Economy Tour of Russia 9 Days

The Golden Ring Tour: Day 1

Arrive Moscow: Transfer From Moscow Airport To Hotel : You will be met by your driver at Moscow Airport ( it is important to know which airport as there are 2 major international airports in Moscow The airport code for the Moscow airport is SVO. The other major airport in Moscow has code DME).

Your Moscow driver will display a placard with your name. Your stay in Moscow will be at the Melody Hotel, a small hotel close to the center of Moscow. This Hotel is ideal for the western traveler. Depending on your arrival time, you may have time for a Moscow metro tour, Moskva River tour or other short excursion to help you orient yourself to Moscow. * Hotel may be Marco Polo

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The Golden Ring Tour: Day 2

Saturday by Moscow Metro

Each day your guide will come to your Moscow hotel to meet you and begin your day of touring. Today all of your visits are in or near Red Square. As a result you will take the Moscow metro to Red Square and there will be no need for a car or driver. The first stop today is the famous Moscow Kremlin . We refer to it as the Moscow Kremlin since, as you will discover during your visit to Russia, that there are many Kremlins (fortresses) in the country. You will discover there are Kremlins in the Golden Ring, Novgorod and many other cities.

The Moscow Kremlin is the seat of Government of the Russian Federation. In addition to the Presidential Palace there are many other sites within the walls of the Kremlin. Some of these sites require additional tickets. After you have visited the Cathedral of the Assumption, where the czars were crowned, you will visit the Kremlin Armory Museum. The Kremlin Armory is one of those Kremlin sites which require a separate entrance ticket. (Included in your tour). Inside you will see Czars possessions. This museum houses examples of the famous Faberge eggs, gowns worn by the Empresses of Russia including the amazing coronation gown of Empress Catherine II (Great) and thousands of priceless artifacts from the estates of the czars. After lunch, you will visit St. Basil's Cathedral which was built by Czar Ivan IV ( also known as The Terrible) in the 16th century. It is located in Red Square, next to the Kremlin. You will tour the Cathedral to better appreciate both the exterior and interior of this amazing structure.

Before you finish the day you will walk around Red Square, see the outside of Lenin's Tomb, the Gum Department store and many of the sites nearby including the Russian Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

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The Golden Ring Tour: Day 3

Sunday by car/van

• Bolotnaya Square (Love Bridge with love locks (Saturday and Sunday are the big wedding days and there are often couples there putting locks on the trees- tourist enjoy watching them a lot) and modern piece of social art "Children are the victims of the Adult's vices")
• Sophiyskaya Embankment for the panoramic view of the Kremlin
• Christ the Savior Cathedral and the foot bridge next to it.
• Museum, park of Arts (part of the park is known as the "cemetery of Soviet monuments") and the huge statue of Peter the Great located in the Moskva River
• The Novodevichy Convent, New Maiden Convent. This famous convent is a picturesque oasis in the middle of a bustling city. Peter The Great, imprisoned his sister Sophia there in an attempt to curtail her efforts to seat their brother Ivan on the Russian thrown. In more modern times, the Novodevichy Convent has become the final resting place of many famous Russians including Nikita Khrushchev, Boris Yeltsin, Stalin's wife Nadezhda Alliluyeva-Stalin, Sergei Prokofiev composer, Dmitri Shostakovich composer.
• Cathedral of Christ the Savior. This famous cathedral is a replica of the original Cathedral which was destroyed by the Communists during Soviet times. It has been rebuilt since the fall of the Soviet Union and it is truly spectacular.
• Sparrow Hills
• Victory Park
• Arbat Street

Following your tour of Novodevichy, you visit the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. This famous cathedral is a replica of the original Cathedral which was destroyed by the Communists during Soviet times. It has been rebuilt since the fall of the Soviet Union and it is truly spectacular.

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The Golden Ring Tour: Day 4

Monday car/van

Today you say "goodbye" to the city and will exchange the hustle and bustle of a huge metropolitan area for the serenity and beauty of provincial Russia. From now until you board the train in Vladimir bound for St. Petersburg, you will have a private car and driver.

Set off for Vladimir.

Vladimir, once a capital of a mighty Russian principality, a present-day administrative centre of the region, noted for the splendid 12th century white stone monuments listed by UNESCO in the heritage list: the Golden Gates, the church of St Demetrious and the Assumption Cathedral The tour of the city includes a driving tour and a visit to the Assumption Cathedral (1158).

Lunch

A visit to Bogolubovo, the former residence of prince of Vladimir (complex built in 12–18th centuries) and the church of Intercession on Nerl (12th century, UNESCO heritage sight)

Transfer to Suzdal.

Check in the hotel - Pushkarskaya Sloboda hotel 3* (or equivalent)

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The Golden Ring Tour: Day 5

Tuesday car/van

Suzdal, a tiny town with population of 13 thousand people is located about 200 km east of Moscow. It is known as the "Pearl of the Golden Ring," and for good reason. As a designated world historical site, Suzdal, has ignored the modern world and retained a picturesque beauty and tranquility that has to be experienced to be believed. Suzdal has been preserved as it was during medieval times. Every view in this idyllic place is a photo moment waiting to be taken advantage of. There are literally too many beautiful wooden houses and religious structures to list, causing sensory overload that prompts one to think to oneself, "I could live here."

A tour of Suzdal includes a driving tour of the city with visits to the Kremlin, the core of the city; the museum of Wooden Architecture and Peasant Life; a tour of St Ephymius Monastery/or Intersession Convent.

