Tour Moscow - Kazan - Saint Petersburg

Overview

Recommended period: all the year round
Destination: Moscow, Kazan, town-island of Sviyazhsk, ancient town of Bolgar, Saint-Petersburg
Main sights: the Moscow Kremlin, Zaryadye park, Arbat street, the Kazan Kremlin, the Kul Sharif Mosque, tower of queen Suyumbike, the Annunciation Cathedral, town-island of Sviyazhsk, Raifa Virgin Monastery, ancient town of Bolgar, the White Mosque (Ak Mechet), the Memorial Sign, Bauman street ("Kazan Arbat"), the Hermitage (the main museum complex), the Lower Park in Peterhof (the Grand Palace 01.01-23.04.21 and 18.10-31.12.21)
Accommodation: 4*
Meals: breakfast
Transport: comfortable air-conditioner car/minivan/minibus

Itinerary
1 day
Upon arrival at the airport or railway station in Moscow, you will meet with your personal guide.
Your journey will begin with a sightseeing tour of Moscow. You will pass along the famous embankments and streets of the historical city: Boulevard and Garden Ring, admire the most beautiful panoramic views of the Kremlin from Sofiyskaya Embankment, see the Bolshoi Theater and Manege, Lubyanka, Slavyanskaya and Theater Squares, the legendary "Stalin's High-Rises", which are often called "Seven Sisters", the most beautiful fountains and masterpieces of architecture of the Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy, Ostankino tower, Kutuzovsky prospect, Triumphal Arch, Victory Park on Poklonnaya Hill, Victory museum, golden domes of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, Patriarchal bridge, Swan pond near the walls of the Novodevichy Convent, the observation deck on Sparrow Hills, the building of Moscow State University, Luzhniki stadium, modern Moscow-City skyscrapers and much, much more.
After checking in at the hotel (check-in after 14.00) you can relax, as well as have lunch or dinner on your own in one of the nearby restaurants - your guide will be happy to advise you where to go.

2 day
Breakfast at hotel, check-out.
After breakfast your guide will meet you in the hall of the hotel and you will go for an excursion to the Moscow Kremlin, which located on its territory unique monuments of architecture and art of the 15th - 20th centuries: temples, churches and chambers, magnificent palaces and front office buildings. You walk along Kremlin squares and streets, see the Tsar Bell and Tsar Cannon, visit Sobornaya square and one of the cathedrals: Uspensky, Arkhangelsky or Blagoveshchensky.
Then you walk along Red Square and the Alexander Garden. You will walk along the famous cobblestones of Red Square, see the multi-colored domes of St. Basil's Cathedral, the monument of medieval Russian architecture "Frontal Place", the Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, the State Historical Museum, the Lenin's Mausoleum, the GUM building, enjoy the splendor of the panorama of the ancient Kremlin from Sophia embankment of the Moscow River.
You will see a new landmark of the city - Zaryadye Park, stroll along the alleys of the Siberian coniferous forest in the very center of Moscow, visit the famous Soaring Bridge - a magnificent observation deck hanging right over the Moscow River!
And you will end this day with a walk along one of the most famous streets of Russia along the Arbat street. You can plunge into the atmosphere of the past, find out where the great literary figures loved to spend their time, look at street musicians and artists, without whom it is impossible to imagine this famous street. You will have time to stroll through the souvenir shops and shops in the center of Moscow and buy gifts for friends and relatives.
At the end of the day, you will go to the railway station, in order to take the night train to one of the most picturesque places in Russia - the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan Kazan. A night on the way in a comfortable compartment awaits you.

3 day
In the morning you will arrive at the Kazan railway station, where you will be met by a personal guide who will offer you free time for breakfast. Then you will have a sightseeing tour of the ancient Kazan.
It will begin with a tour of the Kremlin, the heart of the ancient city that incorporates the culture of the East and West. Minarets of the main mosque of the city - Qul Sharif - shoot up into the sky, and cupolas of the Annunciation Cathedral, the oldest one in Kazan, shine with gold. Inside the fortress, there is one of the symbols of Kazan – the famous “leaning” tower of queen Suyumbike.
Then you go for a sightseeing tour by bus. You enjoy the original beauty of Kazan, see the bright colors of its streets and squares with your own eyes, learn where teeming treasures of Khans of Kazan are kept. The sites of the millennium-old city combine the culture of the West and traditions of the East: Old Tatar Settlement where Tatar residents lived from the 16th century, Textiles Settlement originating as a result of industrial reforms by Peter I, fountain squares, Kaban lake with its mysteries and legends, a simulated Tatar village Tugan Avylym (My Native Village), Farmers' palace with a 20-meter bronze tree, a new building of the Puppet Show, Kazan Federal University, Liberty Square as a cultural and administrative center of Kazan. During the sightseeing tour, you will see a variety of minarets and cupolas, crescents and crosses, which is a proof of a good neighborliness of the two native peoples – Tatars and Russians.
Then the guide will take you to the hotel, where you can regain strength to continue your journey. The guide will also recommend restaurants where you can taste the national dishes of Tatar cuisine.

