Golden Ring Light

Your first day in Moscow will start with a city tour. Today we will discover the main sights of the Russian capital: Red Square and the Kremlin, Christ the Savior’s Cathedral, Poklonnaya Gora, and Victory Park, the observation platform in Sparrow Hills, followed by a visit to the Novodevichy Convent – a World Heritage Site of the 16th century.

After an independent lunch, you will be able to take a closer look at the Kremlin cathedrals and visit the Red Square with St Basil’s Cathedral and Lenin’s Mausoleum. In the evening you will have free time to have a rest.

After breakfast be ready for a short ride and discover the town of Sergiev Posad. It is around 70 km from Moscow. Originated in the 15th century, it embraces one of the largest monasteries in Russia: the Holy Trinity Lavra, which is an important historical landmark as well as a place of pilgrimage. During lunch, you can taste traditional Russian food in the original monks’ refectory.

After lunch, we will set off for Suzdal, an ancient town of the Golden Ring, founded in the 11th century. You will spend the night here.

After breakfast, in the morning we are going to have a sightseeing tour around Suzdal. Discover the finest examples of Russian medieval architecture with a visit to the Kremlin and The Monastery of Saint Euthymius.

After lunch, we will leave for Vladimir, another town of the Golden Ring, which has preserved significant buildings surviving from the 12th century. You are going to have a city tour there, visiting its famous Dormition and St. Demetrius’ Cathedrals and the Golden Gate. In the late afternoon, we will come back to Moscow.

In the morning take a walk along with one of the oldest streets in Moscow – Arbat, where you can find lots of souvenirs and productions of local handicrafts, followed by a guided tour around Moscow Metro. The Moscow Metro is not just public transport, it is a real underground architectural monument of world significance. The construction went under the motto “Let’s create a palace for the people!” and indeed today many stations of the Moscow metro are more reminiscent of majestic museum halls.

In the afternoon you will depart to Saint Petersburg by high-speed train (4-hour journey). Upon arrival to Saint Petersburg, you will meet another guide and have the transfer to the hotel.

On your first day in Saint Petersburg, you will have a sightseeing tour with a guide. You are going to visit the Square of Fine Arts, St Isaac’s Cathedral, Nevsky Prospect, Kazan Cathedral and other sights in the city center. Also, we are going to visit the famous Peter and Paul fortress. The first St. Petersburg building was the Peter and Paul Fortress, erected during the Russian-Swedish war as a bastion of the country on the Baltic coast. Today the Peter and Paul Fortress is a “postcard” attraction of St. Petersburg, its image has the highest degree of recognition among tourists all over the world.

In the afternoon you may visit Peterhof – “Russian Versailles”. You will tour the Grand Palace, the Lower and Upper Gardens with countless fountains. The Peterhof tour is optional so you can choose to have a free afternoon instead.

In the morning you will have a guided tour of one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world: the Hermitage. Enjoy the largest collection of paintings in the world, including works of Titian, Leonardo da Vinci, Velázquez, Van Gogh, Picasso, Malevich, Kandinsky, and many more.

After an independent lunch, we will visit Tsarskoye Selo, a former Russian summer residence of the imperial family. Catherine Palace, the largest palace of the tsars, is famous for its Baroque interiors, including the Gold Rooms and the unique Amber Room, the 8th wonder of the world. In the evening you will have free time to have a rest.