Best of Moscow Guided Tour (CB-31)

Our driver will be waiting for you in arrivals at the airport holding a Go Russia sign board ready to transfer you to your hotel.

Where else could we begin than in Red Square? You'll be able to see first-hand the brightly coloured domes of the sixteenth century St Basil's Cathedral and get up close and personal with Lenin's embalmed body in his Mausoleum, located at the foot of the Kremlin wall. No visit to Moscow would be complete without the chance to shop at the nearby GUM department store. Other highlights today include learning about the tragic history of the main Russian Orthodox Cathedral of Christ the Saviour (view from outside), the New Maiden's Convent (view from outside) with its fascinating cemetery and a stop near Moscow State University for a panoramic view over the capital.

Today we stay in Moscow to delve deeper into its fascinating history, beginning with a guided tour of the Kremlin's grounds and cathedrals. The Kremlin was once the home of the Tsars and is now the residence of the Russian president. You'll visit the Armoury Museum, crammed full of weaponry, armour and even some of Faberge's famous eggs. Afterwards, we'll head underground to explore some of Moscow's beautiful metro stations. Decorated with marble, mosaic, stained glass and bronze sculptures, you'll agree they're more like museums than part of a transit system.

Included in today's programme is a visit just to the former Royal estate of Kolomenskoe. It dates from the fifteenth century and was the place where Peter the Great spent his childhood and Russian princes spent their summers. It's your first chance to see some of the old tent-roofed wooden churches for which Russia is well-known. You'll also see the Church of the Ascension, built in 1532 by the Moscow Grand Prince Vasily III in order to thank God for the birth of his son and heir to the throne, who later became Ivan the Terrible.

Our driver will be waiting in the hotel lobby to transfer you to the airport for your flight home.