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8 days - Independent tour of Russian fabulous cities, Moscow and St Petersburg, in style.

Taste the mystery, beauty and intrigue of Russia, the land that lay hidden behind the Iron Curtain for decades. This tour explores the grandeur of Moscow and the grace of St Petersburg. Four star hotels and plenty of inclusions set this tour apart from the rest. Discover the great cities of Russia without the summer crowds.

Read more about our St.Petersburg section of this tour here.

Highlights include

  • Explore the majestic St Petersburg & Moscow on private city tours
  • Admire the rich Russian history, art and architecture
  • Travel to Moscow on a highspeed train
  • Enjoy the local cuisine in stylish restaurants
Day 1
Arrive St. Petersburg and private transfer to your hotel
Day 2
City tour - Peter & Pauls Fortress & St. Isaac's Cathedral then the Hermitage Museum
Day 3
Pushkin & Pavlovsk: St. Catherine's and Paul's Palaces
Day 4
Tour Yusupov Palace and the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood
Day 5
Highspeed German built Sapsan train to Moscow
Day 6
Red Square, GUM and St. Basil Cathedral
Day 7
Metro and walking tour of the Kremlin
Day 8
Departure day
Start Place
St Petersburg, Russian tours
End Place
Moscow, Russian tours
Country Visited
Russian tours
Duration
8 Days
Suitability
Independent holiday with moderately active activities and no luggage handling included
Code
50DN0885

Please note that all our itineraries, inclusions, dates and prices displayed on this website may change at any time. If you book an itinerary today and have this confirmed it will be the itinerary that is delivered to you. However, the online itinerary on our website may change in the meantime.

As a Certified B Corporation, 50 Degrees North has designed this tour using handpicked local hoteliers and suppliers who share our ethos of delivering services and activities of high social and environmental standards.

The CO2-e per person per day of all tours is carefully measured following each season. We fully offset all emissions of our tours on your behalf, and we constantly look at ways to reduce emissions where possible.

Details

Transportation

Private transfers, river cruises, Highspeed German built Sapsan train between St.Petersburg and Moscow.

Included
  • Arrival and departure private transfers from/to airport/train station. Please note that this transfer is with a driver only. We can upgrade this and provide an English speaking guide if you wish.
  • Accommodation centrally located 4 star hotels within walking distance of main attractions - Director's choice.
  • Daily breakfast
  • Private English speaking guide for all sightseeing tours as described
  • Private vehicle transfers for excursions
  • Russian visa invitation letter
  • 24-hour emergency service
  • Taxes and service fees
  • Booking with Confidence- we want you to be confident in booking with 50 Degrees North, and we will always have your best interest and safety in mind. In these times of uncertainty during the COVID-19 crisis, we have put in place further measures to make booking with us easier and more flexible.
Not Included
  • Beverages & extras
  • Visa to Russia
  • All services not mentioned in the program
  • Tips and Gratuities

Itinerary

Day 1 - Arrive St. Petersburg and private transfer to your hotel

Arrive to St. Petersburg - you will be picked up at the airport by private transfer to the hotel. Check in and relax.

Accommodation
Pushka Inn

Day 2 - City tour - Peter & Pauls Fortress & St. Isaac's Cathedral then the Hermitage Museum

St. Petersburg was the capital of Russian Empire for almost 200 years. Few cities can offer so many stunning attractions and intriguing moods as St. Petersburg. After breakfast start a city tour and visit Peter and Paul Fortress. It is the historical nucleus of the city as well as one of the most interesting and beautiful architectural landmarks. St. Peter & Paul Cathedral with its long gilded spire is the burial place of all Russian emperors from Peter the Great to the last of the Romanovs – Nicholas II. Designed to protect newly acquired lands in the mouth of the Neva River, the fortress lost its military significance before it was completed. It was turned into the most dismal political prison of Russia for almost 200 years.

Next is a visit to St. Isaac’s Cathedral. Fourth highest cupola cathedral in the world St. Isaac’s has a breathtaking interior design. The cathedral can accommodate 13000 worshippers in a time. The monolithic columns of the portico cut from red granite are seventeen meters high and weigh 114 tons each. The mosaic inside has twelve thousand shades and colors, the walls are five meters thick and the main cupola is coated with one hundred kilos of gold.

Optional Lunch in a local restaurant, Olivie (or similar).

Next is a visit to the world re-knowned Hermitage museum. This was the residence of the Russian Emperors in the past, nowadays it comprises 5 palaces and is one of the largest museums in the world.

Meals
1 Breakfast
Accommodation
Pushka Inn
Restaurants
Palkin
Pyshechnaya - True Russian Donuts
Optional Add Ons
Russian Ballet and Theatre Tickets

Day 3 - Pushkin & Pavlovsk: St. Catherine's and Paul's Palaces

After breakfast we drive to the town of Pushkin to see the Catherine’s Palace and park – once the official summer residence of Russian Czars. We enter the beautiful Catherine’s park and visit Catherine’s Palace, considered to be a real pearl of Russian baroque architecture of the 18th century.

Lunch at Provorie restaurant.

