicious. The meal was topped off by one of the many fine ice creams that the group had come to really look forward to on the tour. One highlight was the sight of a wedding party that came to have its picture taken in front of some of the sacred spots of the city. The whole walking tour was about 5 kilometers and the ride back through the Russian countryside to St. Petersburg was filled with anticipation as some of us were en route to a special tour of beautiful underground metro stations.

The Hermitage is well known among the great art museums of the world. If a person were to spend two minutes eight hours a day looking at each piece of art, it would take one hundred and fifty-five years to see the Hermitage. The museum (which was really a palace) began to collect art even before Catherine the Great spent so many rubles collecting the great art collections of Europe. She bought art to demonstrate her love of culture and art and to demonstrate that she too was an enlightened leader who belonged to the fraternity of 'Enlightened ones.' This practice was followed by all of the Tsars that followed her and as a result the Hermitage boasts the largest collection of French Impressionist art to be found under one roof. In fact the Hermitage boasts art of every age and even has two paintings by Leonardo De Vinci. The collection begins with the art of pre-historic times and has a vast collection of Egyptian art. All of the art produced by the great European painters are there from the 14th Century forward. There are sculptures and great vases of marble. Fantastic furniture and golden thrones abound. There is the great coronation carriage of the Romanovs and scads of fabulous porcelain. There is the fabulous Fabrege collection and tapestries. Perhaps best of all is the architecture of the palace itself. The Cameron staircase is arguably one of the most beautiful in the world. The last group I took to Russia was given freedom of movement there with a makeup chance on the last day of the tour to go back for something that we might have missed that was important for them to see.

If you are lucky enough to travel down the Moika and you happen to glance at the main entrance of the Yupsupov Palace, you will feel compelled to enter this jewel among the jewels of St. Petersburg. Built by one of the richest families of Russia during Tsarist times, the Palace is one of the most amazing buildings in all the world. It is the one palace in St. Petersburg where a guide is required and fortunately the guides speak excellent English and do not provide so much information that a listener ever feels restless waiting to go to the next marvel. Highlights of the palace include the gem room, the blue dining room, the red drawing room,the ball room, the white column room, the Moresque room, the private theater, and countless other breath-taking rooms of beautiful furniture and tapestries. It does not hurt the beauty of the palace that the Yusupovs often entertained the Tsars there. In reality this palace was only one of hundreds of properties and estates owned by the family. It is famous not only for its unique beauty but also for its place in Russian history. It was here that Prince Felix Yusupov and his fellow conspirators carried out the assassination of the infamous Russian Monk, Rasputin. This part of the palace's history is well documented with a minature wax museum and an explanation by the guide that leaves nothing to the imagination. I hope that you will take the time to see this wonderful palace that retains its beauty and splendor as if its heyday were only yesterday.

I am the owner of M&M Art, and I am a retired US Army Officer who is also a Russian art dealer. For several years now I have conducted tours of St. Petersburg, Russia, and I enjoy showing the city to other Americans. It is the most beautiful city that I have ever visited. If you want a guide who is knowledgeable about Russian art, you will not be disappointed. The tour is unique and more action packed and reasonably priced than any other St. Petersburg tour on the market. It includes all of the Tsarist communities around the city, a trip to Novogorod, the major museums, lectures by several Russian Academy of Arts professors, and the finest dining anywhere in the city. You don't have to take my word for it. Read Barbara's travel journal on an M&M Art Tour. She does not work for our company, but she and her husband traveled to St. Petersburg as part of a group in the summer of 2000 with me.

