Thursday, May 14, 2026

Russia 2019 Day 9: St. Petersburg Palaces

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Russia 2019 Day 9:
St. Petersburg Palaces

Russia 2019 Day 9: 17th May (Friday)
Small Group (Non-cycling) Tour of Russia (Moscow, St. Petersburg & the Golden Ring Cities).
Day 9  - St. Petersburg Palaces:
Ladozhsky Railway Station>van>Tchaikovsky House>Catherine Palace>walk>Catherine Park>van>Peterhof Palace>walk>Grand Cascade>Kassa Meteor>Meteor Hydrofoil Boat>St. Petersburg.

This is page 9 of a 14-page blog. Click Here To Go To Title Page
< D8: Danilovsky Market         |          Go to Other Days     |    D10: St. Petersburg Walking >

Route recommendations: Here are some tips on travelling to and around Russia:
1. Traffic Directions!
    Driving in Russia is left-hand drive, and driving is on the right-hand side of the road. Do look to the correct side when crossing roads.
    Speed limits are between 60 km/h within urban areas, 110 km/h along expressways, and 120 km/h on highways.

2. Getting to & around Russia.
    Since Russia's "special military operation" into Ukraine, accessibility to Russia by air has been limited. But several airlines (including Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad, and Turkish Airlines) still operate flights to Moscow and St. Petersburg.
     We flew return with Thai Airways from Kuala_Lumpur (KLIA) to Moscow (Domodedovo Airport) with short transits at Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi Airport). Presently, Thai Airways still flies from Bangkok to Moscow but now lands at Vnukovo Airport.
     We booked hotels, train tickets, and several meals via the internet. Ground arrangements (and airport transfers) in Moscow were made through Alexander of Angel Tour, who can be contacted through WhatsApp at this phone number: +7926-435-86-87.
      Ground arrangements (and train station transfers) in St. Petersburg were made through Tayna (contact no.: +7921-923-12-27), a local agent in St. Petersburg.
    Travelling around the cities was in a 16-seater van. Travelling between Moscow and St. Petersburg was by the Red Arrow Sleeper Train and the Sapsan High Speed Train. Within Moscow, we got around using the Moscow Metro.
    For out-of-pocket spending, we exchanged some Russian Rubles before leaving. We also brought along our Big Pay debit cards, as these can be used to withdraw Russian Rubles at ATMs. Debit and credit cards can also be used, but many smaller shops or market stalls only accept cash transactions. Click here for exchange rates to Rubles (presently 1MYR = 18.67 RUR, i.e. Russian Rubles).

3. Immigration & Customs Requirements
    Tourists entering Russia will need a tourist visa, which can only be obtained via a TOURIST CONFIRMATION VOUCHER issued by a Russian travel agency or a Russian hotel that has the license to invite foreign tourists. This can be done through a local travel agency affiliated with a Russian travel agency to obtain this invitation letter. The following is a list of countries that are visa-exempt to enter Russia.
    For Malaysians, leaving and returning to Malaysia, getting through immigration is easier now. Just install and register MyBorderPass, and getting through will be a breeze. A QR code will be generated, have this scanned, and you're through.
 
4. Places & Things of Interest  
    Yesterday evening, we took the Red Arrow Sleeper Train from Moscow, and arrived early this morning at the Ladozhsky Railway Station, St. Petersburg.. A van picked us up to send us to accommodations at Tchaikovsky House; after freshening up, we continued our tour with visits to the Catherine Palace and the Peterhof Palace. After which, we took the Meteor Hydrofoil Boat back to the city. There were many scenic and interesting places along the way, but one should not miss the following:
    a. Basilica of Saint Catherine of Alexandria (Базилика Святой Екатерины Александрийской) (GPS: 59.93539, 30.32900).
    b. Singer House (GPS: 59.93567, 30.32572).
    c. Trinity Cathedral (Собор Святой Живоначальной Троицы) (GPS: 59.91642, 30.30575).
    d. Catherine Palace (Екатерининский дворец) (website) (GPS: 59.71612, 30.39565).
        -  Golden Enfilade (Золотая анфилада).
        -  Amber Room (Янтарная комната) (GPS: c).
    e. Catherine Park (Екатерининский парк) (GPS: 59.71322, 30.39345).
    c. Peterhof Palace (Государственный музей-заповедник "Петергоф") (website) (GPS: 59.88458, 29.9088).
        - Grand Cascade (Государственный музей-заповедник "Петергоф") (GPS: 59.88492, 29.90893).
        - Samsonovskiy Kanal (Самсоновский канал) (GPS: 59.88571, 29.90944).
        - Morskoy Kanal (Морской канал) (GPS: 59.88973, 29.91167).
        - Kassa Meteor (Касса Метеор) (GPS: 59.89057, 29.91171).
    d. Meteor Hydrofoil Boat Ride from Peterhof Boat Jetty (Причал Петергофа) (GPS: 59.8918, 29.91319) at the Gulf of Finland to Admiralteyskaya Embankment Boat Pier (Причал Адмиралтейской набережной) (GPS: 59.93997, 30.30892) at the Neva River.
    e. Moscow: Kurskiy Vokzal Train Station (Москва Курский Bокзал) (GPS: 55.75749, 37.66111).
    f.  Red Arrow Sleeper Train.
    g. Ladozhsky Railway Station (Санкт-Петербург Ладож) (GPS: 59.93152, 30.4416), St. Petersburg.

