Moscow and St Petersburg cultural and sightseeing pallet is so wide that we can organize a tour of any specialty and duration.
Here you can find our classic itineraries for Moscow and for St.Petersburg as well. But we can make any itinerary you wish, it depends on the number of days you have in Russia and the focus of your trip. We encourage you to share all your wishes and ideas with us here and we will make the best option for you.
In Moscow and St. Petersburg, of course, you will feel the rhythm of big cities, but Russia does not consist of megapolisis only, the small towns continue to preserve that Russia which may really touch your heart. And the tour around the Golden Ring of Russia will show you this side of a big country, more cozy and authentic.
The main cities of the Golden Ring are Sergiev Posad, Suzdal, Vladimir, Rostov the Great, Yaroslavl, Kostroma, Pereslavl Zalessky, Bogolyubovo. The Golden Ring tour always starts and ends in Moscow, because it’s the most logical and convenient way to organize it.
Don’t worry about logistics and accommodation, we organize everything in the best possible way for you to feel comfort and service throughout the trip because we have extensive experience in organizing complex tours.
Please have a look at the tour Options we’ve carefully prepared for you! Please note a tour can start in Moscow and end in St Petersburg or vice versa.
Here are some additional ideas for a tour in Moscow
If you are an art lover, Moscow will offer you a Tretyakov gallery and the Pushkin Museum of Arts where you can find Andrey Roblev’s «The trinity», Kazemir Malevich «, Ilya Repin and may other Russian painters’ masterpieces. If you are interested in Soviet period of Russia, we can offer Back to USSR tour including the Space Museum or visits to a famous soviet skyscrapers called vysotki or to a Stalin’s bunker or a Muzeon Park.
If you are a fan of Russian literature or music, there is a fascinating tour to a real house in a Khamovniki district in Moscow which was home to Leo Tolstoj and his family – or his museum in Yasnaya Poliana, or a tour to a former Petr Chaikovsky’ house where you will know more about life of the famous Russia composer, who created music for the one of the most popular Russian ballet «The Swan lake».
And here are some extra landmarks you can see in St Petersburg
In St Petersburg we will be able to prepare an equally exciting program for you. In Russian museum you will admire the painting by Arkhip Kuindzhi and Karl Brullov, in Menshikov Palace you will know about the life of its owner, Alexander Menshikov, a highly appreciated associate and friend of Tsar Peter the Great, he was the de facto ruler of Russia for two years. And a small exhibition in the Log house of Peter the Great will show you how the first Russian Emperor lived while the new capital has been building.
In Yousupov palace you will we be impressed with the luxurious interiors of the most wealthiest family in Russia and our professional guides will tell you the story of Grigoriy Rasputin. In Alexandrovskij Palace in Tsarskoe selo you will see the real interiors where the last Russian emperor Nicolas II and his family lived and from where they were forced to leave to Ekaterinburg after his abdication.
Soviet times are represented in the city for instance by cruiser Aurora and the Museum of Political History located in the former mansion of Matilda Kseshinskaya, famous ballerina and beloved of Nicolas II.
The former Russian capital has several museums dedicated to the big Russian writers, like Feodor Dostoevskj, Iosif Brodsky, Anna Akmatova and we can make really informative tours there.
Outside of St Petersburg you may visit not only classic Peterhof and Tsarskoe selo but Gatchina Palace and a Park, the residence of Paul I, son of Catherine The Great, and the former estate of Vladimir Nabokov, Russian-American writer, in Rozhdestveno.
And in the Grand Layout Russia Museum there’s a unique exhibition, representing the whole country in miniature, from Kaliningrad to the Far East.
10 days/9 nights
After being acquainted with the most famous sights of Moscow and St Petersburg you will be able to see the authentic Russia while visiting the most famous cities of the Golden ring even if you have planned only 1 day for that. We have prepared 2 options for you to choose and see the best of the true Russia!
Day 1, Moscow
Day 2, Moscow
During this big Moscow city tour you will see and enjoy the most famous and interesting attractions of the Russian capital, its avenues and squares, modern scyscrapers and its predecessors, Stalin’s «vysotki», iconic Red square and great panoramas of the Kremlin, elegant Bolshoi Theatre and the Triumphal Arch, the Novodevichiy Convent, the main building of Moscow University at the Sparrow Hill, the White House and a former KGB building at Lubyanka street, the memorial complex dedicated to the Victory in the 2nd World War on Mount Poklonnaya and much more.
You will also visit Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, the largest Orthodox Cathedral in Russia that has a very big and challenging history. Being constructed in the 19th century, it was the main Cathedral of the Russian Empire but at Soviet times, it was demolished and rebuilt at the end of the 20th century.
Day 3, Moscow
You can’t imagine the Russian capital without iconic Red Square, St.Basil’s Cathedral and the Kremlin. We will have a walk at the territory of the Kremlin and visit inside the ancient churches of the 15-16th centuries (The Archangel, The Assumption and the Annunciation Cathedrals), where Russian tsars were crowned, near the 81 meter high Bell Tower of Ivan the Great built in the beginning of the 16th century we will listen to its 22 famous bells. The Big Kremlin Palace, a residence of the Russian President we will see from outside. In the famous Armoury Chamber that houses a unique collection of crown jewels, stunning coronation finery, hand-forged armor and weapons, royal carriages and sleighs, and world-famous Fabergé eggs you also will have a guided tour.
