Baltic Cruise Shore Excursion Questions - Percy?
 

I've booked the 14 night Baltic cruise on Celebrity's Constellation for next July, and am pretty excited about it.

We're stopping at the following ports:
Amsterdam
Berlin (Warnemunde)
Stockholm
Helsinki
St. Petersburg
Tallinn
Copenhagen

I want to use Alla Tours in St. Petersburg, but I have a question for Percy (or anyone else that has used them) re their 2 day tours.

Percy - based on your trip report, it looks like you may have chosen the "strenuous" two day tour. Is that correct? If so, how strenuous is it?

I'll be traveling with my parents, and while my mother walked all over London, Paris and Athens with me a couple years ago, we didn't move as quickly as I would have by myself and we did stop to rest every so often. Looking at the itinerary, it looks doable for my mom, but the term "strenuous" has me pausing a bit.

I also had a question re currency for some of the ports. It appears that except for Copenhagen, St. Petersburg and maybe in some instances Stockholm, the Euro is used.

We plan to do our own thing in Copenhagen and Stockholm, so we will need some cash. Is it easier to use the ship's currency exchange to obtain kroner/krona, or is it as easy to find an ATM once you get into port?

What about St. Petersburg - I've read that you can use U.S. currency - is this anywhere, or just the places close to port?

Thanks for any help.

Let me answere your question the order you asked them.

1. Yes I would use Alla and yes I took the strenuous tour.
Your mother will be just fine..by strenuous ,it means you will get to see more places.

There is time to see and rest..I mean how can you speed your way through Catherine's Palace for example :)

2. If you know the places ahead of time you can tell Alla what you want to see.

I made a list of all the places I wanted to see in St. Petersburg ..and I saw them all plus more.

Be ready to get off the cruise ship as soon as it dock and you are allowed to disembark.

Tell Alla about what time you will be getting off..........this assures you of getting and early start.

2. About currency....you will need the Rouble in Russia.
Right now it is 27 Roubles for one $US dollar....but don't go buying any ahead of time... I do not think you can do it anyway.!

3. For Hesinki and Stockholm, even though they told us on the cruise ship that we will need local currency......I used US$ and Visa with no problem.

4. There are ATM's everywhere but if you are going to get some local currency ahead of time....like for a beer or taxi ( but even taxi's take US$ and euros).

5. I would bring some euros with me in small bills ...just inthose situations where you might need it.

6. In some places in St. Petersburg you can get by using US$, mainly in those market places.
BUT
if you are going to do some heavy shopping then use Mastercard and or Visa.

7.Get cracking....you better e-mail Alla now.

Please say Hi to her for me..she does know me as we stay in touch

How many of you are going?
How much time in each port.

I want to know how much time you have in each port.

Percy

Thanks for your reply Percy!

This is our itinerary and time in each port:

Amsterdam: 8:30 - 2:00 pm
Berlin (Warnemunde): 7:00 - 9:30 pm
Stockholm: 8:00 - 5:00 pm
Helsinki: 10:00 - 6:00 pm
St. Petersburg: 7:00 a.m., (next day) 6:00 pm
Tallinn: 7:00 - 5:00
Copenhagen: 9:00, (next day) 4:00 pm

So we have 2 days each in St. Petersburg and Copenhagen.

Right now there are 4 of us (my parents, myself and my daughter), but some of my parents' friends are contemplating on also going on the cruise. I'm thinking I can book the tour with Alla and if my parents' friends decide to join, add them to our group later.

As far as Russian currency, I think I read on Cruise Critic that you're not allowed to take rubles out of the country? I guess we need to exchange any leftover rubles before getting back on the ship? Yikes - I'll have make sure to keep my currencies all separate from each other.

I had wondered about whether it was too early to contact Alla - guess it isn't and I better get a move on! I'll be sure to tell her you said hello.

Ok, just sent Alla a note through her website's messaging function. I had read on Cruise Critic that it would be more reliable to contact her that way.

Not sure if I did it right - I typed my message in a box, hit "send" and it appeared in a date and time stamped smaller box below.

Will I receive a response in my regular email account from Alla, or do I need to check my account on her website for any replies?

chepar

If Alla has your e-mail address she will e-mail you to your own address.

Yes , you cannot take Rouble out of the country but why would you want to ...they are not good anywhere else.

