Moscow and St Petersburg in-depth tour / 14D

14 Days 13 Nights Sightseeing Cultural All year

► Tours  ► St Petersburg and Moscow tours Moscow and St Petersburg in-depth tour

  On this 14-day private tour to Moscow and St Petersburg, you will visit all the essential sights and museums of the two Russian capitals.  You will see outstanding examples of architecture and learn about the history of places such as the Moscow Kremlin, St Basil’s Cathedral, the Kolomenskoe Estate, the Catherine Palace, the Winter Palace and the Peterhof Palace. You will get to admire Russian and Western masterpieces at the Hermitage State Gallery, the Tretyakov Gallery and the Russian Museum.

  You will be amazed by the scale and grandeur of Soviet architecture at the VDNKh exhibition centre and the wonderful Moscow Metro. You will also visit the home of one of Stalin’s comrades - Sergey Kirov, whose assassination under mysterious circumstances launched the Red Terror of the 1930s. Finally, you will also have the opportunity to see how more simple St Petersburg citizens lived and live today. After this trip, you can certainly say you have visited and know Moscow and St Petersburg!

  During the tour, you will also get to taste some real Russia cuisine and traditional food of other countries of the former Soviet Union.  In addition to all this, you will also see the spiritual heart of Russia and visit the Troitse-Sergieva Lavra in Sergiev Posad, the main monastery in the country. It was founded by the revered St Sergius of Radonezh and boasts a cathedral decorated by the most famous icon painter of them all - Andrey Rublev.


WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS TRIP


1 DAY / ARRIVAL IN MOSCOW

Moscow

 Arrival in Moscow and transfer to your hotel. Transfer to the hotel. 

Night in Moscow.


2 DAY / TOUR OF MOSCOW

Moscow

  Breakfast in the hotel.

  City tour of Moscow - during this tour by private car you will see the main sights of the city, including:

 After the excursion you will continue the tour on foot around the historic centre of Moscow. During this walking tour you will see:

 Guided tour of St Basil’s Cathedral - the most recognisable church in Russia, which, with its nine colourful domes, is often compared to something out of a fairy tale or a wedding cake. It is one of the most important examples of 16th-century Russian architecture, yet Stalin still had plans to demolish it. Luckily this never happened.

 Duration: 8h |  Transportation: By a car and by metro

Night in Moscow.


3 DAY / MOSCOW KREMLIN

Moscow

 Breakfast in the hotel.

  Guided tour of the Moscow Kremlin – the biggest fortress in Russia and Moscow’s main tourist sight. Today it also serves as the official residence of the Russian president. Located inside are the Tsar Bell and Tsar Cannon and several cathedrals and churches which act as the resting place for 47 pre-Peter the Great Russian rulers (including Ivan the Terrible and Dmitry Donskoy).

  Guided tour of Moscow Kremlin Armoury - this is Russia’s treasure trove of historical relics. In its many halls you will state regalia, crowns, thrones, clothes, weapons, carriages, sledges and hundreds of gifts, including Faberge eggs.  

  Boat trip along the River Moskva - you will sail along Moscow’s main river, after which it gets its name, through the historical centre and you will see Sparrow Hills, Christ the Saviour, the Kremlin and the Peter the Great Monument from another angle.

 Duration: 6-7h |  Transportation: by metro

Night in Moscow.


4 DAY / TRETIAKOV GALLERY

Zamoskvorechie

 Breakfast in the hotel.

  Guided tour of the Tretyakov Gallery – home to one of the world's largest collections of Russian art. Since its foundation in 1856, the gallery has collected more than 170,000 exhibits including some of the most famous Russian artworks. It also includes priceless icons which are the works of Andrei Rublev and Dionysius.

  Guided tour around the Zamoskvorechye District – situated south of the River Moskva opposite the Kremlin, this district is considered one of the most atmospheric in Moscow, where over six centuries of history have been preserved. There are many picturesque lanes, small squares with fountains and old mansion houses and churches built in various styles. 

