Three Capitals and Golden Ring

Kiev-Moscow-Golden Ring-St. Petersburg

Day 1 Kiev  (July 11, August 15, September 5, 2012)
Arrival in Kiev. Transfer and hotel check-in.  Afternoon and evening at leisure

Day 2 Kiev 
After breakfast enjoy a 5-hour city tour of Kiev - the largest city and the capital of the Ukraine with a population of almost 3 million people. It is one of the oldest cities in Eastern Europe dating back to the 5th century. During the tour you will see the famous UNESCO World Heritage sites: St. Sophia Cathedral and Kiev Pechersk Lavra, Mariynskiy Palace, St. Michael, St. Andrew's, St. Vladimir Cathedrals, the reconstructed Golden Gate and other notable monuments such as statue of Bogdan Khmelnitsky astride his horse, the monument of Vladimir the Great, the Baptizer of Rus, the monument to Kyi, Schek Khoryv and Lybid - the legendary founders of the city located at the Dnieper embankment. Modern landmarks are the Mother Motherland Statue standing at the Museum of the Great Patriotic War on the right bank of the Dniepr River, The Glory Square, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the eternal flame at the WWII memorial. The tour includes visit to Kiev Pechersk Lavra.  (B)

Day 3 Kiev - Moscow  
After breakfast enjoy a 2- hour the Dnipro River boat cruise. The view of the city from the boat is exhilarating and you can clearly see the outline of Kiev's beautiful monuments, churches, squares and buildings.  After the boat trip, transfer to the airport for a flight to Moscow. Upon arrival in Moscow, you will be transferred to your hotel.  Upon arrival in Moscow. Transfer and hotel check-in. (B)

Day 4 Moscow
Morning city tour will take you to the most famous areas of Moscow within the boundaries of the Garden Ring and the Boulevard Ring. You will drive by Kremlin, Red Square and Kitay Gorod area, Tverskaya, Arbat and Zamoskvorechje areas. Sparrow Hills, topped by the Moscow University skyscraper, will offer the best panoramic views of the city.

During the tour you will visit Novodevichiy Convent founded in 1524 and proclaimed UNESCO World Heritage site in 2004. The convent has sheltered many famous Russian ladies such as Irina Godunova (the sister of Boris Godunov), Sophia Alekseyevna (sister of Peter the Great), Eudoxia Lopukhina (first wife of Peter the Great) and others.

In the afternoon visit historic Red Square, Kremlin and Armory. You will see the golden domes of St. Basil’s Cathedral, the State Historical Museum, elegant arcades of the GUM store and other landmarks around the Red Square. Inside Kremlin the main landmarks are  three Cathedrals of the Assumption, Annunciation and Archangel, dated back to the 15-16th centuries. Other landmarks are Ivan the Great Bell Tower, Tsar Bell, Tsar Cannon, Hall of Facets and Terem Place. Armory is famous for its stunning collection of treasures: royal regalia, Faberge Easter eggs of precious metals and jewels, the 800-diamond throne of Tsar Alexey, the jewel-studded and sable-trimmed gold Cap of Monomakh, the coronation dresses of the 18th century empresses, the sleigh in which Elizabeth rode from St. Petersburg to Moscow for her coronation pulled by 23 horses at a time. Between the Armory and the Annunciation Cathedral is the Great Kremlin Palace - the official residence of Russian president. (B)

Day 5 Moscow
Today you will enjoy famous Moscow Metro  and visit to the Tretyakov Gallery, one of the most celebrated and extensive collections of Russian art and artifacts in the world.  It is located in Zamoskvorechye - one of the oldest districts of Moscow. The collection contains more than 130 000 works of painting, sculpture and graphics, created throughout the centuries by successive generations of Russian artists.  In the afternoon - shopping at Arbat or Izmailovo with a tour guide. (B)

Day 6 Vladimir - Suzdal 
After breakfast transfer to Vladimir located on the river Klyazma, 124 miles to the east of Moscow. One of the medieval capitals of Russia, Vladimir is part of the Golden Ring of the ancient Russian cities. Vladimir’s three main monuments are the UNESCO World Heritage List: magnificent five-domed Assumption Cathedral, Cathedral of St. Demetrius and the Golden Gate. You will visit all three of them, as well as the Museum of Crystal and Lacquered Miniature and Bogolyubovo (Pokrov-on-Nerli Church) - an urban settlement located 10 km outside Vladimir.  Bogolyubovo was built between 1158 and 1165 by the order of Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky at the mouth of the Nerl River where it flows into the Klyazma River. The Russian clergy believed that Bogolyubovo had been founded on the spot where Andrei Bogolyubsky saw the ghost of Virgin Mary. Lunch enroute and transfer to Suzdal.