Let me tell you that I NEVER changed to any local currency for the whole trip !!! I mean NEVER !!! and I got by in all the places.

But depending on what you are buying and where you might be having a beer in St. Petersburg....you may require Roubles.!

1.You have enough time in Stockholm to see every place I mentioned in my trip report.

Just go the the Vasa Museum first..they want local currency there.... I used my Visa .

2. Warnemunde (for Berlin)

I would not take this long trip to Berlin...it is too far and too much driving and Berlin is such a lovely place and the history there is so great...that going there would not be doing Berlin justice.

( I just got back from Berlin in late August !)

3.Helsinki:

Go to Sebelius Park first and then to the Rock Church (a do not miss place).

4, You have lots of time in Tallin ...so do everything that I did and you will still have lots of time for shopping in the Old Town Square area.

5,.Copenhagen for 2days.

You know you are only coming here once.
If you can get the tour guide I had ,then by all means book her because she will show you around Copenhagen and then take you out of the city..which is a must.

She ( tour guide can meet you at the ship or your hotel) and then start your tour right away.

Leave the Tivoli Gardens for the last day,do not do this on your first day.

****
Just get enough Roubles to get by.. you can always give them away to Alla and her guides as tips..so don't worry about geting "stuck" with too many Roubles.

Percy

Thanks for your excellent suggestions, Percy. I have printed out your trip report as a reference.

Good idea about using leftover rubles for the tip - it was a kind of "why didn't I think of that" moment. I suppose I can supplement the tip with US currency if I don't have enough rubles?

Turns out I did use the messaging function on Alla's website correctly - I got a response from Katya overnight.

Percy you should package amd then sell inineraries!! :D.

Hi jacketwatch:

If I do you get 20 % :)

chepar:

Yes, you can supplement the tips in St.Petersburg with left over roubles.

When I booked Alla, I did not have to pay anything in advance and they did not want any payment after the first day either.!!

So I paid at the end of the second day when they took me back to the cruise ship.
At that point Alla came to meet us and gave us each a DVD disk on St.Petersburg.

After having exchanged so many e-mails with her ...it was nice to see her in person....

She shook hands with everyone, and then came over to me with arms wide open saying, "You just have to be Percy" ( I had sent her a picture of myself via e-mail)and we shared a nice hug...

Boo Hoo , that was the end of St.Petersburg!

(Oh yes in Helsinki...do go to Suomenlinna Islands, this is a UNESCO Heritage site and a 15 minute boat ride from the main market in Helsinki... Yes you have time !

Percy

Percy, you probably could run a nice little side business with your shore excursion itineraries. :) I'm just really glad to be able to benefit from them.

I noticed in your trip report that you had some caviar in St. Petersburg. That interests me also - was it very expensive? I'd like to try some, but probably not if it will break the bank. I was thinking maybe as a starter for lunch, but I'm not sure if I want to go to a super fancy restaurant, either.

Did you have enough time to visit Peter's Summer Palace and Gardens, or was it more of a drive by? I don't think it's included in the itinerary, so I'm assuming it's an added extra cost.

Thanks again for your continuing help.

20% is sooo generous but of course that is to be expected from you. :-) Gosh I wish we had better weather in Helsinki so we could have seen more. It was quite cool, windy and rainy, so much so that we really didn't even feel like exploring the market. Maybe some other day. :-)

Hi you two!

jacketwatch...Yes,I remember you told me about the lousy weather you had in Helsinki.

I was lucky...good weather everywhere except for a slight short drizzle at Catherine's Palace.

If you behave I will up it to 25% :)

chepar:

Yes,I did see Peter's Summer Palace and Gardens.... but I am not sure which one you are talking about.

You know these Tsars of the day had a Palace everywhere they went !!

I am assuming you are talking about the one that faces the Neva River and over looks the Troitsky Bridge that leads to Peter and Paul's Cathedral.

The gardens are rather nice here ( with Lime trees).

There is a huge area of gardens behind Peter's summer Palace which is nice to go for a short walk and see the statues ,pathways and trees...not to mention the odd couple sitting on a park bench kissing !!

I took a picture of them..they were too busy to notice... Ahh isn't love grand !!

Next door ( across the canal)is another nice park area called the Filed of Mars...... go here and walk up to the Eternal Flame that was started here in 1957 to honor those that lost their lives in the 1917 Revolution.

Or... by Peter's Palace do you mean Peterhof.?

