If your class is studying communism then clearly a visit to Moscow and St Petersburg is essential. In the Tsarist capital of St Petersburg your students can visit the cruiser Aurora, whose gunfire heralded the start of the Bolshevik revolution and the Winter Palace; home of the provisional government and now the Hermitage Museum. Equally important is the Museum of Political History, housed in the villa which was the Bolshevik headquarters during 1917. It contains many documents and personal effects of leading communist politicians and other famous Russians, from the tsarist period to Gorbachev.
While visiting Moscow your group have to see Lenin’s embalmed body lying in his mausoleum, while they still can. Walking past his rather waxy looking body is perhaps the closest you can still get to experience the old Soviet Union. The Kremlin is still the centre of Russian power and is amazing architecturally; a visit is largely about the glory of the Tsarist Kremlin, rather than Communist era. However, the State Museum of Contemporary History does concentrate on all aspects of the Communist period. While the House on the Embankment Museum preserves two rooms within an enormous apartment block from the Soviet era, dedicated to the Communist elite who lived there.
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Key Study Areas
- Visit revolutionary sites in St Petersburg
- Trace events leading up to Communism
- Investigate possessions and documents of leading figures
- Experience lives of the Communist 'elite'
- See Lenin’s embalmed body while you still can!
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Location Click here to view map 
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Politics Excursions
- Winter Palace
- Aurora
- Lenin's Tomb
- Museum of Political History
- House of the Embankment
- The Kremlin
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Our best value sample itinerary from £930
6 Days to Moscow & St Petersburg
Day 1:
Travel to Moscow by air, meet your transfer to take you to your accommodation. Visit the Museum of Contemporary History.
Day 2:
Take a guided orientation coach tour of Moscow to see some of the major sights including the Stalinist 'wedding cake' architecture, The White House - seat of Government, Lenin's library, KGB Headquarters at Lubyanka, the Red Square and Lenin's Mausoleum. Enjoy a panoramic view over the city. In the afternoon visit the Kremlin, including entrance to one of the cathedrals.
Day 3:
Depart on the overnight sleeper train to St Petersburg.
Day 4:
Arrive at St Petersburg in the morning and transfer to your accommodation. Take a guided tour of the city. Highlights include the Winter Palace, the Aurora and Church of Spilled Blood. In the afternoon visit the Museum of Political History.
Day 5:
Visit to the Hermitage Museum and the Museum of the Defense and Siege of Leningrad followed by a Folklore evening.
Day 6:
Check out of your accommodation and time permitting visit to the Piskarovskoye War Memorial. Meet your transfer to the airport for return flight.
