Itinerary

Day 1 Moscow

The focal point of Moscow is Red Square, on one side of which is the Kremlin surrounded by a thick red fortress wall containing 20 towers altogether. There a several gorgeous buildings in the square including the Uspensky Cathedral, the 14th-century Grand Kremlin Palace, the golden-domed Belfry of Ivan the Great, and the renowned St Basil’s Cathedral, famous for its brightly colored domes. Lenin’s Mausoleum is also located in Red Square and is still open to the public on certain days. Outside Red Square, Tverskaya Street is one of the main shopping streets. Old Arbat Street is a pedestrian zone with crafts and artists’ stalls and street performers. The world-famous Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theater at Teatralnaya Square dates from 1824. Novodevichy Convent near Sportivnaya metro station houses a museum of rare and ancient Russian art, and is one of the finest examples of 16th- and 17th-century architecture in the city. The Metro system itself is steeped in history, with many of stations featuring beautiful decoration. Other sites include the superb Tretyakov Gallery, the Annunciation and Our Lady of Kazan Cathedrals, Gorky Park, and the macbre KGB museum.

Enjoy a private airport transfer in Moscow with a private vehicle, Driver and an Assistant.

A welcome package with small wooden doll Matreshka, nice book on Russia, vouchers, a city map, train tickets (if relevant) and any other touristic information that you may find useful will be waiting for you upon your arrival at your first hotel on your trip.

We will provide you with a letter of Invitation for your Russian Visa. Once payment has been received, the letter along with other important documents will be sent to you.

Peter 1 Hotel (4*) is located in the historical and cultural centre of the city, within walking distance from the Red Square and the Christ of the Saviour Cathedral. The Big Theatre, State Duma, Manezhnaya Square as well as the State Tretjakov Gallery are some of the major attractions near the property. The hotel is housed in a six-storey building and was constructed in the late XIX century. In 2005-2006 the hotel was totally renovated, and today is considered to be a modern hotel of the highest quality, while effortlessly combining its historial vestiges. The property has  133 spacious and originally decorated rooms.

Overnight at Peter 1 (4*).

Day 2 Moscow

Tour the Kremlin, the city´s former military fortification, a palace, an armoury, the sovereign treasury (Diamond Funds not included in price) and the workplace of the Russian President on a private guided tour with an english speaking guide and private driver. Among the sights included in the tour are the Mausoleum of Lenin, the clock at the Savior (Spasskaya) Tower – showing the most correct Moscow time, the beautiful Cathedral of the Intercession (the Church of St Basil the Blessed), Kazansky Cathedral and many other outstanding pieces of Russian architecture. (Entrance to Kremlin Walls and Cathedrals included in tour price).

Overnight at Peter 1 (4*).

Day 3 St. Petersburg

St Petersburg is known as a cultural center and for its elegant buildings, and is spread over 42 islands in the delta of the River Neva. In comparison to Moscow, which tended to be more Eastern in character, St Petersburg has always retained a European flavor and was intended as a ‘Window to the West’. It was built by Peter the Great in 1703 and remained the capital of Tsarist Russia for 200 years. Wide boulevards, tranquil canals, bridges and some of the best examples of tsarist architecture gave rise to the epithet the ‘Venice of the North’. The Palace Square and the Winter Palace (Hermitage Museum) are among the most popular attractions for enthusiasts of Russian history.

Novodevichy Convent was founded at the beginning of 16th century. The complex consists of 15 buildings, surmounted by golden domes. For 400 years the Novodevichy Convent was part of important historical events, connected with the names of Ivan the Terrible, Boris Godunov, Sofia and Peter I. For several years, it was even used as a place of imprisonment for disgraced women from noble families. Visit the interesting cemetery, a charming sight, rich in the spirit of the past, hidden behind a wall in the Twentieth century inner city. Visit the Tretyakov Gallery, the largest museum of Russian art in the world. The museum represents the history of Russian art from the ancient periods. Its superb collection consists of numerous icons, paintings, sculptures and graphics. Entrance fees to the Monastery and Gallery are included in the tour price.

Enjoy a train station transfer with private vehicle/driver and guide.

Watch the changing landscapes on your fast speed train ride from Moscow to St. Petersburg, departing in the afternoon.

Enjoy a private train station transfer with vehicle, driver and English speaking guide.

Rocco Forte Hotel D`Angleterre (4*) is located next to the St. Isaac's Cathedral in the heart of St. Petersburg, and is only 5 min to Nevsky Prospect. Many of the main attractions of the city are close to the hotel, such as the famous Hermitage Museum, Peter's & Paul's Fortress, and the many palaces and gardens interspersed throughout the city. Each of the hotel's 188 bedrooms and five suites are decorated in a style that combines classic with contemporary, blending Russian and European furniture and accessories. Borsalino Brasserie provides a stylish setting with an innovative menu of contemporary European food combined with fresh local ingredients. The hotel features a fitness centre, a swimming pool, sauna, a turbo solarium and a beauty studio.