4 day
Breakfast at the hotel
Departure for the excursion to the Island Town of Sviyazhsk. Sviyazhsk is a historical and cultural gem of the Republic of Tatarstan. At present, the place where an ancient fortress used to be is surrounded by waters of Volga river. In the past, the fortress served as a military outpost in the Volga region and a place to prepare troops for an assault against an unassailable fortress of Kazan. In the course of time, as its value as a military facility diminished, Sviyazhsk became a spiritual center of the Middle Volga. The sightseeing tour in Sviyazhsk comprises unique monuments of history: the Cathedral of the Joy for All Who Grieve, one of the oldest wooden temples of Russia – the Holy Trinity Church, an operating Assumption Monastery featuring an architectural ensemble of the 16th-17th сenturies, Stable Yard, workshops.
Then you will continue your tour with the visit to the Raifa Virgin Monastery.
The Raifa Virgin Monastery located 30 Km from Kazan in a sanctuary forest, on a bank of an enchantingly beautiful lake. The monastery was founded in the 17th century. Its architectural ensemble, one of the most magnificent in the Middle Volga, was shaped for centuries. The main relic of the monastery is a wonderworking Georgian image of the Most Holy Virgin (17th century).
By the end of the day, the bus will return you back to Kazan, where you can relax in the hotel or take a walk on your own around the evening city or we recommended you visit a unique program "Rich Landlord’s House" and learn more about the traditions of Tatarstan.

5 day
Breakfast at the hotel
In the morning you can get acquainted with the ancient town of Bolgar - one of the main attractions of the republic. You will see one of the most significant construction added to the contemporary collections of the architectural heritage of Tatarstan – Ak Mechet (the White Mosque).
During the walking tour, one can walk along the remains of white-stone walls of ancient buildings to imagine the life thriving there many centuries ago… See all the landmarks remaining in the territory of the ancient town site: Congregational Mosque, East and North Mausoleums, Khans’ Mausoleum, Minor Minaret, Black Chamber, White Chamber, Khans’ Bathing House, Khans’ Palace. Visit the Memorial Sign built to commemorate the official adoption of Islam by the ancient Bolgars, where the world-biggest printed Quran is kept.
You will end this day with a walking tour along Bauman street (so-called "Kazan Arbat") - is one of the most favorite places to walk for both residents and guests of Kazan. During the tour you will make a lot of amazing discoveries: jets of fountains, belfry and Epiphany cathedral, a building of the National Bank, zero milestone, Peter and Paul Cathedral. Meet Su Anasy and learn the story of the Cat of Kazan, whose monument always attracts crowds.
After that you can walk around the city center or go to the hotel to relax.

6 day
Breakfast at hotel, check-out.
After breakfast and checking out, you will have free time to purchase national souvenirs and gifts from Kazan.
After that, you will be taken to the airport for a flight to Saint-Petersburg. The journey takes approximately 2.5 hours.
Your guide will meet you at the arrival hall of the airport in Saint-Petersburg. After a small welcome, you will go on a sightseeing tour of the city on the Neva, which will acquaint you with the 300-year history of the Northern capital.
You will admire the panorama of the beautiful Neva, see magnificent ensembles of the central squares, drive along the central avenues and streets of the city. Everything that attracts guests from all over the world will appear to your attention: Nevsky Prospect, Kazan Cathedral, a monument to Catherine II, the Admiralty building, Senate Square, the Bronze Horseman monument, St. Isaac's Cathedral, the monument to Nicholas I, the Winter Palace, the Palace Bridge, Spit of Vasilyevsky Island, Kunstkamera, Stock Exchange building, Rostral Columns, University Embankment, Peter and Paul Fortress, Troitsky Bridge, Savior on Spilled Blood Cathedral, Summer Garden, Mikhailovsky Palace, Marble Palace, Mikhailovsky Castle, Field of Mars and other attractions.
After the end of the sightseeing tour, your guide will take you to the hotel (after 14:00), where you can relax, or we recommend that you go to an enchanting folk show in the Nikolaevsky Palace.

7 day
Breakfast at the hotel
After breakfast you will visit the Hermitage - one of the largest museums in the world. The Hermitage was founded as a personal collection of Empress Catherine II, who, wishing to establish herself as an "enlightened empress", began collecting works of art. Painting experts, European scholars, collected and bought collections of paintings for the Russian empress, and soon Russia accumulated enormous wealth - a collection of works of Western European old masters. For a long time, the museum remained closed to the general public, and became public only in the middle of the 19th century. Now his collection numbers over 3.5 million items. Among them are paintings by Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt, Rubens, Van Dyck, Velazquez, Goya, Watteau, Poussin, Gainsborough, antique sculpture, Egyptian antiquities and much, much more.
Your guide will offer you free time for lunch in a cafe or in a city restaurant.
You will continue this day with a country excursion to the brilliant Peterhof - the "capital of fountains" and the favorite residence of Peter I. In splendor and richness of decoration, Peterhof surpassed its prototype - French Versailles and became the most beautiful palace and park ensemble in Europe. You will get acquainted with the history of the creation of this man-made miracle, admire the most famous fountains and cascades, learn the engineering secrets of its construction, walk along the shady alleys of the Lower Park, and also admire the panorama of the Gulf of Finland.

8 day
Breakfast at hotel, check-out.
After breakfast at the hotel restaurant and checking out the rooms, you will have time to stroll through the souvenir shops and shops of Nevsky prospect and buy gifts for friends and relatives.
After that your guide will take you to the airport or railway station.