In the late afternoon enjoy city tour of Suzdal- another Golden Ring town with numerous monasteries and a remarkable ratio of churches to citizens: at one point, forty churches for four hundred families. Many of the churches are fine examples of Old Russian architecture. Visit the Kremlin with Krestovaya Chamber and the Wooden Architecture Museum.   Overnight and dinner at the hotel in Suzdal (B, L, D)

Day 7 Rostov Velikiy - Pereslavl Zalessky - Sergiev Posad - Moscow
Today we continue our journey to one of the oldest towns in Russia - Rostov Velikiy on the shores of Lake Nero. The central square of Rostov is the site of the enormous Assumption Cathedral. Its bells are among the largest and most famous in Russia, each bell has its own name. The largest bell was cast in 1688, weighs some 32,000 kg. Among other landmarks is the ornate Savior Church, the somber Church of St. Gregory and the Church of our Lady Smolensk - all dating back to the 17th century. Lunch at a local restaurant.

Continue to Sergiev Posad with a photo stop in Pereslavl Zalessky. The town was built around the Trinity Monastery of St. Sergius, and is one of Russia's most important religious and historic landmarks, a place of pilgrimage of the Russian Orthodox Church and one of the most interesting museums, where one may find the icons of Andrei Rublev and other famous masters of the 15th-18th centuries. Transfer to Moscow. Dinner at a local restaurant.  Overnight train to St. Petersburg. (B,L,D)

Day 8 St. Petersburg
Upon arrival you will be taken on a sightseeing tour of St. Petersburg and see the elegant buildings on the Nevsky Prospect, Kazan Cathedral, Admiralty, Strelka, Rosstral Columns, Fontanka, Canal Griboyedova, the Palace Square, Winter Palace, Summer Gardens and other remarkable landmarks. The tour includes St. Isaac’s Cathedral and Peter and Paul Fortress (B) 

Day 9 St. Petersburg 
In the morning  tour of the Hermitage Art Museum - one of the nation's main glories. The Hermitage occupies six magnificent buildings situated along the embankment of the River Neva. The leading role in this unique architectural ensemble is played by the Winter Palace, the residence of the Russian tsars that was built according to the design of Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli in 1754-62. This ensemble is extended by the eastern wing of the General Staff building, the Menshikov Palace and the recently constructed Repository. Put together throughout two and a half centuries, the Hermitage collections of works of art (over 3,000,000 items) present the development of the world culture and art from the Stone Age to the 20th century. In the afternoon you may choose to continue exploring the Hermitage on your own or take some time to shop, stroll in the city and enjoy the sights. (B)

Day 10 St. Petersburg 
After breakfast visit Peterhoff (formerly known as Petrodvorets), located on the southern shores of the Finnish Gulf 14 miles away from St. Petersburg.  The Grand Palace with its lavish interiors, gilded decorations, mirrors and paintings dominates the estate. The Park outside the Grand Palace is a kingdom of 144 unique fountains, all operating without the use of pumps by a combination of naturally generated water pressure and magic. Walking in the parking you will be amazed by the splendid beauty created by a man. The estate includes several other mini-museums of interest. The outwardly-modest Monplaisir Palace , which Peter I preferred to the Grand Palace , has a nice sea view and several interesting rooms, such as the State Hall where Peter would force his guests to drink huge quantities of wine until they passed out. The nearby Hermitage Pavilion, which also has nice views and artwork, is a two-storey dining room where guests sitting on the upper floor ate and drank in peace, occasionally lowering the table to the ground floor where servants refilled wine glasses, replaced dirty plates, and spat in the beef stroganoff.  (B) 

Day 11 St. Petersburg
After breakfast - all day tour to Pushkin and Pavlovsk located 25-30 km from St. Petersburg. Pushkin's palaces and parks were created under Empresses Elizabeth and Catherine the Great between 1744 and 1796. The main landmark is the Catherine Palace designed by Rastrelli and a famous Amber Room inside the Palace. Pushkin's original name is Tsarskoye Selo (Tsar's Village). It was renamed in 1937 after Russia 's famous poet who used to study here. Pavlovsk’s park of woods, lakes and rivers, valleys and avenues, classical statues and temples is one of the most exquisite. The Great Palace is the centerpiece of Pavlovsk. It was designed by Charles Cameron on Catherine the Great's orders for her son Pavel, the future Paul I. (B)

Day 12 St. Petersburg  
Transfer to the airport. (B)