ESRS 2014 Estonia, Tours St. Petersburg, RUSSIA Dates: Saturday, 13 September Monday, 15 September 2014 Duration: 3 days Minimum number or people: 26 pax Price per person: 385 EUR (single room supplement 85 EUR) Ticket for flight from St. Peterburg to Tallinn: 130 EUR / per person Includes: accommodation for 2 overnights at Park Inn Nevsky Hotel in double occupancy, indicated program and entrance fees (Peterhof and Hermitage), 2 x 3-course lunch with water, coffee/tea, and 2 x 3-course dinners with water, coffee/tea at indicated restaurants with tour-escort (guide) services throughout the program, and 1 st class coach services for transfers and sightseeing as per stated itinerary. NB! The price does not include the arrival flight to St. Petersburg and transfer from the airport to the hotel. The price does not include flight from St. Petersburg to Tallinn. Local time: GMT +4 hours Please note! All foreign nationals are required to have entry visas to travel to the Russian Federation. For further instructions please read Tour registration terms. Saint-Petersburg is considered to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Beginning from the 18 century the best achievements were put in practice in Saint-Petersburg. It is here there splendid palaces, cathedrals and monuments are built, museums with the richest collections such as the Hermitage and the Russian museum, the famous Mariinsky Theater are constructed. Saint-Petersburg is often called the Northern Capital of Russia. It is the fourth largest megapolis of Europe. Its geopolitical, intellectual, economical, cultural and historical advantages are unique. PROGRAMME Day 1, September 13: Arrival in St Petersburg (individual, not included in the tour programme) Check-in at the hotel 16:00 19:00 You will enjoy a 3-hours sightseeing tour along city s main streets and prospects, enjoying splendid sights: numerous palaces and cathedrals, rivers and channels, bridges and parks During this tour you will see all the most interesting and important sights of the city: Nevsky Prospect, the central avenue of St.Petersburg; Admiralty; Decembrists Square with the Monument to Peter the Great; «Aurora» cruiser; Smolny Cathedral; Spit of St. Basil Island with the beautiful view of the city and other sights. Also you will see famous St. Isaac's Cathedral which is the largest cathedral in the city.
19:00 dinner at restaurant Restoran This restaurant of Russian cuisine is situated in the historic centre of the city, near Academy of Sciences, the Cumber of curiosities, University, and Exchange on Vasiljevsky Island. Designed in the style of minimalism, the restaurant offers various Russian specialties, some of which might be cooked in the real Russian stove. Cozy fireplace, solid tables, excellent service bring you back to the atmosphere of Russian restaurants of the beginning of the 20 th century. 01:00 a.m. Raising of the bridges (independently) St. Petersburg raising bridges is one of top attractions of St. Petersburg: every night thousands of tourists crowd on embankments to look at raising of illuminated bridges. Raised bridges are mentioned in literature, poems, songs and even in advertising clips. We recommend experience this beautiful display. The participants will have opportunity to go and see the sight independently. Day 2, September 14: Breakfast at the hotel 09:00 13:00 Tour of the Hermitage Guide escorts group around highlights: Italian art, Rembrandt, Spanish art, French impressionists, State rooms The State Hermitage Museum The State Hermitage Museum is one of the oldest and largest museums in the world. It is located in 6 historical buildings of St. Petersburg, including the Winter Palace - the former residence of the Russian emperors, the Small Hermitage, The Old Hermitage, the New Hermitage, the Hermitage Theatre and the General Staff Building. The buildings of the museum, by themselves, are architectural chef-d'oeuvres. The Winter Palace, erected by F.-B. Rastrelli in 1754-1762 for Empress Elisabeth, Peter the Great s daughter, is the biggest edifice executed in high Baroque style. The Small Hermitage, constructed by J.-B. Vallin de la Mothe between 1764 and 1767, and the Old Hermitage, built by Y. Velten between 1771 and 1787, were meant to be used by Empress Catherine the Great for her own apartments and for her collections of art, purchased in Europe. The New Hermitage, ordered by Nicholas I, was constructed by L. Von Klenze in 1839-1852 and became the first building in Russia, designed to contain and exhibit museum collections. The collections of the Hermitage number over 3 million items from prehistoric to modern times. Magnificent works of art embracing prehistoric culture, Egyptian art, the art of Antiquity, Scythian gold, and great collections of Western-European paintings (Leonardo da Vinci, Titian, Raphael, Rembrandt, Poussain, Manet, Renoir and others) and sculptures are displayed in the 400 halls of the museum.
