Peter the Great did the unthinkable. In 1703 on the marshes of the Gulf of Finland, he built a new city which became Russia’s capital. Then he scandalized his court by making Piotr Shafirov with Jewish ancestry his vice-chancellor. Jews were forbidden to live in Russia (until 1917). You will find out how fortunes of the Jews rose and fell with the whims of the tzars and Soviet leaders, about Pale of settlement and other interesting things.

Surprisingly, Jewish life has never been as vibrant as nowadays. You will visit one of the Jewish Community ?enters like Eva, Adain Lo or Yesod that run social, educational and welfare programs. Another visit is to the second largest in Europe Choral Synagogue, the heart of the city’s limited religious life located in the former Jewish area known as Kolomna. You will chat there with the Rabbi, cantor or local Jews. The memorial plague on the front door of the Synagogue has the names of the Jewish families who contributed to the survival of Jewish traditions: Ginsburgs, Polyakoff and others. Your guide will show you another remarkable memorial plague that commemorates the birth place of the first ORT in the world in 1880.

Arrive to the Hermitage museum. Tour the Tsar’s former Winter Palace and four other buildings that house one of the world’s premier art collections. Your two hours guided tour visits display rooms with masterpieces by Da Vinci, Rafael, Monet, Rembrandt, Picasso, Titian, Matisse and Renoir. Designed by Rastrelli, the Baroque Winter Palace boasts patterned parquet floors, ornate staircases, molded and decorated ceilings.

Board your motor coach for a narrated drive to the suburbs of St. Petersburg: to the south to see the Tsarskoye Selo (Pushkin) and to the west to Peterhof, passing Stalin-era buildings, modern residential apartments and dachas (country houses). This comprehensive full day tour gives you a unique opportunity to admire the most splendid palace and park ensembles of the 18th century that belonged to the Russian tsars. On the way to the Summer Palace stop by the Holocaust Memorial to pay tribute to thousands of Jews killed in the town of Pushkin by the nazi during the WWII.

Day two will begin with Catherine Palace. Designed by Rastrelli, the ornate Baroque Palace is over 1,000 feet long and features an ornate blue facade. Gold onion domes crown the palace’s north end, and the site of the chapel. Your tour visits the White Vestibule, Grand Hall, the Amber Room, the Portrait Hall, the Crimson Pilaster Room and more. Alternatively, you will visit Palace of Paul (Pavlovsk), another masterpiece of the 18 c. located nearby (10 min. drive). The ensemble’s fame rests on the splendor of its interiors and great art collection as well as on the beauty of one of the largest landscape parks in Europe. Admire elegant rooms of the Emperor Paul I and charming, rather than grand, rooms of his wife Maria. On the way to Peterhof you will have a chance to try traditional Russian cuisine in a local restaurant. Peterhof Park – Travel to another former summer Imperial residence. Set in magnificent parks, Peterhof is reminiscent of Versailles. It was almost completely destroyed by the Nazis in World War II, but has been restored to its full splendor. The parks are dotted with countless fountains, charming pavilions and summer houses. If the weather permits we provide a complimentary Hydrofoil trip to/ from Peterhof. The hydrofoil is a safe and fast boat which rises above the surface of the water.

Day three will bring you to the Jewish exposition of the Ethnography museum where you will be introduced to the Jewish (Ashkenazi) collection which illustrates the Eastern European Jewish culture. Splendid examples of religious artifacts, items used during religious ceremonies or for protecting the scrolls of the Torah demonstrate many facets of the Jewish artistic traditions and throw light on the everyday life of the Jewish people. The private Faberge Museum’s unique collection was acquired at international auctions over 10 years. It is comprised of over 4000 works of art from the late 19th and early 20th century, including twelve Faberge works, nine of which are the famed imperial eggs that previously belonged to the Romanov family. Take a relaxing Boat trip. View the city from the waterside. Main sites along the way include Anichkov Bridge, Engineer’s Castle, Summer Garden, the Salt District, Field of Mars, Church on Spilled Blood, General Staff Building and finally, when you get to the main river, St. Peter and Paul’s fortress, Trinity Bridge, the Winter Palace.