Day 1 UK/St. Petersburg
Meet your traveling companions at the airport and depart on your flight to St. Petersburg On arrival transfer to your hotel. Enjoy a welcome drink. Meals: D
Days 2 to 4 St. Petersburg
Formerly Leningrad, St Petersburg was the capital of Russia until the October Revolution in 1917. Today it is a city of beautiful baroque palaces, elaborate cathedrals and picturesque canals. It is also home to one of the world’s greatest art collections, the Hermitage. Meals: B/D
Enjoy our included excursions as follows:
St. Petersburg - A panoramic city tour, where you will see such stunning buildings as the Hermitage, the Admiralty and more.
Peterhof - A full day excursion featuring Peterhof, Peter the Great’s beautiful summer palace. Admire the extensive gardens, stunning water features and ornate decoration inside the palace.
Peter & Paul Fortress - A half day excursion to the place where Peter the Great laid the foundation stone of the city. An impressive collection of buildings can be found in this fortress built on an island in the Neva River.
The following optional trips will normally be available and can be booked with your Tour Manager once in St. Petersburg.
The Hermitage - No visit to St. Petersburg would be complete without seeing the Hermitage, home to one of the finest art collections in the world. Housed in the beautiful Winter Palace, it is home to some two million works of art. The collection was started by Peter the Great and then expanded by successive rulers.
Pushkin - A visit to Catherine the Great’s Summer Palace.
Day 5 St. Petersburg & Moscow
Travel to Moscow by train. On arrival in Moscow transfer to your hotel. Meals: B/D
Days 6 & 7 Moscow
The city of Moscow was founded in 1147 as a wooden fortress, which developed into the Kremlin as we know it today. Over the years Moscow has grown into a city of immense contrasts – on the one hand a city with many great historical buildings, on the other hand a vibrant modern city of over eight million people. Meals: B/D
Enjoy our included excursions as follows:
Moscow - A morning panoramic tour of the city to see the major sights such as The Kremlin, Red Square and St. Basil’s Cathedral.
The Kremlin - Enjoy a tour of the grounds of the Kremlin territory and a visit to the Cathedral of the Assumption.
The following optional trips or activities will also normally be available and can be booked with your Tour Manager once in Moscow.
Armoury - See the fascinating collection of royal regalia (only available as an extension to the Kremlin tour).
Metro - Admire the ornate stations and take a ride on the Moscow Metro.
Evening Event - See the circus, opera or ballet (subject to availability).
Day 8 Moscow/Yaroslavl
Depart Moscow by coach and travel eastwards to Yaroslavl for a two night stay. En route we visit Sergiev Posad, famed for the Trinity Monastery of St. Sergius, and Rostov Veliky, which is one of the oldest towns in Russia.
Day 9 Yaroslavl
Today we include a panoramic tour of Yaroslavl and an excursion to Kostroma, an ancient city located on the banks of the River Volga. Enjoy a sightseeing tour of Kostroma featuring the Church of the Resurrection and the Monastery of St. Ipaty. Dinner will be in the hotel this evening.
Day 10 Rostov & Suzdal
We head today to Suzdal for a two night stay, stopping on the way in Rostov, one of the oldest towns in Russia.
Day 11 Suzdal & Vladimir
Our included tour of Suzdal takes you to the town’s Kremlin (citadel) and 18th century Cross Hall. You will also visit the Museum of Wooden Architecture and Peasant Life. In the afternoon we include a visit to nearby Vladimir to see the Assumption Cathedral, the Cathedral of St. Dmitriy and the famous Church of the Intercession on the River Nerl.
Day 12 Suzdal/Moscow/UK
Transfer to Moscow airport for your return flight to the UK.