10-day Moscow to St. Petersburg Tour10 Days | Moscow, Ivanovo, Plyos, Volgorechensk, Palekh, Shuya, St. Petersburg

Arrive in Moscow, meet your driver, and transfer to the hotel (check in is possible from 14:00). Free time. Overnight at the hotel.

During your free time, we offer the following optional activities (at additional cost):
Visit to the Armoury in the Kremlin (except Thursdays);
Night city tour, ‘Evening lights of Moscow’;
River cruise on the motor ship ‘Flotilla Radisson Royal’;
Tickets to the Bolshoi Theatre, concerts, the circus, or other performances.

After breakfast, take a guided tour of Russia’s capital city, Moscow. Like Rome, this is a city on seven hills. Your tour of the metropolis starts at Vorobyovy Gory (Sparrow Hills) in the south-west of the city. Elevated 78m above the river, these hills are Moscow’s main panoramic viewpoint and offer excellent views of most of the city’s attractions: the Kremlin, Stalin’s famous “Seven Sisters” skyscrapers (such as the main building of Moscow State University), the modern Moscow City skyscrapers, the Presidium of the Academy of Sciences, Russia’s “White House”, Shukhov Tower, Luzhniki Stadium, and the Ostankino TV Tower. After visiting Vorobyovy Gory, descend to the Memorial Complex on Poklonnaya Gora (Victory Park) to see the Church of St. George the Victorious, the Triumphal Arch, and Kutuzovsky Prospekt. Then, visit the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, one of the tallest Orthodox churches in the world. The original cathedral was destroyed in the 1930s by order of Stalin and only rebuilt in the 1990s. The cathedral has a 69m-high dome, on the inside of which are beautiful images from the New Testament. Continue the tour at the famed Red Square, walking past St. Basil’s Cathedral, Lenin’s Mausoleum, the famous GUM, the monument to Minin and Pozharsky, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Alexander Garden. The day ends at the impressive Kremlin and its cathedrals (closed on Thursdays and replaced with an alternative sight). Overnight at the hotel.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 8-9 hours

Breakfast followed by free time. Check out of the hotel by 12:00 and transfer to the station to take the train to Ivanovo (4 hours). Upon arrival in Ivanovo, meet your driver and transfer to the hotel. Free time. Overnight at the hotel.

After breakfast, meet your guide for a sightseeing tour of the city of Ivanovo, one of the principal Golden Ring cities. Visit the Sviato-Vvedensky Monastery, at the heart of which is the Church of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This church hosts the relics of 168 Orthodox martyrs and a highly revered shrine, the cassock of John of Kronstadt. Continue to the Museum of Ivanovo Chintz to learn how Ivanovo’s famous textile industry developed between ancient and modern times, see unique fabric samples and hand-made costumes, and view an exhibition of the work of the famous modern fashion designer Vyacheslav Zaitsev. Free time. Overnight at the hotel.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 3-4 hours

During your free time, for an additional fee, we offer visits to:
Nikolay Dementiev’s Garden;
Burilin Ivanovo Museum of Local History;
Museum of the Soviet Car Industry.

After breakfast, transfer to Plyos (70 km, 1 hour), a small town that has retained its unique heritage. During the Plyos sightseeing tour, climb up the famous Cathedral Hill, visit the Assumption Cathedral, see the onion domes of the ancient churches, and admire the beautiful views of the Volga River. Then visit the Memorial House-Museum of Isaac Levitan, where you’ll have the opportunity to see many of the famous landscape artist’s original works (23 paintings and about 200 sketches). After the tour of Plyos, transfer to Volgorechensk (30 km) and visit a fish farm that breeds some of the most expensive fish in the world, Russian sturgeon and sterlet. Learn about the technology used on the farm and taste the prized fish. Return to Ivanovo (61 km). Free time. Overnight at the hotel.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 7 hours

During your free time, we offer the following optional activities (at additional cost):
Visit to the Krasnaya Presnya jewellery factory;
River boat cruise (May to September);
Caviar tasting at the fish farm.