  Moscow food tour - kholodets, vinegret, herring in a fur coat, syrniki, borsch, schi, pelmeni, kvas, kompot  - if have never heard of these dishes, then you cannot have tried Russian cuisine. On this tour you will visit cafes, restaurants, shops and markets where you can try not just Russian food, but also famous dishes from various former republics of the Soviet Union.

 Duration: 7-8 hours |  Transportation: by metro

Night in Moscow.


5 DAY / DAY TOUR TO SERGIEV POSAD

Sergiev Posad

 Breakfast in the hotel.

   Excursion to Sergiev Posad - Sergiev Posad is home to Russia’s main monastery, which has been given the status of a lavra (there are just two lavras in the whole of the country). The Troitse-Sergieva Lavra was founded by St Sergius of Radonezh almost seven centuries ago and now it is a massive complex with dozens of architectural masterpieces: churches, towers, walls, residences, monk cells. During the tour you will go inside the magnificent Trinity Cathedral and see its iconostasis created by Andrey Rublev and learn about its history. You will also visit the Dormition Cathedral, which Ivan the Terrible had built as a copy of the Dormition Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.

   Russian Doll Museum and Masterclass - Russia’s most iconic souvenirs are of course sets of nesting dolls and in Russian, they are known as a matryoshka. The first ones to appear in Russia were produced in Sergiev Posad at the end of the 19th century following the creation of a master’s group hereafter Sergey Malyutin showed them an example of a Japanese doll brought to Russia by the wife of the famous patron of the arts Savva Mamontov. These original Japanese dolls though depicted an old bald man, rather than women. On this day trip to Sergiev Posad you will visit the Russian Doll Museum here and even get the chance to decorate your own doll. 

 Duration: 7-8h |  Transportation: by a car

Night in Moscow.


DAY 6 / VDNKH AND SOVIET BUNKER

VDNKH

  Breakfast in the hotel.

  Guided tour of VDNKh – VDNKh is the All-Russia Exhibition Centre and is a must for those interested in Soviet history and the monumental architecture favoured by Stalin. It is an enormous exhibition complex with many pavilions which were once dedicated to the republics of the Soviet Union or various branches of industry or science, although today few of them still retain their original function. Just outside the centre is the Worker and Kolkoz Woman Monument - a 24.5 metre statue by Vera Mukhina which was made from stainless steel for the 1937 World Fair in Paris and depicts a worker holding a hammer and a collective farm worker with a sickle.

  Guided tour of the Museum of Modern History of Russia - one of the most interesting museums in Moscow, dedicated to the last 150 years of Russian history. It was previously dedicated to just the Russian Revolution but now includes exhibits on the abolition of serfdom, collectivisation, the Second World War, Yury Gagarin’s historic space trip, Perestroika and the first presidents of the Russian Federation.

  Guided tour of a Soviet Bunker -  this fascinating museum is located in a relatively modern fortification situated 43 metres underground. It was built under Stalin to provide a liveable space in a system of cast-iron tunnels, although its primary function was as a protected state archive for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Until recently it held thousands of classified documents containing state secrets, but now the documents have been moved so that tourists can visit this interesting and rather spooky place, reminiscent of something out of a post-apocalypse film.

  Guided tour of the Moscow metro - generally recognised as the most beautiful metro system in the world, with many stations that look more like palaces or museums. During the tour, you will visit the best stations, learn about their history and have lots of photo opportunities.

 Duration: 7-8 hours |  Transportation: by metro
Night in Moscow.

DAY 7 / KOLOMENSKOE ESTATE

Kolomenskoe

  Breakfast in the hotel.

  Guided tour of Kolomenskoe Estate - a visit to the former country residence of the grand princes of Moscow and the early Russian tsars such as Ivan the Terrible. The highlight of the estate is the UNESCO-protected Ascension Church, which is unique as it is the first Russian church to feature a tent-dome and represents a break with the traditional Byzantine architectural style and the beginning of a distinct Russian architectural style.

Transfer from the hotel to the railway station.

HIGH-SPEED TRAIN TO ST PETERSBURG.

Duration: 4 hours

Upon arrival in St Petersburg, a transfer to the hotel.

Night in St Petersburg.


