Three Capitals: Kiev - Moscow - St. Petersburg (CB-18)

Arrival in Kiev. Our driver will meet you in the arrival sector with a Go Russia sign board. Transfer to the hotel.

Kiev is one of the most beautiful cities of Europe, stretching along picturesque banks of the river Dnepr. Rich history of the city is embodied in its ancient architectural monuments.

Start your discovery of Kiev with a guided bus city tour. You will see such beautiful places as St. Archangel Michael’s Golden Domes Monastery built in 12th century, Golden Gates - the main triumphal entrance of ancient Kiev; St. Vladimir Cathedral built in the 19th century. The cathedral is a unique monument of architecture and arts due to its murals executed by the famous Russian artists of the 19th century. Stroll along the main street of Kiev - Kreshatik Street.

In the afternoon you will also visit St. Sophia Cathedral – a majestic 13-domed cathedral built in 1037, masterpiece of world architecture and arts. Saint Sophia Cathedral is one of the chef-d’oeuvres of the world culture and it is on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Guided tour to Kievo-Pecherska Lavra (monastery) – a sacred place of the Orthodoxy, with architectural ensemble of 11-19th centuries. At the present time Kievo-Pecherska Lavra is an active monastery and National Historical Architectural Preserve. Visit to its cathedrals, museums, exhibitions as well as to the caves with the saint relics.

Transfer to the famous street in Kiev - Andriyivsky Uzviz (Andriyivsky Descent). The most ancient and steep street in Kiev, Andriyivsky Uzviz, is Kievers’ favorite place for outdoor fairs, festivals, and concerts. Art galleries, shops, and studios make Andriyivsky Uzviz the best place to shop for Ukrainian crafts and artworks. Cultural museums located here reveal the history of the legendary street and of the whole Kiev. Overlooking Andriyivsky Uzviz and Podil, the old section of Kiev, stands the Ukrainian Baroque church of St. Andrew designed in 1754 by the Italian architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli. This five-domed church remains the major adornment of the upper city. The Castle of Richard in the modernized Gothic style, built in 1902, is another of distinctive features of Andriyivsky Uzviz. The building is currently being reconstructed into a hotel.

Transfer to the railway station. Our driver will meet you with a Go Russia sign board at the lobby of the hotel.

You will travel on a comfortable fast train to Moscow. Both 1st (2 berth) and 2nd (4 berth) compartments are available. Clean linen, including sheets, towels, blankets and pillows are provided for each berth. The train also has a dining car that serves good meals. Arrival in Moscow early in the morning.

Arrival in Moscow. Our driver will meet you with a Go Russia sign board at the beginning of the platform. Transfer to the hotel.

A guided walking tour around major cultural and historical points in Moscow. You will see one of the famous “Seven Sisters” skyscrapers built during Stalin's last years and initially thought as elite housing. We will visit Lubyanka Square – the world-famous KGB centre of the Soviet epoch, Teatralnaya Square next to Bolshoi Theatre. Then we will continue our walk through the small central streets and lanes where every building has its own unique and interesting story. Most of them currently represent Russian theatres, hotels, museums or state institutions. We will also visit Tverskaya Street – the main and the busiest street in Moscow – with lots of shops, restaurants and unique combination of old, Stalin and modern architecture. We will finish our tour on the pedestrian Old Arbat Street, famous for its souvenirs and street dancers and artists. After the guided tour you will have some free time to browse among the shops selling merchandise and enjoy various Arbat cafes or restaurants.

Guided tour of Moscow Underground – explore one of the masterpieces of the Soviet era created in the Socialist Realism style. Moscow Metro with its stations decorated with marble, mosaics, stained glass panels and bronze sculptures looks like a vast art museum. It was one of the proudest achievements of the Soviet era and it’s still beating many other European underground system with its extremely reliable services.

A guided tour to Sergiev Posad – the heart of Russian orthodox religion, the home of Russia’s Patriarch. The town located in the suburbs of Moscow grew up in the 15th century around one of the greatest Russian monasteries - the Holy Trinity – St. Sergius Lavra (Troitse-Sergiyeva Lavra) established by St. Sergius of Radonezh. The town also claims to be the birthplace of the Russian nesting doll, or matryoshka.

After a guided tour of the St. Sergius Monastery and its beautiful churches you will be able to purchase Russian handicrafts - matryoshka dolls and lacquered boxes on a small bazaar.

