Classical Russia 8 Nights / 9 Days

Today Highlights - St. Petersburg - Panoramic visit of St. Petersburg including Peter and Paul Fortress. Excursion to Peterhof Palace. With a local guide we begin the panoramic visit of this beautiful city crossed by the Neva River and built on 40 islands. St Petersburg is the second most important city in Russia and capital of the Russian Empire. This imperial city reveals the history of the Russian tsars through its museums, palaces, and architectural wealth. The visit includes the Peter and Paul Fortress (entrance included), origin of the city. The city is surrounded by numerous palaces. We take an excursion, with a guide and tickets, to the PETERHOF PALACE. This UNESCO heritage of mankind known as the ¨Russian Versailles¨ with magnificent fountains and gardens was one of the residences of the Tzars.

Today's Highlights - Saint Petersburg.- Hermitage Museum Today we have a visit to the Hermitage Museum, a fantastic art museum located in the building that was the Tsars’ Winter Palace (visit with guide and tickets). Enjoy a free afternoon at leisure.

St. Petersburg- Novgorod- Valday- Tver TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT: Russian plain, woodlands and lakes. Novgorod. Dinner included. We continue our journey to NOVGOROD, an exciting city that was one of Russia’s most important political and cultural centres. We will visit its Kremlin (guide and entrance included), the former market district, the court of Yaroslav. Lunch included. Followed by a relaxing lunch. Then to VALDAY, a picturesque little city by a lake. We will visit the ancient monastery on an island in the lake before going on to TVER. Dinner included.

Tver- Sergei Posad-Suzdal TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT: Along tiny roads to see the rural areas of Russia, passing many pretty villages on our way. Tchaikovsky´s house. Lunch included. We start the day with a stroll in TVER, a city on the banks of the Volga River that was the centre of a small state that was Moscow’s main rival. After this, we will see some of the cities of the GOLDEN RING. A stop in KLIN where we visit the house of the brilliant composer Tchaikovsky (entrance included) . Then we carry on to SERGIEV POSAD, where we will see the Monastery of the Trinity, considered Russia’s most important spiritual centre. Lunch included. In the afternoon, we travel along small roads that pass through historical cities of the Golden Ring; ALEXANDROV, with its Kremlin dedicated to Ivan the Terrible. YURYEV POLSKIY, a small provincial city with its historical Kremlin. Our route continues to SUZDAL. During dinner (included) enjoy a folkloric group who will accompany us with the sound of balalaikas (not included if there are fewer than 15 participants in the group).

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT: Sightseeing of Suzdal. Lunch included. In the morning we will see how the famous Matryoshka dolls are made and painted, and you will get an opportunity to learn how to paint them. Then we visit SUZDAL, which for many is the most beautiful of the cities of the Golden Ring, with its canals, flowers, domes on the horizon, which give the city a fairytale-like appearance. We will visit the wooden Architecture Museum, which illustrates the former peasant life with houses built of trunks, mills and the Church of the Transfiguration. At the Monastery of St Eugen we will hear the bell concert. After this, we travel to Vladimir where we visit the majestic Cathedral of the Assumption. Lunch included. Then we continue to MOSCOW, where we will arrive in the late afternoon.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT: City tour of Moscow with entrances to Kremlin and its main cathedrals. We will start our day with an exciting visit to Russia’s huge capital city. This city unites past, present and future in a very unique way. We will visit the immense avenues, elegant shopping areas, the Red Square where Lenin’s Mausoleum is, Saint Basil’s Cathedral, the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. We will also enter the Kremlin with a visit to two of its main cathedrals. We will try (not guaranteed) to coincide with the ceremonial military parade in Sobornaya Square. Enjoy the afternoon at leisure.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT: Viewpoint over Moscow. Great Patriotic War Museum. We will learn more about the history of Russia and its capital. We will pass by the university viewpoint, with its fantastic view over the city where newly married couples leave flowers (we could go to the viewpoint after Saturday’s visit instead of Sunday) and we will get to know (including entry) the Great Patriotic War Museum (World War II) that also shows us many aspects of the Soviet period. Free afternoon.