Great Russian Discovery: Golden Ring (Russian Province), Moscow & St. Petersburg (CB-06)

At the airport in Moscow, our driver will meet you in the arrival sector with a Go Russia sign board ready to transfer you to the hotel.

This morning our driver will meet you with a Go Russia sign board at the lobby of the hotel and transfer you to the railway station for your trip to Vladimir by the high-speed Sapsan train. These modern trains reach speeds of up to 250 kph as they whisk you in comfort across the beautiful Russian countryside. After breakfast in Vladimir, a car will take us to perhaps the most magical of the Golden Ring towns, Suzdal. With its Kremlin, market stalls, wooden architecture museum, monasteries and countless little churches, this museum city has hardly changed over the last two and a half centuries. As well as a full sightseeing programme, you’ll have a typical lunch with a local family in their home as well as the chance to try medovukha, a uniquely Russian drink which can best be described as a honey beer.

After breakfast in the hotel we will travel to Bogolyubovo by car or minibus, a small settlement near to Vladimir which is home to a UNESCO-protected church. Situated in a historically strategic location at the confluence of the Nerl and Klyazma rivers, this was once the picturesque home of Prince Andrei Bogolyubov who built his palace here. Today, the palace forms part of the Bogolyubovo Monastery and our guided tour will explore its highlights including the so-called Staircase Tower and the adjoining gallery, both now incorporated into the The Church of the Nativity of the Holy Virgin. From there, we’ll take you to the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl River, virtually untouched since its construction in the 12th century. The church stands in the centre of a field on a small hill; when it floods the church appears to float on the water. From there, we head back to Vladimir for a guided tour which includes the cathedrals of St Demetrius and the Assumption as well as the UNESCO listed Golden Gates. Finally we transfer by high speed train back to Moscow where our driver will be waiting at the platform to take us to our hotel.

Russia’s captivating capital will be our focus today. We begin with a drive through its boulevards and avenues for an orientation tour taking in Red Square, the Russian Orthodox cathedral of Christ the Saviour (view from outside) and the New Maiden Convent (view from outside) where the remains of many famous Russians are interred. The panoramic view from the Moscow State University enables us to appreciate the city’s geography, from Victory Park on Poklonnaya Hill to the Olympic Luzhniki stadium and of course, the distant golden domes of the Kremlin. We return to the centre for an in-depth guided tour of Red Square, where you will explore brightly-domed St. Basil's Cathedral. Correctly known as the Cathedral of the Intercession, its popular name associates it with a ragged prophet who foretold the Moscow fire of 1547. We’ll continue our sightseeing with a walk along the expansive facade of the GUM department store, pretty Kazan Cathedral and the Kremlin towers. No visit to Red Square can be complete without a stop at Lenin’s Mausoleum, the final resting place of the founder of the Soviet State. Seeing the embalmed body of this iconic figure will be a memorable part of your tour.

Today we take you inside the Kremlin, the former residence of the Tsars and now the residence of the Russian president. The Kremlin’s Cathedral Square still retains the aura of early Tsarist Russia, where the spirits of Ivan the Terrible, Boris Godunov and the early Romanovs loom large. We’ll explore the Armoury Museum which has been a storehouse for the Kremlin’s weaponry since the early 16th century. A museum for over two centuries, you’ll follow in the footsteps of millions of tourists to discover such exhibits as the chalice of Yuri Dolgorukiy, the helm and armour of Boris Godunov, a collection of over fifty Faberge eggs, works in gold, silver and other precious metals as well as antique weaponry. Leaving the Kremlin, we’ll take a tour of the incredible Moscow Underground, whose sculptures, marble, mosaics and stained glass make this the most beautiful metro system in the world. Back at the hotel, our driver will collect you to transfer you to the railway station for an overnight train to Novgorod the Great. The safe and comfortable journey in well-equipped compartments will take around eight and a half hours.

Arriving in Novgorod the Great early in the morning, our driver will meet you with a Go Russia sign board on the platform and transfer you to the hotel. Velikiy Novgorod is a hidden gem; founded in the 9th century it’s one of Russia’s oldest towns. Located close to St Petersburg it has its own Kremlin; traditionally known as the Detinets, it contains Russia’s oldest palace, dating back to 1433, as well as its oldest bell and clock towers. Included in our programme is a guided tour around Yaroslav’s Courtyard, named after the Grand Prince of Novgorod and Kiev, Yaroslav the Wise. Yaroslav’s Courtyard included Gothic and German Courts where rich merchants from across Russia and the cities of the Hanseatic League lived while staying in Novgorod. UNESCO-listed Yuriev Monastery on the bank of the Volkhov River is also on today’s itinerary, one of Russia’s oldest, founded in 1030. Finally we’ll make a stop at the nearby Vitoslavlitsy Museum of Wooden Architecture. There are over twenty wooden buildings brought here from across the Novgorod region, among them wooden churches, dwelling houses and mills.

Our driver will meet you with a Go Russia sign board at the lobby of the hotel. You’ll transfer to the railway station where a local suburban train will take you to St Petersburg where your guide will be waiting at the platform. Russia’s aristocratic former capital is as far removed from Moscow as another big city could get: elegant, calm and packed full of historic buildings and interesting museums in contrast to the modernity and energy of the Russian capital. The city’s many waterways earn it the moniker of the “Venice of the North”. You’ll tour its most unmissable sights: the Peter and Paul Fortress, St. Isaac's Cathedral, the Church of Christ's Resurrection (The Saviour of the Blood) and the famous cruiser Aurora whose cannon signalled the beginning of the Great Social Revolution more than 90 years ago on Lenin’s orders.

If there’s one thing you can’t miss during a trip to St Petersburg, then without question it’s the Hermitage. Once the residence of the Russian Tsars, its Winter Palace is now one of the world’s best art museums. An architectural delight in itself, there are over three million works of art in its collection. They range from masterpieces by Leonardo da Vinci to mesmerising paintings by the French Impressionists, sculptures to icons, antique coins to divine jewellery. The Hermitage is without doubt an unforgettable place to visit.

Today’s programme begins with a half-day tour to the most magnificent of St Petersburg’s summer palaces, Petrodvorets, located in the city’s suburbs. This delightful palace, fountains and parkland ensemble was founded at the very beginning of the eighteenth century by Emperor Peter the Great. Also known as Peterhof the estate is an outstanding landmark of Russian artistic culture of the 18-19th centuries.

Our driver will meet you with a Go Russia sign board at the hotel lobby ready to transfer you to the airport for your flight home.