Cultural City Break in Russia: Moscow & St. Petersburg (CB-21)

Our driver will be waiting for you in the airport arrivals hall at Moscow; look out for the Go Russia sign board and he’ll transfer you to the hotel.

Passing along Moscow’s historic boulevards and avenues, you’ll park up to find out the tragic story behind the Russian Orthodox Cathedral of Christ the Saviour (view from outside) and the New Maiden’s Convent (view from outside), where many famous Russians are interred. The best view over the city is from the Moscow State University; from your vantage point you’ll be able to see the Olympic Luzhniki stadium in front of you and the Kremlin in the distance as well as Poklonnaya Hill, Bulvarnoye Koltso and other city attractions. Included in today’s sightseeing program is an in-depth guided tour of Red Square, where you’ll find the instantly recognisable St Basil’s Cathedral and GUM department store. You’ll have the opportunity to explore Lenin’s Tomb at the foot of the Kremlin Wall; the embalmed body of the founder of the Soviet state is preserved in a granite and labradorite mausoleum. You’ll also visit the Kremlin Wall Necropolis where many prominent Soviet politicians, military leaders, cosmonauts and scientists are buried. Finally today we’ll admire the contents of the Tretiakov gallery, the biggest collection of Russian fine art in the world.

Today we explore the Kremlin - once the home of the Tsars and now the residence of the Russian president. You'll visit the Armoury Museum, crammed full of weaponry, armor 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. Later, you'll be met by our driver with a Go Russia sign board at the lobby of the hotel to transfer you to the "Grand Express". This overnight train will be your hotel on wheels, featuring spacious sleeping compartments.

Our driver will be at the railway station ready to meet you with a Go Russia sign board. After breakfast at a local cafe, you'll take a guided city tour of St Petersburg. This, the most European of all Russian cities, is nicknamed the Venice of the North. You'll explore the city's must-see sights, including the Peter and Paul Fortress, St. Isaac's Cathedral and the Church of Christ's Resurrection (also known as the Saviour of the Blood). You will also lay eyes on the famous cruiser Aurora, the legendary ship whose cannon, on Lenin's orders, signalled the beginning of the Great Social Revolution.

The Yusupov Palace once belonged to the Yusupov noble family and is considered one of the most elegant palaces in St Petersburg. Inside, the lavishly decorated palace vividly conjures up the life of this rich aristocratic family with their luxurious belongings: murals, carvings, marble, mirrors, gilded chandeliers, expensive silk clothes and refined furniture. But all is not as it seems – this genteel home was the location for the murder of one of the most scandalous figures in Russian history, Grigory Rasputin, the man who is believed to have influenced the later days of the Russian Tsar Nicholas II. Nowadays the cellar where the grisly event took place houses the exhibition of Rasputin’s life and death.

Today is devoted to the world renowned Hermitage, former residence of the Russian Tsars and generally held to be one of best museums in the world. This stunning palace, an architectural masterpiece in itself, contains a collection of over three million works of art dating from the Stone Age to the present day. That collection includes masterpieces by Leonardo Da Vinci, Titian, Raphael and the French impressionists; its sculptures, icons, coins and even the Tsar’s jewelery make the Hermitage an unforgettable place to visit. After our guided tour, you’ll have the chance to stay on and explore the museum further on your own.

We start today's included excursion with a half day tour to one of St Petersburg's magnificent summer palaces, Petrodvorets. Petrodvorets, sometimes called Peterhof, is a world-famous palace, fountain and park complex. Founded in the very beginning of the eighteenth century by Emperor Peter the Great not far from his new northern capital St. Petersburg, Peterhof was intended to become the most splendid official royal summer residence.

Today marks the end of your tour and our driver will be waiting in the hotel lobby to transfer you to the airport for your flight home.