Overnight at Rocco Forte Hotel D`Angleterre (4*).

Day 4 St. Petersburg

Take a panoramic tour and get acquainted with the main architectural and historical monuments of St Petersburg, ride along its main streets and prospects, and enjoy its splendid parks and gardens. Drive along world famous "Nevsky Prospect" lined with marble palaces of Russian royalty and aristocracy, with most fashionable boutiques. View Monastery of Alexander Nevsky with its magnificent Trinity Cathedral and its cemetery where Dostoevsky, Tchaikovsky and other world celebrities were buried. Visit St. Peter and St. Paul's fortress, view St. Isaac Cathedral with «The Bronze Horseman». Drive by Summer Garden with the oldest royal stone palace and breathtaking collection of Italian statues and sculpture set in a natural surrounding. Stop in the Field of Mars with the eternal flame lit in the centre of the monument to victims of revolutions and wars, at the Resurrection Cathedral on the Spilt Blood at its background, one of the most unusual monuments of Russian Orthodox. Drive through the Square of Arts which is a perfect classical ensemble of the city, enjoy an overwhelming beauty of the third largest square in the world, the Palace Square with the Alexander Column, the Triumphal Arch of the general Staff building, and the Winter Palace complex. Entrance fee to Peter and Paul's Fortress is included in the tour price.

Overnight at Rocco Forte Hotel D`Angleterre (4*).

Day 5 St. Petersburg

Enjoy a private guided 5hr tour of the Hermitage and admire the gems of the collection. During the tour you will see the State Rooms of the Winter Palace, a part of the collection of paintings of Old Masters and other exciting exhibits and works of art. Value the splendour of the Gala stair-way, Peter's Memorial Hall, the Armorial Hall, the Gallery of 1812 with its numerous portraits, the Pavilion Hall and its various amusements and other gala rooms. You are sure to enjoy the works of applied arts, precious items and paintings. The collection of Western European art, numbering over 600,000 items, is considered to be one of the finest in the world. It presents all the stages of the development of art from the Middle Ages to the present. Enjoy masterpieces by outstanding Western European artists, as Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Giorgione, Titian, Michelangelo, Francisco de Goya, Renoir, Picasso and others. You will have an opportunity to see such world-famous masterpieces as works by Degas, Renoir, Pissarro, Van Gogh, Gauguin and others. Admire the richest collection of ancient and early medieval items, works of art from Ancient Greece and Rome, fabulous treasures of oriental culture and wonderful European art. (Entrance fee to Hermitage Museum is included in the tour price).

Overnight at Rocco Forte Hotel D`Angleterre (4*).

Day 6 St. Petersburg

Enjoy a private guided 4.5hr excursion to one of the most beautiful summer residences of the Royal family, Peterhof. The world-famous palace, fountain and park is an outstanding landmark of Russian artistic culture of the 18th-19th centuries. It was founded at the very beginning of the 18th century by Emperor Peter the Great. Visit the Great Palace, which is the structural center of the Upper Gardens and the Lower Park, the high terrace, adorned with gold statues, the crystal jets of the Great Cascade and the terrace fountains. Learn from your private guide about the fate of the palace and the parks during the World War II, see the pictures representing the palace and in process of restoration works. Enjoy the spacious and airy rooms of the palace, adorned with rich moldings, splendid parquet flooring, exquisite carving, painted ceilings and canvases by great masters. Walk through the various fountains of different sizes and shapes in the lower Park, and admire the beautiful gardens. (transportation to and from the palace as well as entrance fee is included).

Take a half day (4.5hrs) private tour to Pushkin, originally named Tsarskoe Selo (Tsar's Village), famous for the marvelous Catherine Palace and park. Many historical films, dedicated to Russian history and tsars, were shot in the interiors of the palace. The town, also known as Pushkin in honour of the great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin, was the main summer residence of the royal family. The Palace features splendid interiors. The collection of the palace includes a large number of precious works of art, such as furniture, porcelain, statues, canvases, including personal belongings of Russian emperors and members of their families. Visit one of the most remarkable interiors of Catherine Palace, the Amber Room. During the palace excursion you will get to know about the mysterious history of the Amber Room and see the restored interiors. Your private guide will tell you the story of the Catherine Palace's construction, and you learn about the tragic pages of the palace's history, connected with the Nazi occupation during the World War II. (transportation and entrance fee is included).

Overnight at Rocco Forte Hotel D`Angleterre (4*).

Day 7 St. Petersburg

Avail of a private airport transfer in St Petersburg.

Kensington Tours donates a portion of proceeds to our charitable initiative www.kensingtoncares.com which supports education-based initiatives in disadvantaged communities.

Depart from St. Petersburg international airport - end of itinerary.

Overnight at Depart.

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