Day 4, Moscow
Kolomenskoye is a former Tsar’s summer residence famous for a wooden palace of Alexei Mikhailovich (father of Peter I) and the Church of the Ascension of the Lord, the first stone tent church in Russia and one of the few surviving monuments of Ivan the Terrible era in Moscow. The temple was built on a hill at the place where, according to legend, the miraculous spring beat, so area around is considered holy. The wooden palace of the Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich which we visit inside will impress you with its interiors in Russian style with wood carving elements, traditional patterns typical for the interiors of nobility of the pre-Petrine times.
Arbat Street is located in the very center of Moscow and is one of the most famous streets of the capital. We can say that this is one of the symbols of Moscow, like the Kremlin or Red Square. It is a pedestrian street with many shops and cafes. Here you can see numerous artists depicting pedestrians, singers. There are several memorial museums of Russian writers, picturesque old mansions with interesting decoration
The Moscow metro is famous for its unique decoration resembling real underground palaces with walls lined with marble, bronze and granite sculptures, mosaics and lamps of rare shape. By 2010, 44 stations were recognized as objects of cultural heritage. Among the most interesting and fascinating are Ploschad Revolutsii, Mayakovskaya, Novoslobodskaya, Komsomolskaya, Arbatskaya, Kievskaya, Teatralnaya, Dostoevskaya stations.
Day 5 – Golden Ring 1 day, option 1
A town of Sergiyev Posad grew in the 15th century around one of the greatest of Russian monasteries, the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, still one of the largest monasteries in Russia. is The ensemble of the Lavra has more than fifty architectural structures. Here Andrei Rublev painted one of the most famous Russian icons, “The Trinity”. The city was always closely connected with the Russian tsars, many of them came here on a pilgrimage. The heirs of the throne were baptized within these walls. During the Streltsy riot of 1682 , young Peter, future Peter the Great, took refuge here. You will have a tour of the monastery with a visit to several temples, including the Trinity Cathedral.
On the way back to Moscow, you we will pass through the village of Alexandrov, visit its Kremlin and talk about the personality of Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible, whose private residence was in Alexandrov.
Or
Day 5 – Golden Ring 1 day, option 2
During this tour you will be able to visit two interesting medieval cities at once and in a comfort way.
Vladimir was one of the medieval capitals of Russia, with stone buildings surviving from the 12th century. Two of its Russian Orthodox cathedrals (the Assumption and the Dmitrievsky) and a monastery have been designated as the White Monuments of Vladimir and Suzdal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In Suzdal, which is 40 km from Vladimir you will continue to enjoy the best examples of medieval Russian architecture by visiting the Suzdal Kremlin, the Nativity Cathedral, the Savior-Euthymius Monastery, the Monastery of the Virgin Mary (Pokrovsky).
Day 6, Moscow & St Petersburg
Day 7, St Petersburg
Our big city tour is the best way to know the history of St Petersburg through its gorgeous palaces and classic buildings of museums, wide avenues and granite embankments, big squares and little streets, cathedrals and drawbridges and feel the vibe of a European city in a country with two thirds of a territory lays in Asia.
We will see Nevsky Prospekt with its numerous palaces and the mighty Kazan Cathedral, admire the water panoramas of the Neva river from the Palace, Admiralty and University embankments, have a photo stops at the Palace Square, see the word famous Winter Palace, the former tsars’ residence and the Alexander’s Column and at a Spit of the Vasilyevsky island with well-known Rostral columns, heading towards the monument to Peter I, the founder of the city, the Bronze Horsman at the Senat Square. Several rivers and numerous canals cross the city and we will see Moika and Fontanka rivers, the Summer Garden, first park of the city and the mysterious Michael’s castle.
Another well-known places like the Theatre Square and the Mariinsky Theater, Arts Square and the Russian Museum, Naval Cathedral of St Nicholas, Church of the Saviour on the Spilled Blood and St Isaac’s square with the largest city cathedral of the same name, the battleship Aurora, symbol of the revolution will definitely impress you!
St Isaac’s Cathedral was the main cathedral of the Russian Empire and now is the fourth largest cathedral in the world. It was named after Saint Isaac, the patron saint of Peter the Great on whose day the emperor was born. In 1710 the first wooden church of Saint Isaac was laid, it was later rebuilt several times and by 1858 after 40 years of construction the cathedral how you will see it now was finished. It stands at the same name’s square close to the Neva river surrounded by the building of the Senat and Sinod, Mariinsky Palace and the monument to Nicolas I during whose reign it was built. This architectural and engineering marvel will impress you both from inside and outside. 48 columns weighted 114 tones each frame the cathedral from all sides, 14 types of marble and precious stones like malachite and lapis lazuli were used for interior decoration, mosaic icons and gilded elements are covering inside walls. The cathedral’s main dome rises 101.5 meters (333 ft) and is plated with pure gold.
Wow-thing! Take a challenge, climb 260 steps to reach the Colonnade of St. Isaac’s Cathedral and enjoy one of the most breathtaking panoramas of the historic center of St. Petersburg!
Church of the Saviour on the Spilled Blood is both an Orthodox church and a memorial monument, reminiscent of one of the tragic pages in the history of Russia, the fatal wounding of the Tsar Alexander II in March 1881 done by terrorists. The regicide shocked the whole country and soon it was decided to build a church on that site. The temple’s construction was started in 1883 and by 1907 it was completed. Despite the fact that the Savior on the Spilled Blood was built as a memorial temple in honor of the murdered tsar, its appearance is rather festive and bright and its architectural style can be called pseudo-Russian. To some extent, the temple resembles St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow. The church is decorated with numerous figured platbands, kokoshniks, tiles, multi-colored tiles. The mosaic plays a special role inside the temple, occupying an area of 7065 square meters and this exhibition is one of the largest in Europe. It is not surprising that the Savior on the Spilled Blood is called the “mosaic museum”. Mosaic panels on evangelical subjects almost completely cover the walls, pylons, ceilings. The famous view of the temple opens from the Griboyedov Canal.
