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Classic Russia tour
Preferred
Overview
Short Description
Russia’s main cities feel broadly European, but its history tells a different story due to the singular political path the country forged in the 20th century, which lives on in the bold Stalinist buildings that pepper Moscow. Our specialists are skilled at crafting Russia holidays that take in all the country’s paradoxes. They can help you delve into St Petersburg, advising you on which imperial palaces to visit, and how to avoid the crowds. In Moscow, they can indicate more unusual ways to experience the city (such as night river cruises), and they know where to find the best skyline views.
Then, leaving the urban behind, you discover a sleepier, more sedate Russia where the vagaries of politburos seem to have had little effect. Holidays to Russia can easily include trips to see the wooden churches of the Golden Ring, and the well-preserved half-medieval town of Suzdal.
Itinerary
Day 1 : Moscow
Today you begin your journey by boarding your international outbound flight to Moscow. Arriving into Moscow you're met at the airport by your private driver and guide, and driven to your hotel. Most flights arrive in the evening, so spend your first few hours in Russia simply relaxing in your hotel.
Day 2 : Moscow
This morning your private guide meets you at your hotel and takes you on the city's metro to Red Square and the Kremlin. You'll also visit the Armoury, containing a number of Fabergé Eggs as well as jewels, weapons and clothing of the Tsars, and St Basil's Cathedral. The afternoon is at leisure for you to explore by yourself. We recommend visiting the Tretyakov Gallery and the Pushkin Fine Arts Museum.
Day 3 : Moscow
Today continue exploring Moscow under your own steam. We suggest making use of the city's elegant metro system to get around. Almost like an underground art museum full of marble monuments, the metro system's a sight in itself. You could visit the Novodevichy Convent and Heroes' Cemetery, which has excellent views over the city. In the afternoon, we recommend taking a river cruise on the Moskva, ending with a cocktail in the Radisson, which is located in one of Moscow's seven skyscrapers, nicknamed the Seven Sisters.
Day 4 : St Petersburg
Use your final morning at leisure in Moscow to wander by the river through Gorky Park, or perhaps visit the Museum of Russian Contemporary History. Later you'll be collected from your hotel by your private guide and driver, and taken to the train station to catch the day train to St Petersburg. The journey lasts around four and a half hours. On arriving in St Petersburg, you're met by your private guide and transferred to your hotel by private transfer.
Day 5 : St Petersburg
This morning, explore St Petersburg under your own steam. We suggest visiting St Isaac's Cathedral with its vast granite columns and colonnade that offers views over the city. Alternatively, explore the lavish, eccentric décor of the Yusupov Palace and learn more about its dark history as the place where the tsar's advisor Grigory Rasputin was murdered.In the afternoon, we can arrange a private guided tour of the Hermitage to see the highlights of its art collections. The guided tour itself takes three or four hours, but we recommend staying on afterwards and exploring some of the collections in greater depth.
Day 6 : St Petersburg
Today is at leisure to continue exploring the city. We suggest following our tried-and-tested walking route past St Petersburg's main attractions. We'd recommend ending your walk at St Isaac's Cathedral which affords panoramic views of the city.
Day 7 : St Petersburg
Today you have a further day to wander around the city at leisure. We suggest visiting Kazan Cathedral on Nevsly Prospekt for its interesting icon. En route, you could take in the exquisitely detailed creations of the Fabergé Museum.
Day 8 : International return flight
Your journey ends on a high note. A drive out from the city takes you to the staggeringly opulent Tsars' Village, where you visit the Summer Palace of Catherine the Great with your private guide. From here you'll take a private transfer to the airport for your return flight. Your return flight will arrive the same day.
Availability
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3,377 Audley Travel Travel Reviews & Ratings
Classic Russia tour
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The second and more recent time was on a trip to Vietnam organised by their Indochina expert Ross Cleary.
We were on the final day of a 19 day trip to Vietnam and Cambodia which given the quality the hotels and excursions arranged by Ross was shaping up to be the best holiday we had ever taken.
Unfortunately my wife developed breathing difficulties and I had to take her to hospital. The hospital decided to admit her and we were left very frightened and wondering what to do about our flights which were due to leave in 4 hours time. There is a 7 hour time difference between U.K. and Vietnam so it was the middle of the night in the U.K. However, one phone call to the Audley duty manager had me connected to him via "whatsapp" so that he could update me real time on the situation without the £7 per minute phone charges. The flights were postponed, I was put up in the closest hotel to the hospital and Audley took care of all the minutiae so that I could concentrate on my wife who was diagnosed with pneumonia.
Upon being discharged my wife was told she could not travel immediately. We spent a total of 8 days in a hotel arranged by Audleys local partners Vidotours. A fantastic hotel at a very reasonable price. The hotel bill was covered until I got home and the flights were re-instated for a tiny admin fee.
We don't always use a travel company to book our holidays, but visiting out of the way places where local knowledge and support can be invaluable I would thoroughly recommend Audley.
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No prizes for guessing that I will be using them on my next big excursion. Thank you. Pete
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Details
Flight & Transport Inclusions
All internal ground transport
Group Size
Intimate Group - 12 max
Trip ID#:
audley-travel-39957
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