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13 Days The Golden Ring Tour Package
Duration : 13 Days / 12 Nights
Priced From : $3,184
(All pricing reflects twin-sharing, per-person Land Only expenses)
Dates : May, July, September (2008)
See the collections of French impressionist art in the great halls of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, stare up at some of the truly eclectic architectural styles of the churches and merchants' shops in Yaroslavl and inspect each of the differently decorated Metro stations throughout Moscow; there is no end to the wonders that exist in Russia and this is our chance to embrace the majesty that embodies the country's aesthetics. We take time to head "off the beaten path" to see some of the splendours that often go unnoticed because of being under the mighty shadows of other renowned tourist destinations. The white-stoned towers of the ancient cathedrals in Rostov are worthy enough of several rolls of camera film and the museum in Kostroma shows off an assortment of ancient icons that intrigue those even with only the slightest appreciation for history.
Tour Itinerary
Day 1 Arrive in St Petersburg
Arrive in St Petersburg, Russia. St. Petersburg is a relatively new city, founded in 1703. When it was nine years old it became the capital of Russia and retained this status till 1918. Even now it is referred to as the "Northern capital" of Russia. Over almost 300 years of its history St. Petersburg accumulated all the grandeur of the Russian Imperial Court and became one of the largest centers of culture, science and industry. Created by Peter the Great as a sea port on the Baltic it was essentially "a window to the West" for Russia, combining the best of the West and the East. PLEASE ADVISE US AT THE TIME OF BOOKING IF YOU PLAN TO ARRIVE EARLY OR (if applicable to your tour) EXTEND YOUR STAY IN RUSSIA AFTER THE TOUR (DUE TO VISA REGULATIONS). Overnight in St Petersburg. Dinner if required.
Day 2 St Petersburg: The Hermitage & Peter and Paul Fortress
Today we explore one of the world's leading museums, The Hermitage. With over 400 exhibition halls, it is virtually impossible to list all of the treasures. While walking through the many galleries, look out for Madonna by Raphael, Judith by Giorgione, Titian's Saint-Sebastian, and many, many paintings by Rembrandt. Inside this beautiful Winter Palace are some of the finest collections of French impressionist works. In addition, there is a fine collection of ancient and classical works from ancient Egypt, Syria, and Mesopotamia. One could easily spend several days wandering the halls inside the building; for the purposes of our formal guided tour today, we concentrate on the hightlights and provide an orientation to those wishing to explore further on their own during some designated free time. Later this afternoon we will reconvene for a visit to the Peter and Paul Fortress and St Isaac's Cathedral. At the fortress we will see how the fort played an important role in the development of St Petersburg. Inside the stone walls we will visit the Cathedral of Peter and Paul, the final resting place of the Romanovs. At St Isaac's Cathedral we will notice the interior reliefs of exceptional beauty. We will also hear of the many legends that make this church famous throughout Russia. As we travel around from point to point today you will also have a general orientation / panoramic tour of this compact city. Overnight in St Petersburg. Breakfast and dinner.
Day 3 St Petersburg: Russian Museum & Catherine Palace
Today we will spend the morning touring the Russian Museum. The museum opened in 1898 by Alexander III in the beautiful Mikhailovsky Palace--well worth inspecting before you take a look at the collection inside. Works of Russian art abound with over 370,000 pieces in the collection. There are prized paintings, sculptures, iconographic art and several masterpieces. It truly is an encyclopaedia of Russian life, character and soul. This afternoon we travel to Pushkin to see the sumptuous Catherine Palace, created in the eighteenth century by Catherine the Great, the second wife of Peter III. Designed by Rastrelli, this palace is a truly stunning example of classical baroque architecture and interior design. The true glory of the palace is the Amber Room, made of several tons of the golden tree resin--the lightest gem in the world. The room was first installed in the Winter Palace, but in 1755 Empress Elizabeth ordered Francesco Rastrelli to move it to the Catherine Palace. The individual amber panels were carried from St Petersburg to Tsarskoe Selo by 76 guardsmen in six days. They were not large enough to complete the new 100 m decor, so mosaic and mirror insets were added and the upper part of the walls was painted to imitate amber. Overnight in St Petersburg. Breakfast and dinner.