Day 8, St Petersburg
A tour to the Hermitage, one of the largest museums in the world, is actually a combination of two tours in one, on the one hand you will admire the masterpieces of painting and sculpture, on the other the ceremonial halls of the Winter palace, the former Tsars’ residence like the Throne room, The Nicolas hall, Field marshal’s hall, The Armorial hall, Malachite room, The White hall, Small dining room, Rutanda and many others.
The history of the Hermitage collection goes back to the times of Catherine the Great when she bought 225 paintings by Flemish and Dutch artists from the German merchant Johann Ernst Gotzkowsky in 1764. Now among the thousands of paintings, we can distinguish the following internationally recognized masterpieces as Rembrandt’s “The Return of the Prodigal Son”, Leonardo da Vinci’s “Madonna Litta” and “Madonna Benoit”, Raphael’s “Madonna Connestabile” and “The Holy Family”, Caravaggio’s “Lutenist”, paintings by Titian, Murillo, El Greco and many other famous painters. Also the Hermitage is proud to have one of the world’s best collections of French paintings of the late 19th – early 20th centuries.
The Peter and Paul Fortress is famous for being the first building of St. Petersburg. It was founded on May 16, 1703 as the citadel of St. Petersburg, and this date is considered the birthday of the city. The lands where Peter the Great began to build the new capital of the Russian Empire were recently recaptured from the Swedes in the Northern War, and the fortress was supposed to protect the new city from possible attacks. The fortress is located on a small island in the Neva delta, has 6 bastions connected by brick walls 20 meters thick, and these characteristics made it very advanced for that time. For almost 300 years, Peter and Paul Cathedral standing in the center of the fortress was the highest building in the city with a 122-meter-high golden spire topped with an angel-shaped weathervane. It was the first cathedral of the new capital of Russia, and its interiors amazed people with the luxury of decoration, gilded wood carvings of the altar and crystal lamps, all this was very different from ancient Russian churches. In addition, the cathedral became the pantheon of all Russian tsars from Peter the Great to the last tsar Nicholas II.
Day 9, St Petersburg
Peterhof is the first suburban Tsar’s residence built in European style ever in Russia. Today it’s the world famous palace and parks architectural ensemble with a unique fountain system. Peter the Great founded it in 1710 after the victory over the Swedes at Poltava anticipating getting an access to the Baltic Sea as a result of the Russian victory in the Northern war. Later Peterhof was loved and cherished by many Russian Emperors and Empresses.
Nowadays Peterhof is the most popular museum in Russia due to a mix of diverse architecture represented by the Grand Palace and the smaller palaces like Monplaisir and Marli and entertainment and joy that more than 150 fountains together with a magnificent Grand Cascade bring. This man-made splendor is framed by the beauty of nature, the Upper and Lower Parks, as well as the Gulf of Finland, where the palace faces reminding us about its founder’s strive for freedom, openness and drive.
Before sharing with you details of the tour to Tsarskoe selo let us tell you a joke about the place we invite you to visit) The palace in Tsarskoe selo was built mainly by Empress Elizabeth but got a name of Catherine, wife of Peter the Great but was extremely cherished by another Catherine, a German born but very Russian by spirit Catherine the Great)
During the Northern War, these lands were conquered from the Swedes and Peter the Great presented them to his wife, the future Catherine I. She ordered to build a small palace here and it became an official tsar’s summer residence after her coronation in 1712. Under Empress Elizabeth, Peter’s daughter, the palace was seriously expanded by Italian architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli and by 1756 acquired the look that you can admire today.
The Catherine Palace is the brightest example of Russian Baroque. It is striking that with the length of the facade of 310 meters, it does not seem monotonous. The alternation of the protruding and recessed parts of the facade, the abundance of columns, the powerful figures of atlantes, the contrast between the white stucco decorations and the azure coloring of the walls create a harmonious rhythm of the entire structure. The halls of the palace amaze with their decoration, of different styles – baroque, neoclassical, but all extremely elegant and luxurious. During the guided visit you will adore the Big throne room, White and Chevalier dining rooms, Arabesque and Lion halls, the Palace chapel with its unique Prussian blue colour opened recently after the restoration and of course the famous Amber Room, a gift from Frederick I to Peter I, consisted of amber panels with diverse ornaments was placed in the Catherine Palace and was already considered the pearl of this summer residence. Unfortunately, its interior disappeared without a trace during the Great Patriotic War and was recreated and opened to public only in 2003.
During the construction of the palace, large-scale work on the breakdown of the park continued. The upper park adjacent to the facade of the Grand Palace was made regular, the rest is a classic English landscape park, completely man-made, but creating the illusion of the natural one. After a palace tour you will walk through the parks and gardens, enjoying beautiful landscapes and water panoramas of the big ponds.