The Summer Garden is almost like a bit of heaven on earth. It is flanked by the Bolshoi Neva and the Fontanka Canal. It is protected by the world famous sword fence that is perhaps the most impressive of its kind in the world. Inside (entrance is free) one is presented with statues that go back nearly three hundred years. There are charming paths with benches almost always filled with lovers from all over the world. Believe me, this is one romantic spot! There are ponds and a wonderful statue dedicated to the 'Uncle Remus' of Russia, Grandfather Krylov. Krylov is the author of fabled tales of talking animals and his work has always been extremely popular with the children of Russia. The talking animals are portrayed at Krylov's feet. There are flowers galore and the most glorious trees decked out in their spring finery. In the northeast corner of the park is the first stone palace of Peter I. It is a wonderful stop filled with items of his personal use. It was known as his summer palace and it reflects the man far more than other more finely furnished royal residences. At the end of the park away from the Neva River, one can view the famous Engineering Castle, where an unpopular Tsar met with a foul end. This eclectic structure has a wonderful museum of art and is well worth a side trip from the Summer Garden. I can only imagine how beautiful this Eden-like Garden must be when the trees are wearing their fall colors! The Garden used to be even more beautiful and contained dozens of fountains that were lost due to flooding of the Neva. There are some fine gift shops where one may purchase objects of art or even enjoy a cup of Russian tea or coffee. When in St. Petersburg, please visit this splendid spot.

The Field of Mars, which was previously the Field of Lights, has a special place in the long history of St. Petersburg. Originally it was used as a place where Peter I ordered fireworks displays for the people of the city. These demonstrations were one of the highlights from the back breaking labor necessary to carve a new capital city of Russia out of the swamp. Sometime after the death of Peter, when the rightful heir to the throne was the victim of a palace coup, the oldest regiment in the Russian Army came to her rescue and restored her to the throne. As a reward she awarded the regiment the right to drill on the field and it became the Field of Mars. After WWII an eternal flame was erected there to the fallen defenders of Leningrad. This park or field is a beautiful place. In the winter it is bathed in snow and one can imagine himself in a setting appropriate for Dr. Zhivago. In the spring and summer it is green and set-off by a wonderful population of flowers and trees. It is a place for quiet reflection and offers one a break from a bustling city that is all around the field. In order to understand the Russian people and to soak up some Russian culture, a trip to the field of Mars is an absolute must. It is easy to find and is marked on all city maps. If you leave the Summer Garden by the bolshoi Neva gate and turn slightly to the right, you will see the Field of Mars. I hope that you will enjoy it as much as I did. There is nothing like a rest on a bench there to restore the soul.

You might want to resist temptation by avoiding the natural urge to rush inside the palace in favor of looking over the grounds first. The fountains of Peter Hof only operate during late spring to early fall. The Samson Fountain is the very essence of Peter Hof. It is a very visual centerpiece of the Great Cascade. The Great Cascade has been likened to a hymn of praise to mother Russia. It was Peter I who decided that the fountains would become an integral part of the Palace. The glory of Russia's soldiers and sailors is depicted by statues of the ancient gods themselves. Their figures are found interpersed throughout the fountains. The 'Sea Canal,' or fountain alley, is splendid whether observed in daylight or spotlight after dark. The grounds contain many splendid buildings and all of the places described so far are on the Gulf side of the Palace! You can visit Monplaisir and garden, the Marley Palace, the Cloche Fountain, the Aviary Pavilion, the Pyramid Fountain, and too many other lovely spots to mention. Inside can only be described as a testimonial to the lavish lifestyle of the Czars. The architecture is a mixture of Russian Baroque and French Rococo style. There is a great illusion of light and space and it is fabulous! Not to sound like a broken drum, but I have thus far failed to mention the upper gardens. Please do not short them as it will take at least two hours to see them as well. Four hours in the lower gardens, two hours in the Palace, and two hours in the upper gardens is the minimum time needed to see this splendid jewel created by Peter I.

The Bronze Horseman is the most dominating statue in the entire city and environs of St. Petersburg. The presence of Peter I still permeates St. Petersburg after nearly three hundred years, and this statue by Etienne Falconet best sums up Peter's dynamic contributions to this "Venice of the North." It is an awesome sight and is located in a beautiful park on the bank of the Big Neva River. Often one encounters newlyweds that have come to take their traditional wedding picture at the base of the statue. At other times one may find a bear on a leash. The Horseman is a favorite hangout of young lovers who drink in the beauty of the surroundings while sitting on a park bench. To miss this statue is to miss the very essence of St. Petersburg. If one wants to understand Russia and the history of the city, one only needs to read the famous poem "The Bronze Horseman" by Alexander Pushkin. I was very moved by this statue and I hope that everyone that goes will see it.

