Moscow and St Petersburg History

Flight to Moscow.

Coach transfer to accommodation.

Stroll along Arbat Street, one of the most famous streets in Moscow.

Full-day city tour of Moscow landmarks!

Red Square and Lenin’s tomb - the scene of grand military parades during the Soviet era, Red Square is Moscow’s bustling centre.  Admire Lenin’s tomb where he has lain in state in a colourful mausoleum since his death in 1924.  Visit GUM, once a Soviet supermarket, now a grand shopping arcade with a beautiful fountain and excellent ice cream stands! Make sure you're at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Eternal Flame in Alexander Park on the hour to see the famous changing of the guard. 

Grounds of the Kremlin - home of Tsars and Commissars alike and the official residence of Russia's President, the Kremlin has been at the centre of Russian history since the 15th century.  This ornate fortified complex, surrounded by the Kremlin Wall and Towers includes five palaces, four cathedrals, Ivan the Great Bell Tower and the Tsar Canon.

Special tour of the Moscow metro system - take a guided tour of Moscow’s sprawling Metro system, an attraction in its own right.  The stunning stations all tell a different story and have their own style, each being conceived by a different designer, using bronze, crystal and mosaic.

Museum of Modern History - formerly known as the Revolution Museum, this retro exhibit traces Soviet history from the 1905 and 1917 revolutions up to the 1980s.  The highlight is the extensive collection of propaganda posters, in addition to all the Bolshevik paraphernalia.

Overnight sleeper train to St Petersburg.

St Petersburg city tour!

Nevsky Prospect is St. Petersburg’s main avenue and one of the best-known streets in Russia.  Cutting through the historical centre of the city, it runs from the Admiralty to the Moscow Railway Station and down to the Alexander Nevsky Monastery.

Cruiser Aurora - travel back in time by stepping on board the memorial ship Aurora, which played an important role in the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 by firing that famous first shot.

One of the iconic images of St Petersburg is the magnificent Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood, on the banks of the Griboedov Canal.  This incredible cathedral was built under the orders of Tsar Alexander III, in memory of his father, Tsar Alexander II, who was assassinated on this very site.

State Hermitage Museum - the collection of the State Hermitage Museum, founded by Catherine the Great, includes more than three million works of art and artefacts of world culture.  The most famous of the buildings in the Hermitage complex is the stunning Winter Palace, the former state residence of the Russian emperors.  The Small Dining Room, site of arrest of the Provisional Government by the Bolsheviks, is a room not to be missed alongside the other magnificent state rooms. 

Peter and Paul Fortress - built by Peter the Great, the fortress notoriously served as a high security political jail; with a long list of famous residents including Dostoevsky, Gorky, Trotsky and Lenin's older brother, Alexander.  In the middle of the fortress is the impressive Peter and Paul Cathedral, the burial place of all the Russian Emperors and Empresses from Peter the Great to Alexander III.

Final visit of your stay in Russia, Yusupov’s Palace - this beautiful, majestic palace was the site of one of the most dramatic episodes in Russia's history - the murder of Grigory Rasputin.

Coach transfer to the airport.

Return flight from St Petersburg to the UK.