Day 10, St Petersburg
Tour program includes (in all options)
In Moscow
Moscow city tour
Cathedral of Christ the Saviour
Novodevichy Convent
Kremlin, territory, churches
Kremlin, the Armoury Chamber
Red Square
St.Basil’s Cathedral
Novodevichiy Convent
Arbat street
Kolomenskoye, wooden palace and the church
Moscow metro tour
In the Golden Ring cities, Option 1, 1 day in Golden Ring cities
In Sergiyev Posad, the Trinity Laura (monastery) and in Aleksandrov Village (Kremlin by Ivan IV)
or
in Suzdal and Vladimir
in Suzdal, Suzdal Kremlin, the Nativity Cathedral, Savior-Euthymius Monastery, the Monastery of the Virgin Mary (Pokrovsky)
In Vladimir, the Assumption and the Dmitrievsky Orthodox cathedrals
Tour program includes (in all options)
In St Petersburg
Big city tour
St Isaac’s Cathedral
Church of the Savior on the Spilled Blood
The Hermitage museum, main building (Winter palace)
Peter&Paul’s Fortress and cathedral (the Romanov’s Panteon)
Peterhoff residence, the Grand Palace (Palace of Peter I) and the Lower Park with Fountains
Tsarskoye Selo Residence – Catherine Palace and the Amber Room
The tour also includes
— accommodation according to your wishes (a hotel of any category)
— a ticket to high speed train Sapsan (from Moscow to St Petersburg in 4 hours), business or economy class
11 days/10 nights
This True Russia tour option allows you to enjoy to the full the most famous sights of the two capitals as well as to spend a quality time focusing on the centuries-old history of Russia, its religion and medieval architecture during 2 days passing the Golden ring route.
We will visit tree famous cities of the Golden Ring – Sergiyev Posad, Vladimir and Suzdal. It will be an extraordinary opportunity to get acquainted with another aspect of Russian life, outside the noise and crowds of capitals. The cities of Suzdal and Vladimir have been known since the XI century as the capitals of the northwestern Russian principalities, and Sergiyev Posad became famous, as one of the most important centers of Orthodox religion due to the famous Trinity-Sergius Monastery (Lavra) is located there, the center of pilgrimage is often called the Russian Vatican.
Day 1, Moscow
Day 2, Moscow
During this big Moscow city tour you will see and enjoy the most famous and interesting attractions of the Russian capital, its avenues and squares, modern scyscrapers and its predecessors, Stalin’s «vysotki», iconic Red square and great panoramas of the Kremlin, elegant Bolshoi Theatre and the Triumphal Arch, the Novodevichiy Convent, the main building of Moscow University at the Sparrow Hill, the White House and a former KGB building at Lubyanka street, the memorial complex dedicated to the Victory in the 2nd World War on Mount Poklonnaya and much more.
You will also visit Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, the largest Orthodox Cathedral in Russia that has a very big and challenging history. Being constructed in the 19th century, it was the main Cathedral of the Russian Empire but at Soviet times, it was demolished and rebuilt at the end of the 20th century.
Day 3, Moscow
You can’t imagine the Russian capital without iconic Red Square, St.Basil’s Cathedral and the Kremlin. We will have a walk at the territory of the Kremlin and visit inside the ancient churches of the 15-16th centuries (The Archangel, The Assumption and the Annunciation Cathedrals), where Russian tsars were crowned, near the 81 meter high Bell Tower of Ivan the Great built in the beginning of the 16th century we will listen to its 22 famous bells. The Big Kremlin Palace, a residence of the Russian President we will see from outside. In the famous Armoury Chamber that houses a unique collection of crown jewels, stunning coronation finery, hand-forged armor and weapons, royal carriages and sleighs, and world-famous Fabergé eggs you also will have a guided tour.
Day 4, Moscow
Kolomenskoye is a former Tsar’s summer residence famous for a wooden palace of Alexei Mikhailovich (father of Peter I) and the Church of the Ascension of the Lord, the first stone tent church in Russia and one of the few surviving monuments of Ivan the Terrible era in Moscow. The temple was built on a hill at the place where, according to legend, the miraculous spring beat, so area around is considered holy. The wooden palace of the Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich which we visit inside will impress you with its interiors in Russian style with wood carving elements, traditional patterns typical for the interiors of nobility of the pre-Petrine times.
Arbat Street is located in the very center of Moscow and is one of the most famous streets of the capital. We can say that this is one of the symbols of Moscow, like the Kremlin or Red Square. It is a pedestrian street with many shops and cafes. Here you can see numerous artists depicting pedestrians, singers. There are several memorial museums of Russian writers, picturesque old mansions with interesting decoration
The Moscow metro is famous for its unique decoration resembling real underground palaces with walls lined with marble, bronze and granite sculptures, mosaics and lamps of rare shape. By 2010, 44 stations were recognized as objects of cultural heritage. Among the most interesting and fascinating are Ploschad Revolutsii, Mayakovskaya, Novoslobodskaya, Komsomolskaya, Arbatskaya, Kievskaya, Teatralnaya, Dostoevskaya stations.
Day 5 – Golden Ring – Sergiyev Posad-Vladimir –Suzdal
Day 6, Golden Ring, Suzdal – Mosow
Day 7, Moscow, St Petersburg
Day 8, St Petersburg
Our big city tour is the best way to know the history of St Petersburg through its gorgeous palaces and classic buildings of museums, wide avenues and granite embankments, big squares and little streets, cathedrals and drawbridges and feel the vibe of a European city in a country with two thirds of a territory lays in Asia.
We will see Nevsky Prospekt with its numerous palaces and the mighty Kazan Cathedral, admire the water panoramas of the Neva river from the Palace, Admiralty and University embankments, have a photo stops at the Palace Square, see the word famous Winter Palace, the former tsars’ residence and the Alexander’s Column and at a Spit of the Vasilyevsky island with well-known Rostral columns, heading towards the monument to Peter I, the founder of the city, the Bronze Horsman at the Senat Square. Several rivers and numerous canals cross the city and we will see Moika and Fontanka rivers, the Summer Garden, first park of the city and the mysterious Michael’s castle.