Also ask to go to see the Cruiser Aurora.

Do you know why you should see this ship ?!!

Also since you are in the area of the Aurora ...ask to go to see Peter the Great's original Log Cabin ( 1703).

There is a small fee but it is housed inside a nice little brick building.. to protect it from the elements.

Right across the street from the Log Cabin is a very nice shopping place for Russian souvenirs...so the women can zip in here and you zip across the street to see Peter the Great's Log Cabin.

This was my first and only trip (so far ) to St.Petersburg but I knew the city very well.

I studied the city map until I had it down pat.!

So when we were coming from touring the Peter and Paul Cathedral and getting ready to cross the Troitsky Bridge to go back to the Hermitage side...
(our driver was Boris)

I leaned over to Boris and said:

"Boris ,could you just turn left here ,before the bridge because it is only a few blocks to Peter's Log Cabin... and we might as well visit the Aurora which is just a few minutes further down."

He looked and me a little amazed and grinned and said, "Yes Percy we can do that."

I spent a good 30 minutes walking all over the Aurora.

Next we went to the Church of the Spilled Blood !

chepar ...if worse comes to worse, you can always pay my cruise fare and I will tour you in all the ports FREE!! :)

Somehow I feel this will be your very last distant option !!

Percy :)

Behave? There's no fun in that. :D BTW a good place to shop is a store called Red October. Lots of samples of good vodka too. :-)

Hi Percy -

To be honest, I am getting rather confused with all the different palaces and everything named Peter. :)

I don't think the Summer Palace is the same as the Grand Palace at Peterhof, so it must be the one you mentioned, located by the Neva River.

I think my dad would enjoy the Aurora, so I'll have to read up on that. He used to work at Pearl Harbor and when we were kids, he took us on a tour of a sub once, and we also got to ride a destroyer over to Maui.

I think having you as a tour guide would be fantastic - but my travel funds are being sorely stretched by this trip (kind of a spur of the moment thing). But tell you what, if I win the lottery or have some kind of financial windfall, be ready to go! :)

jacketwatch:

Okay the next time ..it will be Red October!

chepar

Let me try to simplify these Palaces.

1. Catherine's Palace is outside of Petersburg..it is not named for Catherine the Great but for Peter the Great's first wife...whose name was Catherine.

This place is 16 miles South of St.Petersburg.

Peterhof....this was Peter the Great's little retreat in the country and is 19 miles West of St.Petersburg.

It is a very impressive site .
Wait till you see the fountains at Peterhof... you will be amazed.

But wait!!

Peter did not really want to roam around in this lavish mansion called Peterhof....so

he had another palace built overlooking the Gulf of Finland.

This place he called, Monplaisir( that is French for My Pleasure).
from here on a clear day you can see the Dome of St.Issac's Cathedral in St. Peterburg .

Now Monplaisir is on the SAME grounds as the Peterhof Mansion.... you walk from the fountains of Peterhof to the palace called Monplaisir..

This was Peter the Great's favourite place.

Was I here ...Yes.. and I had a complete tour of the palace and the grounds.

I also visited the Marly Palace on the SAME grounds of Peterhof.

This was Peter the Great's hunting lodge so to speak....poor fellow he was sure roughing it back then !!!:)

Now the Marly Palace has its own very lovely statues ,fountains and gardens.

Okay now back to St. Petersburg.

The Winter Palace is part of the huge complex called The Hermitage.

These include:
1. Winter Palace
2.Pavilion Hall
3.Large Hermitage
4.New Hermitage...then a gallery over the winter canal connects you with to..

5.The Theatre.

So when you are doing your reading...just remember that these 5 places above are collected known as The Hermitage.

6. Now about Peter's Summer Palace.

This was built for Peter BEFORE all these other lavish mansions were built.

This Summer Palace is straight down the street from The Hermitage.!

7. Now finally..when you are at Peter's Summer Palace and if you were a bird and could fly straight across the Neva River ( which is in front of you)...you would land on the other side of the River at Peter the Great's Original Log Cabin !!!

8. If and when you visit the Yusupov's Palace...this did not belong to any Tsar ..but rather to a wealthy family...

This is where Rasputin ( "The Mad Monk" ) was killed...well he did not die here but was shot here by the "nice" Yusupov boys.

This is a very nice Palace ( Yusupov) so I hope you get a chance to go and tour here.

