Moscow, St Petersburg & The Golden Ring

Day 1 - Welcome to Moscow!

Today you will land at Moscow airport and once through arrivals your English speaking guide will greet you. A private vehicle will drive to your centrally located hotel in the city. The rest of the day is free for you to spend as you wish. You can start exploring or you may choose to relax.

Day 2 - Moscow city tour and St. Basil's Cathedral

Today you will start exploring the Russian capital accompanied by your private English speaking guide. You will go around on foot and by metro, truly the best way to take in all the wonderful sights! You will see the world-famous sights and impressive landmarks of this vivacious city, such as the Kremlin, Red Square, the world’s 4th largest, the cathedrals of St. Basil and Our Lady of Kazan and Lenin’s tomb and necropolis. Not to mention the world famous Moscow Metro! A true masterpiece, it was established in 1835 and is considered one of the world’s most efficient transport system.

Day 3 - Moscow food lovers tour including Eliseevsky & Danilovsky

One of travelling’s highlights is often the food but for newcomers to Moscow, it can be tricky to know where to find the city’s best eats and avoid tourist traps. This private food tour takes the guesswork out of your visit. You’ll walk through the city and visit markets and specialty shops, enjoying few tastings of Russian specialties. You will also visit the famous Eliseevsky supermarket. With an architecture that is more suited to a grand palace this is indeed a store, surely the most beautiful supermarket you will ever visit! Finally, a stop at Danilovsky market. A giant Soviet era farmers market, it is now more of a destination for deli food lovers.

Day 4 - Arbat street walking tour

Arguably the most famous street in Moscow, today you will stroll around Arbat street accompanied by your private English speaking guide. Today Arbat is a pedestrian street 1.25 km long in the historical centre of Moscow. It has existed since at least the 15th century, which makes it one of the oldest surviving streets of the Russian capital. Through the centuries Arbat used to be one of the most bohemian places of Moscow. It attracted a lot of prominent Russian people including writers, poets, and artists. Nowadays, it offers plenty of small and cozy cafes, street artists and a slice of Moscow daily life bringing locals and tourists together.

In the afternoon, you will taken by private vehicle to the train station where you will board the train to Vladimir, in the Golden Ring. Once arrived, a private car with and English speaking guide will drive to your hotel in charming Suzdal where you will check in at your hotel for the night.

Day 5 - Suzdal and Vladimir tours and overnight train to St. Petersburg

In the morning after breakfast you will be met by your guide and taken on a private tour of Suzdal, a calm old Russian town 38 km north of Vladimir. Suzdal is officially protected from industrial developments, so the old monasteries and beautiful churches standing on picturesque green hills are kept intact. Included in the city tour is the Museum of Wooden Architecture if you are visiting in the summer or the Gold Room if travelling in winter.

After visiting Suzdal’s main sights you will be driven to Vladimir to discover the charm of this other town in the Golden Ring. The city is the former capital of the Vladimir-Suzdal Principality in the 12th century, and is located 179 kilometers to the east of Moscow. There are many interesting sights, old churches, monasteries and museums that you will discover with the help of your guide. You will also have time to visit Bogobulovo, a settlement with 4 thousand people located aroudn 10 km north-east of Vladimir. Bogobulovo was built between 1158 and 1165 while it was the residence of the Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky. The Church of the Intercession of the Holy Virgin on the Nerl River is a symbol of mediaeval Russia, listed on the World Heritage List of UNESCO.

After the tour you will stay in Vladimir and enjoy some free time. You will arrange a meeting point with your driver and guide at around 21.30 to be driven to the rail station to take the overnight train to St. Petersburg.

Day 6 - Arrival in St. Petersbug

You will arrive in St. Petersburg at around 07.55 in the morning. A guide with private transport will be waiting for you at the station to take you to your hotel.

You will be able to check in straight away for your convenience. After some time to freshen up and relax, you will enjoy a tour to the Hermitage.

The Winter Palace & The Hermitage was the main residence of the Russian Emperors from the 1760s to the Revolution of 1917. Magnificently located on the bank of the Neva River, this Baroque-style palace is perhaps Saint-Petersburg’s most impressive attraction. Many visitors also know it as the main building of the Hermitage Museum, the largest art gallery in Russia and one of the most respected art museums in the world. The museum was founded in 1764 when Catherine the Great purchased a collection of 255 paintings in Berlin. Today, the Hermitage boasts over 2.7 million exhibits and displays a diverse range of art from all over the world, including masterpieces of Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian, Rembrandt, Rubens, Impressionists, Van Gogh, Matisse, Gaugin and more.

Day 7 - City tour of St Petersburg including Peter and Paul Fortress and Fabergé Museum

Saint-Petersburg, the most European city in Russia, will celebrate its 310 anniversary in 2013. Founded in 1703 by Russian Emperor Peter the Great as a fortress, it soon became the capital of the Russian Empire. Since 1918 the capital of the state has been returned back to Moscow, but Saint-Petersburg has maintained the unofficial status of the second capital.

Accompanied by an English speaking guide and travelling by private vehicle, today you will visit the main sights of this enchanting city.

First, Peter and Paul Fortress, which is the original citadel of Saint-Petersburg, founded by Peter the Great in 1703. The fortress contains several notable buildings clustered around the Peter and Paul Cathedral, which has a 123 meter bell-tower and a gilded angel-topped cupola. The cathedral is the burial place of the Russian emperors from Peter the Great to Alexander the Third. The sandy beaches underneath the fortress walls are among the most popular in St. Petersburg. At the Naryshkin Bastion of the fortress every noon the cannon shoots for the inhabitants to check their watches.

You will then marvel at the Cathedral of Our Savior on the Spilled Blood, a marvelous Russian style church built in 1883 on the place where Emperor Alexander II was killed by a terrorist’s bomb. The construction of the church was almost entirely funded by the Imperial family and thousands of private donors. Both the interior and exterior of the church are decorated with incredibly detailed mosaics, designed and created by the most prominent Russian artists. The exterior of the Cathedral reminds the St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow.

Lastly, the famous Fabergé Museum with its stunning collection of over 4000 display items which also represent the many different things created by the House of Fabergé. The items of greatest value in the collection are nine Easter eggs made by artisans employed by the House of Fabergé for the last two Russian emperors. They are all masterpieces of jewelry art and have unique historical value, as they are linked to the reign and personal lives of Alexander II and Nikolai II.

Day 8 - Canal boat trip

Saint-Petersburg has 86 canals and rivers with over 580 bridges crossing them, which gives a reason to call the city “A Northern Venice”. Like Venice, the city is divided up among numerous islands. There were about 150 islands at the beginning of the 19th century, their number has reduced to 42 today. Because of this, one of the best way to see this city is from the water!

Today we have organised a boat tour for you to gain a different perspective of the city’s beauty. Return transfers from your hotel are also included.

Day 9 - Departure

Today your Russian holiday comes to an end. We have included a private transfer with English speaking guide to St. Petersburg airport.