Another well-known places like the Theatre Square and the Mariinsky Theater, Arts Square and the Russian Museum, Naval Cathedral of St Nicholas, Church of the Saviour on the Spilled Blood and St Isaac’s square with the largest city cathedral of the same name, the battleship Aurora, symbol of the revolution will definitely impress you!
St Isaac’s Cathedral was the main cathedral of the Russian Empire and now is the fourth largest cathedral in the world. It was named after Saint Isaac, the patron saint of Peter the Great on whose day the emperor was born. In 1710 the first wooden church of Saint Isaac was laid, it was later rebuilt several times and by 1858 after 40 years of construction the cathedral how you will see it now was finished. It stands at the same name’s square close to the Neva river surrounded by the building of the Senat and Sinod, Mariinsky Palace and the monument to Nicolas I during whose reign it was built. This architectural and engineering marvel will impress you both from inside and outside. 48 columns weighted 114 tones each frame the cathedral from all sides, 14 types of marble and precious stones like malachite and lapis lazuli were used for interior decoration, mosaic icons and gilded elements are covering inside walls. The cathedral’s main dome rises 101.5 meters (333 ft) and is plated with pure gold.
Wow-thing! Take a challenge, climb 260 steps to reach the Colonnade of St. Isaac’s Cathedral and enjoy one of the most breathtaking panoramas of the historic center of St. Petersburg!
Church of the Saviour on the Spilled Blood is both an Orthodox church and a memorial monument, reminiscent of one of the tragic pages in the history of Russia, the fatal wounding of the Tsar Alexander II in March 1881 done by terrorists. The regicide shocked the whole country and soon it was decided to build a church on that site. The temple’s construction was started in 1883 and by 1907 it was completed. Despite the fact that the Savior on the Spilled Blood was built as a memorial temple in honor of the murdered tsar, its appearance is rather festive and bright and its architectural style can be called pseudo-Russian. To some extent, the temple resembles St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow. The church is decorated with numerous figured platbands, kokoshniks, tiles, multi-colored tiles. The mosaic plays a special role inside the temple, occupying an area of 7065 square meters and this exhibition is one of the largest in Europe. It is not surprising that the Savior on the Spilled Blood is called the “mosaic museum”. Mosaic panels on evangelical subjects almost completely cover the walls, pylons, ceilings. The famous view of the temple opens from the Griboyedov Canal.
Day 9, St Petersburg
A tour to the Hermitage, one of the largest museums in the world, is actually a combination of two tours in one, on the one hand you will admire the masterpieces of painting and sculpture, on the other the ceremonial halls of the Winter palace, the former Tsars’ residence like the Throne room, The Nicolas hall, Field marshal’s hall, The Armorial hall, Malachite room, The White hall, Small dining room, Rutanda and many others.
The history of the Hermitage collection goes back to the times of Catherine the Great when she bought 225 paintings by Flemish and Dutch artists from the German merchant Johann Ernst Gotzkowsky in 1764. Now among the thousands of paintings, we can distinguish the following internationally recognized masterpieces as Rembrandt’s “The Return of the Prodigal Son”, Leonardo da Vinci’s “Madonna Litta” and “Madonna Benoit”, Raphael’s “Madonna Connestabile” and “The Holy Family”, Caravaggio’s “Lutenist”, paintings by Titian, Murillo, El Greco and many other famous painters. Also the Hermitage is proud to have one of the world’s best collections of French paintings of the late 19th – early 20th centuries.
The Peter and Paul Fortress is famous for being the first building of St. Petersburg. It was founded on May 16, 1703 as the citadel of St. Petersburg, and this date is considered the birthday of the city. The lands where Peter the Great began to build the new capital of the Russian Empire were recently recaptured from the Swedes in the Northern War, and the fortress was supposed to protect the new city from possible attacks. The fortress is located on a small island in the Neva delta, has 6 bastions connected by brick walls 20 meters thick, and these characteristics made it very advanced for that time. For almost 300 years, Peter and Paul Cathedral standing in the center of the fortress was the highest building in the city with a 122-meter-high golden spire topped with an angel-shaped weathervane. It was the first cathedral of the new capital of Russia, and its interiors amazed people with the luxury of decoration, gilded wood carvings of the altar and crystal lamps, all this was very different from ancient Russian churches. In addition, the cathedral became the pantheon of all Russian tsars from Peter the Great to the last tsar Nicholas II.
Day 10, St Petersburg
Peterhof is the first suburban Tsar’s residence built in European style ever in Russia. Today it’s the world famous palace and parks architectural ensemble with a unique fountain system. Peter the Great founded it in 1710 after the victory over the Swedes at Poltava anticipating getting an access to the Baltic Sea as a result of the Russian victory in the Northern war. Later Peterhof was loved and cherished by many Russian Emperors and Empresses.
Nowadays Peterhof is the most popular museum in Russia due to a mix of diverse architecture represented by the Grand Palace and the smaller palaces like Monplaisir and Marli and entertainment and joy that more than 150 fountains together with a magnificent Grand Cascade bring. This man-made splendor is framed by the beauty of nature, the Upper and Lower Parks, as well as the Gulf of Finland, where the palace faces reminding us about its founder’s strive for freedom, openness and drive.
Before sharing with you details of the tour to Tsarskoe selo let us tell you a joke about the place we invite you to visit) The palace in Tsarskoe selo was built mainly by Empress Elizabeth but got a name of Catherine, wife of Peter the Great but was extremely cherished by another Catherine, a German born but very Russian by spirit Catherine the Great)
During the Northern War, these lands were conquered from the Swedes and Peter the Great presented them to his wife, the future Catherine I. She ordered to build a small palace here and it became an official tsar’s summer residence after her coronation in 1712. Under Empress Elizabeth, Peter’s daughter, the palace was seriously expanded by Italian architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli and by 1756 acquired the look that you can admire today.
