8 Days tour to Russia - Moscow to St. Petersburg
8 Days tour to - Mosco & St. Petersburg
Day 1 - Monday
Arrival in Moscow
Upon arrival to Moscow, you will be met and transferred to your hotel. The rest of the day is to relax or perhaps begin your independent discovery of the fabled capital of Russia.(Dinner).
Day 2 - Tuesday
Moscow
Breakfast at hote & City tour.
City tour -
Moscow is the capital of Russia and the country’s principal political, economic, financial, educational, and transportation center. see Tverskaya Street – the most expensive shopping street in Moscow and Russia, Theatralny Passage, KGB building, St Basil’s Cathedral and Manezh Square. Afterwards, enjoy some free time in the famous Red Square where you can marvel at GUM – famous main department store of Russia previously known as the Upper Trading Rows (opened in 1893) and the Saint Basil's Cathedral (entrance not included), which is included in the list of Seven Wonders of Russia. Each building in Red Square is a legend in its own right. One of these is Lenin’s Mausoleum, where the embalmed body of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, the founder of the Soviet Union is displayed. Nearby is the elaborate bright-domed building of Saint Basil’s Cathedral and also the palaces and cathedrals of the Kremlin. On the eastern side of the square is the GUM department store, and next to it the restored Kazan Cathedral. The northern side is occupied by the State Historical Museum, whose outlines echo those of Kremlin towers. The only sculptured monument on the square is a bronze statue of Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky, who helped to clear Moscow from the Polish invaders in 1612, during the Times of Trouble. Nearby is the so-called Lobnoye Mesto, a circular platform where public ceremonies used to take place. The square itself is around 330 meters long and 70 meters wide. Also you will be able to admire magnificent view on the Novodevchy convent that was founded in 1524 by the father of Ivan the Terrible, Grand Duke Vasily III in honor of the capture of Smolensk. Dinner at hotel.(Breakfast & Dinner).
Day 3 - Wednesday
Moscow
Breakfast at hotel. Explore the city at your own.(Breakfast & Dinner).
Optional tour Visit Tretiakov Gallery -
The Tretyakov Gallery houses one of the most celebrated and extensive collections of Russian art and artifacts in the world. The gallery was named after the entrepreneur Pavel Tretyakov, who donated approximately 2000 works of Russian art from his own private collection to the city of Moscow at the end of the 19th century.
Without Tretyakov’s extensive and generous patronage of the arts many Russian artists would not have been able to achieve the artistic success that they did and the world of Russian art would be considerably diminished.
Along with his paintings, Tretyakov also generously donated his own house and surrounding buildings, which became the original premises of the gallery.
The collection of the gallery now comprises the entire spectrum of Russian art. Exhibition halls feature icons (most notably an impressive collection of icons by the artist Andrei Rublev), 18th century portraits, Realist works, Romantic, Symbolist and avant-garde canvases and displays of graphic and applied arts.
A visit to the Tretyakov Gallery is a definite must for anyone interested in Russian art and culture.
Day 4 - Thursday
Moscow | Saint Petersburg
Breakfast at hotel, transfer from hotel to railway station in Moscow, Sapsan speed train from Moscow to Saint-Petersburg, transfer from railway station to hotel in Saint-Petersburg, Dinner and overnight.(Breakfast & Dinner).
Day 5 - Friday
Saint Petersburg
Breakfast at hotel & City tour visit to St. Peter and Paul fortress.
City tour Visit to St. Peter and Paul fortress -
St. Petersburg is a beautiful and fascinating holiday destination and one of the most intriguing and historically significant cities in Europe. Whether you chose to visit the city either in winter or during the summer months, you will be spellbound by St. Petersburg’s culture and beauty. St Petersburg is a relatively young city, by both Russian and European standards, and was only founded in 1703 by Tsar Peter the Great. Despite its short life so far, Petersburg has a rich and exciting history. From the early days of Peter the Great’s “Venice of the North” to the modern events of the 1991 coup d’etat, the city has always bustled with life and intrigue, revolution and mystery. You will go down Nevsky Prospect, St. Petersburg's most famous and vibrant thoroughfare. There you will see some of the city's most interesting architectural monuments including the Kazan Cathedral (exterior) and the Winter Palace. You will visit the Peter and Paul Fortress (interior). The first construction of the new Russian capital, the Peter and Paul Fortress, occupies the central position in the architectural ensemble of city center, and the Peter and Paul Cathedral with its high bell tower is one of the main landmarks of Saint Petersburg. The silhouette of the Peter and Paul fortress became the main symbol of the city on the Neva River. (Breakfast & Dinner).
