Cradles of Russian History: Moscow & St. Petersburg (CB-22)

Our driver will meet you in the arrival sector at the airport in Moscow with a Go Russia sign board from where you’ll transfer to the hotel.

Today begins with a drive around some of Moscow’s beautiful streets to get your bearings. We’ll stop a few times so you can have a closer look at some of its better-known sights including the main Russian Orthodox Cathedral of Christ the Saviour (view from outside), and one of the oldest and loveliest convents in the city, the New Maiden's Convent (view from outside) with its fascinating cemetery. After we’ve taken in the panorama from one of our favourite vantage points overlooking the city, we’ll return to Red Square for a chance to examine the delightful 16th century St Basil’s Cathedral close up. While we’re there, we won’t let you miss Lenin’s Mausoleum or the huge GUM department store. Our final stop today is at the Central Museum of the Armed Forces of Russia. Our guided visit will reveal an extensive collection of banners of Soviet and Third Reich Army as well as the personal belongings of Soviet and Nazi leaders including General Zhukov and Adolf Hitler.

No visit to Moscow could be complete without seeing the Kremlin and today we take you behind its imposing walls to discover its beautiful interior. The Kremlin was once the residence of the Tsars and now the Russian president. Indeed, 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. Its Armoury dates from the 16th century and, now a museum, has an almost overwhelming collection of treasures, with everything from Faberge eggs to antique weapons. Lastly, we’ll accompany you to the Moscow Underground. No ordinary metro system, its ornately decorated stations are resplendently adorned with marble, mosaics, stained glass and sculptures – if it weren’t for the frequent trains, you’d forget you were in a station at all.

One of the highest spots in Moscow, Poklonnaya Hill commemorates Russian victory in the Great Patriotic War. Victory Park and the Square of Victors form part of an open air museum where you’ll find a fascinating collection of tanks and other vehicles used in the Second World War. From there, we’ll head for the Museum of the Cold War, Moscow’s newest museum. Visitors travel 65 metres underground via a high-speed lift to what was once a top secret military facility, the command centre of the Russian Armed Forces. During your guided tour you will pass through its secret tunnels, see samples of communication equipment and fire arms and find out how the place once functioned. Back at the hotel, our driver will collect you with a Go Russia sign ready to transfer you to the railway station where you’ll catch an overnight train to St Petersburg. As well as travelling second class, it’s possible to upgrade to Grand Express’ luxury carriages fit for a Tsar. More like a hotel on wheels, the spacious compartments have everything you could want, from a shower to a television.

On arrival in St. Petersburg, our driver will meet you with a Go Russia sign board at the end of the platform and after breakfast in a local cafe you’ll transfer to the hotel. Later, we’ll take you on a city tour of what we think is one of the most graceful and elegant cities in the world, St Petersburg. Nicknamed the “Venice of the North” for its extensive network of canals, you’ll visit all the major sights, including 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 ship whose cannon gave the signal, on the order of Lenin, for the beginning of the Great Social Revolution more than 90 years ago.

Today we offer a programme based around two very different museums. They don’t come much more famous than the Winter Palace at the Hermitage, with its incredible collection of works of art including everything from Leonardo da Vinci to the French Impressionists. Alongside world-renowned paintings sit treasured icons, antique coins and exquisite jewellery which once belonged to the Tsar. The State Museum of the Defense and Blockade of Leningrad is tiny by comparison but its subject matter makes this compelling viewing. Dedicated to the city's historical siege and defence of Leningrad during the Second World War, moving displays show the famine-ravaged city and the heroic efforts made to somehow get food in from beyond the blockade. More than one million people died during the blockade. Their sacrifice and the extraordinary endurance of the survivors remains a source of both immense pride and profound sorrow.

Today we head to the suburbs of St Petersburg to visit one of its most magnificent summer palaces, Petrodvorets, also known as the Peterhof. Founded by Emperor Peter the Great at the start of the 18th century it features a glorious park dotted with elegant fountains as well as the palace itself. We’ll move on to the Museum of Political History of Russia where our guided visit will uncover the story of the revolution. Created in 1919 by prominent figures in the Bolshevik Party members of the narodnik (populist) movement and representatives of the intelligentsia it was the first museum in the country to engage with historical and revolutionary issues. To this day it remains a fascinating collection and our tour will help you understand how modern Russia has evolved.

When it’s time to transfer to the airport, our driver will meet you with a Go Russia sign board in the hotel lobby.