Author tours

This tour is temporarily unavailable — the season is over or tickets are sold out.
From Ensembles to Masterpieces: St. Petersburg and the Treasures of the Hermitage

5.0 4 review

From Ensembles to Masterpieces: St. Petersburg and the Treasures of the Hermitage

5 - 6 h.

From 6500 ₽

Immerse yourself in the imperial history of St. Petersburg on a sightseeing tour, and then enter the world of art at the country's main museum - the Hermitage. An ideal route for a first introduction to the Northern capital.

From 6500 ₽ per person

This tour is temporarily unavailable — the season is over or tickets are sold out.
Bus sightseeing tour + Hermitage Main Staff Building

5.0 3 review

Bus sightseeing tour + Hermitage Main Staff Building

5 h.

From 6000 ₽

St. Petersburg in 5 hours: a bus sightseeing tour of the historic center + a tour of the Impressionist collection at the General Staff Building of the Hermitage. Perfect for a first introduction to the city and art.

From 6000 ₽ per person

This tour is temporarily unavailable — the season is over or tickets are sold out.
Discovering St. Petersburg with a tour of the Mikhailovsky Castle

4 - 4.5 h.

From 6000 ₽

You will see the main symbols of the city in daylight - from St. Isaac's Cathedral to the Egyptian Sphinxes. The culmination will be a tour inside the city's most mysterious palace - the Mikhailovsky Castle, where you will immerse yourself in the era and tragic fate of Emperor Paul I.

From 6000 ₽ per person

This tour is temporarily unavailable — the season is over or tickets are sold out.
Literary Petersburg: From Pushkin to Brodsky

4 h.

From 3000 ₽

A bus-and-walking tour through three centuries of St. Petersburg literature. In 4 hours, you will trace the path from the grand Golden Age of Pushkin, through the rebellious Silver Age of Akhmatova, to the dissident Leningrad of Brodsky. You will see how one city gave rise to such different

From 3000 ₽ per person

This tour is temporarily unavailable — the season is over or tickets are sold out.
Sightseeing tour of St. Petersburg with a visit to Peter the Great's Summer House

3 - 3.5 h.

From 4000 ₽

Sightseeing tour of St. Petersburg with a visit to Peter the Great's Summer House. You will see the main symbols of the city and enter the first building of the Northern capital - the authentic residence of its founder. Immerse yourself in the era of Peter's reforms.

From 4000 ₽ per person

This tour is temporarily unavailable — the season is over or tickets are sold out.
Sightseeing tour of St. Petersburg with a visit to the Stroganov Palace

3 - 3.5 h.

From 4000 ₽

Sightseeing tour of St. Petersburg with a visit to the Stroganov Palace. You will see the main symbols of the city and enter one of the most beautiful palace-museums - the former residence of the legendary Stroganov dynasty. Immerse yourself in the world of aristocratic luxury of the 18th century

From 4000 ₽ per person

This tour is temporarily unavailable — the season is over or tickets are sold out.
Sightseeing tour of St. Petersburg with a visit to the Marble Palace

3 - 3.5 h.

From 4000 ₽

Sightseeing tour of St. Petersburg with a visit to the Marble Palace. You will see the main symbols of the city and enter a unique palace entirely clad in natural marble - a gift from Catherine II to Count Orlov.

From 4000 ₽ per person

This tour is temporarily unavailable — the season is over or tickets are sold out.
Sightseeing tour of St. Petersburg with a visit to the Benois Wing of the Russian Museum

3 - 3.5 h.

From 4000 ₽

Sightseeing tour of St. Petersburg with a visit to the Benois Wing of the Russian Museum. You will see the main symbols of the city and immerse yourself in the world of Russian art of the 19th-21st centuries. A tour of a masterpiece of Art Nouveau architecture with masterpieces by Repin, Vrubel, and Malevich.

From 4000 ₽ per person

This tour is temporarily unavailable — the season is over or tickets are sold out.
March 8 in St. Petersburg: Empresses, Poetesses, Ballerinas
From 3000 ₽

From March 1 to 8 at 15:00, we invite you to a special tour dedicated to the fair half of the Northern capital. We will travel through places where the fates of great women were decided: empresses, muses of the Silver Age, ballerinas, and keepers of the home.

From 3000 ₽ per person

This tour is temporarily unavailable — the season is over or tickets are sold out.
Tour 'Cinema Addresses of St. Petersburg + Secrets of Lenfilm'

4 - 4.5 h.

From 3800 ₽

Petersburg is a city that appears in films more often than any actor. On this tour, you will see famous movie locations with embankments and mansions from beloved films, and then find yourself behind the scenes of the legendary Lenfilm studio.

From 3800 ₽ per person

This tour is temporarily unavailable — the season is over or tickets are sold out.
"Churches of St. Petersburg: Spiritual Heritage and Architectural Gems"

3 h.

From 3300 ₽

Bus tour of St. Petersburg's churches: Alexander Nevsky Lavra, Kazan Cathedral, St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral, Armenian Church, Islamic Mosque. Guide's commentary at each site + free time to explore.