Day 6 - Saturday
Saint Petersburg
Breakfast at hotel & Visit Hermitage.
Visit Hermitage tour -
With the possible exception of the Louvre, there is no museum in the world that rivals the Hermitage in size and quality. Its collection is so large that it would take years to view it in its entirety at last count, there were nearly three million works on exhibit. The museum is especially strong in Italian Renaissance, as well as possessing outstanding collections of works by Rembrandt, Picasso, and Matisse. Visitors should also take advantage of its excellent Greek and Roman antiquities collection and its exhibits of Siberian and Central Asian art. Not least among the attractions of the Hermitage is the museum itself, with its fine interior decoration and architectural detail. As the Hermitage is so enormous, its collection so strong and diverse, and its interior so attractive in its own right, many visitors find that the very best way to tour the museum is to make several briefer visits rather than one frenetic and exhausting marathon tour. While there is much to be gained by simply allowing the curiosity of one’s eye to take at least occasional precedence over a list of works and collections dictated by a guidebook or even a guide. The origins of the Hermitage can be traced back to the private art collection of Peter the Great, who purchased numerous works during his travels abroad and later hung them in his residence. Catherine the Great expanded the collection considerably, and she and her successors built the Hermitage collection in large part with purchases of the private collections of the Western European aristocracy and monarchy. By the time Nicholas II ascended the throne in 1894, he was heir to the greatest collection of art in Europe. After the Revolution of 1917, the museum was opened to the public, and its collection was further augmented by the addition of modern works taken from private collections. Today, the Hermitage has embarked on a major renovation effort. Its collection is in the process of being reorganized, and many of its works have for the first time become available for travelling exhibits outside of the country. (Breakfast & Dinner).
Day 7 - Sunday
Saint Petersburg
Breakfast at hotel. Explore the city at your own.(Breakfast & Dinner).
Optional tour -
Pushkin, one of the most picturesque towns is situated 24 km to the south from the Northern capital. Till 1918 the town was called Tsarskoye Selo (literary - “tsar’s village”), then it was renamed Detskoye Selo (“children’s village”), and since 1937 it bears the name of great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin. For two centuries Tsarskoye Selo stayed the main summer residence of Russian emperors. Its construction was of state significance and the palace and park ensemble was regularly enriched with new edifices created by the best architects of that time. Tsarskoye Selo was especially loved by Elizaveta Petrovna. During her reign the Catherine Palace named in honor of her mother was rebuilt and extended. Thanks to the best architects of that time Zemtsov, Trezini, Rastrelli and others the modest building was turned into a splendid Baroque palace with rich decor of the facades and interiors.
Catherine the Great also preferred Tsarskoye Selo to all other imperial residences. She commissioned the construction of the Alexandrovsky Palace and the number of annexes to the Great Palace - Agathic rooms, Cameron’s gallery, Grand dukes building. The parks of the Tsarskoye Selo were enlarged and adorned with many new buildings and monuments honoring the friends of the Empress. In 1810 famous Imperial Lyceum was opened where small Alexander Pushkin studied.
The Second World War is associated here with the mysterious disappearance of the Amber Room. During the occupation this priceless work of art was dismantled and taken out to Germany. Where it was brought and hidden nobody knows. In 1979 it was decided to reconstruct the Amber Room. It took about a quarter of a century to create new amber panels that would precisely depict the lost ones.
Day 8 - Monday
Saint Petersburg
Breakfast at hotel, transfer from hotel to the airport.(Breakfast).
End of our service.
Tour Include:
- Accommodation in Moscow in 4* hotel (Radisson Slavyanskaya or similiar)
- Accommodation in St.Petersburg in 4* hotel ( Park Inn Nevsky or similar)
- Excursion program above
- Bed and breakfast in hotels
- 7 Dinners
- Luggage handling in hotels
- Sapsan speed train from Moscow to St.Peterыburg
- All transfer and transportation services per program
- Local English speaking guides per program
- Visa support letter
Tour not include:
- Airfare & Departure taxes
- Tips to guide/drivers & hotel staff
- Travel Insurance
- Personal extras on meals not mentioned above
- Any other items not mentioned.
Hotels 4 Stars:
Moscow: Radisson Slavyanskaya or similar
St. Petersburg: Park Inn Nevsky or similar