13:00 14:00 Lunch at the Russkaya Ryumochnaya (Russian Vodka Room) #1 Russkaya Ryumochnaya (Vodka Room) #1 is a place where different historic epochs are in admirable proportion. The restaurant is designed as a city tavern national style of the 19th century. You would enjoy high arched ceilings and cozy atmosphere of the spacious light rooms. The chef offers such house favorites as smoked sturgeon under cream sauce, suckling pig stuffed with kasha and white mushrooms, reindeer s tongue stewed in oven for 48 hours, etc. Russian Ryumochnaya features 2 halls with total capacity of 132 pax plus private banquet room for 14 pax. The restaurant is located in the very heart of the city close to the Hermitage, St.Isaac s Cathedral and Nevsky Prospekt. 14:00 19:00 Tour of Parks in Peterhof and Grand Palace (entrance) The world-famous palace, fountain and park ensemble of Peterhof is an outstanding landmark of Russian artistic culture of the 18-19th centuries. Founded in the very beginning of the eighteenth century by Emperor Peter the Great not far from his new northern capital St Petersburg, Peterhof was intended to become the most splendid official royal summer residence. Credit for its creation should go to a great number of eminent architects, artists, and anonymous folk craftsmen. Its wonderful parks, 176 fountains of various forms and styles and four cascades, majestic palaces, numerous gilded statues of ancient gods and heroes, remarkable collections of sculpture, painting and works of the minor arts make Peterhof a veritable gem of art, often called "Capital of Fountains", unique in the world. Back to St. Petersburg 20:00 22:30 Dinner at the Feodor Dostoyevsky Restaurant with folk show The restaurant received its name by a reason, its clients will be the neighbors of Fedor Dostoyevsky: in different periods of his life the writer rented apartments in the neighboring buildings # 11 and 13, at Vladimirsky Prospekt, and observed from his window the same roofs of these tenement-houses and gloomy courtyard, hidden by the glorious facades. Day 3, September 15: Breakfast at the hotel Free time 12:00 Check-out from the hotel 14:40 Transfer to the St Petersburg airport (from hotel) 17:40 Departure flight to Tallinn
HOTEL Park Inn Nevsky Address: 89 Nevsky Prospect / 4 lit. A, Goncharnaya Street Capacity: 270 rooms A modern hotel opened in spring 2010. This is a brand-new hotel which offers guests 270 comfortable and well appointed standard rooms, including 184 standard double rooms, 40 standard twin rooms, 14 superior singles, 30 superior twins and 2 junior suites. All rooms have individual climate-control, satellite TV, telephone, safe, hairdryer, fire extinguishing system, card-key lock, spy-hole. The bar and restaurant Paulaner seats 430 guests. The hotel features two ultra-modern well-equipped meeting rooms (26 and 39 square meters). The hotel is located on St.Petersburg famous main avenue Nevsky at the historical center of the city. Adjacent to the city s main railway station, within walking distance of the city s main tourist sites and 17 km from the airport.
Lahemaa National Park & Manor Houses, ESTONIA OPTION 1: Date: Monday, 15 September 2014 Duration: 09:00 18:00 (9 hours) Please look for the bus with the sign ESRS 2014 Lahemaa National Park & Manor Houses OPTION 2: Date: Tuesday, 16 September 2014 Duration: 09:00 18:00 (9 hours) Please look for the bus with the sign ESRS 2014 Lahemaa National Park & Manor Houses Minimum number of people: 15 pax Price per person: 85 EUR Price includes: bus transfer during the day; guide service; entrance fees and various tours & tastings; lunch (coffee/tea, water) Dress code: comfortable clothing and good footwear as there will be walking on uneven terrain. Depending on the temperature and weather you may need a warm jacket and/or raincoat. Local time: GMT +2 hours Programme 09:00-10:00 Transfer to Lahemaa National Park In Lahemaa (Land of Bays), located on the northern coast of Estonia, you will find stony and sandy seashores, picturesque bogs, pine forests, old-growth forests, cliff forests, alvars and rivers that have cut into the limestone cliff. You will also find many geological, historical and architectural monuments. There are many erratic boulders, which were brought over from Finland by continental ice. Plenty of legends and stories are connected to these boulders. 10:00 11:15 Viru bog study trail First stop will be in Viru bog (Viru raba), where participants will have a wonderful opportunity to stretch their legs after an hour s drive from Tallinn, and walk in a bog. The bog is a perfect example of this very typical Estonian land formation and its flora, which is quite unique elsewhere. The trail through the bog is 3.5 km long, and in the middle there is a spectacular viewing tower, where participants can enjoy the bird s eye view of the route they have just walked through. The bus will meet the participants at the other end of the trail.