From 3300 ₽ per person

This tour is temporarily unavailable — the season is over or tickets are sold out.
Author's rooftop tour of St. Petersburg

1 h.

From 3000 ₽

Immerse yourself in the atmosphere of St. Petersburg by visiting the most interesting locations. We are in the city center and will start our tour with an elevator ride to the rooftop. Then we will follow a system of rooftops across 5-6 buildings.

From 3000 ₽ per person

This tour is temporarily unavailable — the season is over or tickets are sold out.
Walking tour "Dostoevsky's Path: From Life to Text"

1.5 - 2 h.

From 3000 ₽

Participants will embark on a journey through the historic corners of St. Petersburg, inextricably linked to the life and work of Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky.

From 3000 ₽ per person

This tour is temporarily unavailable — the season is over or tickets are sold out.
Dream Journey "Bus Tour to Drive Park on Ladoga"

10 h.

From 3500 ₽

Discover the rugged beauty of Karelian nature in just one day. This journey offers more than just sights.

From 3500 ₽ per person

Why choose Leningrad-Tour

Office in the city center

Our office is in the center of Saint Petersburg, and bus pickup points are nearby. You do not need to search for the departure point or walk several blocks.

Tours for groups

You can book a trip for a large group, family, school class, corporate event or celebration. We will match the format and the number of seats you need.

Discounted tickets

Seniors, students, schoolchildren and preschoolers get discounted rates on a number of tours.

Tours across Russia

Besides Saint Petersburg and its suburbs, we offer multi-day tours to cities and regions across Russia.

A wide choice of routes

Sightseeing, bus, boat, evening, walking and school tours, plus suburban trips — we will find a program for any kind of visit.

Comfortable transport

We operate clean, comfortable tourist coaches. A spacious cabin matters most on longer routes.

Unusual routes around St. Petersburg

Author-led tours of Saint Petersburg

Author-led tours of Saint Petersburg can be compared to a rare bun from a small bakery, made according to its own recipe. Everyone knows the taste of classic cheesecake; it can be found in almost every cafe. An author's dessert is chosen for new impressions, an unusual combination of ingredients, and the signature style of the person who created it. A similar story happens with author-led tours. They are based not just on a set of attractions, but on an idea put together by a person who deeply understands their subject. A historian, art critic, local historian, or researcher builds the route the way they see it themselves.

Each author-led tour has its own flair. Some routes are dedicated to literary Petersburg, others reveal the secrets of palaces and mansions, and still others tell about artists, cinema, architecture, or the fates of famous residents of the city. Authorship makes such walks lively, memorable, and truly unique.

Each author-led tour has its own flair. Some routes are dedicated to literary Petersburg, others reveal the secrets of palaces and mansions, and still others tell about artists, cinema, architecture, or the fates of famous residents of the city. Authorship makes such walks lively, memorable, and truly unique.

What types of author-led tours there are

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Mansions, palaces, and museums

Behind the beautiful facades of Petersburg lie human fates, loud events, court intrigues, and the stories of entire eras. Author-led tours of palaces and museums allow you to look at familiar halls much more deeply. Every staircase, painting, sculpture, or interior object begins to tell its own story, and the state rooms turn into a living continuation of the past.

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Tours united by one theme

One idea can tell more about a city than dozens of scattered facts. Architecture, cinema, religion, the imperial era, the fates of famous people, or urban legends become the basis of a route where each stop continues the previous one. As a result, the walk is perceived as a single story with its own plot, characters, and unexpected discoveries.

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Literary Petersburg

GSurely everyone knows that over the years of its existence, Petersburg has nurtured more than a few dozen outstanding poets and writers. Dostoevsky, Pushkin, Gogol, Akhmatova, Blok, Nekrasov – these names have long become part of the history of our country.

We can honestly admit that far from everyone has read all the works of these authors from the first to the last page. At the same time, respect for them does not become any less. Their thoughts, experiences, and views still live in the city that inspired them to create.

What is good about the author-led format

In such a tour, the angle of view matters: why this palace, why this hall, why this street, why a person's fate suddenly explains an entire era. One detail – a door, a staircase, a study, the view from a window – brings Petersburg together much more strongly than a large overview route.

Advantages of author-led tours

The city from a new side

Behind familiar buildings lie events, fates, and stories that shaped Petersburg over the centuries.

A theme instead of a set of facts

This makes it easier to immerse yourself in history and remember it through images rather than dry dates.

A guide's lively storytelling

An author's route rests on the guide's intonation: they choose the emphases, explain complex things in simple language, and lead the way.

More atmosphere

Mansions, palaces, museums, film locations, and literary districts give a sense of a personal acquaintance with the city.

