For accompanying people (spouses)

We invite you to join touristic tours on 6-7July. You will have an opportunity to see one of the most beautiful European cities. If you want to admire beauty of Russia’s Cultural Capital, please confirm your participation on the registration website. The tours are included in your registration fee.
Please visit your personal online registration page using your id and password, proceed to the Social program section and select number of tickets that you require.

• City tour and visit to Peter and Paul Fortress and State Hermitage

The bus tour around the famous landmarks of Saint Petersburg is a nice opportunity to get the historic information about the city as well as to feast your eyes on its beauty and make memorable photos during the photo stops. The tour gives the general impression of Saint Petersburg architectural heritage. The tour sights list includes Nevsky Avenue which is one of the main streets, Kazan Cathedral and Church of Resurrection, Palace Square and Winter Palace, Peter-and-Paul Fortress with its impressive cathedral, and other places of interest. In brief, you’ll understand why Saint Petersburg is considered to be a museum-city under the open sky.

The tour to the State Hermitage is for the real connoisseurs of art. The collection of one of the largest museums in the world includes over 3 millions works of art (paintings, graphic works, sculptures, archaeological finds and etc.). The Hermitage possesses a very rich collection of jewellery – from the rarest ancient examples to works of the XX century. The Hermitage has been included in the Guinness Book as the largest gallery in the world. It is considered that a person needs several days, weeks, months to see everything which is exhibited in the Hermitage, and that is really true. With more than 400 exhibit halls, the Hermitage cannot possibly be seen in a single day. But during this tour you’ll be able to see the highlights and main collections.

When? Tuesday 6 July, 09:30 - 16:00 (lunch included)

• Boat trip and visit to Yusupov Palace

Covering more than 100 islands, and crisscrossed by more than 60 rivers and canals, Saint Petersburg has become known as the Venice of the North. As early as 1738 there were already more than 40 bridges. The Neva river gives Saint Petersburg its particular appeal. A boat cruise along the channels and waterways invites you to discover the unique view of the city which looks completely different when viewed from the water. The most impressive palaces of St. Petersburg are located along Neva River embankments.

Situated on the left bank of the Moika river Yusupov Palace is a unique architectural ensemble of XVIII-XX centuries. It is called the encyclopedia of St. Petersburg aristocratic interior design. The palace became the property of Prince Nikolay Yusupov, one of the richest men of Russia, in 1830. The collection of painting, sculpture and applied and decorative art that his family amassed in the palace was so large that the building began to resemble a museum.
Yusupov Palace is outstanding not only for its architectural and artistic merits, but also for the events that happened there in December 1916, with murder of Grigory Rasputin.

When? Wednesday 7 July, 09:30 - 14:30 (lunch included)

For the conference participants and spouses

We invite you to join the tour to Peterhof on 7 July, after the conference. If you are interested, we kindly ask you to confirm your participation. Please visit your personal online registration page using your id and password, proceed to the Social program section and select number of tickets that you require. This tour is included in your registration fee.

• Tour to Peterhof

Peterhof is 30 km to the West of Saint Petersburg, on the south shore of the Gulf of Finland. The palace and park complex with its unique array of fountains is considered to be one of the most beautiful in the world. Peterhof is often called the Capital of Russian fountains or the Russian Versailles.
The first title is explained by the numerous fountains of the Peterhof park, the Grand Cascade going downhill from the Palace is one of the world’s largest fountain ensembles. The other one derives from the comparison with French palace which gave the inspiration for Peter the Great to build the imperial residence in one of his suburbs.
The park began to take shape in 1705 during Peter’s reign. In addition to the Grand Palace, built by the architects Braunstein, Zemtsov, Leblond and Rastrelli, the complex also includes the Monplaisir and Marly Palaces and the Hermitage Pavilion.
The gardens and parks look especially charming on sunny days when their emerald greenery is tinged with the colours of a rainbow from thousands of fountain jets and the palaces and pavilions seem to have been magically born from the sea.

When? Wednesday 7 July, starting at 15:00 (first hydrofoil departs at 15:00, a second one will depart at 16:15)