11:35 13:00 Palmse manor and local wine tasting Next stop on the tour is Palmse manor, the first manor in Estonia that was restored as a complex to give a full overview of a typical Baltic manorial estate. Palmse is first mentioned in a written document in 1287, and all the buildings are under state protection as an architectural monument. The main house that we see today originates from the rebuilding accomplished in 1782-1785. There you can see the old grandeur of the land owning nobility, the Baltic Germans, who lived in Estonia close to 700 years, and owned most of the land and peasants, despite the ruling powers. Here, the participants have a wonderful opportunity to join in an Estonian wine guessing game, where each person can guess the base of 5 local wines. By base, we mean the raw material of which the wines are made, as in Estonia no grapes are grown. 13:10 14:30 Altja fisherman village and lunch in a traditional tavern After tour of Palmse the group will discover the centuries-old Altja fisherman village, a great example of the lifestyle that local Estonian peasants had as to opposed to the nobility. The group will enjoy a traditional lunch in the local tavern, also a typically Estonian place. After all, it was said that there were only two buildings in every community that mattered to the peasants the church and the tavern, usually placed right next to each other for the convenience. 14:45 16:30 Vihula manor and tour of experiences After lunch in Altja the participants will continue to Vihula manor, where they will be taken on a tour full of experiences. Vihula manor, an elegant and secluded estate, which dates from the 16th century, is a perfect escape from the bustling life of the city and a supremely comfortable and luxurious place to stay. It is the first full-service manor resort in the Baltic countries. Vihula Manor is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful places in Estonia, with its painstakingly renovated ensemble of historical buildings located in a picture-perfect balance with each other and with the surrounding nature. The tour of the manor complex will give the participants an overview of the manor history, but it is also combined with additional treats. They will have several stops along the way, tasting and doing various things. For example, peppermint tea tasting, made from the herbs grown in manor s herb garden, and tasting traditional freshly baked Estonian rye bread (or black bread) in the old watermill. 16:30-18:00 Transfer from Vihula to Tallinn
Highlights of Tallinn, ESTONIA OPTION 1: Date: Tuesday, 16 September 2014 Duration: 13:00 17:00 (4 hours) Please look for the bus with the sign ESRS 2014 Highlights of Tallinn OPTION 2: Date: Saturday, 20 September 2014 Duration: 15:00 19:00 (4 hours) Please look for the bus with the sign ESRS 2014 Highlights of Tallinn Minimum number of people: 15 pax Price per person: 45 EUR Price includes: bus transfer; guide service; entrance to Kadriorg palace and TV tower. Local time: GMT +2 hours This tour begins with a short scenic drive through some residential areas to Kadriorg Baroque Park and Palace Ensemble. You will visit Kadriorg Palace (entrance), built in 1723 by the Russian czar Peter the Great in honour of his empress, wife Catherine I. Kadriorg means Catherine s valley in Estonian. Since the Russian revolution, the ornate palace rooms have been used as an art museum. After viewing highlights of the European art on display, stroll through the Lower Garden back to your coach for short drive to the next stop, the Song Festival Grounds. Lauluväljak, or Song Festival Grounds, is a historic place where the Signing Revolution took place in the late 1980s, during which Estonia regained its independence from the Soviet regime. The stage, now a symbol of independence, unity, and the power of singing, was built in 1959, but the tradition of nationwide song festivals, that take place in every 5 years, dates back to 1869. The year 2014 is the year that sees another of those magnificent celebrations, this time themed Touched by Time. The Time to Touch. The tour continues with a drive through Pirita Olympic harbour where in 1980 the sailing competitions took place during the Moscow Summer Olympic Games. Next stop will be at the Tallinn TV tower (entrance) - a historic landmark with an extraordinary view of Tallinn and the Baltic Sea. After TV tower the bus will take participants back to the city centre for an hour long walk in the medieval Old Town. Participants will have a wonderful opportunity to enjoy splendid views from the upper town, and by the end of the tour will find themselves in the heart of the town, the Town Hall Square.
