
With visits to churches, fortresses, mosques, imperial palaces, and fascinating museums, this 9-day tour of three Russian capitals is packed with history and culture. Starting at the palaces and canals of Peter the Great’s masterpiece, the elegant northern capital of St. Petersburg, you’ll move to Russia’s “third capital”, Kazan, in the heart of the Tatar Republic. After discovering Tatarstan’s unique traditions and three UNESCO World Heritage sites around Kazan, you’ll end the tour at the famous Red Square in the unparalleled national capital, Moscow. The itinerary also allows time for optional activities such as folk music or ballet performances, craft masterclasses, and boat cruises.
Tour itinerary:
Duration of sightseeing tour: 6-7 hours
During your free time in St. Petersburg, we offer the following optional excursions and 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.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 6-7 hours
Then take a sightseeing tour of Kazan, the capital of the republic of Tatarstan, with its more than 1,000 years of fascinating history. The tour starts at the Old Tatar Settlement, a unique open-air museum in Kazan’s Vakhitovsky District. The settlement’s founders were residents who didn’t want to obey the Moscow authorities after Ivan the Terrible’s troops captured Kazan. Al-Marzhdani, the first stone mosque built after the invasion, is considered the pearl of the settlement. Continue to other significant places in the city: Tugan Avylym (an example of a restored old Tatar village), the Kaban Lakes, the Tatar Drama Theatre named after Galiaskar Kamal, the Church of St. Barbara, and the Kazan Federal University, which occupies many of the city’s most beautiful historical buildings. On Freedom Square, see the Kazan City Hall, the Opera and Ballet Theatre, the Conservatory, and the government building of the Republic of Tatarstan. Then visit the Holy Cross Church, which hosts the Vatican copy of the famous Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. The second part of the day will be devoted to the ancient history of the city, focusing on the Kazan Kremlin. This famous museum-reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a unique complex of historical and archaeological monuments. These include the Kul-Sharif Mosque, which is the largest mosque in Kazan and one of the largest in Europe, Blagoveshchensky Cathedral, the Cannon Yard, the leaning Suyumbike Tower, the Presidential Palace, and the tomb of the Kazan khans. Free time. Overnight at the hotel.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 3-4 hours
During your free time in Kazan, we offer the following optional activities (at additional cost):
Visit to the Chak-chak Museum to learn about and taste traditional Tatar food and drink tea;
“Kazan hospitality” interactive programme – demonstration of traditional Tatar dances, songs, clothes, and food, with the chance for visitors to participate in dancing, singing, and a photo session in costume;
Master class on playing the Tatar harmonica;
Handicraft master classes: pottery, leather embossing, coin minting, casting (pendants, rings), basket weaving, fabric printing, painting on water (ebru), weaving, and making soap, candles, or folk toys;
Master class on Tatar costumes – learn about traditional Tatar clothing, see a demonstration of 16th-19th century costumes and headdresses, and dress up to have your photograph taken.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 4-5 hours
Duration of sightseeing tour: 4-5 hours
During your free time, we offer the following optional activities (at additional cost):
Visit to the Tree Archaeology Museum;
‘Streltsy Fun’ interactive performance – a staged battle between Russian and Tatar knights at the time of Ivan the Terrible.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 5-6 hours
Duration of sightseeing tour: 4-5 hours
During your free time in Moscow, we offer the following optional activities (at additional cost):
Visit to the UNESCO-listed Kremlin and its cathedrals (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.
- All transfers (1-2 pax by sedan type car, 3-7 pax by minivan, 8-13 pax by 30 seat bus, 14+ pax by 40-50 seat bus);
- Accommodation based on double/twin room sharing, breakfasts included;
- Sightseeing tour programme in each city with local, English-speaking guides;
- Entrance tickets to sights as per itinerary;
- Economy class tickets for flights St. Petersburg – Kazan and Kazan – Moscow;
- Visa support for Russian tourist visa;
- In groups of 11 or more travellers, 1 person travels free of charge and is accommodated in a single room.
- Tour leader to accompany the travellers for the whole period of the tour;
- Full board (lunches and dinners);
- Hotel charges for additional services;
- Consular fees for Russia tourist visa;
- International flight tickets before and after the tour;
- Personal travel insurance;
- Tips/gratuities for guides and drivers (although these would be appreciated).
Accommodation:
St. Petersburg - 3 nights | |
Ibis St. Petersburg Centre, Station Hotel L1, Hotel Bristol, Mini-hotel Centre | Solo Sokos Hotel Vasilievsky, Original Sokos Olympia Garden, Vedensky Hotel, Park Inn by Radisson Nevsky |
Kazan - 3 nights | |
Ibis Kazan, Nogai, Apart-Hotel Yamskoy Posad | Ramada Kazan City Centre, DoubleTree by Hilton Kazan City Centre, Apart-Hotel on Pushkina 26 |
Moscow - 2 nights | |
Veliy Hotel Mokhovaya Moscow, Sverchkov 8 Hotel, Starosadskiy Hotel, Holiday Inn Express Hotel Moscow - Baumanskaya | Godunov Hotel, Arbat House Hotel, Pushkin Hotel, Brick Design Hotel |