8th International Ballet Festival MARIINSKY

Artistic Director of the Festival - Valery Gergiev

Featuring stars from the Bolshoi, Mariinsky, New York City Ballet, Opera de Paris and Perm ballet companies

Group Tour
March 12 - 24, 2008

Day 1 - March 12, Wednesday
Arrival in St. Petersburg
Private pick-up at the airport, transfer
to the St. Petersburg Hotel
Accommodations in Upgraded Executive rooms featuring a breathtaking view of the city, overlooking the Neva River
Welcome Gala dinner at the hotel

Day 2 - March 13, Thursday
Breakfast at the hotel
Panoramic City Tour shall introduce us to the former administrative center of Imperial Russia.
St. Petersburg (formerly Leningrad) has an unsurpassed blend of Russian and Western European Architecture. Founded by Peter the Great in 1703 as "Sankt Peterburg", a forward military base exposed to Swedish attacks, the town became the capital of Russia as early as 1712.
For over 200 years St. Petersburg was the epicenter of Russia's politics. The imposing architecture reflects the city's importance - the fabulous sweep of the golden colored General Staff Headquarters, the sea-green Winter Palace, the Senate Square where stands one of the best known symbols of the
city - the Bronze Horseman, and much more... There shall be plenty of stops during the tour to videotape and photograph.
Mariinsky Ballet Performance

Day 3 - March 14, Friday
Breakfast at the hotel
Tour of the St. Peter and St. Paul Fortress and Cathedral - the birthplace of the city. The Fortress occupies the entire island, and was meant to secure the capital of Russia from the Swedes.
We shall also visit the St. Peter & St. Paul Cathedral where the Russian Tsars starting from Peter the Great were buried.
The slim, sharp spire of the Cathedral became the leitmotif of St. Petersburg.
Mariinsky Ballet Performance

Day 4 - March 15, Saturday
Breakfast at the Hotel
Tour of the State Hermitage Museum will go through the state rooms of the Winter Palace, the former residence of Russian Tsars, and the Picture Galleries of the Imperial Hermitage Museum.
The Hermitage was initially set up as a private picture gallery for Catherine the Great in the 18th century when the establishment of a royal picture gallery was seen as an affair of national importance in Western European countries. Such collection was needed to enhance the prestige of the Russian court and, after the acquisition of the first Dutch and Flemish canvases, both individual painting and whole private collections were bought. Today the Hermitage accommodates over 2,700,000 artifacts.
Majority of the picture collection is Western European, and most important names in European Art History are represented: Madonnas by Raphael and Leonardo, Judith by Giorgione, Rembrandt's Saskia as Flora, to name only a few of the more famous ones, as well as numerous Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works. These treasures are set in magnificent surroundingss - jasper, agate, marble and malachite adornments to the building provide a fabulous backdrop. This exciting visit will culminate with a private tour of the Golden Rooms featuring fascinating pieces of jewelry created by Russian, European and Oriental masters.
Mariinsky Ballet Performances

Day 5 - March 16, Sunday
Breakfast at the hotel
Tour of St. Isaac's Cathedral - one of the city's premier landmarks. Built to the design of French architect August Monferan, it took 40 years to complete this majestic church visible from way out in the Gulf of Finland. The Cathedral was dedicated to St. Isaac of Dalmatia, a Byzantine monk whose feast day fell on the birthday of Peter the Great (May 30).
St. Isaac's Cathedral is famous not only for its Russian classical architecture and construction technology, but also for its interiors decorated with paintings, mosaics and sculptures of Russian and Italian masters.
Mariinsky Ballet Performance

Day 6 - March 17, Monday
Breakfast at the hotel
Full-day tour to the suburbs of St. Petersburg: the Grand Palace of Peterhof and the Lower Park with Fountains. This country residence of the Royal Family was built in the beginning of the 18th century to commemorate the victory of Russian army over the Swedes near Poltava.
Mariinsky Ballet Performance