DAY 8 / TOUR OF ST PETERSBURG

St Petersburg

  Breakfast in the hotel.

 City tour of St Petersburg to see the main sights of the city. The highlights of the tour are:

The city tour also includes:

  Boat trip along St Petersburg’s rivers and canals - there are more than 80 rivers, canals and streams in St Petersburg, leading to the city being called the Venice of the North. All of the city’s palaces, theatres and cathedrals were built taking into consideration how they would look from the river, meaning that a boat trip around St Petersburg is an absolute must!

 Duration: 5-6h |  Transportation: By private car

Night in St Petersburg.


DAY 9 / HERMITAGE (WINTER PALACE)

Hermitage

 Breakfast in the hotel.

  Guided tour of the State Hermitage (Winter Palace) – a private tour around the world famous art gallery, which is located in the Winter Palace - the former residence of the Russian imperial family. Although the gallery houses an outstanding collection of European Art, often the interiors of the palace itself attract the most attention. Your guide will show you the highlights which may otherwise be missed if you are looking around the massive complex yourself.

 Guided tour of the General Staff building - this houses another art gallery where you will see impressionist and post-impressionist masterpieces, including Monet, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Matisse and Picasso. 

 Guided tour of the Diamond Fund of the Hermitage -  on display here are numerous national treasures created by both Russian and European masters through the ages. Its collection is second only to the Diamond Fund of the Moscow Kremlin’s Armoury.

 Duration: 5-6h |  Transportation: by metro
Night in St Petersburg.

DAY 10 / CATHERINE PALACE

Catherine palace

 Breakfast in the hotel. A day outside of St Petersburg.

   Guided tour of the Catherine Palace – an architectural masterpiece of the style known as Russian baroque, which was popular in the mid-18th century. It is one of the most stunning imperial palaces located outside St Petersburg (over 100kg of gold were used to decorate its interiors). It is widely known for its Amber Room which is decorated entirely in amber, although the current version is a replica, since the original was lost in the Second World War.

  Guided tour of the Pavlovsk Palace - the Pavlovsk Palace is closely connected with Emperor Paul and his family and was one of the last imperial palaces to be built. Its interiors are decorated with white marble, French tapestries, valuable paintings, antique sculptures and a sea of gilding. The palace is surrounded by one of the most picturesque landscaped gardens in Russia.

 Duration: 8h |  Transportation: By private car

Night in St Petersburg.


DAY 11 / RUSSIAN MUSEUM AND CATHEDRALS

Isaaks Cathedral

 Breakfast in the hotel. A day outside of St Petersburg.

  Guided tour of the Russian Museum – often overlooked by tourists who only visit the Hermitage, the Russian Museum is the largest depository of Russian art. It is located in the Mikhailovsky Palace and although this palace pales in comparison to the Winter Palace, the paintings and sculptures displayed here represent some of the finest and most famous examples of Russian art. This includes original paintings by Ivan Aivazovsky, Boris Kustodiev, Ilya Repin, Nicholas Roerich, Vasilу Surikov, Viktor Vasnetsov and many more, as well as various ancient Russian icons.

  Guided tour of the Saviour on the Spilled Blood Cathedral – this cathedral is one of the most striking in the city, it gets its unusual name from the fact that Emperor Alexander II was fatally wounded on the spot where the cathedral was later built in commemoration. Inside the church boasts a rich collection of mosaics created by famous Russian artists including Viktor Vasnetsov, Mikhail Nesterov and Mikhail Vrubel. Even the iconostasis is made out of mosaics.

  Guided tour of the St Isaac’s Cathedral – this grand cathedral with its enormous dome is another of St Petersburg’s most recognisable symbols. At 101.5 metres tall it is also one of the largest in the world and from the viewing platform at the top, you can enjoy great views of the city.

  Guided tour of the Faberge Museum - the main collection of this museum consists of the largest collection of the exquisite decorative eggs created by Karl Faberge. It includes nine priceless Easter eggs made for the imperial family. These are not just masterpieces of fine jewellery, but unique historical items. In addition, the museum also displays Russian items of decorative applied art from the 19th and early 20th century.  It is located in the Shuvalov Palace on the banks of the River Fontanka, which was previously home at different times to the Vorontsov, Naryshkin and Shuvalov families.

