07 DAYS RUSSIA TOUR : MOSCOW - ST PETERSBURG

DAY 1 HOME - MOSCOW

Arrival to Russian Capital, Moscow. Meet with the guide at the airport. Transfer to hotel for check in. Free time at leisure. Overnight in Moscow.

DAY 2 MOSCOW

Breakfast at hotel. Your first full day in Moscow you will have a guided tour of the major cultural and historical sites of the city. We visit Red Square and the Moscow State University on Lenin Hill, where there are outstanding views over Moscow. On the way down, we pass through the Memorial Complex at Poklonnaya Hill and Victory Park, where the impressive Triumphal Arch is sited. Then it's back to the city streets, taking in Kutuzov Avenue, New Arbat, Boulevard Ring and Pushkin Square, before ending up at Tverskaya Street. Guided tour of Moscow’s Underground – explore one of the masterpieces of the Soviet era created in the Socialist Realism style. The Moscow Metro, with its stations decorated with marble, mosaics, stained-glass panels and bronze sculptures, looks more like a vast art museum. It was one of the proudest achievements of the Soviet era and it still beats many other European underground systems with its ultra-reliable service. Overnight in Moscow.

DAY 3 MOSCOW

Breakfast at hotel. This morning you will visit Red Square, arguably one of the most famous squares in the world. It got its name from the Russian word for "red", which many centuries ago meant "beautiful". You will see the brightly-domed St Basil's Cathedral, the world-renowned Lenin Mausoleum, the expansive facade of the GUM department store, Kazan Cathedral and the Kremlin towers. You will discover the interior of the Kremlin - the former residence of the Tsars and now the residence of the Russian President. You will also visit the Kremlin’s beautiful orthodox cathedrals. 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. Next, you will explore the breathtaking collection of the Armoury Museum. It contains such notable exhibits as the chalice of Yuri Dolgorukiy, the helm and armour of Boris Godunov, a collection of over fifty Faberge eggs, golden and silver works of applied art by Russian, European and Oriental masters, invaluable weapons and other works made of precious metals and stones. Later, you will be taken back to the hotel. Overnight in Moscow.

DAY 4 MOSCOW – ST PETERSBURG

Breakfast in the hotel and free time in the morning. Check-out before noon. Transfer from the hotel to the train station for your speedy train (4 hours) from Moscow to St Petersburg. Upon arrival to St Petersburg you will be taken to your hotel for check-in. Overnight in St. Petersburg.

DAY 5 ST PETERSBURG

Breakfast at hotel. Today will take you around the stunning "Venice of the North", as St Petersburg is also known. You will see the Peter and Paul Fortress, St Isaac's Cathedral and the Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood. Then there’s the famous Aurora warship, the legendary ship whose canon-fire gave the signal, on the order of Lenin, for the beginning of the Great Socialist Revolution more than 90 years ago. In the afternoon we head off to one of the greatest and most beautiful art museums in the world - the Hermitage State Museum. The collection of the Hermitage includes more than three million works of art and artefacts of world culture, including Da Vinci, Raphael, Rembrandt, Monet and Michelangelo. Among them are paintings, graphic works, sculptures and works of applied art, archaeological finds and numismatic material. Overnight in St. Petersburg.

DAY 6 ST PETERSBURG

Breakfast at hotel. Enjoy a guided tour to Peterhof Grand Palace & Park in the morning. Peterhof an erstwhile residence of the Czars of yore. Visit the Grand Palace and be amazed with its fascinating & elaborate interiors. This world-famous Palace, Fountain and Park ensemble of Peterhof shines forth as a glittering landmark of Russia's aesthetic culture in the 18th and 19th centuries. Its wonderful parks, 176 fountains of various forms, majestic palaces, numerous gilded statues of ancient gods and heroes, paintings and works of art and culture make Peterhof a veritable gem of art, often called the 'Capital of Fountains,' unique in the world. Overnight in St. Petersburg.

DAY 7 ST PETERSBURG – HOME

Breakfast at hotel. Check-out and transfer to the airport.