Russia

DAY 1

BENGALURU - ST. PETERSBURG

On arrival Saint Petersburg, meet and assist at the Airport transfer to hotel Check-in at hotel. Lunch at Indian restaurant Proceed for Saint Petersburg city tour: Tour of a city, rightfully described as «Northern Venice» or «Pearl of the Baltic»; Drive along the «Great Perspective» world famous today as Nevsky Prospect lined with marble palaces of Russian royalty and aristocracy, with most fashionable boutiques and art salons arranged in old settings of the 18th century, trading rows and arcades, with impressive classical and Renaissance cathedrals and churches as its backdrop, enjoy this 4.5 km long thoroughfare cut through woods and marshes from the Admiralty with the city’s symbol (2 ship) on top of its gilded spire to the Monastery of Alexander Nevsky, one of four Russia’s Lavras with its magnificent Trinity Cathedral and its cemetery where Dostoevsky, Tchaikovsky and other world celebrities were buried; Stop over at an excellent picture opportunity with a stunning panorama along the Neva’s embankments, by the city’s Rostral Columns you will have a view of the 5 buildings of the State Hermitage Museum and the fortress of Saint Peter and Paul - the cradle of Russia’s new capital, the first public museum of the country - the Chamber of Curiosities, founded by Peter the Great and the 4th world’s largest domed structures - Saint Isaac Cathedral with «The Bronze Horseman» unveiled in Senate Square. Drive by Summer Garden with the oldest royal stone palace and breath-taking collection of Italian statues and sculpture set in a natural environment of linden trees and ponds with ducks and swans, all surrounded by cast iron fence whose beauty is frequently described as every kilo of cast iron being worth a kilo of gold; Stop in the Field of Mars with the eternal flame lit in the center of the monument to victims of revolutions and wars, take pictures of the Resurrection Cathedral on the Spilt Blood at its background, one of the most unusual monuments of Russian Orthodox architecture built on the spot where Alexander II was assassinated; Drive through the Square of Arts which is a perfect classical ensemble of the city; Stop to enjoy an overwhelming beauty of the third largest square in the world - the Palace Square with the Alexander Column at its center being the world’s biggest free-standing architectural monument, nearly 50 meters high to the top of the cross and over 600 tons in weight, the Alexander Column has become surprisingly harmonious element of the Palace Square together with the Triumphal Arch of the general Staff building on its one side and the Winter Palace complex on another. Peter & Paul fortress: The Peter and Paul Fortress is the original citadel of St. Petersburg, Russia, founded by Peter the Great in 1703 and built to Domenico Trezzini's designs from 1706 to 1740 as a star fortress. Between the first half of the 1700s and early 1920s it served as a prison for political criminals. It has been a museum since 1924. Today it has been adapted as the central and most important part of the State Museum of Saint Petersburg History. The museum has gradually become virtually the sole owner of the fortress building, except the structure occupied by the Saint Petersburg Mint (Monetniy Dvor). Dinner at Indian restaurant Overnight at Saint Petersburg hotel

DAY 2

ST. PETERSBURG

Breakfast at Hotel. Proceed for Hermitage Museum: The State Hermitage Museum is a museum of art and culture in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It was founded in 1764 when Empress Catherine the Great acquired a collection of paintings from the Berlin merchant Johann Ernst Gotzkowsky. The museum celebrates the anniversary of its founding each year on 7 December, Saint Catherine's Day. It has been open to the public since 1852. The Art Newspaper ranked the museum 10th in their list of the most visited art museums, with 2,812,913 visitors in 2022. Its collections, of which only a small part is on permanent display, comprise over three million items (the numismatic collection accounts for about one-third of them). The collections occupy a large complex of six historic buildings along Palace Embankment, including the Winter Palace, a former residence of Russian emperors. Apart from them, the Menshikov Palace, Museum of Porcelain, Storage Facility at Staraya Derevnya, and the eastern wing of the General Staff Building are also part of the museum. The museum has several exhibition centers abroad. The Hermitage is a federal state property. Since July 1992, the director of the museum has been Mikhail Piotrovsky. Of the six buildings in the main museum complex, five—namely the Winter Palace, Small Hermitage, Old Hermitage, New Hermitage, and Hermitage Theatre—are all open to the public. The entrance ticket for foreign tourists costs more than the fee paid by citizens of Russia and Belarus. However, entrance is free of charge the third Thursday of every month for all visitors, and free daily for students and children. The museum is closed on Mondays. The entrance for individual visitors is located in the Winter Palace, accessible from the Courtyard. Lunch at Indian restaurant Evening shopping drop. Gala Dinner at Indian restaurant Overnight at Saint Petersburg hotel

