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Express to Russia » Tours to Russia » Tours to St. Petersburg » Two capitals and the Golden Ring: Moscow, Sergiev Posad, Vladimir, Suzdal, Saint Petersburg, 9 days, 8 nights LIGHT
Two capitals and the Golden Ring: Moscow, Sergiev Posad, Vladimir, Suzdal, Saint Petersburg, 9 days, 8 nights LIGHT(includes accommodation, transfers, train tickets, city tour only in Moscow and Saint Petersburg. The Golden Ring tour includes accommodation, transfers, excursions, meals)
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Arrival in Moscow
On arrival in Moscow you will be met by our friendly representative who will escort you by car or mini bus to your hotel. On the way to the hotel, you will have the opportunity to get your first glimpse of this truly unique and beautiful city. After settling in at the hotel, you can sit down to a short lunch (optional), to prepare you for the city tour.
Panoramic City Tour. This tour is a great start to your trip and the best way to get acquainted with many of the city´s major highlights. Our professional guide will escort you on a route that includes Vorobyevi Hills where you will get an incredible view of the city from an observation point, you will proceed to Moscow State University which is an example of architecture from the time of Stalin, then on to the Novodevichiy Convent, the Diplomatic Village, Victory Park, the Triumphal Arch, Kutuzovsky Prospect, the Arbat and much more. You will then proceed to Red Square, to the famous St. Basil´s Cathedral and walk around the territory of the Kremlin.
For the remaining period of your tour, you can choose from the many excursions that Express to Russia offers and customize your tour and manage your time in Russia the way that you would like to. After you have submitted an inquiry regarding the above tour press the “ADD EXCURSIONS” button and choose from the excursions offered. Alternatively, you can also inquire about our FULL TOUR which includes much more than the light version that you have selected.
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Day 4 Sergiev
Posad |
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At 8.00 AM, our driver and representative will pick you up to depart for Sergiev Posad by car or mini-van.
It is 2-3 hours’ drive from Moscow. Arrival in Sergiev Posad.
Considered by some to be the Russian Vatican, Sergiev Posad is the temporary residence of the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church. The tour starts with the Trinity St. Sergius Monastery (Lavra), built in the first half of the 1340s by the son of Rostov Boyar, Sergius of Radonezh, who remains one the most venerated saints in Russia. The monastery includes more than fifty edifices constructed by Moscow, Pskov and Yaroslavl craftsmen. In 1993 it was entered into the UNESCO World Heritage list. The History and Art museum within the walls of the Monastery contains a rich collection of old Russian paintings and various works of art dating back to the XIV - XVII centuries.
Lunch at the local restaurant (included).
Transfer to Vladimir.
Check into hotel (3-star hotel).
Dinner at the restaurant of the hotel (included).
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After breakfast at the hotel and check out, you will be taken to the town of Suzdal, often called the Russian Mecca. It is just 32 km from Vladimir. One can hardly call Suzdal a town, due to the numerous churches, wooden private houses, quietness, bird singing and bell ringing there.
A sightseeing tour will take you to the oldest part of the Kremlin, the heart of Suzdal. Specialists believe the Kremlin dates back to the Xth century and first appeared in the chronicles in 1024. On its territory you will admire the Cathedral of the Nativity, dating back to the beginning of the XIII century, the largest relic of which is the Golden Gates. The next stop will be at the architectural ensemble of the Archbishops´ Chambers that took several centuries to be completed. It houses a unique and breathtaking collection of historical and archaeological objects, including the Cross-Vaulted Chamber.
The open-air Museum of Wooden Architecture recreates the life and traditions of people who lived in the XVIII–XIX century. The ensemble includes churches, log houses and other civil structures.
* During the low season the museum of Wooden Architecture will be substituted with the Spaso-Yevfimievsky Monastery of Our Savior.
Lunch at the local restaurant (included)
Transfer to Vladimir.
