Russia on Wheels

On arrival you will be met at the airport and transferred to the hotel. Hotel check-in & free time. In the evening, take the Boat Tour of canals of St. Petersburg, traveling through the urban landscape of the 18th and 19th centuries, seeing many of the city's most famous palaces (including the Shuvalov, Sheremetev, and Yusupov Palaces), numerous beautiful and unusual bridges, and several of the city's most famous "postcard" panoramas, including the Strelka ("spit") of Vasilyevsky Island. Overnight in St. Petersburg.

After breakfast, begin a City Tour of St. Petersburg. St. Petersburg is one of the most fascinating cities in Europe. You will drive by the elegant buildings on the Nevsky Prospect, stately palaces on the Palace Embankment along the Neva River, Palace Square with Winter Palace and Alexander Column, Bronze Horseman - the famous monument to Peter the Great, Admiralty, Schmidt Bridge, Strelka with Stock Exchange and Rosstral Columns, St. Isaac's Cathedral, Peter and Paul Fortress, Alexander Nevsky Lavra, Canal Griboyedova, Fontanka, Kazan Cathedral, Church on Spilled Blood and other finest architectural, historical and cultural landmarks. During the tour you will visit Peter and Paul Fortress and St. Isaac’s Cathedral.  Overnight in St. Petersburg.

After breakfast, tour to the imperial estate of Peterhof located on the southern shores of the Finnish Gulf 14 miles (29 kilometers) away from St. Petersburg. Peterhof is a complex of several palaces surrounded by a magnificent park with over 150 fountains and cascades. The history of Peterhof goes back to the beginning of the 18th century when Peter I ordered to build a house where he could stay while overseeing the building of the nearby Kronstadt fortress. He later decided to rebuild and expand his modest residence into a palace similar to the Versailles in Paris. Ten years alter the grand opening of Peterhof was held and nowadays it is considered one of the most beautiful royal estates in the world and is included in UNESCO world Heritage List. The focal point of Peterhof is the Grand Palace and the Grand Cascade Fountain. 

Next visit Pushkin located 25-30 km from St. Petersburg. Pushkin's palaces and parks were created under Empresses Elizabeth and Catherine the Great between 1744 and 1796. The main landmark is the Catherine Palace designed by Rastrelli and named after Elizabeth’s mother, Peter the Great's second wife. Pushkin's original name is Tsarskoye Selo (Tsar's Village). It was renamed in 1937 after Russia’s famous poet who used to study here. Overnight in St. Petersburg.

Today you will visit one of the nation's main glories - the State Hermitage Art Museum. The museum occupies six magnificent buildings along the embankment of the Neva River in the heart of St Petersburg. The focal point of this unique architectural ensemble is the Winter Palace, former residence of the Russian tsars that was built according to the design of Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli in 1754-62. This ensemble is extended by the General Staff building, the Menshikov Palace and the Repository. The Hermitage collection was put together throughout two and a half centuries, it consists of over 3,000,000 works of art and showcases the development of the world culture and art from the Stone Age to the 20th century. In the afternoon you are free to continue exploring the Hermitage on your own or enjoy the beautiful St. Petersburg. In the evening board the luxurious overnight Grand Express train to St. Petersburg.

Arrival in Moscow, meet your guide at the train station followed by Moscow City Tour is a general overview of the city. You will explore the main areas on the Russian capital within the boundaries of the Garden Ring and the Boulevard Ring, the famous Red Squar and Kremlin, adjacent to which are the old historical parts of Moscow such as Kitay Gorod, Tverskaya, Arbat and Zamoskvorechje. Your tour will include all-important sites such as St. Basil's Church, Cathedral of Christ the Savior, Novodevichiy Convent, Luzhniki, the White House, Moskva River and others. For the best panoramic view of the city and the famous Moscow University ""wedding cake"" building you will drive to the Sparrow Hills, located 6 km south-west of Kremlin. Hotel Check-in.

Later we will take you to Moscow’s Red Square and Kremlin areas. This is where the famous St. Basil's Cathedral, Mausoleum, Historical Museum and GUM department store are located. The main landmarks inside Moscow Kremlin are the three famous Cathedrals - Assumption, Annunciation and Archangel - dating back to the 15-16th centuries, Ivan the Great Bell Tower, Tsar Bell, Tsar Cannon, Hall of Facets and Terem Place. 

Your tour will include a visit to the Armory with its stunning collection of wealth and treasures of the Russian state and church. The collection is mostly famous for its jewel decorated Faberge Easter Eggs. Among other items on the display are royal regalia, the 800-diamond throne of Tsar Alexey, the jewel-studded and sable-trimmed Cap of Monomakh worn for coronations for over two centuries, the coronation dress of Catherine the Great, the sleigh in which Elizabeth rode from St. Petersburg to Moscow for her coronation pulled by 23 horses at a time. Between the Armory and the Annunciation Cathedral is the Great Kremlin Palace the official residence of Russian president. Overnight in Moscow.

After breakfast visit Tretyakov Gallery in one of the oldest parts of Moscow Zamoskvorechje. The Gallery was founded by Pavel Tretyakov, a Russian merchant and patron of the arts. In 1892 he donated his collection to the city of Moscow. It has since become a world-famous museum with more than 170,000 works by Russian artists from early religious paintings to modern art. 

In the afternoon our Russian tour continues with an exciting ride on Moscow subway. Moscow Metro is one of a kind subway system in the world carrying more passengers daily than New York and London systems combined. The prominent Russian architects and artists participated in the construction and design of the stations the primary goal of their work was not just to create a transportation system but to showcase and glorify socialism and its achievements. As a result it turned out to be one of the most extravagant projects of the Soviet Union where each station looks like a palace decorated with statues, marble columns, frescos and mosaics.Overnight in Moscow.

