Moscow to St. Petersburg - Itinerary
With grand architecture, imperial majesty, and a proud and glorious past, Moscow and St. Petersburg will impress themselves deeply upon you. In Moscow, visit the “city within a city,” the imposing Kremlin complex consisting of a number of buildings that represent Russia’s splendid past. Admire the Tsar’s Bell – biggest in the world – at breathtaking Cathedral Square. Visit the State Armoury, founded in 1485 by Ivan the Great’s son and Russia’s oldest museum, and see crown jewels, gems, thrones, Byzantine cameos, coronation robes, and legendary Faberge eggs.
Travel by train to lovely St. Petersburg, sometimes called the “Venice of the North.” The carefully planned layout of its streets, spacious squares, gardens, canals, bridges, and monuments harmonize beautifully with the stately architecture of its buildings. Explore the shopping boulevard Nevsky Prospect, and admire the famous Bronze Horseman statue. See the incomparable collection of treasures housed at the Hermitage; and tour Catherine’s Palace, which contains exquisite decorative objects, furniture, Russian and Western European paintings, porcelain, amber, arms, and decorative bronze sculptures.
The sequence of touring and days may be altered to adjust to religious holidays, special closings of sites, air schedule changes, etc. Hotels listed subject to availability. Meal inclusions may vary by departure.
DAY 1 - USA/FRANKFURT
We depart JFK on our transatlantic flight bound for Frankfurt. Dinner and breakfast are served on board. (meals aloft)
DAY 2 - FRANKFURT/MOSCOW
We arrive Frankfurt and connect with our flight on to Moscow. After arrival this afternoon we are met by our guide and enjoy an orientation tour on the way to the Cosmos Hotel, located in one of the most beautiful parts of Moscow. This evening we go to a local restaurant for our welcome dinner. Overnight at our hotel. (meals aloft, D)
DAY 3 - MOSCOW
After breakfast we depart for a tour of Moscow including the Kremlin and Armoury. Often referred to as “a city within a city,” the imposing walls of the Kremlin complex enclose a myriad of buildings which represent Russia throughout its glorious past. On this tour we will get an insight into Russia throughout the ages as our guide brings the Kremlin to life with information and stories of Moscow in bygone days. On the tour we will enjoy the breathtaking architectural marvels of Cathedral Square, the Tsar’s Bell (the biggest in the world), and the Kremlin Towers. Then we visit the State Armoury founded in 1485 by Ivan the Great’s son, Grand Prince Vasily III, to accommodate the royal family’s growing accumulation of valuables. The State Armoury is the oldest museum in Russia and houses the greatest collection of its kind in the world. We will view the unique displays of crown jewels, gems, thrones, Byzantine cameos, coronation robes, and the legendary Faberge eggs. Then we transfer to the Moscow Theological Seminary for lunch. While there we will tour the beautiful building and meet with faculty and students. Later we will stop for some shopping. Dinner will be at a local restaurant. (B,L,D)
DAY 4 - MOSCOW
After breakfast we will tour the Russian Baptist Union building and meet its leaders. While there, we will also visit the Moscow Theological Institute and meet its leaders. Then after lunch we will attend the Moscow Theological Seminary’s graduation ceremony held at Central Baptist Church. After the ceremony there will be some time for shopping in the world famous Izmailovo district, a cobblestone pedestrian area filled with shops. Then we will have dinner and attend the world famous Moscow Circus. (B,L,D)
DAY 5 - MOSCOW
After breakfast we will attend worship services at Central Baptist Church or one of the other local Baptist churches. Lunch will be on our own and later we will meet at the hotel for dinner. (B,D)
DAY 6 - MOSCOW/SERGIEV POSAD/ST. PETERSBURG
After breakfast we will have a late morning departure for Sergiev Posad, a historic town about 50 miles from Moscow. Upon arrival we will enjoy lunch at a local restaurant. Then we will tour the stunning Trinity Monastery of St. Sergie, one of the most important pilgrimage sites of the Russian Orthodox Church. The monastery was once a formidable 16th century fortress, but is now a monastery and clerical school. The jewel of its glorious architecture is the five-domed Assumption Cathedral, thought to be the most beautiful in Russia. Some of Russia’s first Matryoshka nesting dolls were made here. Later we will have dinner at the Godunov Restaurant, located near Red Square. After dinner we will transfer to the train station for our overnight journey to St. Petersburg, enjoying first-class, two-berth compartments. (B,L,D)
DAY 7 - ST. PETERSBURG
After arriving in St. Petersburg, we transfer to a local restaurant for breakfast. Then we will have a morning tour of St. Petersburg. This city, called the “Venice of the North,” is regarded as one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The stately architecture of its buildings harmonize with the precise layout of its streets and spacious squares, gardens, rivers and canals, beautiful embankments, bridges and monuments. Our tour will pass the Smolny Institute, the famous Bronze Horseman statue, the broad Nevsky Prospect shopping street and the Admiralty. Included is a visit to the Peter and Paul Fortress, which is a part of the History of St. Petersburg Museum. The tour ends at the Pribaltiskaya Hotel, located on the Gulf of Finland. The balance of the day is at leisure. We will have dinner and overnight at our hotel. (B,D)
DAY 8 - ST. PETERSBURG
This morning we visit the Palace and Park of Tsarskoye Selo, a former country residence of the Russian emperors. It is a fascinating monument to the world’s architectural and gardening arts of the 18th and 19th centuries. Its three parks cover 1500 acres and include more than 100 architectural monuments from magnificent palaces and monuments to intimate pavilions and park sculptures. The center of Tsarskoye Selo is Catherine’s Palace, containing exquisite decorative objects, furniture, Russian and Western-European paintings, and unique collections of porcelain, amber, arms and decorative bronze sculptures. After lunch at a local restaurant we return to St. Petersburg for some shopping before we enjoy dinner together. (B,L,D)
DAY 9 - ST. PETERSBURG
After breakfast we visit one of the world’s most famous museums, the Hermitage, which houses incomparable collections of art treasures. It was Catherine the Great who began collecting art on a large scale. The Hermitage originally served as the Winter Palace of the Czars. It contains huge collections of Western masters, Russian culture and oriental art. The museum benefited from the private collections of Stroganov and Yusupov families and others who commissioned such artists as Bonnet, Cezanne, Picasso and Matisse. The Hermitage also possesses a rich collection of Impressionist art. After lunch (on your own) we proceed to St. Isaac’s Cathedral, which has a stunning abundance of sculptured decorations, reliefs, gilt work and marble. Its interior and exterior are faced with 14 kinds of marble. About 200 canvasses, frescoes and mosaics adorn the ceilings, walls, niches and pillars of the cathedral. Later we enjoy dinner at a local restaurant. (B,D)
DAY 10 - ST. PETERSBURG/USA
After breakfast we transfer to the airport for our return flight via Frankfurt for home. (B,meals aloft)