Okay enough already :)

Percy

Thanks for the clarification of the palaces, Percy - especially the inclusion of the general locations of each. That really helps.

I think I need to get another book (with lots of good pictures) and start reading up now on the different sites. I borrowed one from the library a couple weeks ago, but it was a little dry and didn't do much to get me interested in the different sites.

chepar

What you have to do is go to Google.
There are many sites for St.Petersburg and Peterhof and Catherine's Palace etc.

You want to find some aerial views also because then you can scan the area like a bird,.!!!

Here, ! let me give you a headstart.

Here is a terrific site for the "Fountains of Peterhof" and the Palaces at Peterhof.

Just click on the link below and the site will come up.

Review all 6 pages. Save this site and go over it as many times as you need to until you feel you have it down well.

Now you will not be able to see all these sites ( because it takes time )

..but when we had free time at Peterhof, while everyone else headed for the gift shop

..... I made the rounds of Peterhof by myself and saw almost every fountain..even if I saw them from 1/2 a block away..I still saw almost all of them .

Now click here( below)
http://www.ticketsofrussia.com/peterhof/gallery/

Don't worry,you will master this.
I still know 90 % of these six pages !!!

Good Luck
Percy

Thanks for the link, Percy. I think you're right, Google is my friend. :)

Took a peek at the website - those fountains are fabulous! I've added the link to my favorites for a more detailed look.

chepar,
how could anyone add anything more to Percy's "Complete shore excursion guide to the Baltics"?
However, I will try.
When you go to Peterhof by car (probably will have a short ride on Metro first), ask to return from Peterhof by hydrofoil (the driver can meet you by the Winter Palace). We did this with Alla - it's faster and more fun than doubling back by car (plus you avoid the traffic).
Percy - did you make it to Pavlovsk Palace (it's near Catherine's in Tsarskoe Selo) - a distinctly more sober palace with nice gardens as well. This one can only be done with a 3 day tour in St. Petersburg - too many other things to see first.

PS - chepar,
when constructing your tour in St Pete make sure the sites you want to visit are open (closing dates are different for different monuments/palaces/churches - it's not only Mondays).

Hi Paulchili

Bless your heart and Thank You for the kind words.

No,I did not go to Pavlovsk Palace and you are right it is just further South of Catherine's Palace.

You are also correct that it would take another day in St.Petersburg if one wanted to do this palace.

You again are correct that it would be more fun and faster to go back to St.Petersburg by hydrofoil and I thought of doing that....

however,
There were other places and monuments that I told Julia ( our tour guide) I wanted to see along the way back to St. Petersburg.

Like the Narva Victory Arch monument for their victory over Napoleon in 1812...among others

Also I got to ride the famous Metro and our tour driver met us further down the line and then we went directly to Yusupov's Palace.

But you are right... the hydrofoil would be a nice ride back to Peterhof.

Again you are right ( hmm this is getting boring :) ..about the closing times...but I think this is Alla's job , and she also has no control over closures of some places but I am sure she will have everything arranged perfectly ..she always does.

chepar is in for a great cruise,as all the ports are terrific.

chepar ,I am sure that between Paulchili ,jacketwatch and myself,we will make a St.Petersburg expert out of you by cruise time !! :)

Percy

Hi Percy - you are still the expert.
I love Alla and would recommend her to anyone that would ask.
Believe it or not, but I had to point out to her that one of the places we were to visit that day would be closed. I guess she was quite busy and lets face it - it can happen to anyone of us.
She complimented me on that point and offered me a job as a travel agent (jokingly). It pays to check & double check ALL travel arrangements (maybe I am just too anal)- it's easy to overlook things unless you check carefully.
I know chepar will love St. Petersburg as we did.

I am sure when that cruise shipdocks, that poor Alla has her hands full filling in all the request.

Good for you for mentioning the closure of one of the Palaces... I never thought of that.

But you know there are so many places to see in St.Petersburg, that a substitute place would be just fine ..unless it was a very major place like Peterhof or Hermitage, or Church on the Spilled Blood or Catherine's Palace.

I was in Rome about 10 months before going to St.Petersburg... and in my personal opinion St. Petersburg was more fascinating than Rome anyday !!

Okay chepar once you master St. Petersburg..we will move on to another place ( gulp ! :)

Percy

chepar,
you will fill us in about your trip, won't you? I look forward to hearing about it.