The Catherine Palace is the brightest example of Russian Baroque. It is striking that with the length of the facade of 310 meters, it does not seem monotonous. The alternation of the protruding and recessed parts of the facade, the abundance of columns, the powerful figures of atlantes, the contrast between the white stucco decorations and the azure coloring of the walls create a harmonious rhythm of the entire structure. The halls of the palace amaze with their decoration, of different styles – baroque, neoclassical, but all extremely elegant and luxurious. During the guided visit you will adore the Big throne room, White and Chevalier dining rooms, Arabesque and Lion halls, the Palace chapel with its unique Prussian blue colour opened recently after the restoration and of course the famous Amber Room, a gift from Frederick I to Peter I, consisted of amber panels with diverse ornaments was placed in the Catherine Palace and was already considered the pearl of this summer residence. Unfortunately, its interior disappeared without a trace during the Great Patriotic War and was recreated and opened to public only in 2003.
During the construction of the palace, large-scale work on the breakdown of the park continued. The upper park adjacent to the facade of the Grand Palace was made regular, the rest is a classic English landscape park, completely man-made, but creating the illusion of the natural one. After a palace tour you will walk through the parks and gardens, enjoying beautiful landscapes and water panoramas of the big ponds.
Day 11, St Petersburg
In Moscow
Moscow city tour
Cathedral of Christ the Saviour
Novodevichy Convent
Kremlin, territory, churches
Kremlin, the Armoury Chamber
Red Square
St.Basil’s Cathedral
Novodevichiy Convent
Arbat street
Kolomenskoye, wooden palace and the church
Moscow metro tour
In the Golden Ring cities, Option 2, 2 days in Golden Ring cities
In Sergiyev Posad
the Trinity-Sergius Lavra
in Suzdal
Suzdal Kremlin, the Nativity Cathedral, Savior-Euthymius Monastery, the Monastery of the Virgin Mary (Pokrovsky)
In Vladimir
the Assumption and the Dmitrievsky Orthodox cathedrals
Tour program includes (in all options)
In St Petersburg
Big city tour
St Isaac’s Cathedral
Church of the Savior on the Spilled Blood
The Hermitage museum, main building (Winter palace)
Peter&Paul’s Fortress and cathedral (the Romanov’s Panteon)
Peterhoff residence, the Grand Palace (Palace of Peter I) and the Lower Park with Fountains
Tsarskoye Selo Residence – Catherine Palace and the Amber Room
The tour also includes
— accommodation according to your wishes (a hotel of any category) in Moscow and St Petersburg
— accommodation in 4* hotel in Vladimir
— a ticket to high speed train Sapsan (from Moscow to St Petersburg in 4 hours), business or economy class
12 days/11 nights
Apart from intense itinerary we have prepared for you in Moscow and St Petersburg, this True Russia tour option will give you unique opportunity to have a broad view on Russia authentic towns of the Golden ring. Here we have chosen 6 real gems and each of them is different but extremely impressive. Some are small and picturesque, like Suzdal and Rostov Velikij, others are relatively large, like Yaroslavl and Kostroma. You will have the opportunity to see not only works of architecture, churches, monasteries, Kremlins (fortresses), but also to see the expanses of Russia, its lyrical landscapes with its endless forests, meadows, villages, rivers, even the most famous Russian river – the legendary Volga.
Day 1, Moscow
Day 2, Moscow
During this big Moscow city tour you will see and enjoy the most famous and interesting attractions of the Russian capital, its avenues and squares, modern scyscrapers and its predecessors, Stalin’s «vysotki», iconic Red square and great panoramas of the Kremlin, elegant Bolshoi Theatre and the Triumphal Arch, the Novodevichiy Convent, the main building of Moscow University at the Sparrow Hill, the White House and a former KGB building at Lubyanka street, the memorial complex dedicated to the Victory in the 2nd World War on Mount Poklonnaya and much more.
You will also visit Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, the largest Orthodox Cathedral in Russia that has a very big and challenging history. Being constructed in the 19th century, it was the main Cathedral of the Russian Empire but at Soviet times, it was demolished and rebuilt at the end of the 20th century.
Day 3, Moscow
You can’t imagine the Russian capital without iconic Red Square, St.Basil’s Cathedral and the Kremlin. We will have a walk at the territory of the Kremlin and visit inside the ancient churches of the 15-16th centuries (The Archangel, The Assumption and the Annunciation Cathedrals), where Russian tsars were crowned, near the 81 meter high Bell Tower of Ivan the Great built in the beginning of the 16th century we will listen to its 22 famous bells. The Big Kremlin Palace, a residence of the Russian President we will see from outside. In the famous Armoury Chamber that houses a unique collection of crown jewels, stunning coronation finery, hand-forged armor and weapons, royal carriages and sleighs, and world-famous Fabergé eggs you also will have a guided tour.
Day 4, Moscow
Kolomenskoye is a former Tsar’s summer residence famous for a wooden palace of Alexei Mikhailovich (father of Peter I) and the Church of the Ascension of the Lord, the first stone tent church in Russia and one of the few surviving monuments of Ivan the Terrible era in Moscow. The temple was built on a hill at the place where, according to legend, the miraculous spring beat, so area around is considered holy. The wooden palace of the Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich which we visit inside will impress you with its interiors in Russian style with wood carving elements, traditional patterns typical for the interiors of nobility of the pre-Petrine times.
