The tour will commence with a short drive to the city of Svetlogorsk, located on the Baltic sea. A cozy European-looking town formerly known as Rauschen, but renamed in 1947. The town became a holiday resort almost 200 years ago when it became popular with European visitors due to the seaside location.
What's included
- English Speaking Guide
- Air-Conditioned Transportation
Highlights
Itinerary
10:00
During the panoramic tour of the city the guide will be pointing out the beautiful villas with towers built at the beginning of the last century, each of these buildings is surrounded by trees.
After the panoramic tour, there will be some free time to explore the area and the beautiful promenade. There are plenty of restaurants to take a coffee or shop for souvenirs before meeting back with the tour guide.
The tour will then continue towards Kaliningrad, the Westernmost city in Russia. The drive will be around 50 minutes and our first stop will be downtown Kaliningrad, by the ruins of Konigsberg Castle. The guide will be talking about the history of this area during the time of the Teutonic Knights. The first castle appeared here in the middle of the 13th century, later to be extended and refortified in several stages of renovation between the 16th and 18th centuries. It was a residence of the Grandmasters of Teutonic order and later for Prussian rulers. Konigsberg Castle was severely damaged during the bombing of the city in World War II, nowadays, it is a place of excavation works, with a hope that in the future this becomes an open-air museum.
Moving forward on the tour, on a place of the former castle you can see a Soviet symbol of the city – the House of Soviets – an unfinished building often referred to as the “buried robot” because its appearance resembles the head of a giant robot which is buried in the ground up to the shoulders.
Konigsberg stock exchange will enchant you with its Italian neo-Renaissance architecture. It was heavily damaged in 1944 and rebuilt in the 1960s. It is currently a place for the Kaliningrad art museum.
The King’s Gate is the most beautiful and magnificent among the former six gates that were built during the 19the century around the city.
Your next stop will be at the place widely called “the Bulls” and when you arrive you will see why. You will notice the splendid architecture of the old district Hufen and learn the story of the local Drama theatre.
Former suburban district Amalienau remained relatively unscathed during World War II. Here you can see some luxury villas and imagine what local life was like a century ago.
Our last stop will be on the island of Kneiphof, now also known as Kant island. You will hear the story of the Konigsberg cathedral, solve the secret of seven bridges and learn why one of them has a sweet name. Of course, your guide will tell you about the most famous citizen of Konigsberg – philosopher Immanuel Kant.
At the end of the tour, you will be taken back to the cruise ship in Pionersky in plenty of time for your cruise ship’s departure.