5. Food
    a. Breakfast
6. Accommodations
    First of four nights at Tchaikovsky House (Дом Чайковского) (GPS: 59.93567, 30.31245) in St. Petersburg.

7. Communicating with Each Other
     When travelling in a group, it's important to be able to communicate with each other, especially if one gets lost from the rest. Back then, it was not easy to buy Russian Sim cards, and our Moscow guide got the Beeline physical SIM cards (with 14 days unlimited data) at 700 RUR (MYR 37.50) for us before we arrived.
    Even now, it is not easy to purchase a SIM card. However, it is possible to buy Russian Sim cards online; just be aware of the restrictions posted earlier.

8. Communicating with Locals
    At hotels and tourist spots, locals speak fairly good English. In the smaller towns, most locals speak only Russian. As such, it would be good to know some basic Russian.

9. Dressing
    When entering churches and monasteries, it is advisable to wear long pants, especially for women. Ladies will also have to wear headscarves or veils. Caps and hats should be taken off when in churches and monasteries.
    
10. Weather
      Daytime and nighttime temperatures in St. Petersburg were 17°C and 7°C, respectively.
      Useful weather forecast sites for Russia is AccuWeather. For more detailed weather, including cloud cover and wind speed, use Weatherspark and Ventusky.

11. Navigation
      I used MapMyRide to track our routes and stops. Geo-tagging of places of interest was via FaceBook or Google Maps.
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PRELUDE
Yesterday, we witnessed the Changing of the Guards at Red Square, followed by a visit to the Danilovsky Market.

Later in the evening, we took the overnight Red Arrow Sleeper Train for St. Petersburg.
Today, will be our first full day at St. Petersburg, and we will visit a couple of opulent palaces and take a high-speed hydrofoil ride along the Gulf of Finland!
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DAY 9: ST. PETERSBURG PALACES
Small Group (Part-cycling) Tour of Russia (Moscow, St. Petersburg & the Golden Ring Cities).
Many of the posts below are linked to my Facebook postings during the trip and are embedded here with some comments. (NOTE: Click on respective posts to link to the FB post to read more details. If you can't see the posts, please log out of your Facebook first.)


6:16am - We arrived at the Ladozhsky Railway Station in St. Petersburg after an eight-hour overnight rail journey on the Red Arrow Sleeper Train. The transfer Mercedes Sprinter van was already waiting for us and soon was swooping the ten of us to the city, first crossing over the Neva River.
This Catholic Church of St Catherine is the oldest Catholic church in the Russian Federation, and the only church with the title of basilica (status granted on 23 July 2013). 


And in the old town centre are the Eliseyev Emporium (GPS: 59.93416, 30.33750) and the sharp-domed Singer House.
The Eliseyev Emporium is a large retail and entertainment complex, including a famous food hall, constructed in 1902–1903 for the Elisseeff Brothers. Whilst the Singer House building was constructed in 1902–1904 by the leading Petersburg architect of the time, Pavel Suzor, for the Russian headquarters of the Singer Sewing Machine Company. After the Russian Revolution the house was nationalized and since 1919 used for offices of the editors' houses of various magazines and publishers. The main city bookshop was opened here in 1938.


0:00? - The transfer taxi dropped us off at where we are going to stay, Tchaikovsky House, it was too early to check-in but they allowed us to leave our luggage there.
The hotel is housed in a stately building with French-styled balconies over its main entrance.


So we walked over to the nearby Coffit Cafe for first meal in St. Petersburg - of Turkey Sandwiches and Ham & Cheese Sandwiches.
I was proud to see that restaurant located on Malaya Morskaya Street, see Malaya is the old name of Peninsular Malaya of Malaysia, my home country.
But then "Malaya" in Russian means "Little"; so my pride dropped a couple of notches down. Still Peninsular Malaya is a beautiful place with a diversified culture and yummilicious varied food scene, and the country is one of the top countries visited by Russians.


After that simple breakfast, we checked in our hotel, and was met by our local tour-guide, Tanya. Together we hopped onto a Mercedes Sprinter van and headed for the Catherine Palace.
Along the way we passed by the attractive pastel-blue Trinity Cathedral. The cathedral, sometimes called the Troitsky Cathedral, is an example of the Empire Style architecture, built between 1828 and 1835 to a design by Vasily Stasov. According to the Russian tradition, each regiment of the imperial guards had its own cathedral. The Trinity Cathedral was the regimental church of the Izmailovsky regiment of the Russian Imperial Guards.  The cathedral became a part of the Saint Petersburg World Heritage Site in 1990.