DAY 3

ST. PETERSBURG

Breakfast at Hotel Proceed for Peterhof Palace: The Peterhof Palace (an emulation of early modern Dutch "Pieterhof", meaning "Pieter's Court"), is a series of palaces and gardens located in Petergof, Saint Petersburg, Russia, commissioned by Peter the Great as a direct response to the Palace of Versailles by Louis XIV of France. Originally intending it in 1709 for country habitation, Peter the Great sought to expand the property as a result of his visit to the French royal court in 1717, inspiring the nickname of "The Russian Versailles". The architect between 1714 and 1728 was Domenico Trezzini, and the style he employed became the foundation for the Petrine Baroque style favored throughout Saint Petersburg. Also in 1714, Jean-Baptiste Alexandre Le Blond, likely chosen due to his previous collaborations with Versailles landscaper André Le Nôtre, designed the gardens. Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli completed an expansion from 1747 to 1756 for Elizabeth of Russia. The palace-ensemble along with the city center is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Lunch at Indian restaurant Proceed for Pushkin Palace: Located in Tsarskoe Selo, about fifteen miles south of St. Petersburg, the Catherine Palace was the official summer residence of the Romanovs. The palace was named after Catherine I, wife of Peter the Great, who had a country estate in the area; however, it owes its fame to Catherine’s daughter Elizabeth who had an immense baroque palace built for her in Tsarskoe Selo. The ostentatious palace did not please Elizabeth’s successor Catherine II (the Great), who invited the architect Charles Cameron to redesign some of the palace interiors and add several neoclassical structures to the palace. Among the most notable are the Cameron Gallery and the cozy Agate Rooms where the Empress had her apartments. The important court functions were held in the larger palace. Here, in the Cavaliers’ Dining Room, Catherine held formal receptions for the Knights of the four major chivalric Orders of the Russian Empire dedicated to St. Andrew, St. Vladimir, St. George and St. Alexander. Their dinners were served on the famous porcelain services hand-painted with the Orders’ insignia. Catherine’s grandson Alexander I lived in the Catherine palace after his coronation. However, his successors on the Russian throne seldom lived in the Palace, each of them having a preferred alternative location for a summer residence. Surrounding the Imperial palace, the town of Tsarskoe Selo was a fashionable suburb featuring well-appointed dachas (summer homes) owned by members of St. Petersburg’s high society. Dinner at Indian restaurant Overnight at Saint Petersburg hotel

