10 Day Moscow to St. Petersburg Tour10 Days | Moscow, Tver, Lake Seliger, Torzhok, St. Petersburg, Peterhof, Kronstadt

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

After breakfast, visit the largest museum complex in Moscow, the Tsaritsyno State Historical, Architectural, Art, and Landscape Museum-Reserve (closed on Mondays and replaced with an alternative sight). Explore the late 18th century Palace Complex, which was the residence of Empress Catherine II near Moscow. The tour includes visits to the permanent exhibition of the Grand Palace and Bread House, as well as exhibitions at the Middle Palace (Opera House) and Small Palace. End the excursion with walks through the historical Tsaritsyno Landscape Park to see the ponds and pavilions and the modern park with its fountain and flower beds. Free time. Overnight at the hotel.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 4-5 hours

After breakfast, check out of the hotel and transfer to the train station to take the morning train to Tver (180 km, 1 hour). Upon arrival, transfer to the hotel to leave your luggage. Then take a sightseeing tour of Tver, an ancient city founded in 1135 at the confluence of the Volga and Tvertsa rivers. After a fire in 1763, Tver was rebuilt in a Neoclassical style and laid out as a “Versailles Trident” with three major streets converging at the main square. The sightseeing tour starts at the Volzhskaya Embankment on the left bank of the Volga River. See a monument to Afanasy Nikitin, a 15th century merchant and traveller; a monument to the author Alexander Pushkin; and the River Station building, constructed in Soviet times. The Embankment’s main attraction is the 450-year-old White Trinity Church with its 18th-19th century frescoes and old carved iconostasis. Next, visit the Imperial Travelling Palace, which was built as a place for members of the imperial family to relax on the way from St. Petersburg to Moscow. The palace boasts unique interiors, a valuable collection of furniture, masterpieces of decorative and applied art from the time of Catherine the Great, and a rich collection of paintings in its own art gallery. The tour ends at the Museum of Tver Life, which depicts life in a merchant’s house in the 18th and 19th centuries. Here you can walk through the old buildings and admire the antique furniture, crockery, clothes, and books, as well as the impressive display of Russian samovars. Free time. Overnight at the hotel.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 5-6 hours

During your free time, for an additional fee, we offer visits to:
Athanasius Brewery (including beer tasting);
“24th floor” observation deck;
Goat Museum.

After breakfast, meet your guide and drive to Lake Seliger (200 km). Visit the Nilo-Stolobenskaya Hermitage, an Orthodox monastery on Stolobny Island. At the heart of the monastery is the five-domed Epiphany Cathedral (1671), which hosts the relics of St. Nilus. You may climb the cathedral’s 36m-high bell tower to admire the view of the surrounding churches and nature. Visit the Museum of the Heritage of the Monk Nilus, which presents displays on the rich history of the monastery. Afterwards, enjoy a boat cruise on Lake Seliger to see Khachin, the lake’s largest island, and one of three inland rivers, the Polonovka; find out what kinds of fish are found in the lake; and learn about the activities locals are engaged in. Return to Tver. Overnight at the hotel.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 3-4 hours

After breakfast, drive to Torzhok (64 km, 1 hour), which was founded 1,000 years ago as a major trading point on the route to Veliky Novgorod and St. Petersburg from southern Russia. This town impresses visitors with its panorama of more than 400 ancient architectural monuments. It has preserved most of its 17th-19th century architecture, including residential buildings, and also boasts numerous residential buildings in the classicist style. The first part of the Torzhok sightseeing tour includes the Borisoglebsky Monastery; Voskresensky Maiden Monastery, with its more than 20 architectural monuments; Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral, which was designed by the Italian architect Carl Rossi; and Catherine the Great’s Travel Palace. Next, visit the Orthodox churches of Torzhok: the beautiful wooden Old-Tikhvin Church of the Ascension, the Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin, the Church of St. George the Victorious, and the Church of Elijah the Prophet. Continue to the Museum of Gold Embroidery, where you’ll learn about the craft that Torzhok became famous for, see the work of Torzhok embroiderers, and buy gold embroidery souvenirs. The tour of Torzhok ends with a theatrical performance and master class, “Lunch at Darya Pozharskaya’s”. Your hostess, dressed in costume, will tell you stories and secrets about the famous Pozharsky cutlets and show you the cooking process from start to finish. This will be followed by lunch, which will include tasting the freshly-made cutlets. Free time until your transfer to Tver train station to take the evening train to St. Petersburg (522 km, 3 hours). Upon arrival in St. Petersburg, transfer to the hotel. Overnight at the hotel.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 3-4 hours

After breakfast, meet your guide for a sightseeing tour of St. Petersburg. 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). Continue to 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, the city’s first and largest monastery. Free time. Overnight at the hotel.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 3-4 hours

During your free time, 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 performances at 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.
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.
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.

Economy:
Hyde Park hotel / Gubernator hotel / Berg Haus hotel
Comfort:
Grand hotel Zvezda / Golden Plaza hotel / Osnabruck hotel

Economy:
Ibis St. Petersburg Centre / Station Hotel L1 / Hotel Bristol / Mini-hotel Centre
Comfort:
Solo Sokos Hotel Vasilievsky / Original Sokos Olympia Garden / Vedensky Hotel / Park Inn by Radisson Nevsky