Arbat Street is located in the very center of Moscow and is one of the most famous streets of the capital. We can say that this is one of the symbols of Moscow, like the Kremlin or Red Square. It is a pedestrian street with many shops and cafes. Here you can see numerous artists depicting pedestrians, singers. There are several memorial museums of Russian writers, picturesque old mansions with interesting decoration
The Moscow metro is famous for its unique decoration resembling real underground palaces with walls lined with marble, bronze and granite sculptures, mosaics and lamps of rare shape. By 2010, 44 stations were recognized as objects of cultural heritage. Among the most interesting and fascinating are Ploschad Revolutsii, Mayakovskaya, Novoslobodskaya, Komsomolskaya, Arbatskaya, Kievskaya, Teatralnaya, Dostoevskaya stations.
Day 5 – Golden Ring – Sergiyev Posad, Rostov Velikiy (Rostov the Great), Yaroslavl
Day 6 – Golden Ring – Yaroslavl -Kostroma – Suzdal
Yaroslavl is located on the banks of the Volga River, the panoramas are fantastic. During the tour you will also visit the Transfiguration Cathedral (Spaso Preobrazenskiy) and the Church of St. Ilias the Prophet.
Kostroma is located at the confluence of the Volga and Kostroma rivers. During the tour you will walk through the central part of the city with its provincial architecture of the eighteenth century, visit the Ipatievsky Monastery, famous for having served as a refuge for the first tsar of the Romanov dynasty, Michael, who came to the throne in 1613. That year brought an end to the long and dramatic period of revolts and Polish invasion. Another cathedral worth visiting is the Holy Trinity Cathedral famous for its ancient frescoes
Day 7 – Golden Ring – Suzdal – Vladimir – Moscow
Day 8, Moscow & St Petersburg
Day 9, St Petersburg
Our big city tour is the best way to know the history of St Petersburg through its gorgeous palaces and classic buildings of museums, wide avenues and granite embankments, big squares and little streets, cathedrals and drawbridges and feel the vibe of a European city in a country with two thirds of a territory lays in Asia.
We will see Nevsky Prospekt with its numerous palaces and the mighty Kazan Cathedral, admire the water panoramas of the Neva river from the Palace, Admiralty and University embankments, have a photo stops at the Palace Square, see the word famous Winter Palace, the former tsars’ residence and the Alexander’s Column and at a Spit of the Vasilyevsky island with well-known Rostral columns, heading towards the monument to Peter I, the founder of the city, the Bronze Horsman at the Senat Square. Several rivers and numerous canals cross the city and we will see Moika and Fontanka rivers, the Summer Garden, first park of the city and the mysterious Michael’s castle.
Another well-known places like the Theatre Square and the Mariinsky Theater, Arts Square and the Russian Museum, Naval Cathedral of St Nicholas, Church of the Saviour on the Spilled Blood and St Isaac’s square with the largest city cathedral of the same name, the battleship Aurora, symbol of the revolution will definitely impress you!
St Isaac’s Cathedral was the main cathedral of the Russian Empire and now is the fourth largest cathedral in the world. It was named after Saint Isaac, the patron saint of Peter the Great on whose day the emperor was born. In 1710 the first wooden church of Saint Isaac was laid, it was later rebuilt several times and by 1858 after 40 years of construction the cathedral how you will see it now was finished. It stands at the same name’s square close to the Neva river surrounded by the building of the Senat and Sinod, Mariinsky Palace and the monument to Nicolas I during whose reign it was built. This architectural and engineering marvel will impress you both from inside and outside. 48 columns weighted 114 tones each frame the cathedral from all sides, 14 types of marble and precious stones like malachite and lapis lazuli were used for interior decoration, mosaic icons and gilded elements are covering inside walls. The cathedral’s main dome rises 101.5 meters (333 ft) and is plated with pure gold.
Wow-thing! Take a challenge, climb 260 steps to reach the Colonnade of St. Isaac’s Cathedral and enjoy one of the most breathtaking panoramas of the historic center of St. Petersburg!
Church of the Saviour on the Spilled Blood is both an Orthodox church and a memorial monument, reminiscent of one of the tragic pages in the history of Russia, the fatal wounding of the Tsar Alexander II in March 1881 done by terrorists. The regicide shocked the whole country and soon it was decided to build a church on that site. The temple’s construction was started in 1883 and by 1907 it was completed. Despite the fact that the Savior on the Spilled Blood was built as a memorial temple in honor of the murdered tsar, its appearance is rather festive and bright and its architectural style can be called pseudo-Russian. To some extent, the temple resembles St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow. The church is decorated with numerous figured platbands, kokoshniks, tiles, multi-colored tiles. The mosaic plays a special role inside the temple, occupying an area of 7065 square meters and this exhibition is one of the largest in Europe. It is not surprising that the Savior on the Spilled Blood is called the “mosaic museum”. Mosaic panels on evangelical subjects almost completely cover the walls, pylons, ceilings. The famous view of the temple opens from the Griboyedov Canal.
Day 10, St Petersburg
A tour to the Hermitage, one of the largest museums in the world, is actually a combination of two tours in one, on the one hand you will admire the masterpieces of painting and sculpture, on the other the ceremonial halls of the Winter palace, the former Tsars’ residence like the Throne room, The Nicolas hall, Field marshal’s hall, The Armorial hall, Malachite room, The White hall, Small dining room, Rutanda and many others.