Thanks for the suggestion about the hydrofoil, Paulchili.

Since you mentioned the Metro, I have to ask about it - is there something special about the Metro system there? I noticed it on Alla's sample itinerary and was wondering what interest a subway ride would have.

I will definitely look into whether the different sites are open when we are there. We will be there on a Saturday and Sunday.

I will do my best to provide some sort of trip report when I return, though I know it won't be anything as good as the other reports I've seen here. I quickly slip into a post trip funk :) once I return, so I'll need to make sure to bang out a report before it appears.

The thing about the Metro in St.Petersburg is that they are very nice and ornate and way down deep.

The metro system in Moscow is quite the tourist attraction and it is called:

"The Palaces Underground"

That is why it is a treat to sample the Metro.

Maybe Paulchili can give you different perspective.

Percy

chepar,
The Metro in St Petersburg is interesting, though nothing like the one in Moscow. It is well worth seeing though - they will take you to the most interesting stations. While it is not as spectacular as the Red line in Moscow, it is different from the usual Metros in Europe and thus worth seeing; it is also on the way to Peterhof (driver will drop you off with the guide and pick you up later). It is also a way to see everyday life in St.Petersburg away from the tourist spots.
I was fortunate to see the Moscow subway in 1964 for the first time (and again in 1988), before it was allowed to be vandalized (or poorly maintained) as I have heard it is now (though I am sure it is still spectacular).

Ok, the subway sounds like something I'd want to keep on the itinerary.

I was looking at things that I might want to cut out of the sample itinerary so that I might be able to increase my time at other places and "riding the subway" sounded like a candidate.

Glad I asked - you guys are great!

Paulchili is correct ...you can see the Metro in St.Petersburg without going out of your way.

Rather than riding in a minvan all the way to ,say, Peterhof, you are dropped off at a certain point...you take the metro and further down the line..... your tour driver picks you up.

I do not want to give you information overload ...but...

1. Go to Google and type in

Kirovsky Metro Station St.Petersburg

then
take a quick look at how nice it is

then go back to Google and type in

Pushkinskaya Metro Station

after you have seen a few of them ..you will get an idea of what they are like BUT
they are..

not as elaborate the the ones in Moscow.!!

Hi Paulchili and jacketwatch

Percy

chepar,
If you are looking to "cut things out" to save time, my candidate is Peter & Paul fortress. I will probably get jumped on for this, but I think it is best viewed from outside across the river. Not much inside to see unless you are fascinated by the tombs of the Tzars - in that case go for it.
Not to miss are the ones mentioned by Percy:
Catherine's Palace (WITH the Amber room)
Winter Palace (Hermitage) - skip the Gold Room (IMO)
St. Isaac's
Peterhof (with the gardens if time permits - you must see the fountains)
Church of the Spilled Blood
Nice things to see/do:
Neva cruise for a different perspective of the city and its Palaces
Yusupov's Palace
Short walk on Nevsky Prospect
Evening folkloric show/ballet if so inclined.
Percy - what did I miss?

Hi All of you

You did not miss anything Paulchili but it may be rather difficult to miss the Gold Room... because chepar may have Alla's tour guide with him all the time....except of course for lunch time.

I had Julia ( Alla's tour guide lady, age 26 and she sure knew her stuff...but she was amazed at how much I knew.!!!

On the second morning of our tour ,
Julia had a case of laryngitis and she said....."Percy if I don't get better you will have to take over , and you can do it too!"

Don't kid yourself, I may know a lot about St.Petersburg, but I am not in the same league as Julia and I know it.!!

But of course it was nice of her to think was highly of my knowledge !

You know if chepar takes the "Strenous Tour" ..he will see Peter and Paul Cathedral and the burial place of all the Tsars except for Peter II...as this place is on the list..... chepar unless you ask for it not to be.

You can have a short walk down Nevesky Propekt ( This is the Main Avenue of st.Petersburg) ...but also ask the driver to down you down this Avenue from......

The Admiralty Gardens all the way down to the Anichkov Bridge.

The reason for this is that many of the famous places are long here.

The Litery cafe is here...if you do not know it ..ask for it to be pointed out.
This is the place from which Pushkin left that night for his fatal duel ( 1837).He was shot and died.

The Stroganov Palace is here... the place of the origin of Beef Stroganov !!!

You have to see the Lady Kazan Catherdal.