Going to Pushkin is a little like heaven on earth. This beautiful summer palace of Catherine II is my favorite. It is perhaps the greatest example of rococo architecture in the world. The palace has to be seen to be believed! One of the many highlights is the restoration of the famous missing amber room. The furniture, paintings, and procelain in the palace are priceless remembrances of a time that has truly 'gone with the wind'. The grounds are immaculate and you can get a fine meal for little money in The Aresenal, which is located across the lake from the palace. The flora and fauna are fascinating and sprinkled with statues in tasteful places on the grounds. I was very sorry to learn that the superb shopping facilities in the basement have been relocated to other places in the city. Even so, there are ample places to find great buys as far as Russian applied arts are concerned. To see the Summer Palace in the spring or summer is divine. To see it in winter under a mantle of snow is to be carried back to every beautiful scene in the movie, Dr. Zhivago. Not far away is the tragic Alexandrovski Palace where Nicholas and Alexandra spent their happiest years. Sadly, this is also the place where they found themselves under house arrest before removal to Ekatringberg and execution by the Bolsheviks.

Peter I began the construction of his new capital on Hare Island in order to deny Swedish ships access to his envisioned new city. There are several gates that are remarkable for their military construction and Peter's Gate is the first you will see on your way into the fortress. Once inside you have many things to look forward to seeing. You can walk out one gate and see the city across the Neva in all its glory. On a clear day with the sun shining brightly, this is a sight that is hard to beat.

The Peter and Paul Cathederal is the burial place for the Romanovs. Even the son of Peter I, the Tsarevich Alexei, who was executed in his prison cell, is buried there. The chapel is beautiful and worth a trip all by itself.

The mint has wonderful coins that range in sizes similar to US coins, to coins so large that they had to be carried in wagons. There are often Russians nearby trying to sell century old coins or even Russian mint coins from the former Communist days. They most often range in price from one dollar to ten dollars for a silver coin in excellent condition.

The prison is in remarkably good shape, and it is not hard to imagine what it must have been like to have been an inmate there. The names of the most infamous prisoners are on the cell doors and you can lie on the bed that Lenin's brother did before his execution. There are a couple of fixed displays which feature wax dummies representing guards and prisoners to give you a flavor of what the people looked like who worked or were imprisoned there.

Another highlight of some of my trips to Russia has been visits to a sauna for the purpose of getting beaten by a birch tree while enduring incredible amounts of heat! There is a sport hall near the very visible Muslim Mosque that is being rebuilt not far from the Peter and Paul Fortress. It is possible to book the sauna for two hours with a private masseuse for only $100.00. The masseuse will accommodate four people and the experience was advertised as a method of driving all of the toxins from your body. It was one of the most pleasurable and memorable moments of my life! One time, four of our group elected to go and found the facilities modest, but very clean. The masseuse was an athletic looking LTC from the Russian Army who certainly was an expert. I did not know it was possible to withstand such heat, much less to enjoy it. The procedure in the sauna was not long but seemed to last forever. The birch leaves served to fan the heat and I felt as if I had run a marathon at the end of the procedure. I literally ran from the sauna and jumped into what seemed to be an icy cold pool and then was put on a table for the massage. Heaven on earth was all I could think of as Sergei worked his magic with my knotted muscles. At the end of the massage I was handed a clear glass of liquid to drink. I was afraid it might be vodka but it turned out to be the sap of a tree that is supposed to further cleanse the body. I left the sauna totally pleased.

Although most travelers to Russia know they must have a visa, they might not know how to go about getting one. Today the procedure is quite simple and the best way is to call the most efficient visa service that I have relied upon in the past.

The company is:

Visa Services Inc.
1519 Connecticut Ave NW, Suite 300
Washington DC 20036.

The phone is 202-387-0300.
The fax is 202-387-5650.
The email address is visa35y@aol.com.

The owner, a charming man named Michel Allinquant, leaves no stones unturned in his quest to deliver visas on time. He can provide visa support which makes the visa possible in the first place, and he can handle any existing problems with an out-of-date passport by helping you receive a new American passport in a timely fashion.

I am often confronted by Americans that resent having to pay the Russian government a fee for a visa. Please remember that it costs Russians an equally high amount to get an American visa to visit the United States. I look forward to the day when it will not be necessary to have a visa to visit Russia at all.