The history of the Hermitage collection goes back to the times of Catherine the Great when she bought 225 paintings by Flemish and Dutch artists from the German merchant Johann Ernst Gotzkowsky in 1764. Now among the thousands of paintings, we can distinguish the following internationally recognized masterpieces as Rembrandt’s “The Return of the Prodigal Son”, Leonardo da Vinci’s “Madonna Litta” and “Madonna Benoit”, Raphael’s “Madonna Connestabile” and “The Holy Family”, Caravaggio’s “Lutenist”, paintings by Titian, Murillo, El Greco and many other famous painters. Also the Hermitage is proud to have one of the world’s best collections of French paintings of the late 19th – early 20th centuries.
The Peter and Paul Fortress is famous for being the first building of St. Petersburg. It was founded on May 16, 1703 as the citadel of St. Petersburg, and this date is considered the birthday of the city. The lands where Peter the Great began to build the new capital of the Russian Empire were recently recaptured from the Swedes in the Northern War, and the fortress was supposed to protect the new city from possible attacks. The fortress is located on a small island in the Neva delta, has 6 bastions connected by brick walls 20 meters thick, and these characteristics made it very advanced for that time. For almost 300 years, Peter and Paul Cathedral standing in the center of the fortress was the highest building in the city with a 122-meter-high golden spire topped with an angel-shaped weathervane. It was the first cathedral of the new capital of Russia, and its interiors amazed people with the luxury of decoration, gilded wood carvings of the altar and crystal lamps, all this was very different from ancient Russian churches. In addition, the cathedral became the pantheon of all Russian tsars from Peter the Great to the last tsar Nicholas II.
Day 11, St Petersburg
Peterhof is the first suburban Tsar’s residence built in European style ever in Russia. Today it’s the world famous palace and parks architectural ensemble with a unique fountain system. Peter the Great founded it in 1710 after the victory over the Swedes at Poltava anticipating getting an access to the Baltic Sea as a result of the Russian victory in the Northern war. Later Peterhof was loved and cherished by many Russian Emperors and Empresses.
Nowadays Peterhof is the most popular museum in Russia due to a mix of diverse architecture represented by the Grand Palace and the smaller palaces like Monplaisir and Marli and entertainment and joy that more than 150 fountains together with a magnificent Grand Cascade bring. This man-made splendor is framed by the beauty of nature, the Upper and Lower Parks, as well as the Gulf of Finland, where the palace faces reminding us about its founder’s strive for freedom, openness and drive.
Before sharing with you details of the tour to Tsarskoe selo let us tell you a joke about the place we invite you to visit) The palace in Tsarskoe selo was built mainly by Empress Elizabeth but got a name of Catherine, wife of Peter the Great but was extremely cherished by another Catherine, a German born but very Russian by spirit Catherine the Great)
During the Northern War, these lands were conquered from the Swedes and Peter the Great presented them to his wife, the future Catherine I. She ordered to build a small palace here and it became an official tsar’s summer residence after her coronation in 1712. Under Empress Elizabeth, Peter’s daughter, the palace was seriously expanded by Italian architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli and by 1756 acquired the look that you can admire today.
The Catherine Palace is the brightest example of Russian Baroque. It is striking that with the length of the facade of 310 meters, it does not seem monotonous. The alternation of the protruding and recessed parts of the facade, the abundance of columns, the powerful figures of atlantes, the contrast between the white stucco decorations and the azure coloring of the walls create a harmonious rhythm of the entire structure. The halls of the palace amaze with their decoration, of different styles – baroque, neoclassical, but all extremely elegant and luxurious. During the guided visit you will adore the Big throne room, White and Chevalier dining rooms, Arabesque and Lion halls, the Palace chapel with its unique Prussian blue colour opened recently after the restoration and of course the famous Amber Room, a gift from Frederick I to Peter I, consisted of amber panels with diverse ornaments was placed in the Catherine Palace and was already considered the pearl of this summer residence. Unfortunately, its interior disappeared without a trace during the Great Patriotic War and was recreated and opened to public only in 2003.
During the construction of the palace, large-scale work on the breakdown of the park continued. The upper park adjacent to the facade of the Grand Palace was made regular, the rest is a classic English landscape park, completely man-made, but creating the illusion of the natural one. After a palace tour you will walk through the parks and gardens, enjoying beautiful landscapes and water panoramas of the big ponds.
Day 12, St Petersburg
Transfer to the airport
This tour is one of the options how you can enjoy Moscow, St Petersburg and Novgorod the Great but it can be modified according to the number of days you have and preferences about cultural content you would like to see in these 3 Russian cities. Please feel free to share with us your ideas and we will do our best to prepare a tailor made itinerary for you. Thank you for choosing Nordic travel!
Tour program includes (in all options)
In Moscow
Moscow city tour
Cathedral of Christ the Saviour
Novodevichy Convent
Kremlin, territory, churches
Kremlin, the Armoury Chamber
Red Square
St.Basil’s Cathedral
Novodevichiy Convent
Arbat street
Kolomenskoye, wooden palace and the church
Moscow metro tour
Golden Ring part
Tour program includes (in all options)
In St Petersburg
Big city tour
St Isaac’s Cathedral
Church of the Savior on the Spilled Blood
The Hermitage museum, main building (Winter palace)
Peter&Paul’s Fortress and cathedral (the Romanov’s Panteon)
Peterhoff residence, the Grand Palace (Palace of Peter I) and the Lower Park with Fountains
Tsarskoye Selo Residence – Catherine Palace and the Amber Room
The tour also includes
— accommodation according to your wishes (a hotel of any category) in Moscow and St Petersburg
— accommodation in 4* hotel in Yaroslavl and Suzdal
— a ticket to high speed train Sapsan (from Moscow to St Petersburg in 4 hours), business or economy class