On our way to Sergiev Posad we will enjoy the charming Russian countryside as the highway runs through huge birch forests, hills, as well as past beautifully decorated country homes.

We will visit the Red Square arguably one of the most famous squares in the world. It’s got its name from the Russian word for "red", which many centuries ago meant "beautiful". Each building here is a legend: you will see brightly-domed St. Basil's cathedral, the world - renowned Lenin Mausoleum, expansive facade of the GUM department store, Kazan Cathedral and Kremlin towers. During the Soviet period the Red Square used to be associated with images of stone-faced communist party leaders standing in the cold atop Lenin's Mausoleum and watching military parades. Today, Red Square is a popular tourist attraction and it is often used for rock and pop concerts including high-profile participants like Paul McCartney, Pink Floyd and others.

You will discover the interior of the Kremlin - the former residence of the Tsars and now the residence of the Russian president. You will also visit the Kremlin’s beautiful orthodox cathedrals. The Cathedral Square still retains the aura of early Tsarist Russia, where the spirits of Ivan the Terrible, Boris Godunov, and the early Romanovs loom large.

The fist mentioning of Armoury recorded in 1508 and it started to function as the storehouse for the Kremlin weaponry. However, within a few decades the structure had gained the added function of a workshop and a repository for all sorts of treasures of the Imperial court. In 1813 the Armoury building became an exhibition hall and a museum. The collection of the Armoury is overwhelming. It contains such exhibits as the chalice of Yuri Dolgorukiy, the helm and armour of Boris Godunov, collection of over fifty Faberge eggs, golden and silver works of applied art by Russian, European and Oriental masters, invaluable weapons and other works made of precious metals and stones.

Transfer to the railway station. Our driver will meet you with a Go Russia sign board at the lobby of the hotel.

For demanding travellers who prefer to travel in particular comfort, Russian railways now offer a luxury travel option to discover a style fit for a Tzar! The introduction of a new train, the “Grand Express”, on the Moscow-St. Petersburg line is changing current assumptions about comfortable rail travel which is comparable in standard to that of a good hotel. Indeed, the “Grand Express” is a real hotel on wheels that features spacious sleeping compartments with toilets, showers, air-conditioning, wide sofas, LCD TV, DVD-players and WI-FI. “Grand Express” train also has standard 9 compartments carriages of 1st and 2nd class.

Arrival in St. Petersburg. Our driver will meet you with a Go Russia sign board at the beginning of the platform. Transfer to the hotel.

It is impossible not to fall in love with St. Petersburg, one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and after you visit it, you can understand why. The most European of all Russian towns and cities, St. Petersburg is the second largest city in Russia. Unlike the busy capital Moscow, it is however calm and unhurried, just as a real museum-city should be.

Start your discovery of St. Petersburg with a guided city tour by car that will take you around the stunning "Venice of the North"; you will see the Peter and Paul Fortress, St. Isaac's Cathedral and the Church of Christ's Resurrection (The Saviour of the Blood). You will also see the famous cruiser Aurora; the legendary ship whose canon gave the signal, on the order of Lenin, for the beginning of the Great Social Revolution more than 90 years ago.

A guided tour of the Hermitage, former residence of the Russian Tzars (famous Winter Palace) and one of best museums of the world. This stunning palace, an architectural masterpiece in itself, contains a collection over 3,000,000 works of art re presenting the development of world culture and art from the Stone Age to the 20th century. The collection includes works of Leonardo Da Vinci, Titian, Raphael, French impressionists, sculptures and treasures icons, coins and Tsar’s jewellery. The Hermitage is an unforgettable place to visit.

Guided visit to one of the major architectural treasures of the Royal St. Petersburg - settlement of Tsarskoe Selo (Pushkin) located 25km south of the city. This small town has two gigantic palaces, set amidst huge and beautiful parkland: the glorious Catherine Palace, a Baroque masterpiece by the Italian architecture Bartolomeo Rastrelli, and the Alexander Palace, where the last tsar family dwelt. We will visit the Catherine’s Palace with the Amber Room. It features splendid interiors, designed by eminent architects Rastrelli, Cameron, Stasov and Monighetti.

Transfer to the airport. Our driver will meet you with a Go Russia sign board at the hotel lobby.