DAY 4

ST. PETERSBURG-MOSCOW

Check-out and transfer to train station for SAPSAN train to Moscow. Up on arrival proceed for Lunch Check-in at hotel Some time to relax and freshen up. Evening Proceed for Moscow city tour: Red Square, enjoy a unique architectural ensemble of the 4th largest square in the world, the Cathedrals of Saint Basil and Our Lady of Kazan, the biggest History Museum of Russia, the Trading Arcades of GUM, Lenin’s tomb and necropolis. Aleksandrovsy Garden Saint Sofia’s Embankment, photo stop with a splendid panoramic view of the Kremlin. The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, Russia’s spiritual revival. New Maiden Convent, a fortress and monastic ensemble of the 16th century, a world-famous cemetery. Moscow State University campus a panorama platform on Vorobiovy (Sparrow) Hills. The White House of the Russian Federation, a landmark of post-reformed Russia. Moscow’s boulevards, a historical and cultural center of Moscow with its museums, theatres and memorial places. Theatre square, the world-famous Bolshoi. Evening proceeds for some free time for Shopping at Arbat Street & Metro: Arbat, is a pedestrian street about one kilometer long in the historical centre of Moscow, Russia. The Arbat has existed since at least the 15th century, which makes it one of the oldest surviving streets of the Russian capital. It forms the heart of the Arbat District of Moscow. Originally the street formed part of an important trade-route and was home to many craftsmen. In the 18th century, the Russian nobility came to regard the Arbat as the most prestigious living area in Moscow. Almost completely destroyed by the great fire of 1812 associated with Napoleon's occupation of Moscow, the street required rebuilding. In the 19th and early 20th centuries it became known as a place where petty nobility, artists, and academics lived. In the Soviet period, it housed many high-ranking government officials. As of 2016, the street and its surroundings are undergoing gentrification, and it is considered a desirable place to live. Because of the many historic buildings, and due to the numerous artists, who have lived and worked in the street, the Arbat has also become an important tourist attraction. Dinner at Indian restaurant Overnight at Moscow hotel

DAY 5

MOSCOW

Breakfast at Hotel Proceed for Moscow Kremlin: Cathedral Square, a breathtaking architectural ensemble of the 15th – 17th centuries, where the life of Russian grand princes and tsar started and ended, the Annunciation Cathedral where they were baptized/Christianize, the Assumption Cathedral where they were crowned and the Archangel Michael Cathedral where they were buried. Tsar’s bell and Tsar Cannon, stunning examples of casting of the 16th – 18th centuries. The Grand Kremlin Palace, from the imperial residence to the Russian President’s gala reception quarters. Political and governmental buildings of the Kremlin, the Senate, the Palace of Congresses, the Arsenal. Kremlin walls and towers, a unique fortress of middle Ages’ Russia. Bell Tower. Lunch at Indian restaurant Proceed for Moskva River: The Moskva is a river running through western Russia. It rises about 140 km (90 mi) west of Moscow and flows roughly east through the Smolensk and Moscow Oblasts, passing through central Moscow. About 110 km (70 mi) southeast of Moscow, at the city of Kolomna, it flows into the Oka, itself a tributary of the Volga, which ultimately flows into the Caspian Sea. Russian Ballet: "Russian classical dance" redirects here. For Russian folk dances, see Russian folk dance. Dinner at Indian restaurant Overnight at Moscow hotel

DAY 6

MOSCOW

Breakfast at hotel Proceed for Sergiev Posad: Sergiev Posad is a city in Russia, northeast of Moscow. It's part of the Golden Ring cluster of ancient towns and known for the 14th-century Trinity Lavra St. Sergius monastery complex. The complex’s Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles (or Assumption) has blue and gold onion domes and interior frescoes. The Trinity Cathedral houses the tomb of St. Sergius. Bells ring from a towering blue-and-white belfry Lunch at Indian restaurant Circus: The title Moscow State Circus is used for a variety of circuses. Most commonly, it refers to one of the two circus buildings in Moscow, the "Circus Nikulin" and the "Bolshoi Circus", or to traveling shows which may or may not be directly related to Russia. Dinner at Indian restaurant Overnight at Moscow hotel

DAY 7

MOSCOW - BENGALURU

Breakfast at hotel Proceed for Panorama 360: offers breath-taking views of Moscow from a bird's-eye view. Six-metre-tall windows and a 360° view will give you an unforgettable experience! Located only 4 km away from the Kremlin, Panorama 360 is your chance to see Moscow from a new perspective! Lunch at Indian restaurant Check-out Transfer to airport for your flight back to India