In St. Petersburg, Russia, you must have a visa and go through immigration to leave the ship.
They issue a "cruise visa" for up to 72 hours only if you have pre-arranged an excursion through
the ship or with an independent licensed tour agency. We had arranged for a private tour through
a tour company for just the two of us. Just over two months earlier, we had suggested an itineray
and they fleshed it out. Then after we went through immigration off the cruise ship, we were met by
a a tour guide and a car with a driver.
We spent the first bit of time on a driving tour, stopping at several locations for photo opportunities.
Then we walked through Palace Square before visiting the Hermitage. At the Hermitage we first went to the General Staff
Building to visit some impressionist galleries and then into the Winter Palace (and its adjoining palaces) to
visit the incredible building itself along with several art collections. Then we took a canal tour on one of the
canal boats (watch your head on the low bridges). After that we drove to and visited St. Issac's Cathedral.
(Click on a picture to see it larger.)
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