How to choose an author's tour

InterestWhat to chooseWhat's included
Art and museumsThe Hermitage, the General Staff Building, the Benois Wing, the Marble PalaceMasterpieces of world painting, lavish palace interiors, rare exhibits, works by great masters, and the stories hidden behind famous canvases.
Palaces and interiorsSt Michael's Castle, the Stroganov Palace, Peter the Great's Summer PalaceGrand staircases, ballrooms, private chambers, period objects, court life, the secrets of their owners, and the atmosphere of imperial Petersburg.
LiteratureDostoevsky's pathThe fates of writers and poets, city addresses, familiar lines from their works, places of inspiration, and the Petersburg preserved on the pages of books.
Cinema and the cityLenfilm and Petersburg's film locationsLegendary filming locations, stories behind the making of films, cinematic Petersburg, familiar frames, and streets that became part of the big screen.
Spiritual heritageSt Petersburg's churchesMajestic cathedrals, ancient churches, monasteries, architectural traditions, shrines of different faiths, and the centuries-long history of faith in Petersburg.

St Petersburg attractions

Palace Square in St. Petersburg

Palace Square

The main square of St. Petersburg with the Alexander Column, the Winter Palace and the ensemble of the General Staff Building.

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The Winter Palace in St. Petersburg

The Winter Palace

The ceremonial imperial residence on Palace Square and one of the city's main architectural symbols.

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The State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg

The State Hermitage Museum

St. Petersburg's main museum complex with art collections and historic interiors.

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St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg

St. Isaac's Cathedral

A monumental cathedral with a golden dome and one of the most recognizable panoramas of the historic center.

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Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg

Kazan Cathedral

A cathedral on Nevsky Prospect with a huge semicircular colonnade and an important place in the city's history.

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The Church of the Savior on Blood in St. Petersburg

The Church of the Savior on Blood

A church with mosaic facades and bright domes on the Griboyedov Canal embankment.

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Smolny Cathedral in St. Petersburg

Smolny Cathedral

Rastrelli's Baroque cathedral with its recognizable white-and-blue silhouette in the eastern part of the center.

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The Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg

Peter and Paul Fortress

The historic heart of St. Petersburg on Hare Island with fortress walls and museum sites.

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The Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg

Peter and Paul Cathedral

The cathedral inside the Peter and Paul Fortress with a golden spire and the burial place of Russian emperors.

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The Spit of Vasilyevsky Island in St. Petersburg

The Spit of Vasilyevsky Island

One of the main panoramas of the Neva with the Rostral Columns and a view of the Palace Embankment.

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The Kunstkamera in St. Petersburg

The Kunstkamera

The first Russian museum on the Universitetskaya Embankment and a recognizable symbol of Vasilyevsky Island.

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The Cruiser Aurora in St. Petersburg

The Cruiser Aurora

A legendary museum ship on the Petrogradskaya Embankment, linked to key events in Russian history.

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St. Michael's Castle in Saint Petersburg

Mikhailovsky Castle

The imperial residence of Paul I with the unusual architecture of a true city castle.

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The Marble Palace in St. Petersburg

Marble Palace

A palace by the Field of Mars and the Neva, known for its rare stone finish and historic interiors.

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The Summer Garden in St. Petersburg

The Summer Garden

Peter I's historic garden with alleys, sculptures, fountains and the famous fence by the Neva.

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New Holland in St. Petersburg

New Holland

A historic island in the center of St. Petersburg with a brick arch, canals and a modern public space.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is an author-led tour?
An author-led tour can be compared to a book by a favorite author. What matters is not only the plot itself, but also the person telling it. It is based on the author's personal view, knowledge, experience and desire to show St. Petersburg through their own idea.
Who are author-led tours of St. Petersburg suitable for?
St. Petersburg has been studied far and wide in thousands of guidebooks, articles and videos. An author-led tour lets you see it from an angle that is hard to find online or in a tourist brochure. These tours are suitable for travelers with lively curiosity, lovers of history, art, literature and city secrets. For everyone who enjoys the very process of searching, reflecting and making new discoveries.
Can I choose a route through museums and palaces?
Yes. The section includes routes through the Hermitage, the General Staff Building, St. Michael's Castle, the Stroganov Palace, the Marble Palace, the Benois Wing and the Summer Palace of Peter I.
Are there literary author-led tours?
Yes. One of these routes is “Dostoevsky's Path”. It passes through city addresses connected with the writer's life, his circle, his characters and his texts.
Are such tours suitable for a first introduction to the city?
Yes, especially routes where the author's theme is combined with a sightseeing part around the center. The guest sees the main places of St. Petersburg and immediately gets additional meaning.
Which route should art lovers choose?
A good choice is the Hermitage, the General Staff Building, the Benois Wing and the Marble Palace. These programs help you look at painting, architecture and museum halls through context.
Which route should I choose for an unusual St. Petersburg?
You can start with the Mikhailovsky Castle, Lenfilm, a St. Petersburg church, or Dostoevsky's route. These themes give the city more character and lively inner drama.

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Our guides

Экскурсовод Санкт-Петербург Елена Гончарук
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Экскурсовод Ленинград-тур - Ольга Великая
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Экскурсовод Ленинград-тур - Анна Викторова
Anna Viktorova

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Экскурсовод Ленинград-тур - Рената Богданова
Renata Bogdanova

theater artist and licensed guide to the largest museums of St. Petersburg. Co…

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