Day 4 St Petersburg: Peterhof Palace - Overnight train to Yaroslavl
This morning we travel to Catherine's Chinese Palace in nearby Lomonosov.* Left virtually undamaged by war, this little-visited gem is a stunning example of the rare Rococo style of architecture, with its original inlaid floors and walls, and superb collection of Ming Dynasty porcelain still intact. We will also visit Peterhof Palace, a remarkable example of 18th and 19th century country estates. Built by Peter I in 1717, the palace was to be "better than the French king's at Versailles." An intricate system of water fountains surrounds the palace in the immaculate gardens. We will have a chance to walk through the palace, as well as take a leisurely stroll through the gardens. We return to the city by hydrofoil (weather/season permitting). The balance of your day is free to explore St Petersburg on your own, or make an last-minute souvenir purchases. Later we board our overnight train to Yaroslavl. This train is very comfortable and most passengers find the experience very enjoyable (single compartments NOT available; single supplements reflect sharing for this one night). * PLEASE NOTE: The palace at Lomonosov will be closed indefinitely for restoration from 16 Sep 2007. Accordingly, should it be closed during your chosen departure, we will substitute a visit to Pavlovsk Palace, one of the most splendid residences of the Russian imperial family and part of the World Heritage Site of Saint Petersburg and related groups of monuments. Overnight train. Breakfast and dinner.
Day 5 Yaroslavl: City Tour
This morning we arrive in Yaroslavl and embark on a tour of this ancient regional capital. Yaroslavl is older than Moscow. Established about 1010 by Prince Yaroslav the Wise at the bank of Volga River in the 17th century, Yaroslavl was the biggest trade and industrial town of Russia. During this time many new buildings were built there, such that the town now has its own peculiar school of architectural styles and construction. Indeed the successful merchants in the town tried to out-do each other in their contributions to the city's architecture, encouraged by the city's architectural school. The Yaroslavl churches of the 17th century differ by dimension, multiple domes, and picturesque asymmetry created by side-chapels, vestibules and porches. The churches are strongly decorated by tiles and figured carving. On the whole, this is the style called "the Russian style", unique and inimitable. AN Benua, a prominent art historian, called this style "the true Russian style of disappearing magnificent Russian culture". The inner walls of Yaroslavl churches display multiple wall-paintings, very picturesque, symmetrical with a cheerful and bright combination of clean, and open shades: blue, red and golden. There are other interesting monuments related to the 17th century, such as the architectural ensemble in Korovniki, the Church of Nikola Mokry, the Palace of Metropolitan and the Church of Saviour. The former Saviour Ressurection Convent (Cathedral and walls built in the 16th century) is located in place where River Kotorosl flows into the Volga. These days the walls of ancient convent preserve the collection of icons, embroidery, church plates and ancient church books. We visit the Art Museum located on Volga embankment. The museum collection includes icons, including the icon of Saviour dated by the 12th century, the pictorial image of Yaroslavl the Wise, the Tolgskaya icon of the Virgin, the finest collection of icons of the 17th century, which all belong to the Yaroslavl school of icon painting. The display shows provincial portraits and Russian paintings of the 18-19th centuries. Overnight in Yaroslavl. Breakfast and dinner.
Day 6 Yaroslavl - Rostov the Great - Kostroma
This morning we travel to Rostov*, one of the oldest cities on our route, situated by the beautiful Lake Nero. The history of this place begins four thousand years BC when the first tribes stayed next to the lake. Until the 11th century the territory of Rostov was inhabited by the Finn-Ugors, or 'Meryans' people. Slowly they assimilated with the Slavs, who came from the south. On arrival we will have a tour of the enormous cathedral of the XVI century and its "metropoly," considered to be the ancient city center, so called "Rostov Kremlin". Its towers impress by their white-stone architecture. We also visit the "Rostov Finift" Museum for which the town is famous. After lunch and some free time in Rostov*, we reverse our route to Kostroma. * On some departures, depending on scheduling, we may travel to Rostov and later to Kostroma by rail. Our baggage will be in storage for the day. Overnight in Kostroma. Breakfast and dinner.
