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Express to Russia » Tours to Russia » Tours to Moscow and St. Petersburg » Two capitals and the Golden Ring: Moscow, Sergiev Posad, Vladimir, Suzdal, Saint Petersburg, 9 days, 8 nights
Two capitals and the Golden Ring: Moscow, Sergiev Posad, Vladimir, Suzdal, Saint Petersburg, 9 days, 8 nights
| Day 1 Moscow |
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Arrival to Moscow
Transfer from airport or train station.
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.
Free Time
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| Day 2 Moscow |
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Breakfast at the hotel
Excursion to the Moscow Kremlin and Kremlin Cathedrals. The Kremlin is truly a fascinating structure, at the same time it is an ancient tower, the city´s former military fortification, a palace, an armory, the sovereign treasury and the workplace of the Russian President. The Kremlin is the center of Russia´s political life and State power and has been home to Tsars, General Secretaries of the Soviet Union and Russian Presidents. Red Square is within the Kremlin´s walls. Among the sights included in the tour are the Mausoleum of Lenin, the clock on the Savior (Spasskaya) Tower - showing the most correct Moscow time, the History Museum, the beautiful Cathedral of the Intercession (the Church of St Basil the Blessed), Kazansky Cathedral and many other outstanding pieces of Russian architecture.
Free time
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| Day 3 Moscow |
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Breakfast at the hotel
Tour of the Moscow Metro system and the Old Arbat. The Moscow Metro is one of the largest and most grandly built metro systems in the world. It was meant to be a showcase of the Soviet Union´s achievements both for the Russians themselves and for visitors from abroad. The stations are all uniquely designed with decorative elements including mosaics, statues, marble floors, walls and staircases to name a few. The tour will then proceed to Old Arbat street. You will be told of the street´s interesting history and view the street´s artisan culture. You will also have the opportunity to view and purchase souvenirs from the street´s many craftsman.
Lunch at a local restaurant (optional).
Tour of the Tretyakovsky State Gallery. The world famous gallery contains works of Russian art from the 10th century up to present day. You will view exquisite Russian icons and paintings from the 18th and 19th century including works by Rublyov, Karavak, Vishnyakov, Nikitin, Antropov, Levitsky, Kiprensky, Tropinin, Fedotov, Repin and many others.
Free time
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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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Day 6
Saint Petersburg |
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Arrival to St. Petersburg
Transfer from train station
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
Free time
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Day 7
Saint Petersburg |
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Breakfast at the hotel
We will then head to one of the greatest and largest art museums in the world - the Hermitage. The museum consists of five historical buildings including the Winter Palace - the residence of the Russian Tsars. The museum contains over 3 million pieces of art with dates ranging from high antiquity to the present day. Among the Hermitages treasures are artworks by Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Titian, Rembrandt, Rubens and a large collection of impressionists and post impressionists including Matisse and Picasso as well as many others. We will spend 3 hours at the museum, however, to view the collection in its entirety would take almost 15 years, spending 8 hours a day in the museum and taking one minute to examine each exhibit.
Free time
In the evening, enjoy a ballet or opera performance at the Mariinsky Theater - one of the world´s greatest musical companies (optional). Another option would be to attend one of Russia´s premier folk shows, \"Feel yourself Russian!\" The show is performed by the best folk company in the city. During the intermission, delicious Russian appetizers will be served. (optional)
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Day 8
Saint Petersburg |
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Breakfast at the hotel
Visit to Peterhof. Peterhof (Petrodvorets) is a jewel of Russian art - a town of parks, palaces and fountains. In the past, it was used as an exquisite summer residence by the Russian Tsars. Verkhniy Garden and Nizhniy Park, are genuine masterpieces of landscape design. They include over 150 fountains and 4 monumental cascades. Within the park, there are 10 museums: the Grand Palace, Monplaisir, Catherine´s Block, Marli, Hermitage, the church of St. Alexander Nevsky (Gothic Capella), the Benois family museum, the Cottage, the Bath Block including Tafeldecker and Kaffeeschenk Rooms, the Kitchen and the Museum of Collectors. The exposition of the special treasury and the private room of Catherine the Great in the Block under the Armcoat of the Grand Palace are all open to the public.
Free time or lunch and boat cruise if weather permits (not included in price)
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Day 9
Saint Petersburg |
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Breakfast at the hotel
Hotel check out
After a nice breakfast at the hotel, you will be escorted to the town of Pushkin (formerly Tsarskoye Selo). The Palace and Park of Tsarskoye Selo is a former country residence of the Russian emperors. It is a fascinating monument of the world´s architectural and gardening arts of the XVIII-XIX centuries. Its 3 parks occupy an area of 600 hectares on which are located over 100 architectural monuments: from magnificent palaces and grand monuments to intimate pavilions and park sculptures designed by masters of the Venetian school such as P. Baratta, A. Tarsia and D. Bonazza. The center of Tsarskoye Selo is Catherine´s Palace, containing exquisite decorative objects, furniture, Russian and Western-European paintings, unique collections of porcelain, amber, arms and decorative bronze sculptures. The Palace also contains the Amber Room - a truly unique work of craftsmanship.
Transfer to the train station/airport
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