Moscow & St Petersburg: Russia

Sample Itinerary - 7 DAYS TO MOSCOW & ST PETERSBURG BY AIR

• Day 1 — Flight from London to Moscow. Transfer to Moscow hotel for evening dinner and overnight accommodation.
• Day 2 — Morning guided orientation coach tour of Moscow to see some of the major sights. Afternoon visit to the Kremlin, including entrance to one of the cathedrals. Early evening dinner will be followed by a visit to the circus.
• Day 3 — An escorted trip on the beautifully decorated Metro system, alighting at stations of particular interest. Free afternoon to pursue your own interests. Early evening dinner and depart on overnight sleeper train to St Petersburg. Accommodation is provided in four berth compartments and you are accompanied on the train journey by a guide.
• Day 4 — Morning arrival at your hotel in St Petersburg. Morning guided orientation coach tour of St Petersburg to acquaint you with the major sights of interest. Afternoon excursion to the Peter and Paul Fortress. Return to your hotel for evening dinner.
• Day 5 — Visit to the Hermitage Museum. Afternoon at leisure followed by a Folklore evening. Evening dinner at your hotel.
• Day 6 — Half Day Excursion to visit St Isaac's Cathedral. Afternoon at leisure. Return to your hotel for evening dinner.
• Day 7 — Morning visit to the Piskarovskoye War Memorial. Afternoon transfer to the airport for return flight to London.

Meal Arrangements

• Half Board: First Meal - Evening dinner on Day 1
  Final Meal - Breakfast on final day (Meal order may vary with flight times).

Free Back-Up Material

• STS Guide to Russia and a map.

Health Requirements

• Up to date diphtheria inoculation.

Other Information

• The tour may be reversed to visit St Petersburg first and the order of the itinerary may be subject to change.
• Optional excursions are available on request.

Passport & Visa

• Full British passport is required for entry to Russia with at least 6 months validity from date of leaving Russia.
• The cost of obtaining Russian visas is not included in the price of the tour.
• We can obtain visas on your behalf for a charge (prices on request).

Tour Variations

• We can arrange 5 day single centre tours either to Moscow or St Petersburg or tours of a longer duration - details upon request.

Excursion Selection

Moscow
The largest industrial centre and national capital started life as a Slav settlement on the banks of the river Moskva. Its subsequent development was as a fishing and trading centre. Today the city is the political and cultural heart of the nation. Moscow has many splendid architectural monuments both ancient and modern. There are cathedrals, monasteries, convents and magnificent parks. The city also boasts 130 museums.

History & Landmarks
The Kremlin - with its huge defensive walls, The Kremlin is a city within a city and the seat of government. The walled city has many palaces and beautiful cathedrals which house museums of great merit. You shouldn't miss The Tsar Bell and The Tsar's Cannon. Entrance to one of the cathedrals is included in the tour price. St Basil's Cathedral - In 1555 Ivan IV (The Terrible) commissioned the building of St Basil's Cathedral in Red Square. It consists of nine chapels which form an eight point star. Lenin Mausoleum - also in Red Square is an imposing construction of polished granite. Moscow Metro - A journey on the Metro will afford you the opportunity to marvel at the sumptuously decorated metro stations.

Art Galleries and Museums
World literature - enriched by four 19th century Russian authors: Pushkin, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy and Chekov. Eeach one is commemorated in a separate Moscow museum.

Special Interests
Other sites of interest - include The Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, The Annunciation Cathedral (where the Czars prayed), Cathedral of the Assumption (where they were crowned), St Michael's Cathedral (where they were buried), Moscow University and the modern Palace of Congresses.
Kremlin - in Izmailovo Tourist complex.

St Petersburg
With his final victory over the Swedes at the Battle of Poltava, Peter the Great eventually possessed his "window on the West", a safe, year-round route through the Baltic Sea to the rest of Europe. Within nine years he had built St Petersburg which became the capital in 1712 and remained so until 1918. It was in St Petersburg that the Russian Revolution broke out. Like Venice, the city has water at its very heart – it is built on the river Neva and is criss-crossed by canals and numerous bridges. This is an aristocratic city of squares, monuments, parks and boulevards.

History & Landmarks
Palace Square -is dominated by The Alexander Column, reputed to be the biggest single slab of granite standing anywhere.
The Winter Palace -in Palace Square, home of the Czars until 1917, and part of the group of buildings which houses The Hermitage.
St Isaac's Cathedral - now a museum. The great gold dome of the Cathedral is a dominant feature of the skyline from which there are splendid panoramic views of the city.
Piskarovskoye Cemetery -situated in the north-eastern part of the city, commemorates the one million people who died during the 900 day siege of the city in World War 11 – a salutary reminder of times not so long past.

Art Galleries and Museums
The Hermitage - (St Petersburg) houses over two million works of art, many of them priceless – more than enough to fill three ordinary museums.

Special Interests
Famous Kirov Theatre - in theatre square. Witness the changing of the guard at the Aurora at noon when the gun at St Peter and Paul Fortress fires a warning shot.