Russian Capitals & Kazan

Arrival. Transfer to the hotel. Accommodation.

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.

City sightseeing tour. The historical capital of the Russian Empire invites you to admire its splendid views: the Arts Square with 3 museums and 4 theatres along its perimeter, the Palace Square offering an impressive view of the Baroque Winter Palace; the historical Strelka (Cape) of the Vasilevsky 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. Free time.

Breakfast. Morning starts with a visit to Peterhof. It is perhaps the 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”.

Breakfast. Transfer to the train station for the highspeed train to Moscow. Arrival in Moscow. Transfer to the hotel. Accommodation. Dinner.

Breakfast. City sightseeing tour of Moscow. During this tour 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 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 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. It is well known for the ornate design of many of its stations, which contain beautiful examples of socialist realism art. Lunch. Free time.

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 16th 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 15th century. Today the Kremlin is the official residence of the Russian President. Lunch. Free time.

Breakfast. In the morning, we will visit 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 15-17th centuries. The Trinity Lavra of St.Sergius founded in 1337 is famous all over the world and often referred to as the “Russian Vatican”. Lunch. Return to Moscow.

Breakfast at the hotel. Free time.

Evening transfer to the train station for a night train to Kazan (the planned train is No024M, 23:08 – 10:45 or similar).

Breakfast on your own expense. Arrival in Kazan.

Meeting at the railway station with the local guide. Panoramic tour of the city, during which you will visit the most interesting and ancient sightseeing in Kazan: Old-Tatar Sloboda, the Kaban Lake with its picturesque views, merchant houses, the old mosque of the 18th century and will hear legends and stories of Tatar people. Tourists will walk along the old Kazan; visit the monastery, where the miraculous Kazan Icon of the Mother of God is kept. Lunch in one of the city restaurants with a culinary workshop “Secrets of Tatar Cuisine”. Walking excursion to the Kazan Kremlin will not leave anyone indifferent. The Kazan Kremlin is the object of UNESCO; its walls unite two religions: Moslem (Legendary Kuhl Sharif Mosque) and Orthodox (Annunciation Cathedral). You will touch the walls of Suyumbike falling tower. The Kremlin is a heart of the city, where ancient and modern cultural traditions, as well as legends and facts, blend together. Transfer to the hotel. Check in. Free time.

Breakfast. Excursion to the city island Sviyazhsk with lunch. On the way to the island you will see the Temple of all Religions. The history of the city began on May 24, in 1551, when Ivan the Terrible decided to build a wooden fortress on the island. It took only four weeks. Sviyazhsk became a base supporting Russian troops in the war against the Kazan Khanate. The island houses unique historical and cultural monuments, such as Assumption Monastery of the Blessed Virgin, Sviazhsky Cathedral, John the Baptist Monastery which has the Trinity Church on its territory – the only remaining building from wooden Sviyazhsk. Through centuries, Sviyazhsk has been remaining a Russian Orthodox shrine. Return to the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to the airport.