Day 7 Kostroma - Suzdal
This morning we have a tour including the highlights of Kostroma, established in the 12th century. During the time of Polish-Lithuanian intervention in the beginning of the 18th century, Kostroma played a prominent role in the formation of people's volunteer corps led by Minin and Pozharsky. Another representative of Kostroma, peasant Ivan Susanin took enemies to thick woods and deadly swamps where they all met their deaths. The Central district of Kostroma comprises the buildings and structures built in a classic architectural style during the period between 1770 -1830. It's a fine example of unique, monolithic urban architectural complex. Kostroma is famous for its wonderful architectural monuments: Ipatyevsky Convent (16th-17th century), and the Church of Resurrection on Debra River (1652); Ipatyevsky Convent, located where the Kostroma River flows into the Volga. The St Trinity Cathedral of Convent is a powerful, monumental structure beautifully ornamented and decorated with the wall paintings of Sila Slavin and Guriy Nikitin, who display fantastic artistic flair, expressing the widest range of human emotions the anxious expectation of talking with God. We visit the museum on the territory of the convent with an interesting collection of icons of the 16th-19th centuries, needlework, books, church plates and some exhibits representing the art of provincial painting of the 18th-19th centuries. This afternoon we continue our journey (by private bus) to the next city on the Golden Ring, Suzdal (191 km / 4 h). Overnight Suzdal. Breakfast and dinner.
Day 8 Suzdal: City Tour
Today we have a full day of sightseeing in Suzdal. In full "Suzdal Principality," in Russian "Suzdalskoye Knyazhestvo," this medieval principality occupied the area between the Oka River and the Upper Volga in northeastern Russia. During the 12th to 14th centuries, Suzdal was under the rule of a branch of the Rurik dynasty. As one of the successor regions to Kiev, the principality achieved great political and economic importance, first becoming prominent during the reign of Andrey Bogolyubsky, who conquered Kiev (1169) and transferred the title of "grand prince" from that ancient capital first to Suzdal, then to Vladimir, his new capital on the Klyazma River. He and his brother and successor, Vsevolod III, organized a strong monarchical political system and, as rulers of the Grand Principality of Vladimir, became the most powerful of the Russian princes. They encouraged their subordinate princes to develop the principality and to build churches, palaces, and new cities. We make an excursion to The Kremlin, including the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Mother of God (built 1222-1225), which dominates the Kremlin grounds with its five huge domes; the Archbishop's Palace, which contains the local Museum with exhibits of icons, decorative religious arts and the history of architecture in this area of Russia. On the Kremlin territory are the remnants of Suzdal's first stone church, built in the 12th century. Also located in the Kremlin are the main belfry and the snow-white Archiepiscopal Palace. Suzdal's beauty is not limited just to its Kremlin grounds. The center of the town is decorated with various churches standing side by side one another. These churches vary in size, and have domes and belfries of different shapes and designs, which all add the architectural charm of this small town. Overnight in Suzdal. Breakfast and dinner.
Day 9 Suzdal - Vladimir
Today we travel by road from Suzdal to Vladimir (38 km / 1 h, 10 m). Vladimir was founded by Prince Vladimir Monomakh in 1108. In 1157 Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky moved the capital of Vladimir-Suzdal Principality to Vladimir because of the sacred icon of Our Lady from Constantinople having been moved there. In 1299 the town also became the residence of the Russian Metropolitan. By the middle of the 14th century Vladimir had lost its political importance and Moscow had become the main political centre of the Russian state. The ancient monuments dated by the 12th century remain in town and its suburbs. We will visit the great Cathedral of Dormition, built 1158-1160 by the order of Andrei Bogolyubsky. The interior of the cathedral displays the ornaments and wall paintings that go back to the 12th-13th centuries, and wall-paintings of the 15th century. The Church of St Demetrius stands close to the cathedral. The church was built in 1194-1197 by the order of Prince Vsevolod Big Nest, who was baptized as Demetrius. The facades of the church are ornamented by fine white-stone carving. We see The Golden Gates (1158-1164), located close to the town centre. There is also a white-stoned Arc of Triumph with half-encompassed ceiling and the Church over the gates. Finally we visit the Church of Intercession on Nerly, built in 1165 by the order of Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky. The moderate tracery ornament contributes to the quiet beauty of the church. Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky was one of those who admired the cult of Our Lady and introduced it actively in Russia. Overnight in Vladimir. Breakfast and dinner.
