Images of Russia

Arrival. Transfer to the hotel. Accommodation.

Breakfast. City sightseeing tour, during which you will admire its splendid views: the Arts Square, surrounded by 3 museums and 4 theatres; the Palace Square offering an impressive view of the Baroque Winter Palace; the historical “Strelka” (Cape) of the Vasilyevsky Island; the famous Nevsky Avenue considered the “heart” of the city. We will also visit the Peter and Paul Fortress that is actually considered the place of birth of St. Petersburg. This tour will give you an insight into the history of the city and the Romanovs’ royal dynasty. Lunch. Free time.

Breakfast. Morning starts with a visit to the Hermitage museum, Russia’s best gallery of world art, one of the most prominent art museums in the world and definitely the main tourist attraction of St.Petersburg. The principal building of the Hermitage Museum is the Winter Palace, the residence of the Russian Czars. Today, the Hermitage boasts over 2.7 million exhibits and displays a diverse range of art and artifacts from all over the world and from throughout history. The Hermitage collection includes works by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael and Titian, a unique collection of Rembrandts and Rubens. Lunch. Free time.

Breakfast. The morning starts with a visit to Peterhof. It is perhaps St. Petersburg’s most famous and spectacular Imperial estate. Nestled on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, the palace was built by Peter the Great initially as a resting place on the way to the Imperial naval base at Kronshtadt. But the Czar was quick to recognize the attractiveness of the area and masterminded a vast estate intended to rival the famous gardens of Versailles. The Grand Palace, filled with fascinating and elaborate interiors, sits on top of a high seashore ridge overlooking the vast Lower Park. The enormous park is adorned with statues and pavilions, it boasts the world’s largest system of fountains, earning it the title of the “Russian Versailles”. Lunch. Free time. Dinner. Transfer to the train station for the night train to Moscow. Night in the train in the 4-berth compartment.

Breakfast. City sightseeing tour of Moscow, during which you will have an excellent opportunity to learn the history of the Russian capital and see the most impressive sights of great historic and cultural value. Red Square, one of the most spacious squares of the world, famous for Lenin’s Mausoleum and Saint Basil’s Cathedral, and dominated by the grand Kremlin red-brick walls. You will have a chance to see the magnificent tower buildings symbolizing the Soviet Moscow, and also the Cathedral of Christ the Savior that was demolished and then reconstructed as a symbol of the Russian faith. After that we will visit the Moscow Subway (Metro) which covers almost the entire territory of the Russian capital. It is one of the world’s most heavily used metro systems, well known for the ornate design of many of its stations, which contain beautiful examples of socialist realism art. Lunch. Transfer to the hotel. Accommodation.

Breakfast. In the morning, we will visit the Moscow Kremlin. It is the symbol of Moscow and of the entire Russia. This stronghold is the historical, spiritual and political heart of Moscow and the city’s most famous landmark and tourist attraction. Most of the city had been inside the Kremlin walls until the 16^th century. It has been rebuilt several times in the past – it was originally wooden – so, its brick walls and towers that we can see today were built in the 15^th. Today the Kremlin is the official residence of the Russian President. Lunch. Then we visit the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow that is a national museum and the foremost depository of Russian fine art in the world. The gallery’s history started in 1856 when a Moscow merchant, Pavel Tretyakov, acquired works by Russian artists with the aim of creating a collection, which might later grow into a museum of national art.

Breakfast. In the morning, we will go to Sergiyev Posad. Located 70 km north from Moscow, the historic ensemble of Sergiyev Posad is of great interest for tourists and pilgrims, as it is replete with a range of excellently preserved monuments of the Russian culture, dating back to the 15-17^th centuries. The Trinity Lavra of St.Sergius  founded in 1337 is famous all over the world. Lunch. Return to Moscow. Free time.

Breakfast. Transfer to the airport.