| Day: |
Description: |
| 1 |
MOSCOW:
Arrive in Moscow and check in to hotel. Time to relax or explore this fascinating city. |
| 2 |
MOSCOW:
Guided tour of the Kremlin, Red Square and the Tretyakov Gallery. (B) |
| 3 |
MOSCOW:
A free day for further exploration of the other highlights of Russia's capital city. (B) |
| 4 |
MOSCOW - ROSTOV VELIKY:
Today we start our tour of the 'Golden Ring' - an area of very old towns north east of Moscow. We visit the Monastery of St Sergius in Sergiev Posad, followed by beautiful Pereslavl on the way to Rostov Veliky. (B) |
| 5 |
ROSTOV VELIKY - YAROSLAVL:
In the morning we have the opportunity to row on Lake Nero and explore the many churches and museums of the Rostov Kremlin before travelling to Yaroslavl, an enchanting old town on the banks of the Volga. (B) |
| 6 |
YAROSLAVL - SUZDAL:
A morning to explore Yaroslavl before travelling to Suzdal, where you will think you have travelled back in time to ancient Russia. (B) |
| 7 |
VLADIMIR - NOVGOROD:
The morning is free to explore the monasteries, convents and wooden cottages of Suzdal. Later we visit Bogolyubovo and Vladimir, containing some of the most beautiful buildings in Russia, before we journey back to Moscow for the overnight train to Novgorod. (B) |
| 8 |
NOVGOROD:
Full day to explore Novgorod; opportunity in the evening to try a Russian sauna at the local banya (bathhouse). |
| 9 |
NOVGOROD - ST PETERSBURG:
Travel to St Petersburg, Russia's city of canals. (B) |
| 10 |
ST PETERSBURG:
Guided tour of St Petersburg, including the world famous Hermitage and the Gardens of Pushkin. (B) |
| 11 |
ST PETERSBURG:
We travel to Petrodvorets to see the spectacular palace, built by Peter the Great and famed for its avenue of fountains. Free afternoon. (B) |
| 12 |
ST PETERSBURG:
Tour ends. (B) |
This is your chance to experience the intoxicating highlights of this vast and fascinating country. With the allure of the bold, brash oxymoron that is Moscow, the cultured elegance of St Petersburg and the most picturesque towns of the famous 'Golden Ring' - the cultural and political heart of Russia - in between, this is a real trip of a lifetime.
