Russia Tours and Travel

Day 1 – Arrive in Moscow

• Welcome to Russia! After you’ve had breakfast, we’ll leave the hotel and head out to explore the largest city in Europe.
• Start in the heart of Moscow, in Red Square. Possibly the most famous square in the world, what was once a marketplace has hosted centuries of Russian history.
• Visit Lenin’s Mausoleum, which is located on the square’s edge. The founder of the USSR has been preserved here for almost 100 years, and you will likely see members of the Communist Party paying their respects.
• Lunch at the historic GUM Department Store, one of the only shopping malls during the Soviet Period. Eat at the Soviet-style canteen Stolovaya 57 for a nostalgic experience.
• Explore the Kremlin, the seat of Russian power through the centuries. Visit the Armory Museum, the Assumption Cathedral, and the Diamond Fund. You might even catch a rehearsal of the presidential ballet if you are lucky!
• Peek inside St. Basil’s Cathedral, another iconic symbol of Russia with its multi-coloured “onion” domes. Erected in 1588, it is even more beautiful inside than out!
• Enjoy a traditional Russian dinner at Cafe Pushkin, with the antique-filled dining room encapsulating the grandeur of its namesake.
• Depending on its schedule, spend the evening watching a ballet or opera at the world-famous Bolshoi Theatre. The ballet school is the largest on earth with over 200 dancers.
• Overnight in Moscow.

Day 2 – Moscow

• Start your day by jumping on the Moscow Metro. As well as being the busiest metro in Europe, it is also considered an attraction in itself, due to its beautiful decoration.
• Visit the Muzeon Park of Arts adjacent to Gorky Park, featuring a fascinating collection of Soviet-era statues and sculptures. Afterwards, consider relaxing on the lake in a paddle boat or renting a bike to cycle around the park.
• Have lunch at Navat, a Kyrgyz restaurant which specializes in Central Asian cuisine. After centuries of Russian control, see if you can notice the Russian influence here.
• Explore the VDNH complex, a vast exhibition complex showcasing Soviet architecture and pavilions dedicated to each former Soviet Republic and various industries. It also has the largest Ferris Wheel in Europe!
• Visit the Cosmonautics Museum next door to learn about the Soviet space program.
• Dinner at White Rabbit, a modern Russian restaurant with panoramic views of the city.
• Overnight in Moscow.

Day 3 – Moscow – train to Kazan

• Spend your morning at the State Tretyakov Gallery, called one of the greatest museums in the world for good reason! With 180,000 exhibits of fine Russian, Slavic, and Soviet art, they tell a story from the Kyivan Rus 1,000 years ago to the modern day.
• Stroll through Alexander Garden adjacent to the Kremlin. Look out for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Eternal Flame.
• Grab lunch at one of the trendy cafés on Nikolskaya Street, which is also filled with shops and street performers. It’s great for people-watching!
• To get you ready for your departure from Moscow, we’re taking you to a banya! These traditional bathhouses are about as authentically “Russian” as it gets, and you’ll soon see why people here are so loyal to them.
• Visit the beautiful Novodevichy Convent, which has housed the faithful for over 300 years. Many notable Russians are buried in the adjacent cemetery.
• Collect your bags from the hotel and make your way to the station for your overnight train to Kazan.
• Leave on the 20:50 sleeper train, which will arrive at 08:46 the next morning. Trains are often the best way to explore this vast country and are quite a cultural experience.
• Overnight on the sleeper train.

Day 4 – Arrival in Kazan

• Welcome to Kazan, the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan! The city showcases a unique blend of Russian and Tatar culture, the latter being a Turkic ethnic group with much in common with the people of Central Asia. Kazan boasts a rich Islamic heritage alongside Russian Orthodox traditions, which provides a fascinating insight into modern Russia.
• Step off the train (hopefully) fully refreshed and go straight to the Kazan Kremlin. Most of this enormous citadel was built by Ivan the Terrible in the 16^th century.
• You can visit the Annunciation Cathedral next door and walk along the Kremlin’s walls to view the whole city.
• Experience traditional Tatar cooking at Tatarskaya Usadba. See if you can notice the similarities that Tatar dishes have with Turkish, Central Asian, and Russian cuisine.
• Tour the Kolşärif Mosque, one of the largest mosques in Europe that was only completed in 2005. Clearly, the Atheism of the USSR did not survive here!
• Visit one of the quirkiest museums we’ve been to by going to the Soviet Lifestyle Museum, which showcases Soviet-era items and memorabilia.
• Eat dinner at Pashmir Restaurant, which combines Tatar and European influence. The building looks rather futuristic and provides a wonderful sunset view over the Volga!
• If you still have energy, take a nighttime cruise on the mighty Volga and party the night away! Kazan is a major oil hub and one of the wealthiest cities in Russia, so is very impressively lit up at night.
• Overnight in Kazan.