Lunch included

After your visit to Suzdal and Vladimir you will be taken to board the overnight train to St. Petersburg. You will have a sleeping compartment for a nice rest on your way to St. Petersburg. (Beginning winter 2012, SAPSAN High Speed Train service is no longer available from Vladimir.) You will arrive in St. Petersburg, the "Venice of the North" at approximately 10 am (or 6 am depending on your departure preference from Vladimir) Waiting for you at the train station will be your St. Petersburg guide and driver.

• Transfer to St. Petersburg Hotel - Delux Hotel (or equivalent)

Please note: We have variations of this tour which include returning to Moscow by high speed SAPSAN train. If you elect to end your tour with a return to Moscow, we have the pricing structure for that variation. That variation includes a transfer from the Moscow train station to the hotel of your choice. The hotel in Moscow is not included, however, we will be happy to arrange a hotel for you.

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The Golden Ring Tour: Day 6

Wednesday by Private Car

This morning your St. Petersburg tour guide and driver will meet you at your hotel to begin your journey to the magnificent Catherine Palace. The clients of RussianTourGuide.com universally consider this to be one of their favorite stops. The Catherine Palace is home of the world famous "Amber Room". The Amber Room has only been available for viewing in the last few years after the government spent many years of painstaking reconstruction. It is assumed that the original version of this amazing room was stolen by the Nazis during World War II. Catherine Palace is located in the village of Pushkin (named for the famous poet). The area is also called "Tzarskoe Selo" or "Village of the Czars".

The next area to visit in Pushkin will be the Alexander Palace. The Alexander Palace was built by Catherine the Great for her grandson, the future Alexander I. The palace was the last home for the doomed Romanov family, who included the famous Grand Duchess Anastasia. The museum in the Alexander Palace showcases the interiors as closely as possible to their state in August 1917 when the Romanovs lived there. The interiors appear as if the Tsar and his family have just left and might return at any moment. The tragedy of the story of the Romanovs and the intimacy of the private rooms creates a lasting impression on those who see them, creating sympathy for the Tsar and his family. For children, this is an especially interesting tour. All western children have seen the Disney movie "Anastasia". "Anastasia" deals with the life and times of Grand Duchess Anastasia, the daughter of the last czar Nicholas II. Many of the private effects of Anastasia and her siblings are in the Alexander Palace. The Alexander Palace museum has proved to be one of the most popular museums in Russia and is a must see for all foreigners and tourists.

Nevsky Monastery: Founded by Peter the Great, in 1710, this orthodox monastery is the most important in St. Petersburg. The St. Trinity cathedral is worth a visit and so is the cemetery, where you can visit the graves of Russia's greatest composers and writers, including Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, Glinka and Dostoevsky. Cemetery is open until 7pm. You can buy fresh holy bread in the monastery's bakery in the afternoon (on your left as you approach the Trinity cathedral.

Lunch included

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The Golden Ring Tour: Day 7

Thursday by Private Car/Van/Bus

Peterhof Palace and Gardens: This is the showplace of Russia! The spectacular palace is overwhelmed by the hundreds of fountains! The tour includes Upper Peterhof Gardens, Lower Peterhof Gardens, & Peterhof Palace.

Peter and Paul Fortress & Cathedral Tombs of all Czars including Peter the Great, Catherine the Great and final resting place for the Grand Princess Anastasia, the subject of the children's movie by the same name. This is an impressive site steeped in other political and architectural history that your guide will explain. Ask about the man who placed the top piece to the spire! (photo ticket not required)

Lunch Included

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The Golden Ring Tour: Day 8

Friday - Walking

Hermitage Museum: The Hermitage is one of the singularly most spectacular art museums in the world!! All tours to St. Petersburg must visit the Hermitage.This is such a large museum, days could be spent there but we will show you the "best of the best"!! It has a magnificent collection of the works of the great masters! The Hermitage is on the site of the Winter Palace and you will see the state rooms last used by Nicholas II. Please note: There is a section of the Hermitage called the "Hermitage Treasury". Please note the "Hermitage Treasury" must be coordinated in advance and requires a special entrance ticket. If you want to visit the "Hermitage Treasury" Please let us know early!

St. Isaac's Cathedral: This icon of the St.Petersburg skyline was heroically defended in WWII and architecturally resembles St. Paul's in London. The 4th largest cupola structure in the world, St.Isaac's was built to be the main cathedral in Russia. Nowadays it's a museum of religious art, featuring paintings, frescos, mosaics, sculpture, etc Bronze Horseman: The massive equestrian stature of Peter the Great, dedicated in 1782 as a tribute from Catherine the Great. Pedestal weighs 1,625 tons. To pose for photographs on ones wedding day is supposed to bring good luck. Lunch included.

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The Golden Ring Tour: Day 9

Saturday private car/van

Transfer to St. Petersburg airport

If you wish for us to arrange air transportation back to Moscow for your return home, we can do that. Tickets to Moscow are not included in the price of the tour.

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Summary of the features of your tour:

• Personal guide each day.
• Car and driver (on the days specifically mentioned in the itinerary).
• All museum admissions.
• Hotel in Moscow " Hotel Melody or similar.***
• Hotel in Suzdal – Pushkarskaya Sloboda Hotel or similar.***
• Hotel in St. Petersburg " Delux Hotel or similar. ***
• High speed SAPSAN train (2nd class) accommodations from Vladimir to St. Petersburg.
• Transfers from, and returning to, airports and train stations.

*These arrival activities are not included in the price as we will not know if time permits until your exact arrival details are known. **2nd class seats – Train to St. Petersburg from Vladimir. ***With advance notice, these hotels will be used. Similar hotels will be used if these hotels are unavailable.

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