Reception. Transfer to hotel and free time. You will receive information about the start of the circuit during the afternoon, or you can check the informative panels in the hotel reception area.
We will start our trip with an exciting visit to Russia’s huge capital city. This city unites past, present and future in a very unique way. We will go along their immense avenues, their elegant shopping areas, the Red Square where Lenin’s Mausoleum is, Saint Basil’s Cathedral, the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour… We include a ticket to the Kremlim with a visit to two of its main cathedrals. We will try (not guaranteed) to coincide with the ceremonial military parade in Sobornaya Square. Free afternoon.
In order to admire Russia’s soul, we include a morning tour of Kolomenskoye, a estate that formerly belonged to the tsars. We will attend a traditional Russian wedding ceremony there. On our way there, we will stop at Moscow university’s lookout which has a fantastic vista of the city, a place where newlyweds leave flowers (the lookout may also be visited during Saturday’s visit). Free afternoon.
We will get en route with a brief stop in KLIN, where we will visit the house formerly inhabited by Tchaikovsky, the great composer. We will continue to TVER. This town on the bank of VOLGA river was the centre of a small State that was Moscow’s main rival. Brief visit and lunch included. We will resume our trip to VALDAY, a picturesque, small town on a lake’s side. We will visit an old monastery on the island. We will continue to NOVGOROD. Dinner included.
We include a guided tour and tickets in NOVGOROD, an exciting city which was formerly one of Russia’s most important cultural and political hubs. We will visit its Kremlin, its old market quarter, Yaroslav’s Court... We will go to the city outskirts to visit the Wooden Architecture Museum, an outdoor museum of peasant houses and beautifully decorated wooden churches. Lunch included. We will continue to SAINT PETERSBURG. As we enter the city, we will take a brief sightseeing tour of this city crossed by the Neva River and built on top of 40 islands. Arrival at hotel.
We include a morning guided tour (with tickets) of the Peter and Paul Fortress, the original place from which this city sprawled. We will later go to the Hermitage Museum, a fantastic art museum located in the tsars’ former Winter Palace. Free afternoon.
Russia’s former capital in the tsarist period is surrounded by many palaces. On this day, we will include a tour (guided tour and tickets) of PETERHOF PALACE, known as the “Russian Versailles” located 30 km from Saint Petersburg. This baroque style set of palaces, used to be the tsars’ official residence and has some huge size and magnificent fountains and gardens declared World Heritage by UNESCO. Return to Saint Petersburg. Free afternoon.
After breakfast, transfer to the airport and end of our services.