After breakfast, meet your guide and transfer to Shuya (33 km, 45 min). Take a walking tour of this historical city, which is famous for many things including its merchant families, holy icons, accordions, calico textiles, embroidery, and lacquer art. Stroll along the main pedestrian street, Shuisky Arbat, to see the stone mansions. On the main square, see the 17th-century Resurrection Cathedral, which boasts the surviving miraculous icon of the Shuya-Smolensk Mother of God with the infant Christ in her arms. Climb the five-tiered, 106-metre-high “candle” bell tower (weather permitting) to enjoy a stunning view of the city. Afterwards, visit the Pavlov Mansion to learn about the lifestyle of a rich merchant in old times. Then transfer to Palekh (34 km), an old village famous as a centre of lacquer miniature painting. Visit the Museum of Palekh Art and the house-museum of Ivan Golikov, founder of the lacquer miniatures art form. Return to Ivanovo (71 km, 1 h 15 min) to take the train to St. Petersburg (700 km, 16 hours). Overnight on the train.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 5-6 hours

Upon arrival in St. Petersburg at 12:00, meet your driver and transfer to the hotel to leave your luggage and have a short rest. In the afternoon, take a tour of this elegant city, Peter the Great’s masterpiece. The tour starts at Nevsky Prospekt, the city’s central artery and the main place for Petersburgers to meet each other and take walks. As you follow this famous thoroughfare, you’ll come across numerous historical attractions including the Anichkov Bridge over the Fontanka River (one of the symbols of the city), Catherine’s Garden, Gostiny Dvor, Griboedov Canal, the Admiralty, the Field of Mars, Palace Square (the location of the stunning Winter Palace), and Senate Square (the site of the “Bronze Horseman”, the impressive statue of the city’s founder). Walk past the famous religious monuments of St. Isaac’s Cathedral (the world’s fourth largest Christian church), the colourful Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood (which is decorated with beautiful Byzantine mosaics), and Kazan Cathedral (the city’s main church, where the main icon of the Kazan Mother of God is kept). Finally, explore the Holy Trinity Alexander Nevsky Lavra Monastery, the city’s first and largest monastery. Return to the hotel to check in. Overnight at the hotel.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 3 hours

During your free time in St. Petersburg, we offer the following optional activities (at additional cost):
Boat tour along the rivers and canals;
Night city tour, which includes watching bridges open;
Tickets to the Mariinsky Theatre.

After breakfast, drive out of the city to Peterhof (40 km), learning about the history of the old Peterhof road on the way. Visit the Great Peterhof Palace*, the former summer imperial residence and the centre of social life in the 18th century. Admire the stunning gardens and fountains and see many of the more than 1,500 rare exhibits of furniture, paintings, fabric, and porcelain. Continue to the old port city of Kronstadt (33 km) on the island of Kotlin, via the tunnel under the Sea Canal that connects the mainland to the island. Explore this former centre of maritime trade and defence, including the defensive and hydraulic structures, the monument to Admiral Makarov, the Petrovsky Marina, the Italian Palace, and the Arsenal building. End the tour of Kotlin Island with a visit to the Naval Cathedral, the main church of the Russian Navy and a monument to the country’s dead sailors. Return to St. Petersburg. Overnight at the hotel.
*Closed on Mondays and the last Tuesday of each month (although the Peterhof gardens are open every day). If the Palace is closed on Day 8 of your tour, we will move this visit to another day if possible (or otherwise replace it with an alternative sight).
Duration of sightseeing tour: 6-7 hours

Breakfast followed by a trip to the Peter and Paul Fortress, a fascinating monument of military history and architecture. On the way, drive past the legendary revolutionary naval cruiser, Aurora, which played a key role in the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution. Highlights of the Peter and Paul Fortress include the St. Peter and Paul Cathedral, where all Russian emperors are buried, the Triumphal Gate of the fortress, the Petrovsky Gate, the fortress bastions that became Russia’s political prison in the 19th century, the Mint, and the Commandant’s pier. Continue to the State Hermitage Museum*, one of the world’s largest art museums, which is set within the stunning Winter Palace. Take a guided tour of the museum’s most impressive exhibits, including Western European paintings and sculptures, primitive art from the Caucasus, and Egyptian and Classical antiquities. Free time to continue exploring the Museum or the rest of the city on your own or to do an optional activity (see below). Overnight at the hotel.
*Closed on Mondays. If Day 9 is a Monday, we will move this visit to another day if possible (or otherwise replace it with an alternative sight).
Duration of sightseeing tour: 5-6 hours

During your free time, we offer the following optional activities (at additional cost):
State Russian Museum (Mikhailovsky Palace);
Mikhailovsky Castle;
Menshikov Palace;
Pavlovsky Palace;
Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera);
Peter the Great’s Cabin;
Grand Model of Russia (a vast indoor scale model depicting Russia’s scenery, buildings, and everyday life);
Petrovskaya Aqvatoria Museum-Model of St. Petersburg and Suburbs of the 18th century.

Breakfast. Check-out of the hotel (by 12:00). Free time until your transfer to St. Petersburg International Airport. Departure. End of the tour.