Day 10 Vladimir - Sergeiv Posad (Zagorsk) - Moscow
Today we travel by road from Vladimir to Moscow via Sergeiv Posad. Sergeiv Posad ("Zagorsk" in Soviet times) developed from a settlement around the Troitse-Sergiyeva Lavra, one of Russia's most famous monasteries (founded 1340). The Trinity Sergiev Monastery was one of the largest monasteries founded in Russia in the 14-15th centuries. In 1774, the monastery was given the title Lavra, the monastery of the highest rank, and played an important role in the history of the formation of the centralized Russian state and in the development of the Russian culture. Due to its wealth, the monastery could afford to invite the best architects and icon-painters for the construction and decoration of the buildings. The monastery bought, and was given as gifts, many first class art objects and crafts. The best of these now form the collection of the museum, which is on the grounds of the monastery. The architectural ensemble of the Trinity Sergiev Monastery was accomplished by the end of the 18th century. The oldest structure of the monastery is the Trinity Cathedral built in 1422 to 1423 and painted by the Russian icon painters Andrei Rublev and Daniel Chorny. The Assumption Cathedral (l558-1585), which resembles the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, is the center of the ensemble of the monastery. We will visit the monastery, which has currently become a place of pilgrimage of the Russian Orthodox Church, including the museum, where one may find the icons of Andrei Rublev and other famous masters of the 15th-18th centuries. After our visit to Sergeiv Posad we will continue to Moscow. Overnight in Moscow. Breakfast and dinner.
Day 11 Moscow: Kremlin & Red Square
Our sightseeing today will include a tour of the Moscow Metro system, in which each station is designed and decorated in a different style, with chandeliers, mosaics, and paintings. Amazingly the underground trains are nearly silent. Some of these stations are so deep that they were used as air raid shelters during WWII. We will also have a walking tour of the Kremlin--the famous triangular-walled citadel of the Soviet Government dating from the end of the 15th century with its many cathedrals and their iconostases, the bell tower of Ivan the Great; and the Czar Bell, which weighing 200 tons, is the largest in the world. Upon leaving the Kremlin, be sure to touch the Kremlin Wall--an omen foretelling your return to this hospitable city. We also include a visit to the Kremlin Armory. In the afternoon we will tour famous Red Square, once the centre of Soviet life. Around the square is the History Museum, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and the Lenin Mausoleum, which was built in 1929. In the 16th century, Ivan the Terrible ordered the construction of one of Moscow's most famous landmarks--Saint Basil's Cathedral. Originally called Pokrovsky Sobor (the Cathedral of the Veil), each of the nine cupolas cover a chapel named after the saint on whose feast-day the Russian armies won their battles. Overnight in Moscow. Breakfast and dinner.
Day 12 Moscow: Tretiakov Gallery
Today's sightseeing in Moscow takes us to Manej Square, the Bolshoi Theatre, Tverskaya Avenue, Novodevichij convent (outside), the buildings of Moscow University, and panoramic view of the whole Moscow from Poklonnaya Hill, with its Victory Monument. This afternoon we visit a unique treasure house of Russian painting, graphs and sculptures--the Tretiakov Gallery. It has 62 exhibition halls representing the works of the XII century artists, sculptors and icon painters. There you'll see works of Brulov, Savrasov, Vasiliev, Kuindgi, Nesterov, Rublyov, and Ushakov. Overnight in Moscow. Breakfast and dinner.
Day 13 Departure
Departure from Moscow. Breakfast.
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9/08
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