RUSSIAN CAPITALS & GOLDEN RING - 10 DAYS
St. Petersburg - Moscow - Suzdal

ITINERARY 2022

DAY 1 (TUESDAY): ARRIVAL ST. PETERSBURG
Arrival in St. Petersburg, optional transfer to Hotel Sokos Vasilievsky or similar, check-in, welcome meeting.

DAY 2 (WEDNESDAY): ST. PETERSBURG
St. Petersburg is an amazing city. Its imperial palaces and museums enjoy worldwide fame, while the Neva River and the many canals have deservedly given the city the title of Venice of the North. During the morning sightseeing tour, we get acquainted with all the splendours of the city: The Peter-Paul Fortress, the Winter Palace, St. Isaac’s Cathedral, the Church of the Bleeding Savior, the Nevsky Convent and much more. The afternoon offers an optional excursion to Zarskoye Selo with the impressive Catherine’s Palace and the Amber Room, which vanished during World War II and was restored for St. Petersburg’s tri-centennial celebrations. In the evening enjoy an optional visit to the Nikolaevsky Palace with an exciting Russian folklore show and Russian „champagne” and snacks.

DAY 3 (THURSDAY): ST. PETERSBURG
The morning is reserved for an optional visit to Peterhof, an uncontested masterpiece of the time of Peter the Great, with the impressive Grand Palace, Grand Cascade and Water Avenue and its wonderful parks. In the afternoon, an optional visit to the world-famous Hermitage Art Museum is offered. In the evening enjoy an optional Russian dinner at Restaurant Pryanosti & Radosti.

DAY 4 (FRIDAY): ST. PETERSBURG – MOSCOW
The early morning is reserved for an optional St. Petersburg channel cruise. Around noon we go to the Moscow Railway Station and board the Sapsan high-speed train bound for Moscow. The train ride takes us through endless Russian landscapes along the River Volga. In the late afternoon we arrive to Moscow and check in at Hotel Azimut Smolenskaya or similar.

DAY 5 (SATURDAY): MOSCOW
Moscow, The Mother of Russia, is a genuine Russian city with the Kremlin and its onion domed cathedrals. The dramatic changes over the last decade have made the city to one of the most dynamic metropolises in the world. The morning sightseeing tour includes the highlights of the vast city: The Red Square with St. Basil’s Cathedral, the Theatre Square with Bolshoi Theatre and Sparrow Hills with Moscow University and we visit the Kremlin grounds and one of the cathedrals. In the afternoon is offered an optional visit to the Moscow Metro including the historical stations on the Ring-Line and a guided stroll along the famous pedestrian Arbat Street. The evening offers an optional Moscow-by-night tour including an unforgettable river cruise with the White Flotilla.

DAY 6 (SUNDAY): MOSCOW
The day offers an optional full day excursion to the quaint town of Sergiev Posad, where we visit the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, the most important Russian monastery and the spiritual heart of the Russian Orthodox Church. The whole Lavra has been beautifully restored for the 700-years celebrations of the birth of St. Sergius of Radonezh.

DAY 7 (MONDAY): MOSCOW – VLADIMIR – SUZDAL
Today we start our journey on the Golden Ring of ancient Russian towns. We first drive through scenic Russian landscapes to Vladimir, one of the ancient capitals of Russia. During the city sightseeing tour we visit the Assumption Cathedral and see the St. Demetrius Cathedral, both world heritage sites and the Golden Gate. In the late afternoon we continue to Suzdal and check-in at the Hotel Azimut Suzdal or similar.

DAY 8: (TUESDAY): SUZDAL
Dating back almost thousand years, Suzdal is a small fairy-tale town with an unsurpassed collection of ancient Russian architecture. During the optional whole day tour, we discover all the treasures of Suzdal including the Kremlin, the Nativity Cathedral, the Museum of Wooden Architecture, St. Ethymius Monastery and the Transfiguration Cathedral.

DAY 9: (WEDNESDAY): SUZDAL – BOGOLYBOVO – MOSCOW
This morning we drive to the nearby village of Bogolyubovo to admire the glare white light single-domed Church of the Intercession on the Nerl. The church is built on a small hill, on a river meadow, in all its clarity and beauty it stands like a candle, growing out over the expanse of the meadow. We drive back to Moscow and in the afternoon we check-in at Hotel Azimut Smolenskaya or similar.

DAY 10: (THURSDAY): MOSCOW DEPARTURE
Optional transfer to the airport

Single room supplement is extra & available upon request. Please contact us for Single travel alone and Single room supplement.

INCLUSIONS
• 9 overnights at centrally located 4 star hotels
• 9 x buffet breakfast
• Welcome meeting with champagne-cocktail or juice
• Personalized welcome package
• Entrances to Peter-Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg, Moscow Kremlin, the Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir and the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl in Bogolyubovo
• Service of English and German speaking tour escort on all tours
• Service of Italian and Spanish speaking tour escorts on all tours
• Service of Portuguese speaking tour escort on St.Petersburg-Moscow segment of the tour and Italian and Spanish speaking tour escort on Golden Ring segment of the tour on tours
• Service of 1st class motor coaches or 1st class minivans throughout the itinerary
• Sapsan high-speed train St. PetersburgMoscow OW (2nd class)
• Portage at hotels and railway stations

Optional:
• Transfer airport to Hotel Sokos Vasilievsky: $ 97.00 for private car (1-3 persons), $ 125.00 for private minivan (4-7 persons)
• 4-hour excursion to Zarskoye Selo and visit to Catherine’s Palace: $ 111.00 pp
• Visit to folklore show at the Nikolaevsky Palace: $ 91.00 pp
• 4-hour excursion to Peterhof and visit to the Grand Palace: $ 105.00 pp
• 3-hour visit to the Hermitage Art Museum: $ 70.00 pp
• Russian dinner at Restaurant Pryanosti & Radosti: $ 70.00 pp
• Guided channel cruise: $ 70.00 pp
• 3-hour Moscow metro and Arbat tour: $ 35.00 pp
• 3-hour Moscow-by-night tour and river cruise: $ 77.00 pp
• 8-hour excursion to Sergiev Posad: $ 111.00 pp
• 6-hours tour of Suzdal and visit to the Nativity Cathedral, Museum of Wooden Architecture, St. Ethymius Monastery and the Transfiguration Cathedral: $ 111.00 pp
• Transfer Hotel Azimut Smolenskaya to airport: $ 111.00 for private car (1-3 persons), $ 139.00 for private minivan (4-7 persons) • Half board (9 x 3 course dinner with coffee/tea): $ 355.00 pp

EXCLUSIONS
·         Any Visa fee
·         Any airfare
·         Any airport tax.
·         Any expenses of personal nature like tips, porterages at the stations, laundry, beverages, telephone calls etc.
·         Any expenses caused by factors beyond our control like flight cancellation, road blocks, vehicle malfunction etc.
·         Any medical or evacuation insurance
·         Additional costs due to flight cancellation, road blocks etc.