To enable delegates to get the most out of their time in the wonderful city of St Petersburg, we offered a selection of sightseeing trips which took place at the end of the conference.

Below you will find details of the sightseeing trips that were on offer in 2009, and we will offer similar in 2010. Make your selection when registration for the RHIC opens. Trips are offered on a first-come, first served basis.

City Bus Tour including a visit to St Peter and Paul Cathedral and Fortress

With a brief introduction to the history of St. Petersburg, your coach brings you to the Spit of Vasilievsky Island, where you will enjoy the magnificent view of the Neva River and the Rostral Columns followed by a guided tour of the St. Peter and Paul Cathedral and Fortress grounds. You will then continue along the embankments of the Neva River, on a drive along Nevsky Prospect where you'll see the Vosstaniya Square, fantastic Palace Bridge, the Hermitage, Field of Mars, Russian Cruiser Aurora and Trinity Bridge.

The State Hermitage

The State Hermitage occupies six magnificent buildings situated along the embankment of the River Neva, right in the heart of St Petersburg. The leading role in this unique architectural ensemble is played by the Winter Palace, the residence of the Russian tsars that was built to the design of Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli in 1754-62. Put together over two and a half centuries, the Hermitage collections of works of art present the development of the world culture and art from the Stone Age to the 20th century.

St.Isaacs Cathedral