And you should walk into Yeliseev's Delicatessen.... even if just for 5 minutes.... you just have to see the inside !!!..... I can describe it but I want it to be a surprise !!!

You hit everything else on the head Paulchili.
St.Issac's Catherdal and Church on the Spilled Blood are do NOT miss places.

chepar ..... I will give you a few words ( a few only)...

that you should write on a piece of paper and keep beside you when you are reading about St.Petersburg
or looking at a street map of St.Petersburg.

I had to find out what these words mean one by one...so why
should you suffer like I did !!:)

ulitsa .....means street
ploschad ...mean square
prospekt ...mean avenue
pereulok....means a lane or a small short street
sad.......means Garden
most .....means bridge

So when you see or read something like
Troitsy most...this is Troitsk Bridge.
and
Mikhalovsky Sad... is Mikhailovsky Gardens .
and so on..... knowing these seven words will help you a lot when the Russian word is used even though the map is in English .

Happy Reading chepar.

Good Night All

Percy

Percy - we'd make quite a pair in St. Petersburg.
You could be the guide and give the historical background and I would translate for you.
In my "previous life" as a teenager behind the Iron curtain I (and all my schoolmates) had to read the entire War & Peace (and many other books) in Russian and memorize long passages for school. In all I had 9 years of Russian, although my old age is playing tricks on me (and it's not just my Russian, lot of other stuff is going with it as well).
Happy travels to us all!

Wow ! Paulchili !

We would make a pair in St.Petersburg.

I am impressed that you read War and Peace....and that you know Russin.

How terrific. Wish I could speak or read that language

Good Luck with your reserch chepar.

Any Russian language problems ..just ask Paulchili.
:)
Percy

Thanks Percy.
As kids we hated studying Russian, but it came handy many times later in life.
Take care.

Thank you both for your help, it's been making my research into the different things to see much easier.

Though I haven't heard back yet from last week's email to Katya (she's with Alla), I am planning to send her another email sometime this week to make sure she got my confirmation of the strenuous tour and to inquire about the hydrofoil. I'm not sure how often they check their messages and I don't want to be a pest.

So much to see and so little time - everything sounds great. I'm trying to see if I can squeeze a little more time in at the Hermitage, but I know that even if I manage to get another hour there, it will leave me still wanting more.

chepar,
In that case I would definitely skip the Gold room in favor of more time in Hermitage. With the guided tour you will see the hilights for sure. You can even tell them where you want to spend most of your time (i.e. impressionists, etc)
The nice thing about Alla's tours is that they are flexible - what is fixed is your time in St. Petersburg.
I know you'll have a great trip.

chepar

I forgot to mention that the more you have in your group the less money it is per person.

Alla asked me if I wanted others to join me..the choice was totally my own.

There were four of us ...so I let 6 others join us and it was just a nice group of ten in a 16 passenger new van.

When you talk to Alla, ask her what you might miss if you take the hydrofoil from the Winter Place area to Peterhof.

This is a big "kitty corner" fast boat ride( 16miles) from Hermitage to Peterhof.

if you would like to try the hydrofoil..then maybe do this:

1. Take the Van ride to Catherine's Place and then from there go to Peterhof...then from Peterhof...you can come back on the hydrofoil.

But
Talk to Alla about this because although she is very flexible ...she still has to arrange the various sites you will see in a orderly sequence.

I did not take the hydrofoil ..because on the way going out of town and coming back into St.Petersburg..I had a list of many places I wanted to stop off at.

I saw them all and I am happy I did.
Do I wish I could have cruised the hydrofoil... Yes... but for me it did not work out.

But I am not disapointed.

Next time it will be the hydrofoil for sure....because if I get to St.Petersburg again,I will want to see Peterhof again.!!

Percy

Hi Percy-

I saw your post on the other Baltic cruise thread and thought of a couple things I wanted to ask you, but I didn't want to hijack Jeff801's thread.

Alla's suggested itinerary has us visiting Catherine's Palace and Monplaisire Palace. On the website it states that they suggest not to do both the Grand Palace and Catherine's Palace as they are very similar to each other.

However, taking from their website description that Catherine's Palace and the Grand Palace are the "most famous and beautiful", I'm wondering if Monplaisire Palace is worth missing the Grand Palace for.

