Imperial life in the Baltic

ST Petersburg and its Winter Palace Hermitage, home to one of the world's best art collections, is a highlight on a cruise from Copenhagen to Stockholm.

baltic escape nov 17

ELABORATE horse blankets encrusted with thousands of diamonds; a unique collection of fine porcelain snuff boxes; fabulous gold head wreaths from Ancient Greece; and beautiful jewellery including works by Faberge.

It's hard to get one's head around the fabulous wealth of the former Russian tsars on display but locked away from most prying eyes in the Hermitage in St Petersburg.

My husband and I are on a private tour of the Gold Room of what is essentially the treasury of tsarist Russia. Housed in the vast Winter Palace on the banks of the Neva River, the Hermitage  -  with more than 1000 rooms  - is possibly the largest repository of artworks in the world.

Comprising six magnificent buildings painted green with white rococo trim, the Winter Palace had been the home of the tsars and tsarinas since Catherine the Great  - who kick-started the original collection when she bought 255 paintings from a Berlin art dealer.

Now,250 years later, the extraordinary Hermitage collections catalogue the development of world culture and art from the Stone Age to the 20th century.

We are on board the 350-cabin Regent Seven Seas Voyager which, during the short northern hemisphere summer, cruises between Copenhagen and Stockholm, where St Petersburg is the highlight.

Called Imperial Visions, the 10-night cruise visits ports including Warnemunde (with a possible day excursion to Berlin three hours away), the tiny Danish island of Ronne, pretty Visby in Gotland, the Latvian capital of Riga, then on to Tallinn  -  the medieval capital of Estonia, and fabulous St Petersburg followed by a final day in Helsinki, Finland, before disembarking in Stockholm.

The cruise offers three days in St Petersburg  - a city of such incredible history, priceless art, architectural beauty and international intrigue.

Any less time would not have been enough.

Somehow, these small but wonderful early ports act as an appropriate lead-up  - like a crescendo in a Tchaikovsky overture  - to the main work, St Petersburg.

While most excursions are included, we opt for a few extras as well, and have booked two excursions each day in St Petersburg, including a night at the Russian Ballet ($149)  -  where the performance of Nutcracker in the Alexandrinsky Theatre is outstanding; to Catherine's gilded palace in Pushkin and to Peter The Great's impressive Grand Palace, Peterhof, in time to see the cascading fountains spring to life.

We also ride the famed Metro with its ornate stations and glide through some of its 65 rivers and canals.

Eighty guests opt for an early rise to take in a full day's trip by high-speed train to Moscow ($1319), not arriving back until about midnight. 

Onboard we have been upgraded to a South Seas Suite on Deck 6 which includes butler service. Mark, a Filipino, introduces himself as our butler and explains our bonus benefits: nightly canapes, pressing of two pieces of clothing each, an hour's internet use each (lengthy or frequent emails can be expensive at sea), plus any restaurant or tour bookings that might need following up.

Our spacious stateroom is well equipped and comes with walk-in dressing room, marble bathroom with shower and bath and choice of three brands of amenities (Hermes, l'Occitane and Regent's own label), a mini bar stocked with our choice of beverages, a coffee machine and large-screen digital TV.

The wraparound balcony is furnished with table and chairs and a sun lounge from where we investigate early morning ports through binoculars.

Inclusions are generous: more than 40 shore excursions, onboard gratuities and unlimited beverages. Passengers are able to buy cellar list wines, top-shelf spirits and beluga caviar at a reasonable cost.

We start each day with a buffet breakfast in La Veranda with specials such as eggs Benedict or blueberry pancakes (and occasional room service), and at night frocking up a tad to enjoy five-course dinners in the main restaurant, Compass Rose.

Seasoned passengers know to pre-book excursions online and make reservations (at no extra charge) at the two specialist restaurants onboard: Signatures, an intimate elegant restaurant offering French classics; and steakhouse Prime 7.

With the choice of four onboard restaurants, along with casual poolside themed barbecue lunches, afternoon teas, late-night supper and non-stop treats at Coffee Connection, it's no wonder the average cruise passenger puts on 4.5kg, according to a recent survey.

I am slightly crestfallen to learn that nearly half the massage and spa treatment spots have been pre-booked online too; the rest, I find out, were snaffled up within about half an hour of embarkation.

However, I squeeze in an indulgent full manicure and secure possibly the last Canyon Ranch massage on our last night at sea  -  to try to counteract all the walking tours on cobblestones  - though charming, they can play havoc with your joints.

One guest confides he is pacing himself like an athlete to keep up; another suggests she would need another holiday when she gets home.

But some passengers never leave the ship, preferring simply to relax and enjoy the onboard amenities, and then go on to dance the night away in the Voyager Lounge or enjoy nightly entertainment in the Constellation Theatre perhaps the talented Jean Ann Ryan Singers and Dancers or Paul Roberts who gives good renditions of the Rat Pack favourites.

Half the 678 passengers onboard are repeat guests with a combined 7065 nights cruised  - more than 19 years.

One serial cruise couple is celebrating their 500th night with Regent. 

--- The writer was a guest of Thai Airways International and Regent Seven Seas Cruises.

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-- REGENT SEVEN SEAS VOYAGER

-- Getting there

Thai has 38 flights a week to Bangkok from major Australian capital cities with daily connections to Copenhagen. Ph 1300 651 960 or see www.thaiair ways.com.au

-- Cruising there

Next year, Regent's Seven Seas Voyager is offering seven and 10-night cruises in the Baltic.

-- Contact

Wiltrans International, ph [phone], 1800 251 174 (Australia), or see wiltrans.com.au, or rssc.com