Start your private tour with a pickup from Alexander Column on Palace Square. Then head for the Peter and Paul Fortress, the oldest of St Petersburg’s landmarks.. As you travel, your guide will tell tales of the city and how it was founded with the construction of the fortress in 1703 at the behest of the Tsar, Peter the Great. Upon arrival at the fortress, stroll around its buildings with your guide while learning about their fascinating history. Hear how the fortress was built to defend against an incursion of Swedish forces that never happened, and how during the 19th century, the fortress was used as a prison. Peer inside the eerie Trubetskoy Bastion, one of the former prison blocks as your guide explains how it was used as a torture chamber, and take a guided tour of the museum that charts the lives of the former inmates. Visit the stunning Peter and Paul Cathedral, the imperious Russian Orthodox church housed within the fortress walls. Admire the soaring bell tower and gilded baroque interior, and see the tombs of several of the Tsars laid to rest here, including Peter the Great, and Tsar Nicholas II and his family, whose remains were buried here in 1998.