Also, I was re-reading your Baltic trip report and you mentioned seeing the House of Faberge or something like that. I'm familiar that Faberge (famous for the eggs) also made other things like tableware and jewelry. Is this an actual place (like a museum) that you can visit?

I was having information overload a couple weeks ago, with so many options of great things to see in such a short time. I think I need to pace myself better. :)

Hi chepar:

I do not think Jeff801 would mind if we hijacked his posting for some questions since we are all here to help :)

Okay now to answer your questions:

1. You will and should see Catherine's Place.
There is a lot to see here and grounds are very lovely with other buildings all over the place.

While others headed for the Gift Shop after doing Catherine's Palace... I left to do the grounds ,since I knew where 95 % of everything was.

When you get to Peterhof and you do all the fountains and the other places like :

Marly Palace and Golden Cascade.

Orangerie ( this means Conservatory)
and this is another lovely place with it's own fountains.

Monplaisir.... is right beside the water( called the Gulf of Finland), this is where Peter the Great spent all his time ...drinking with his buddies and this and not the Grand Palace was his favourite place..

You will see how he lived here. It also has lovely grounds and many fountains.

By the time you see all of Catherine's Palace and Marly and Monplaisir , you have seen the inside of many places....and

still to come is Yusupov's Palace and The Hermitage back in St.Petersburg.

I would go inside Peterhof and see:
** The Grand Palace State Room and the Grand Staircase.
*** much of the rest is as mezmerizing as inside Catherine's Palace....so

I would spend more time outside at Peterhof ( both front and back. )

The BACK of the Palace is what everyone thinks is the FRONT...that being the Grand Cascade and the Grand Canal....just wait till you see the Grand Cascade with all its fountains going and the noise of the Cascade...amazing.

About Faberge:

I knew where the building was ,so I made sure I saw it.
It is not far...just back of St.Issac's Catherdal.

Today it is still a jewellery place but has no connection to Faberge now.

There is a plaque a few doors down from where the original Faberge builging was ( his sons moved a few doors down about 1900 or 1901).

You know everything changed after the Revolution.

When the Revolution began , ( 1917),there were about 54-54 Eggs.

Russian does not have all of them yet ( but they are trying to get them all back !)

There is no Faberge Museum in St.Petersburg.

There are no Faberge Eggs on display in St.Petersburg.

The only place you can see them on display is at the State Amoury at the Kremlin in Moscow.

I know, I know,......how you feel trying to figure out what to see !!!

I was in your position last year.:)

Percy

chepar,
The "problem" with Peterhof is that it gets very busy in the summer.
They try to dissuade you from visiting the inside, stating that it is much the same as Catherine's Palace. The gardens and the smaller palace on the grounds are easier for them to show you.
Peterhof is not the same as Catherine's Palace - it is spectacular in its own way.
Is Versailles the same as Schonnbrun in Vienna - they are both royal palaces, but they are not the same (similar in opulence, but not the same).
However, you have to arrive EARLY to Peterhof to beat the crowds.
The fountains are a must see.
Mon Plaisir is very different from the "main" palace - it is small and very simple. It was a working place for Peter and he liked simple things. If your time doesn't allow you to see both, you should make the decision which one you want to see, not Alla.
Hi Percy.

Hi Paulchili

It is a tough call for Peterhof and chepar will have to decide how much of Peterhof he wants to see inside and how much time to allocate for the Grounds and other Palaces.

I can never get enough of the opulence of the Tsars Palaces !

You can tour 4-5 rooms in the Peterhof Grand Palace and then force yourself to visit as much of the grounds as possible.

Try to do the Marly Palace and the Monplaisir for sure.

The fountains are mind boggling to see and you can look at the Grand Cascade and the Grand Canal ..forever it seems .

When you are on the second level balcony standing on that black and white checkered marble flooring.... look straight down the Grand Canal.

This is the same canal that Peter the Great used to have his boat ride right up to the fountains area...from the Gulf of Finland.

I wouldn't exactly chose to miss seeing the Monplaisir Palace because here, you will see how Peter the Great really lived.

I could picture him strolling out in front along the Gulf with a few drinks in his hand.!!

It is tough ,chepar, but try to pick and chose what you will do when you get to Peterhof.

Inside Peterhof's Grand Palace ..if you see the Grand State Rooms, The Grand Staircase (wow!!!),The Imperial Suite ( this was Peter's Study ), then you will have seen 4-5 of the major rooms.

Good Luck
Percy