Best of Moscow & St. Petersburg Guided Tour (CB-17)

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 colored 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, 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.

Included in today's program 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. 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; you have the opportunity to upgrade to a luxury compartment with toilets, showers, air-conditioning, wide sofas, LCD TV, DVD- players and Wi-Fi. You'll wake up in St Petersburg fully refreshed and raring to go.

Our driver and a guide will be at the railway station ready to meet you with a Go Russia sign board at the platform. 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. Later, you’ll check in to your hotel.

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 excursions 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 dating from the eighteenth century, which takes its name from its founder, Peter the Great. The estate is an outstanding landmark of Russian artistic culture of the 18-19th centuries.

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.