Imperial Capitals

Welcome to Moscow! Upon arrival, after clearing passport control and customs, proceed to the arrival area to meet our representative. You will be assisted to your car and transferred to the hotel. Hotel check-in and free time to relax and get some rest after international flight.

Your Russian trip starts with Moscow City Tour is a general overview of the city. You will explore the main areas on the Russian capital within the boundaries of the Garden Ring and the Boulevard Ring, the famous Red Square and Kremlin, adjacent to which are the old historical parts of Moscow such as Kitay Gorod, Tverskaya, Arbat and Zamoskvorechje. Your tour will include all important sites such as St. Basil's Church, Cathedral of Christ the Savior, Novodevichiy Convent, Luzhniki, the White House, Moskva River and others. For the best panoramic view of the city and the famous Moscow University “wedding cake" building you will drive to the Sparrow Hills, located 6 km south-west of Kremlin.

After the driving city overview tour you will visit the Novodevichiy Convent founded in 1524. The convent was proclaimed UNESCO World Heritage site in 2004. The convent is closely linked to the political, cultural and religious history of Russia. It was used as a shelter by women of the Tsar’s family and the aristocracy. Members of the Tsar’s family and entourage were also buried in its cemetery. The convent provides an example of the highest accomplishments of Russian architecture with rich interiors and an important collection of paintings and artefacts.

Your next visit is to the Tretyakov Gallery in one of the oldest parts of Moscow Zamoskvorechje. The Gallery was founded by Pavel Tretyakov, a Russian merchant and patron of the arts. In 1892 he donated his collection to the city of Moscow. It has since become a world-famous museum with more than 170,000 works by Russian artists from early religious paintings to modern art.

In the morning we will take you to Moscow's Red Square and Kremlin areas.  This is where the famous St. Basil's Cathedral, Mausoleum, Historical Museum and GUM department store are located.  The main landmarks inside Moscow Kremlin are the three famous Cathedrals - Assumption, Annunciation and Archangel - dating back to the 15-16th centuries, Ivan the Great Bell Tower, Tsar Bell, Tsar Cannon, Hall of Facets and Terem Place.

Your tour will include a visit to the Armory with its stunning collection of wealth and treasures of the Russian state and church. The collection is mostly famous for its jewel decorated Faberge Easter Eggs. Among other items on the display are royal regalia, the 800-diamond throne of Tsar Alexey, the jewel-studded and sable-trimmed Cap of Monomakh worn for coronations for over two centuries, the coronation dress of Catherine the Great, 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.

In the afternoon our Russian tour continues with an exciting ride on Moscow subway.  Moscow Metro is one of a kind subway system in the world carrying more passengers daily than New York and London systems combined. The prominent Russian architects and artists participated in the construction and design of the stations the primary goal of their work was not just to create a transportation system but to showcase and glorify socialism and its achievements. As a result it turned out to be one of the most extravagant projects of the Soviet Union where each station looks like a palace decorated with statues, marble columns, frescos and mosaics. Overnight in Moscow.

Early transfer to the train station and fast train to St. Petersburg.

Upon arrival your guide will meet you at the train station. City Tour of St. Petersburg is conducted in the morning before hotel check-in. St. Petersburg is undoubtedly one of the most exiting cities in Europe. During the city tour you will drive by the elegant buildings on the Nevsky Prospect and stately palaces along the Palace Embankment, you will see the Palace Square with Winter Palace and Alexander Column, the famous Bronze Horseman monument to Peter the Great, Admiralty, Schmidt Bridge, Strelka with Stock Exchange and Rosstral Columns, Alexander Nevsky Lavra, Canal Griboyedova, Fontanka, Kazan Cathedral, Church on Spilled Blood and other architectural, historical and cultural landmarks.

Your tour will include two exciting visits to Peter and Paul Fortress and St. Isaac's Cathedral.  Peter-and-Paul Fortress was built in 1704 to defend the city from naval attacks, the purpose it never served. Its history turned out to be rather gruesome as thousands of laborers died while building it, many political prisoners, including Peter's own son Alexi were kept and tortured in its cells, and the tombs of the Romanov family are now in its Cathedral.  

St. Isaac’s Cathedral is one of the world’s largest Cathedrals and can accommodate about 10,000 audiences. Its spectacular dome dominates the skyline of St. Petersburg and can be observed from many miles away. It was designed by then unknown architect Auguste de Montferrand and opened in 1858. The Cathedral is lavishly decorated inside with marble of 13 colors, malachite, lapis-lazuli, paintings, mosaics and stained glass made by the most famous Russian artists.

Today you will visit one of the nation's main glories - the State Hermitage Art Museum. The museum occupies six magnificent buildings along the embankment of the Neva River in the heart of St Petersburg. The focal point of this unique architectural ensemble is the Winter Palace, former 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 General Staff building, the Menshikov Palace and the Repository. The Hermitage collection was put together throughout two and a half centuries, it consists of over 3,000,000 works of art and showcases the development of the world culture and art from the Stone Age to the 20th century. In the afternoon you are free to continue exploring the Hermitage on your own or enjoy the beautiful St. Petersburg.

In the morning we continue our program with the tour to Peterhof on the southern shores of the Finnish Gulf, 14 miles (29 kilometers) away from St. Petersburg. In 1704 Peter I built a wooden house on the Gulf while overseeing the construction of the nearby Kronstadt Fortress, thus beginning the history of world famous Peterhof. In 1713 the area became an imperial residence. The Grand Palace was inaugurated in 1723 and later expanded by Empress Elizabeth. The beautiful park famous for its cascade fountains surrounds the Grand Palace. The intricate system of about 150 fountains is operated without the use of water pumps, by a combination of naturally generated water pressure and magic. Each of the fountains is a unique splendid beauty created by a man.

All day tour to the former royal palaces in Pushkin and Pavlovsk. Both are located close to each other, 25-30 km away from St. Petersburg. The palaces and parks in Pushkin were created under Empresses Elizabeth and Catherine the Great between 1744 and 1796. The most well-known is the Catherine Palace designed by Rastrelli and named after Elizabeth’s mother, Peter the Great's second wife. The original name of Pushkin is Tsarskoye Selo (Tsar's Village). It was renamed in 1937 after Russia’s famous poet Alexander Pushkin who used to study here. Pavlovsk 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 between 1781 and 1786 on Catherine the Great's orders for her son Pavel, the future Paul I.