FIRST TIME IN RUSSIA SIGNATURE TOUR

History fills St. Petersburg and the city always provides a gregarious introduction to Russia. The Spilled Blood Church offers an excellent introduction to the city’s style, then Kazan Cathedral helps us introduce early Russian history. St. Petersburg originates at the Peter and Paul Fortress, a living museum that provides the third stop of the morning.

Take time over lunch before an afternoon in one of the world’s greatest odes to art, the Hermitage Museum. It would take months to cover all 360 rooms so the guide navigates through its most important works. That could be Raphael, Caravaggio, Rembrandt, da Vinci, Titian, or an overview of pre-eminent artists. Or it could be more focused, choosing a specific piece of European art history, just let your St. Petersburg tour guide know your preferences.

Travel south of St. Petersburg and tour Royal Catherine Palace, a reminder of the tsars and tsarinas’ exquisite taste and full coffers. There’s a mystery to the Amber Room and the palace’s opulence always makes an impression on its guests of all ages.

Spend the afternoon at the Faberge Museum (optionally on this tour), a place that showcases attention to detail – for locals, this museum is the true gem of St. Petersburg. Combined with the palace and the village it helps form a day that appeals to diverse tastes, as well as showing diverse aspects of Russian culture.

On your fourth day, you can either choose to head to Moscow on an early morning train or stay in St. Petersburg until later in the afternoon. If staying for the daytime you may spend your leisure time shopping for souvenirs and touring one of St. Petersburg iconic landmarks, such as St. Isaac’s Cathedral. Also on the menu is a visit of Russian Vodka Museum, to join in convivial exploration of Russian national drink, and get right in the mood for your evening inter-city train ride.

Today takes you beyond the Moscow postcards. It tells the stories of Russia’s most iconic places and provides so many talking points on the country’s history and present. Christ the Savior Cathedral and Patriarch Bridge ease into what is to come, then the Red Square is a place that nobody forgets. Learn why St. Basil’s Cathedral has ten domes, discuss Lenin outside his mausoleum, explore Communism while taking in the GUM with its designer stores.

After having a lunch break, we enter the Kremlin to learn about the Ruriks and Tsars, including the infamous Ivan the Terrible. Be dazzled by the jewels that are part of the Armoury Museum exhibit, with an option to also visit the Diamond Fund.

If you want to have rest after five days of intense discovery, please do; but otherwise head outside Moscow for another dose of beauty-fuelled wanderlust. We can arrange for the tour of the Golden Ring with a visit to Sergiev Posad Monastery or Vladimir and Suzdal, a visit to the Izmailovskiy Kremlin and a flea market, or tours of other major sites, such as Moscow Metro tour.