11:00am - At the large compound of the  Catherine Palace, its pastel blue and white building was crowned at the corner roof by five small golden domes.


The palace was built for and named after Catherine I, the Empress of Russia, and the second wife of Peter the Great. She was the empress from 8th February 1725 until her death in 1727. Previously, she was the empress consort of Russia from 1721 to 1725 as the second wife of Peter the Great, and tsaritsa consort from 1712 to 1721.


Inside the Catherine Palace, is resplendent with larger ballrooms, a throne room, dining rooms, studies bedrooms with tall windows overlooking the huge garden grounds.


A look at some of the ballrooms with decorative flooring, large murals covering the whole ceiling. The walls, doors and windows were finished with elaborate gold trimmings!

Close up of some of the gold embellishments.


And the ceiling murals, most with angels to depict the heavens.
The palace includes 40 state apartments, and more than100 private and service rooms.


Outside at the garden, officially known Catherine Park, as it holds more than just healthily landscaped gardens with well manicured trees and bushes. Within it are several ponds, and annex buildings.

To the south, a large pond called Bolshoy Prud reflects the greenery and  elegant buildings surrounding it.


Photos of the smaller gardens with beds of tulips.
Contrary to popular belief, tulips did not originate in Holland but came from the highlands of Central Asia, spread through Anatolia, was popularized by the Ottoman Empire before spreading further west.


Map of Catherine Park.
The park covers approximately 107 hectares (about 264 acres). It is a large landscaped area divided into two distinct parts: a formal Dutch-style "Old Garden" and a naturalistic English-style landscape park, both situated to the south of the palace.


??:?? -  Lunch time at Nordic Restaurant.
        Scandinavian Fare of Herring Salad, Olivier Salad, Pan-fried Mackerel, and Chicken Kiev.
The salted or pickled herring in the salad was just nicely aged, with the meat fairly firm and the taste still coming clearly through. It's the first time I am having Chicken Kiev, the dish is particularly popular in the post-Soviet states, as well as in several other countries of the former Eastern Bloc, and in the English-speaking world.


This creamy dessert enclosed with colorful candy sheets was exquisite. We loved it so did he old dwarf eyeing it from the window sill.

??:?? - Tummies well tickled by the good food, we headed for Peterhof Palace, an entrance print displays a photo of Peter the Great, and the palace.
Peter the Great was was the Tsar of all Russia from 1682 and the first Emperor of Russia from 1721 until his death in 1725.  

A grand entrance staircase lavishly welcomed us.


Above montage shows photos of the palace with it's crowing dome, fountains, etc.


Photos of showing some of the rooms, elaborate gold trimmings and ceiling.
Peterhof Palace was commissioned by Peter the Great as a direct response to the Palace of Versailles by Louis XIV of France, inspiring the nickname of "The Russian Versailles".


The Throne Room is the most spacious and dignified apartment of the palace. Its original decor was in the Baroque style, and included an abundance of gilded mouldings. Later, it was redecorated in the Classical style.


Photos of the private studies .....


..... and some of the artifacts seen in the rooms.


We exit the palace buildings and walked down the gardens which are a definite must-see for any garden lovers .
While the Versailles was the inspiration for Peter the Great's desire to build an imperial palace, a major difference is that the Peterhof's impressive fountain complex was built on a much larger scale with gilded figures and several springs of sparkling water.
?? replace photo due to pagination??
We exited the palace to the beautiful Lower Garden with more than 150 fountains and four cascades, the most impressive one being the Grand Cascade, in front of the Grand Palace.


Leaving the palace, we walked down the Lower Garden, along ponds with pools lined with fountains and greenery.
To really appreciate and explore the two palaces and and their grounds, one should spend a day at each of the palace.


*** Photo of girls at the pier & Photo of hydrofoil
At the far end of the Lower Garden is the Peterhof Boat Jetty, from here we will take the Meteor Hydrofoil Boat crossing the Gulf of Finland to St. Petersburg.
I may not have been to Finland, but at least I have been to the Gulf of Finland 😊.


The boat ride takes about forty minutes, and we disembarked at the Admiralteyskaya Embankment Boat Pier at the Neva River in St. Petersburg.


??pm - For a change, having an Indian dinner at Tandoor Restaurant.
They serve golden naans baked in a tandoor oven, served with North Indian curries which was less spicy hot than the South Indian ones which we were used to.


Russian Rendezvous 2019 Daily Log Day 9, Friday 17th May Friday - St. Petersburg's Opulent Palaces.

Эй! Счастливого плавания!

(That's "Ey! Schastlivogo plavaniya!!" meaning "Ahoy! Happy Sailing!" in Russian)

(For more photos of Day 9, Click Here)
This is page 9 of a 14-page blog. Click Here To Go To Title Page
< D8: Danilovsky Market         |          Go to Other Days     |    D10: St. Petersburg Walking >
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