= Journeys Featuring AKP Projects
Russia | Jewels of Russia
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Click to download PDF itinerary:
9 days / 8 nights
| Location | Nights |
| Moscow | 3 |
| St Petersburg | 5 |
Day 1 Arrive Moscow
A welcome to the Russian capital with assistance through immigration & customs by an airport representative. Private transfer to your hotel where your A&K Guardian Angel will be waiting to brief you and answer any questions you may have.
Moscow (Choice of category)
Day 2 Moscow
Moscow is the largest city in Europe, and your day begins in magnificent Red Square with its famous landmarks: St. Basil’s cathedral with its colourful onion domes, and Lenin’s Tomb. Take a ride on the famous Moscow metro, renowned for the ornate splendour of its stations, and explore the Kremlin, the historic fortified complex at the city’s heart. Visit the Assumption and Archangel Cathedrals, the Armoury Museum and the Diamond Vaults where the dazzling crown jewels of the Romanovs are on display (B).
Moscow (Choice of category)
Day 3 Moscow
Today’s highlights include a visit to the Tretyakov Gallery, which houses the world’s best collection of Russian icons and an outstanding collection of pre-Revolutionary Russian art. This afternoon, visit the Pushkin Museum of Fine Art, which houses many fine impressionist and post-impressionist works. Alternatively this afternoon you may choose to be guided through the newly-opened Moscow Space Museum by a professional astronaut (B).
Moscow (Choice of category)
Day 4 Sergiev Posad – St. Petersburg
Venture further afield today to Sergiev Posad, still commonly referred to by its Soviet name, Zagorsk, where you will visit the Trinity Monastery of St. Sergius and its opulent treasury. An important religious and historical site, it was the foremost place of pilgrimage in Russia for many centuries. Return to Moscow for late-afternoon travel by high-speed Sapsan train in business class to St. Petersburg. On arrival you will be met and transferred to your hotel (B,D).
St. Petersburg (Choice of category)
Day 5 St. Petersburg
This morning, visit the famed Baroque museum of the Hermitage, where a guided tour will introduce you to select aspects of the collection, and you may also enter the Gold Vault to see the exquisite royal jewels. Originally commissioned by Catherine the Great as a winter palace, the museum now houses over two million exhibits. Some of the interior highlights include the Ambassador’s Staircase, the Throne Room and the Ballroom. This afternoon is free to relax (B).
St. Petersburg (Choice of category)
Day 6 St. Petersburg
Your day begins at the Peter and Paul Fortress, which is the oldest building in the city. Situated on its own island, it is the burial site of most of the pre-revolutionary leaders of Russia. Later, visit St. Isaac’s Cathedral and cruise the canals of St. Petersburg on a private vessel. Afternoon tea in the home of a Russian family provides a special ending to the day (B).
St. Petersburg (Choice of category)
Day 7 St. Petersburg – Pushkin – Pavlovsk – St. Petersburg
Visit Tsarskoe Selo, ‘the Tsar’s village’ - more commonly known as Pushkin - to see the beautiful Catherine’s Palace, Rococo summer residence of the Tsars. It is surrounded by lovely formal parks, pavilions and woodland. Enjoy lunch at the rustic Podvorie Dacha before continuing to Pavlovsk Palace, a royal residence until 1917 (B,L).
St. Petersburg (Choice of category)
Day 8 St. Petersburg – Petrodvorets – St. Petersburg
Travel to Petrodvorets, the splendid summer palace of Peter the Great on the Gulf of Finland. Built in the early 1700s to rival Versailles, it is set in a magnificent garden estate of 300 acres with myriad fountains and gilded statues. A hydrofoil cruise (weather permitting May-Sep) on the Neva River will bring you back to St. Petersburg. On arrival, visit the Church of the Spilled Blood (B).
St. Petersburg (Choice of category)
Day 9 Depart St. Petersburg
This unforgettable private journey finishes today as you transfer to the airport (B).
Optional Extensions
Choose to combine your journey with one of A&K’s fantastic extensions. Not to be missed, these additions are specially selected by our travel specialists.
View our 'Russia | Golden Ring Extension'
View our 'Hungary, Austria & Czech Republic | Tale of 3 Cities Itinerary'
View our 'Poland | Wonders of Poland Itinerary'
View our 'Europe | Luxury Rail on Venice Simplon - Orient - Express Options'
Enquire Now
Choice of Accommodation
| City | Platinum | Gold |
| Moscow | The Ritz Carlton Hotel (Superior Room) | Lotte Hotel Moscow (Superior Room) |
| St. Petersburg | Hotel Astoria (Superior Deluxe Room) | Hotel Moika 22 Kempinski (Deluxe Room) |
Visit the newly-opened Moscow Space Museum which charts the history of the Russian space race and famous Russian astronauts. An astronaut from the space programme guides you through the fascinating collection of authentic space artefacts.
Moscow's Ornate Subway
With their elegant design and lavish use of marble, mosaics, sculptures and chandeliers, the stations of Moscow’s subway system are often called “the people’s palaces”. Built during Stalin’s rule, the stations sought to display the best of Soviet architecture and design. In the 1950s a staggeringly ornate station on the Circle Line was opened – Komsomolskaya, designed by the architect, Shchusev. A veritable palace, its ceiling is adorned with mosaic panels depicting the country’s great military leaders. The mosaic panels were created using ancient Byzantine techniques and include tiny squares of coloured glass, marble and granite.
