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Experience Helsinki and the Russian treasures of St Petersburg & Moscow. You will be

treated to cultural and historic delights, experience the palaces and grandeur of St Petersburg & Moscow. Enjoy a fantastic blend of culture and history.

Itinerary

Arrival in Helsinki, own transfer arrangements to your hotel. Please see welcome letter on check-in to hotel for details about the meeting point and time with your tour escort.

Breakfast at your hotel. This morning meet & greet by your local English speaking guide for a city sightseeing of the capital of Finland, also known as “The Daughter of the Baltic Sea”. The tour includes the Senate Square, the University and Lutheran Cathedral – all displaying neo-classical architecture of the 1840’s, the colourful Market Square by the sea in the South Harbour, Kaivopuisto Park and diplomatic

residences, the imposing statue of Marshall Mannerheim, the Parliament Building, Finlandia Hall, the Orthodox Russian Church Uspenski and the Sibelius Monument. A visit is also made to Temppeliaukio Church – called the “Rock Church” as it is

carved into solid rock. The tour ends at your hotel

Evening at leisure.

Breakfast at your hotel. Today the journey goes eastbound and travel (by coach or train) to St Petersburg with late afternoon arrival for check-in to your hotel. Evening at leisure.

Breakfast at your hotel. St Petersburg is an amazing city. Its Imperial palaces and museums enjoy worldwide fame, while the Neva River and the many canals have deservedly given the city the title “The Venice of the North”. During the morning sightseeing tour we get acquainted with all the splendors of the city: the Peter-Paul

Fortress, the Winter Palace, St Isaac’s Cathedral, the Church of the Bleeding Savior, the Nevsky Convent and much more. Free time for lunch (lunch not included) In the afternoon, you will visit The State Hermitage museum, which occupies six magnificent buildings situated along the embankment of the River Neva, right in the heart of St. Petersburg. The leading role in this unique architectural ensemble is played by the Winter Palace, the residence of the Russian Tsars that was built to the design of Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli in 1754-62. This ensemble, formed in the 18th and 19th Centuries, is extended by the eastern wing of the General Staff building, the Menshikov Palace and the recently constructed Repository. Put together throughout two centuries and a half, the Hermitage collections of works of art (over 3,000,000 items) present the development of the world culture and art from the Stone Age to the 20th Century. Today the Museum is creating its digital self-portrait

to be displayed around the world. The tour ends at your hotel.

The evening is at leisure and gives opportunities to visit the Nikolaevsky Palace with an exciting Russian folklore show and Russian “Champagne” and snacks (not included)

Breakfast at your hotel. The day is at leisure for you to further explore St Petersburg, and why not take the opportunity to visit Peterhof (not included), an uncontested masterpiece of the time of Peter the Great, with the impressive Grand Palace, Grand Cascade and Walter Avenue and its wonderful park.

Breakfast at your hotel. This morning is at leisure before your transfer to the railway station and board the Sapsan high-speed train (2nd class) bound for Moscow. The train ride takes us through endless Russian landscapes along the River Volga. In the late afternoon we arrive in Moscow for check-in to hotel.

Breakfast at your hotel. Moscow, the Mother of Russia, is a genuine Russian city with the Kremlin and its onion domed cathedrals. The dramatic changes over the last decade have made the city to one of the most dynamic metropolis in the world. The full day sightseeing tour includes the main highlights of the vast city: the Red Square

with Kremlin, the Theatre Square with Bolshoi Theatre, Sparrow Hills with Moscow University and a visit to one of the famous Moscow Metro stations. Free time for lunch (lunch not included). In the afternoon you will visit the Kremlin grounds with a visit to two of the

cathedrals and also entrance to the Armoury museum. During this tour you will walk through the Kremlin grounds and visit the Armoury Chamber with its famous collection of Faberge eggs, jewels and royal thrones. The word Kremlin (kreml) means a fortress or walled town; Moscow’s is the biggest and most famous. The earliest ramparts were of earth and wood, but successive rulers raised and

strengthened the defences after every attack. The present brick walls date from the 1490s, though they have been frequently restored. When the court and government moved to St Petersburg in 1712, the Kremlin was demoted to ceremonial status. Twenty-five years later, it’s last wooden buildings burned down. Each of the 20 towers along the wall has its own history and architectural quirks. Best known is the

67-metre Spassky Tower, facing Red Square between St Basil’s Cathedral and Lenin’s Tomb. Its bells, weighing up to 2 tonnes, are heard regularly on Moscow Radio chiming the quarter hour. Before the Russian Revolution, those passing through Spassky Gate had to doff (remove) their hats. The evening is at leisure and gives opportunities to try a Moscow river cruise by night or why not make a visit to the Opera (not included).

Breakfast at your hotel.

Day at leisure for you to further explore the Russian Capital, and why not take the opportunity to visit one of the many amazing sights such as the Novidevichy Convent or visit one of the greatest museum’s in the world, the Tretyakov Gallery (not included). In the evening, why not take the opportunity and visit the famous Old Russian Circus (not included).

Breakfast at your hotel. Individual transfer arrangements (not included).

Notes