Magnificent Moscow and St Petersburg

Day 1 London – Moscow
Titan’s VIP Home Departure Service® transports you from your front door to London Heathrow Airport and your scheduled British Airways flight to Moscow. On arrival, our coach will transfer you to the 4★ Novotel Moscow, located near to Pushkin Square and the Bolshoy Theatre.

Day 2 Moscow
After breakfast we are taken on an orientation tour of Moscow. During its 850-year history, it has witnessed times of glory and darkness, growing into the centre of Russian political, cultural and economical life. The tour includes the famous historical centre of Moscow, Red Square; see the fairytale St Basil’s Cathedral in its colourful Byzantine splendour.
Continue to the best viewpoint on Sparrow hills, from which you could easily see most of the city. Visit the refined New Maiden Convent. This is one of the most beautiful city buildings, with 16 gilded domes, founded in 1524. Many noble women, including Peter the Great’s first wife and his sister took vows and spent the rest of their lives here and are buried here.
In the afternoon visit the famous Tretyakov gallery, founded by Moscow Merchant Pavel Tretyakov, who began collecting the fi nest works of Russian artists in 1856. A unique museum where you can have a chance to get acquainted with the best samples of the Russian art.
Optional excursion:
National Folklore Show Kostroma from £65.00 per person

Day 3 Moscow – Sapsan train – St Petersburg
We visit the heart of the country, the Kremlin, this morning. You might be surprised how many ancient and magnificent structures you can see within its walls; 15th century cathedrals (the coronation, wedding and burial place of early Russian rulers), the bell-tower, the Patriarch’s Palace, the Grand Kremlin Palace and of course the richest museum, the Armoury.
The Armoury has a fascinating collection of Imperial insignia including precious clothes, some of which are currently on show at the Victoria & Albert museum in London, and a unique collection of carriages.
You can see the 17th century throne of Alexei Romanov covered with a mosaic of turquoises and 900 diamonds, the phelonion of Metropolitan Platon made of Italian velvet is decorated with 150,000 pearls and of course the famous Fabergé eggs. You will visit all 3 cathedrals, Assumption, Annunication, and Archangel, but please note that on very rare occasions one of them might be closed during your visit for restoration or a church event.
This afternoon we travel by high-speed Sapsan train departing from Moscow and arriving into St Petersburg in just over 4 hours. On arrival we transfer to the 4★ Sokos Vasilievsky or the Park Inn Nevsky, St Petersburg, our base for the next four nights. Dinner is included tonight.
Please note: it will be a late dinner this evening due to the time of arrival into St Petersburg.

Day 4 St Petersburg
St Petersburg is a city of haunting magnificence, an imperial capital that seems to have been built as a monument to its own passing. The city has witnessed so many dramatic events that one may find it hard to believe that it is a mere 300 years old. Founded in 1703 to be the most European city of Russia, it remains Russia’s ‘Window to the West’ – just as Peter the Great envisioned it to be. In 1991 the city was placed on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. We visit the palace of Pushkin, formally called Tsarskoye Selo (Tsar’s Village), and Detskoye Selo (Children’s Village), it was renamed Pushkin in 1937 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the poet Pushkin’s death. At Catherine’s Palace you will see the world famous Amber room and formal gardens of Yekaterinsky Park, named for Catherine I, the wife of Peter the Great, for whom the entire village was a gift.

Day 5 St Petersburg
Following breakfast we start the day with an orientation tour of the famous Peter & Paul’s fortress, founded in 1703 by Peter the Great and is the oldest building in St Petersburg. We also visit the extraordinary Hermitage Museum, one of the largest and most respected art museums in the world, containing works by Da Vinci, Rembrandt and Michelangelo. The main building of the Hermitage Museum ideally located on the bank of the river Neva is the Winter Palace built in 1754-1762, which was once the main residence of the Russian Tsars.
Optional excursion:
Performance at Alexandrinski, Conservatiore Hall, Mikhailovsky, Hermitage or Mariinski theatre from £148.00 per person

Day 6 St Petersburg
An included excursion today to the opulent Peterhof Palace and Gardens, built by Peter the Great to impress European royalty. Here, over 175 fountains dominate the gardens, including the Great Cascade, in front of the palace that commemorates the Russian victory over the Swedes in 1709. Dinner is included this evening.

Day 7 St Petersburg – London
This morning is at leisure before we transfer to St Petersburg airport for our direct return British Airways flight to London Heathrow Airport. On arrival, our staff will greet you and transfer you to Titan transport for your journey home to your own front door.

IMPORTANT TOUR INFORMATION
Please Note:
A visa is required
With so many highlights to see, this is a fast paced itinerary and there is a considerable amount of walking involved.
April is a good time to visit as the musuems as it is quieter.

Titan Travel have a reputation for innovative and enthralling escorted holiday itineraries, and through the guidance of their founding principles, “quality, service and value” which have remained unchanged since the 1970′s, their expertise and experience are second to none.

Titan Travel strive to ensure that aspect of their holidays whispers quality, before you fly, you get to appreciate a comfortable, chauffeur-driven transfer from your front door to the airport with our peerless VIP Home Departure Service, check-in assistance and complimentary porterage. All international flights are with world-renowned scheduled airlines and cruises with acclaimed operators. Touring holidays are expertly designed by the product team to present a comprehensive, imaginative introduction to the destination of choice yet still offer plenty of time for relaxation. The services of a tour manager or cruise manager are included throughout. When you return to the UK, you are met in the arrivals hall of the airport and shown to your VIP Home Departure Service vehicle, waiting to return you to your front door.

Our Opinion
“Titan Travel’s guiding principles of customer service, quality of product and value for money are undoubtedly a contributing factor to them being voted, on many occasions, the UK’s best tour operator.”