Good Sleep Walking Tour in Tallinn Old Town, ESTONIA OPTION 1: Date: Wednesday, 17 September 2014 Duration: 19:00 21:00 (2 hours) Meeting point: in front of Nokia Concert Hall (Estonia puiestee 9, Tallinn) Please look for the guide with the sign ESRS 2014 Good Sleep Walking Tour OPTION 2: Date: Thursday, 18 September 2014 Duration: 18:00 20:00 (2 hours) Meeting point: in front of Nokia Concert Hall (Estonia puiestee 9, Tallinn) Please look for the guide with the sign ESRS 2014 Good Sleep Walking Tour Minimum number of people: 15 pax Price per person: 6 EUR Price includes: guide service Dress code: good footwear as there are cobblestone streets Local time: GMT +2 hours The guide will meet the group in front of the Nokia Concert Hall and take them on a 2-hour walking tour through the medieval Old Town of Tallinn. Vanalinn, the Old Town of Tallinn, is one of the best-preserved medieval cities in Europe. The guide will introduce the interesting mixture of German, Scandinavian and Russian influences that have shaped the face of Tallinn over the centuries. In Upper Town, participants will walk along cobblestone streets, and enjoy a view of Toompea Castle, the house of Estonian Parliament, which was built in the 13th century and rebuilt in the 18th century. The Russian Orthodox Cathedral of Alexander Nevsky with its interesting collection of icons has dominated Lossi Plats (Palace Square) since its construction in 1900. From here the tour continues along Tallinn s medieval cobblestone streets past the Gothic Dome Church, also known as St. Mary s Cathedral. Enjoy a panoramic view of the towers and steeples rising above the red-tiled roofs of the Lower Town. Continue onwards along Lühike Street to the Lower Town. At Town Hall Square participants have a chance to admire the Gothic Town Hall. Completed in 1404, it is Tallinn s oldest civic building.
Helsinki, FINLAND Date: Sunday, 21 September 2014 Duration: 06:45-18:45 (12 hours) Please look for the bus with the sign ESRS 2014 Helsinki Minimum number of people: 30 pax Price per person: 243 EUR Price includes: transfer to the port of Tallinn and back; return ferry tickets; bus transfer during the day in Helsinki; guide service; lunch in a local restaurant with coffee/tea, water. Dress code: comfortable clothing and good footwear as there will walking in the city combined with bus tour Local time: GMT +2 hours Program 06:45 Transfer to Tallinn harbour 07:30-09:30 ferry Tallinn-Helsinki 09:30 Arrival of ferry to the West Harbour 09:50 Start your tour including Helsinki s highlights with an added emphasis on Finnish Design. Your tour includes a visit to the famous Rock Church, built into solid rock; a visit to the new Music House, and to the Senate Square with Helsinki Cathedral. The group will also stroll around the bustling Market Square and the harbour area. 12:00 Lunch will be enjoyed during the tour at a lovely local restaurant 13:00 After lunch the tour concludes with a visit to Helsinki s Design District where you can either walk with the guide or follow your own path. Guide can take you to meet some local designers in their shops. 15:00 Transfer back to the harbour. 16:30-18.30 ferry Helsinki-Tallinn 18:30 Transfer back to hotel
WORKSHOPS Wool Felted Soap Workshop Date: Tuesday, 16 September Duration: 14:00 16:00 (2 hours) Please look for the bus with the sign ESRS 2014 Soap Workshop Minimum number of people: 15 pax Price per person: 37 EUR Price includes: transfer to the art studio and back; guide service; workshop, materials and instructions Dress code: comfortable clothing Local time: GMT +2 hours Visit to a real artist open studio area where is possible to see how artists work and learn to make art with your own hands by wool felting a soap. The workshop starts with a short introduction to liquid soap felting. After that the guests will have an opportunity to choose wool for decorating their soap and felting can begin. The wool will be moisturized with liquid soap and rolled between hands around the soap until it is firm and fixed. Making layers with different colours will give the soap a nice and decorated look. The final result will be a two-in-one soap washrag that will be nicely decorated and can be used as a perfect gift. In the end of the workshop all the guests are welcome to take the felted soap home with them. Marzipan Workshop Date: Saturday, 20 September Duration: 15:00 17:00 (2 hours) Please look for the guide with the sign ESRS 2014 Marzipan Workshop Minimum number of people: 15 pax Price per person: 26 EUR Price includes: guide service; workshop, materials and instructions Dress code: comfortable clothing and footwear, short walk to the candy shop from the hotel Local time: GMT +2 hours Did you know that all of Kalev s marzipan figures are handmade, using centuries-old techniques and molds? Come and see how these figures are made and feel like a true craftsman! During the workshop, participants will learn how to make marzipan and little marzipan figures, and mix dyes used for painting marzipan. After that, everyone can paint their own figure (approximately 100 g) just the way they like it.