Day 5 – Kazan – Saint Petersburg

• Check out of your hotel after breakfast, before strolling down Bauman Street. This is the main boulevard in the city and is lined with shops, cafes, and historic buildings.
• You’ll end up at the Epiphany Cathedral, which features a towering bell tower that, until recently, was Kazan’s answer to the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
• Have lunch at one of the cafes on Bauman Street and watch the world go by.
• We’ll take you to the Moonshine Museum, which aims to tell the history and culture of worldwide moonshine production. It was a controversial opening in what is a culturally Muslim region, but the museum calls itself anti-alcohol. And yes, tastings are available!
• Stop for photos at the Kazan Wedding Palace, which is bizarrely shaped like a cauldron.
• Offer a farewell toast to Tatarstan at Tatarskoi Kulinarii, which serves delicious pastries as well as Tatar-style plov.
• Hop on an evening flight to Saint Petersburg, which should take around 2 hours.
• Check-in to the hotel, and overnight in Saint Petersburg.

Day 6 – Saint Petersburg

• The “Venice of the North” is one of the most beautiful cities in Russia, if not the whole of Europe. After breakfast, spend the whole morning at the renowned State Hermitage Museum, founded by Catherine the Great 250 years ago. It is the 10^th most visited art museum in the world, containing works by Da Vinci, Rembrandt, and Michelangelo.
• Continue your cultural immersion by eating lunch at Sadko, a stylish yet traditional Russian restaurant in the heart of the city. Expect plenty of caviar, vodka and blinis!
• Visit the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, the “little sibling” of St. Basil’s in Moscow but complete with gorgeous, intricate mosaics inside. More tragically, this was built on the site where Emperor Alexander II was assassinated.
• Walk down Nevskyy Prospekt, St. Petersburg’s main avenue. Stop for a coffee in a trendy café or check out the colourful architecture.
• You’ll finish your walk at St. Isaac’s Cathedral. Climb to the colonnade of this grand cathedral and view the whole city. Gaze up at the interior dome – one of the largest in the world – and see it adorned with paintings and precious stones.
• Have an early dinner at Teplo, a laid-back restaurant renowned for its cocktails!
• Celebrate your trip so far at the Mariinsky Theatre, one of the most renowned in Russia alongside the Bolshoi. While alternating between ballet and opera performances, there are shows most nights, and they are all spectacular.
• Overnight in Saint Petersburg.

Day 7 – Saint Petersburg

• Take a hydrofoil across the Neva River to the Peterhof Palace. Known as the “Russian Versailles” due to the grand palace, stunning fountains, and extensive gardens, it was built by Peter the Great to outdo France’s Palace of Versailles. Many say he succeeded!
• After a morning exploring, you’ll head back to the city and have lunch at Shtolle, a bakery which specializes in traditional Russian pirozhkis (stuffed pies).
• Now that you have something to soak up the alcohol, we recommend paying a visit to the Vodka Museum! You’ll learn everything there is to know about this Russian staple, including its history and the best way to taste it (spoiler, it’s not with a mixer…)
• Tour the National Library of Russia, a spectacular building with over 33 million books. It managed to keep operating throughout the Siege of Leningrad.
• Have a memorable farewell dinner at a Georgian restaurant on the banks of the Neva River. With excellent food and wine, Georgian cuisine is seen as the gold standard across the former Soviet Union, so is perfect for your final evening in Russia!
• Overnight in Saint Petersburg.

Day 8 – Saint Petersburg – End of tour

• Have breakfast and check out of your hotel before heading 30km south to the Catherine Palace in Pushkin. This magnificent residence of the Tsars is famous for the opulent Amber Room, and extensive gardens.
• Drive back into Saint Petersburg, where your Russia adventure finishes.
• Alternatively, continue your travels by joining us on one of our regular group tours in the region. We can also arrange for your private tour to continue into the neighbouring Baltic States, Caucuses, Central Asia, or across the post-Soviet world.