Day 7 - March 18, Tuesday
Breakfast at the hotel
Full-day tour to the suburbs of St. Petersburg: (Pushkin and Catherine's Palace): We will drive to the city of Pushkin, originally known as Tsarskoye Selo or the Royal Village, famous for its beautiful palaces and parks. Our tour will go inside the world-famous baroque style Catherine's Palace, designed by architects Rastrelli and Cameron.
This Palace is also the site of Russia's greatest post-WWII restoration projects. The interiors of the Palace are truly breathtaking - from the majestic grandeur of the Great Hall to the sumptuous Chinese Blue Drawing Room. The sensation of 2003 was the opening of the world-famous 'Amber Room'.
Mariinsky Ballet Performance

Day 8 - March 19, Wednesday
Breakfast at the hotel
Tour of the Prince Yusupov Palace - built in 1760's to the plans of Vallen de la Mothe, the building is famous both as the most ostentatious aristocratic residence of St. Petersburg, and as the place where in December of 1916 Rasputin was murdered by Prince Felix Yusupov. The majestic interiors of the palace are perfect settings for the artifacts exhibited. You will be thrilled by the display of the room with expressive wax figures showing the reproduced scene of Rasputin's murder.
Mariinsky Ballet Performance

Day 9 - March 20, Thursday
Breakfast at the hotel
Tour of the Vaganova Ballet Academy and its Museum. The Vaganova Ballet Academy of St. Petersburg, situated in a beautiful 19th century building with a majestic facade, is home of Mariinsky (Kirov) Theater.
The famous School that graduated a galaxy of world-renowned dancers - Pavlova, Nijinsky, Balanchine, Nureyev, Baryshnikov, it still is probably the finest ballet school in the world, and offers superb classical training. Students of the Academy (ages 10-17) participate in the most famous ballets of Mariinsky (Kirov) Theater - "Nutcracker", "Cinderella," "Sleeping Beauty" side by side with prima-ballerinas, and after graduation join world's best ballet companies.
Mariinsky Ballet Performance

Day 10 - March 21, Friday
Breakfast at the hotel
Tour of the Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood. This spectacular Russian-style Church was built during 1883-1907 on the site where Emperor Alexander II was assassinated in March of 1881. The Church was closed for many years, and re-opened to public just recently after over 20 years of careful restoration. You will be impressed with both interior and exterior of this unique architectural creation decorated with mosaic masterpieces.
Mariinsky Ballet Performance

Day 11 - March 22, Saturday
Breakfast at the hotel
Tour of the State Russian Museum: The handsome building of the State Russian Museum dominates the Square of Arts. Built for Prince Michael in the early 19th century the palace was converted by Nicholas the II of Russia into the "Russian Museum of Alexander the III" in memory of his father; the later Emperor had taken a great interest in Russian Art, and the new museum which opened its doors in 1898 was intended to be the national collection of such work. The museum was expanded after 1917 through confiscation of rich private collections. The 300,000 artifacts of the Russian Museum provide a comprehensive view of Russian Art from Kievan times; they also give interesting insights into the Russian past.

Day 12 - March 23, Sunday
Breakfast at the hotel
Free time to explore the city on your own.
Mariinsky Ballet Performance

Day 13 - March 24, Monday
Breakfast at the hotel
Transfer to the airport and departure from St. Petersburg

Tour Price (2008):
Based on double occupancy: $3,585 per person
For single accommodations please add: $735

Tour includes (as listed above): accommodations (based on double occupancy) in Upgraded Executive rooms at the St. Petersburg Hotel (3-stars), private airport arrival and departure transfers in St. Petersburg, group transportation, buffet breakfasts daily, Welcome Gala dinner, services of Executive English-speaking tour guides and translators, special reserved seating for all Mariinsky performances and entrance tickets (evening performances subject to change), cultural sightseeing program, museums entrance fees. Although every effort will be made to follow the itinerary closely, St. Petersburg Travel, Inc. reserves the right to make changes if necessary.