Panoramic city tour. During the city tour you will get acquainted with the main highlights of the city. The first stop is the Assumption cathedral, a unique monument of the white-stone architecture of Vladimir, built in the middle of the XII century by Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky as the main church of the Vladimir-Suzdal principality. World-famous frescoes by Andrei Rublev are preserved there. You will proceed to a small one-domed cathedral of St.Dmitry, built in the beginning of the XII century by then prince Vsevolod as his palace church. The cathedral´s interior still features frescoes of the XII century.
The Golden Gates are considered a door to Vladimir. It is one of the first historical monuments that welcome you on your arrival. It was created in early XII century by prince Andrei Bogolubsky and in ancient times it served as the main military tower of the fortress.
At around 5:30 PM, you will set back to Moscow.
Transfer to the train station, overnight train to Saint Petersburg
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Days 6-9 Saint
Petersburg |
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You will be met by your guide in St. Petersburg when you get off the train and proceed to be taken on a panoramic City Tour. Our professional guide will take you 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 and the Winter Palace. You will then proceed to Vasilevsky Island - the area of the city that Peter the Great originally planned to be the city center. This island juts out into the Gulf of Finland - reminding you of St. Petersburg´s close proximity to the sea and maritime history. The tour will include a visit to the Peter and Paul Fortress - a symbol of St. Petersburg and also the oldest building in the city. While there, you will visit Peter´s Cathedral, the burial place of the Russian Tsars from Peter the Great onward. You will then be taken back to your hotel to relax.
Check into hotel
For the remaining period of your tour, you can choose from the many excursions that Express to Russia offers and customize your tour and manage your time in Russia the way that you would like to. After you have submitted an inquiry regarding the above tour press the “ADD EXCURSIONS” button and choose from the excursions offered. Alternatively, you can also inquire about our FULL TOUR which includes much more than the light version that you have selected.
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Low dates: Jan 3 - March 31, Nov 1 - Dec 24
Shoulder: April 1 - April 30, Oct 1 - Oct 31
High: May 01- Sept 30, Dec 25 - Jan 2
*This is the light version of the tour. By choosing the LIGHT option, guests can add on extra excursions after submitting their inquiry (press the “ADD EXCURSIONS” button)– hereby creating their own customized tour. Alternatively, you can also inquire about our FULL TOUR which includes much more than the light version that you have selected.
*Prices are per person based on double occupancy in the specific hotel. You should add single supplement to the price in case you travel in a group but you stay at a single room. If you travel by yourself, please, contact us and we will give you a quote. We offer discounts for groups of 4 or more. To inquire about group rates, please contact us.
Prices include a city tour, accommodation and all airport or station transfers, meals according to the program, one-way train tickets from Moscow to St. Petersburg (2nd class, 4-berth compartment). Price includes free visa invitation – the document necessary for obtaining a Russian visa when applying for one at the local Russian Consulate in your country.
Prices do not include optional services as well as theater tickets, visa processing costs, international airfare (we can assist you in booking discount airfare, contact us to find out more or book the discount tickets yourself through our internet ticket office) and travel insurance. To find out more about visa processing, please contact us.
Tour dates are flexible. Tours can be customized to your taste. We can include additional excursions or performances on your request. We can also mix and match and adjust the accommodation to any hotel of your choice.
To book a tour, 30% of the tour amount is due on the day of tour booking. The remaining 70% of the tour amount is due within 14 days before your arrival in Russia or the city that the tour is scheduled for. In case of cancellation, a cancellation fee of 100 euro will be applied. For tours that include 4 or 5 star accommodation, a cancellation fee of 200 euro will be applied.
To learn more, please, click here
Our Russian tours are offered as land only where you arrange your own airfare and we meet you at the airport and handle everything else. You can easily book the discount tickets yourself through our own discount internet ticket office. The airline tickets we offer are the cheapest available on the web. Please browse our discount air tickets section to learn more.
Very often travelers coming to Russia have many questions concerning our tours, accommodation, visas, transfers and more. To see the answers to the most frequently asked questions, please consult our FAQ page by clicking here.
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