We then head to Pavlovsk to see the Paul’s Palaces. Named after Paul 1, Pavlovsk was founded in 1777 when a small palace was built. This palace is often called a pearl of the classical style as many famous architects of the time took part in designing its beautiful interiors which are synthesis of architecture, decorative painting and sculpture. A beautiful landscape park, the largest in Europe, surrounds the palace.

Meals
1 Breakfast
1 Lunch
Accommodation
Pushka Inn

Day 4 - Tour Yusupov Palace and the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood

After breakfast you join a walking tour of Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood. One of St. Petersburg highest buildings, it was built on the spot where Alexander II was fatally wounded by a terrorist, a member of People's Will revolutionary group in 1881.

Optional Lunch at Demidov restaurant or something similar, as determined by you.

In the afternoon, do a walking tour of the richest of non-imperial palaces of St. Petersburg, this palace was the home of the noble and powerful Yusupov family, relatives to the Russian Czars. The Yusupovs were great collectors of art, and their collection was known well beyond Russia. After the revolution most of the collection was moved to the Hermitage, though traces of the incredible wealth that once kept this palace pulsating with life still remain: the various sitting rooms, the intricate chandeliers and candelabras that adorn every room and corridor. The beautiful home theater of the palace looks like a cozy version of the famous Mariinsky theatre. The palace has been registered in the catalogue named “European Private Mansions of Interest”.

It was in this palace where the assassination of Rasputin, one of the most scandalous figures in Russian history, took place. One can feel the drama of the moment seeing wax figures of the conspirators waiting in a small room on the ground floor. In the cellar where it happened there are two more wax figures: Rasputin and young Felix Yusupov talking over the set table minutes before the assassination.

Meals
1 Breakfast
Accommodation
Pushka Inn

Day 5 - Highspeed German built Sapsan train to Moscow

After a leisurely morning, we depart for the railway station to board the Highspeed German built Sapsan train to Moscow. The distance is 700 km and the journey takes just over 4 hours. On arrival in Moscow transfer to hotel for check in. Dinner is on your own - there is a restaurant street close to your hotel.

Your hotel is a handpicked, small boutique hotel very centrally located, minutes away from the Kremlin.

Meals
1 Breakfast
Restaurants
Café Pushkin
Wonderful Moscow Dining Options

Day 6 - Red Square, GUM and St. Basil Cathedral

In the morning your guide will meet you at the hotel for a city tour including Red Square, GUM and St. Basil Cathedral.

After lunch we visit the State Tretyakov Gallery - the national treasury of Russian fine art and one of the greatest museums in the world. The Gallery's collection consists entirely of Russian art and artists who have made a contribution to the history of Russian art. The collection contains more than 130 000 works of painting, sculpture and graphics, created throughout the centuries by successive generations of Russian artists.

Meals
1 Breakfast

Day 7 - Metro and walking tour of the Kremlin

After breakfast your guide will take you inside the Kremlin, the historical nucleus of the city, the former residence of the Czars, now the seat of the Russian President. We begin the day with a complete walking tour of the Kremlin and its grounds. The Moscow Kremlin is an outstanding monument of Russian history, enclosing an area of 70 acres next to Red Square. The walls are about half a mile long and up to 62 feet high and 21 feet thick, with 20 towers and gates.

Inside the Kremlin we’ll tour the grounds, visit one of the cathedrals and the Armory Museum – the Treasury of the Czars. The Armory’s huge collection consists of many precious gifts once presented to Russian Czars by foreign monarchs and ambassadors as well as their thrones, clothes, crowns and armor. You will also see the huge Belfry of Ivan the Terrible, Big Kremlin Palace, Faceted chamber, the Czar Bell and Czar Cannon.

Have a short walk through the historical Alexander’s Garden, passing by the tomb of the Unknown Soldier with eternal flame – an important monument for all Russians who lost 20 million lives during the World War II. The tour this morning is for 5 hours.

Enjoy optional lunch at Grand Cafe "Dr. Zhivago" or somewhere similar. After lunch you have the afternoon to explore the Red Square. Dinner is on your own.

Meals
1 Breakfast
Restaurants
O2 Lounge
Optional Add Ons
Russian Ballet and Theatre Tickets

Day 8 - Departure day

Enjoy a private transfer to the airport or train station.

Meals
1 Breakfast
Dates & Prices

All prices listed are per person and based on Director's Choice hotel categories. Ask us for upgrade options to Design or Historic hotels. Please note these are 'from prices' and subject to change based on availability.

Dates
Valid From
Valid To
From Price
Status
Accommodation
1 Nov 2023
30 Apr 2024
1 Nov 2023
30 Apr 2024
NZD 6,018
Closed
Standard

Important Information

To avoid disappointment, we recommend that you book any theatre performances that you wish to attend in St Petersburg or Moscow in advance. Please let us know if you wish us to organise this.

Please note that on occasion, Lenin's Mausoleum and Red Square may be closed to the public during regular opening house without prior warning. Likewise, during summer, many cities can have their hot water turned off for maintenance.

The Kremlin is closed on Thursdays. The Tretyakov Gallery is closed on Monday.

There is a free cloak room at the Hermitage if needed.

Interactive Tour Map

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