Russian Highlights Escorted Vacation

Upon arrival, you will be met and transferred to your hotel. (Your arrival transfer is included only if you arrive on the actual day the tour commences. For customers arriving earlier an individual transfer can be organized at an additional cost. Night supplements will be charged for early morning/late evening transfers.) The rest of the day is at leisure until you meet your tour director and fellow travelers for a welcome dinner. (D)

Moscow, one of the largest cities in the world, is the symbolic heart and soul of Russia. Your sightseeing tour begins at Red Square, dominated by the colorful St. Basil's Cathedral and by the massive red walls of the Kremlin. Visit the Armory Museum, with its impressive collection of Tsarist, Russian, and foreign jewelry, armor, and other artifacts. Then walk by Moscow University. Continue with a drive along the wide boulevards and a stroll through GUM, Russia’s largest department store. Continue, on the north bank of the River Moskva, passing by the Baroque Novodevichy convent. End the tour at the popular Arbat shopping district where you will have time to shop or enjoy lunch on your own. The rest of the day is at leisure.  (B)

Today, travel 45 miles north of Moscow, to the small town of Sergiev Posad, formerly Zagorsk – founded in the 14th century and renowned as a center of ancient Russian art and architecture. For centuries it served as a place of pilgrimage and the religious capital of Russia. Within the old walled city, admire the fairy-tale golden and blue domes of the Holy Trinity St. Sergius Lavra, one of the most beautiful of all monasteries. After lunch at a popular restaurant, return to Moscow. The rest of the day is at leisure. In the evening, consider joining an optional Moscow by night tour, to see the metro stations which Stalin called “Palaces for the People.” (B,L)

In the morning, enjoy some free time in Moscow before you will be transferred to the railway station for your 4-hour ride on the high-speed Sapsan train to Saint Petersburg. Upon arrival, you will be transferred to your hotel. (B,D)

There are not many cities in the world that can match the grace of Saint Petersburg. When Peter the Great founded the city in 1703, he hired Europe’s best architects, craftsmen, and artists to build and decorate it. Spread over 100 islands and linked by over 600 bridges, it is often referred to as the “Venice of the North.” Today the main sites to be visited are Palace Square with the Winter Palace, Senate Square with the monument to the Russian Emperor Peter the Great, the founder of the city, St. Isaac’s Square with St. Isaac’s Cathedral, the Smolny Cathedral, Cruiser Aurora, the Field of Mars, and the Nevsky Prospect. You will also visit the Peter and Paul Fortress, built-in 1703 on a small island, it was meant to protect the city from enemy attacks. Peter and Paul Cathedral tower in the center of the fortress and is nowadays used as the burial place for Russian Emperors. Your evening is at leisure or you may join an optional Evening Canal Cruise. (B) 

This morning, visit the world-famous Hermitage, housing more than 4 million works of art. It ranks among one of the largest and oldest museums in the world, founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great. Admire the world-famous masterpieces by Leonardo da Vinci, Rafael, Titian, Rembrandt, El Greco, Velasquez, Rubens, Van Dyck, Goya, and French Impressionists. The Hermitage occupies five buildings, the largest in the Winter Palace, the former residence of Russian Emperors. Spend the rest of the day at leisure exploring the city on your own or consider joining an optional tour of Catherine Palace & Park in Pushkin or of Petrodvorets, Peterhof Summer Palace of Peter the Great. Tonight, enjoy a farewell dinner. You may conclude your visit to Russia with an optional Russian Folklore Evening. (B,D) 

After breakfast, you will be transferred to the Saint Petersburg airport for your return flight home. (Your departure transfer is included only if you depart on the actual day the tour concludes. For customers departing later, an individual transfer can be organized at an additional cost. Night supplements will be charged for early morning/late evening transfers.) (B)