RUSSIA TOUR 3N 4D: SAINT PETERSBURG

• Arrival at Pulkovo Airport, upon arrival, Meet & greet by ‘THE TRAVELLER’ company representative and transfer to your hotel.
• One of the most beautiful cities – St. Petersburg. St. Petersburg has all the ingredients for an unforgettable travel experience: high art, lavish architecture, wild nightlife, an extraordinary history and rich cultural traditions that have inspired and nurtured some of the modern world’s greatest literature, music, and visual art.
• From the mysterious twilight of the White Nights to world-beating opera and ballet productions on magical winter evenings, St. Petersburg charms and entices in every season.
• Our guide meets you at the airport and assists to transfers you to your hotel for check-in. Panoramic City Tour. This tour is a great start to your trip and the best way to get acquainted with all of the city´s major highlights.
• Our professional guide will take you down Nevsky Prospect, St. Petersburg´s most famous and vibrant thoroughfare. There you will see some of the city´s most interesting architectural monuments including the Kazan Cathedral and the Winter Palace.
• You will then proceed to Vasilevsky Island – the area of the city that Peter the Great originally planned to be the city centre. This island juts out into the Gulf of Finland – reminding you of St.

Petersburg´s close proximity to the sea and maritime history. The tour will include a visit to the Peter and Paul Fortress – a symbol of St. Petersburg and also the oldest building in the city. While there, you will visit Peter and Paul Cathedral, the burial place of the Russian Tsars from Peter the Great onward… Overnight in St. Petersburg.

Meals: Dinner

• After breakfast, we proceed for guided city tour of the Yusupov Palace. Meet your guide in hotel lobby at 10am.
• Set off on your historic tour to discover the grandeur of the Russian Empire from the late 18th to the early 20th century.
• Overlooking the River Moika, this unique ensemble dates from the 1770s to the early1900s, and features interiors rightfully described as providing an ‘encyclopedia’ of St. Petersburg’s aristocratic styles.
• Learn why the palace was the favorite residence of Prince Felix Yusupov, the early 20th- century prince and count of the wealthy Yusupov family who owned it, while he was in St. Petersburg.
• Visit Arbat, Moscow’s most famous pedestrian street, in the company of a guide who can point out the most historic sites, as well as the best cafes still serving delicious fare.
• Post exploring the Arbat street, proceed to enjoy the Moscow Metro Tour to have an insight into the history, art, myths and legends of Moscow Metro — of one of the biggest and most beautiful metro systems in the world! Overnight in Moscow.
• Each room has a story to tell and the palace recalls its former creators and owners — the high-ranking Shuvalov family and five generations of the Yusupovs, including Felix. Lose yourself in the building’s charm and elegance as you tour: the magnificent interiors promise to be a highlight of your time in St. Petersburg.
• As you explore, learn about the fascinating lives, wealth, and art treasures of the Yusupovs, and hear about the notorious event that took place here in December 2016: the murder of Grigory Rasputin, at the hands of Felix himself.

Later break for Lunch or Post lunch visits the legendary State Hermitage Museum.

• The Hermitage. The museum consists of five historical buildings including the Winter Palace – the residence of the Russian Tsars.
• The museum contains over 3 million pieces of art with dates ranging from high antiquity to the present day.
• Among the Hermitage´s treasures are artworks by Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Titian, Rembrandt, Rubens and more. We will spend 3 hours at the museum, however, to view the collection in its entirety would take almost 15 years, spending 8 hours a day in the museum and taking one minute to examine each exhibit.

Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

• Today after breakfast depart from your St Petersburg hotel to the Peterhof, home to the resplendent Peterhof Palace.
• Marvel at the magnificent façade of the palace as you draw closer; admire the colorful frontage and beautiful gardens that surround the landmark that is often compared to the Palace of Versailles.
• Amble through the Lower Park past 140 distinctively ornamented fountains and exotic flowers.
• Revitalize with lunch (own expense) after you have finished exploring the gorgeous grounds of Peterhof Palace and proceed to visit the Saint Isaac’s Cathedral, the largest Russian Orthodox cathedral in the city. It is the largest orthodox basilica and the fourth
• largest cathedral in the world. Later visit Peter and Paul’s Fortress, the oldest of St Petersburg’s landmarks.
• Your guide will tell tales of the city and how it was founded with the construction of the fortress in 1703 at the behest of the Tsar, Peter the Great.
• Hear how the fortress was built to defend against an incursion of Swedish forces that never happened, and how during the 19th century, the fortress was used as a prison and a torture chamber.
• Visit the stunning Peter and Paul Cathedral, the imperious Russian Orthodox church housed within the fortress walls.
• Admire the soaring bell tower and gilded baroque interior, and see the tombs of several of the Tsars laid to rest here, including Peter the Great, and Tsar Nicholas II and his family, whose remains were buried here.

Bid your guide farewell after drop-off at your St Petersburg hotel. Overnight in St. Petersburg.

(Meals: Breakfast & Dinner)

This is This is the final day of your amazing St. Petersburg -Moscow Tour! After breakfast you check out from your hotel and you are transferred to the airport for your flight back home. We hope you’ve enjoyed both magnificent Russian capitals and return home with lifelong memories and unforgettable impressionsof your ‘RUSSIA TRIP’ with ‘THE TRAVELLER’.

(Meals: Breakfast)