 Duration: 8h |  Transportation: By private car

Night in St Petersburg.


DAY 12 / PETERHOF PALACE 

Peterhof

 Breakfast in the hotel.

  Guided tour of the Peterhof Palace and the park- this estate was thought up by Peter the Great in an attempt to recreate the luxury and scale of Versailles in Russia. The park included hundreds of fountains, which were state of the art for the time, and in many various forms, including statues, cascades and disguised fountains so unexpecting visitors would get wet. In addition to the Grand Peterhof Palace, which has been restored since its almost destruction at the hands of the Nazis, there are also several smaller palaces in the estate. 

 Duration: 6h |  Transportation: by a car

Night in St Petersburg.


DAY 13 / XX CENTURY

Yusupov palace

 Breakfast in the hotel.

  Tour of your choice: 

  Guided tour of the Sergey Kirov Memorial Flat - once home to Sergey Kirov, a revolutionary and politician close to Stalin whose assassination unleashed Stalin’s terror. The flat provides a wonderful time capsule showing how members of the Bolshevik government lived just after the Revolution.

  Guided tour of a Leningrad Communal Flat - communal flats, where families lived together in separate rooms but a shared kitchen and bathroom, were more or less the norm during the early Soviet period and some still exist to this day. People from all sorts of backgrounds found themselves living together, which of course led to all sorts of disputes and scandals, but also new friendships.  This visit to a real communal flat with real families living there will give you a glimpse into this defining phenomenon of the Soviet Union.

  Tea with Locals - in addition to the visit to the communal flat you will also have the opportunity to drink some tea and get to know a real local St Petersburg family and find out more about daily life in St Petersburg. This is not a touristy gimmick but a real family who are always happy to meet and speak with guests to St Petersburg.

 Duration: 7-8h |  Transportation: By a metro

Night in St Petersburg.


DAY 14 / DEPARTURE

st petersburg

 Breakfast in the hotel.

 Transfer from the hotel to the airport.

Hermitage

  • The tour is available the whole year round starting on any day, but please take into account that the museum’s working hours and days-off vary so we reserve the right to change the itinerary while trying to save the excursion programme.
  • Optional excursions should be booked before the start of the tour to schedule the itinerary.
  • Transportation in Moscow, where travel by metro is designated, can be changed to a car upon request, but please note that the transport situation in Moscow is not very good, so you could get stuck in a traffic jam.
  • Tickets to museums cannot be sold without an excursion with a guide.
  • During state holidays and celebrations, Red Square may be closed (either partially blocked off or completely closed).
  • The price of the tour may be increased during the period of the White Nights (11JUN-10JUL) and when the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (end of May or beginning of June) is being held in St Petersburg. Please check the price when booking.
  • All excursions/guided tours included in the itinerary are private which means private guides and private transport along with the programme - unless otherwise stated.
  • Best time to travel on this route: from the end of April to mid-October and from December to mid-March.

• CANCELLATION POLICY 

DATE OF CANCELLATION

CANCELLATION CHARGES

FROM 60 TO 45 DAYS BEFORE THE DEPARTURE 10%
FROM 44 TO 15 DAYS BEFORE THE DEPARTURE 30%
FROM 14 TO 7 DAYS BEFORE THE DEPARTURE 50%
LESS THAN 7 DAYS BEFORE THE DEPARTURE 100%


Hermitage

Date of the tour

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Number of travellers

Adults:
Children (6-16):

Accommodation:

Cost of the tour in
Included
  • Individual excursions according to the programme.
  • Entrance tickets to the museums / skip-the-line where available
  • Transfers in a private car according to the programme.
  • Second class tickets for the High-Speed train from Moscow to St Petersburg
  • Accommodation in a hotel of a category of your choice, central location, standard DBL rooms with breakfast.
  • Local sim card with unlimited data
  • Visa support documents
  • 24h emergency support during the tour
Not included
  • Meals (except for breakfast where stated).
  • Tips for the guides and drivers.
  • Optional excursions.
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