The driver and the guide will pick you up in the morning. Your Russian travel adventure continues to Suzdal, 130 miles northeast of Moscow. Suzdal is an Old Russian town of the Golden Ring dating back to the 11th century. You will be invited to tour and have Russian cuisine lunch in the local farmer's house followed by the City tour of Suzdal. It is a well-known tourist center with many remarkable riverside churches and monasteries dating back to the 11th - 13th century, some of them are famous landmarks of the Old Russian architecture included in UNESCO World Heritage List, and has the look and feel of a small provincial town with beautiful landscape and rustic unpaved roads and houses. The scenery is very picturesque and Russian, tranquil and quite different from Moscow. During the tour you will visit Kremlin with Krestovaya Chamber, the Wooden Architecture Museum and Savior Monastery of St. Euthymius with Transfiguration Cathedral. Return to Moscow. Transfer to the railway station and departure to Kazan. Overnight on board of the train to Kazan.

Arrival in Kazan. City tour including the most famous sights of Kazan: Kazan Kremlin, Old Tatar Sloboda, a Tatar village Tugan Avylym in the city centre, the oldest mosque Marjani, Kamaltheatre, the mysterious lake Kaban, Kazan Millennium Park, Liberty Square, the Kazan University, Kazanka river embankment, offering unique views of the coast of the Kazan Riviera, Peter and Paul Cathedral, the miraculous icon of the Mother of God of Kazan. You will see the Spassky tower, leaning tower Syuyumbike, and government buildings, visit the Kul-Sharif Mosque and theCathedral of the Annunciation. In the evening train to Yekaterinburg.Overnight on board of the train to Yekaterinburg.

Arrival in Yekaterinburg, Transfer to the hotel. Today, you will discover Yekaterinburg, the third largest city of Russia. You’ll be taken to the City Pond, Prospect Lenina, the Hill of Ascension and its ancient church founded in 1792, the Historic Square, the Dam, monument of founders of the city –Tatischev and Gennin, Peter’s Court, the Chapel of St. Elizabeth, the Square of the Soviet Army, the Square of the 1905 Revolution and other historical buildings.Overnight in Yekaterinburg hotel.

Learn about the tragic death of the last Russian tsar Nickolay II and his family at the Church of Blood at the Romanov Death Site (Ganina Yama). Taste delicious Russian food in a traditional restaurant for lunch. Departure to Novosibirsk. Overnight on board of the train.

Welcome to Siberia! Novosibirsk is Russia’s third-largest city after Moscow and Saint-Petersburg, and the largest city of Siberia. First, your guide will drive you to the scientific city of Akademgorodok. It is the only scientific city in the world where all the branches of sciences are presented. Visit of the famous Geology Museum at Geology Research Institute and the Open-Air Train Museum (a collection of the old Trans-Siberian trains) as well as the Ob reservoir – an artificial sea. In the afternoon, you will walk around the city of Novosibirsk, visiting all the main attractions of the city such as: Novosibirsk Railway Station (the biggest station of the Trans-Siberian Railroad), Ascension cathedral, Krasny Prospect street, Lenin Square (city centre with the biggest world’s Opera House), old wooden houses on Gorkogo Str. (the oldest part of the city), St. Nicolas Chapel (the geographic centre of Russia) and the river Ob’ embankment. Visit of the indoor Trans-Siberian Museum. Our local guides love the city and will make you discover the culture and atmosphere of this fascinating Siberian town. Departure to Irkutsk. Overnight on board of the train to Irkutsk

Having crossed the forests, beside lakes and rushing rivers, swamps and remote villages of painted wooden houses, you will arrive in Irkutsk early in the morning and transfer directly to Listvyanka, a small village on the shore of Lake Baikal. You can enjoy a bath in the ‘Old Man’, as local people call the lake, if you’re brave enough to dive into the cold water. Its water is amazingly transparent: Stones and fish can be seen to a depth of about 50 m and they seem so close that a first-time visitor may be tempted to reach out and pick one up. One of the secrets is that there are millions of microorganisms living in the lake whose main purpose is to clean the water of all pollutants. A visit to the Limnologic Institute will reveal many of the lakes mysteries. On a stroll around the village, visit the church of St. Nicolas and a traditional fisher-market, walk to Chersky viewing point where you can enjoy a fabulous view on the lake and the Angara River if the weather is clear. Your home is a typical Siberian wooden chalet close to the lake where local food will be prepared by your host.

In the morning, free time to hike around or you’ll have the opportunity to experience the lake from another perspective during a 1-hour boat trip. Drive along the shore and enjoy the sight of raw nature. You will leave Listvyanka around midday and visit the Wooden Architecture Museum of Tsaltsy on the way back to Irkutsk, where typically old churches, shaman houses and a fortress have been rebuilt in original style. Irkutsk is also called ‘Paris of Siberia’ for its pulsing street life and people’s elegant clothes. During a city tour in Irkutsk, your guide will tell you about the development of the Siberian city evolution and shows the most interesting sights and peculiar features of one of the most beautiful cities in Russia. You will see elaborate Russian Orthodox churches, a Polish Cathedral (the only Siberian Gothic-style building), many wooden houses or cabins that are decorated with “wooden laces” (hand-made carvings) as well as modern constructions of the 20th century and visit the Decembrist House, a fascinating museum displaying the life of the Trubetskoy and Volkonsky family.

End of the trip. Individual transfer and return flight back home or  wherever your journey takes you next…