TOUR REGISTRATION TERMS AND CONDITIONS To book a tour, please fill in the online excursion registration form with requested information, and select the desired options. Please make sure you submit the filled form. After receiving your filled form the tour organizer Via Hansa Estonia Ltd will send the invoice/ registration confirmation by e-mail according to your booked services and payment preferences. The booking is considered confirmed after the full payment of all the booked services is received. Terms of payment The invoice must be paid in advance to the event by bank transfer or by credit card. Please choose the preferred form of payment on your registration form. Note: Please be sure that all the bank-processing costs are borne by the remitter and the full amount is received; the organisers will not accept any processing costs. In order to guarantee your registration, all fees must be paid in advance as detailed in the invoice and before the event, by August 8, 2014 at the latest. After this date all registrations that have not been guaranteed with a payment will be cancelled, unless the tour organizer is informed of the payment delay beforehand. Cancellations and changes Any cancellations or changes of booked services must be sent in writing to the tour organizer Via Hansa Estonia Ltd by e-mail at conference@viahansa.com. The tour organizer will confirm your cancellation and/or changes in writing. Cancellations will be subject to the following conditions: For cancellations received on or before August 8, 2014: cancellation free of charge, 100% refund of paid excursions. In all cases, payment handling costs will be deducted from the amount of refund. Cancellations received after August 8, 2014: no refund will be made. All refunds will be processed after the congress. Special conditions Special conditions apply for the pre-congress tour to St. Petersburg. Those who have booked the tour with the flight from St. Petersburg to Tallinn on September 15, 2014, please be aware that the offered special price for the flight is available only until February 6, 2014, and in case the ticket has been confirmed with payment. After that date the tour organizer can no longer guarantee the special price, and flight tickets will be offered based on availability. Tickets can be cancelled or passenger names changed until September 1, 2014. In case of cancellation before that date the paid fee will be refunded, minus deposit payment of 10 EUR and bank fees. After the above mentioned date all changes in names will cost 85 EUR/ per person, and it is no longer possible to cancel the tickets. Contact Information If you have any questions regarding the above, please contact the tour organizer Via Hansa Estonia Ltd. Telephone: +372 6277 880 E-mail: conference@viahansa.com
General Information on Russian Federation Visas Please note! Following information is time sensitive and whilst every endeavour is made to ensure the information is correct and up to date, there may be changes which we are not aware of. You should confirm details or any queries with a Russian Consular Office in your region, especially since every country has specific visa requirements and agreements with Russian Federation. All foreign nationals are required to have entry visas to travel to the Russian Federation. A visa to the Russian Federation is a document, permitting stay in Russia for a specific period of time. A visa lists entry/exit dates, your vital information, passport details and some information about the inviting party. Please note, that your Russian visa is an exit permit just like it is an entry permit. IMPORTANT: Applying for visa does not guarantee you will be granted the requested entry visa. Please allow plenty of time for the visa application process, we recommend to apply at least 3 months before your planned travel date. Visas will NOT be issued at the border upon entering the Russian Federation. Russian Tourist Visa The following documents should be submited to the Russian Embassy or Consulate in your region to obtain a Tourist Visa to enter Russia or you can arrange your documents through your travel agency: 1. Your original passport with at least 2 blank visa designated pages (passport must be valid for at least 6 months after intended departure date from Russia). 2. Two copies of Russian visa application form, completed and signed. 3. Two passport size photos signed on the back. 4. Letter from tour company confirming itinerary and including a copy of the confirmation from authorized Russian travel company which shows the reference number and confirmation number for the visa.