12 days Superior
10
6
The optional excursions below are a guide of what may be available on this tour in 2009. Complete details will be updated in early 2009.
See the local view of Moscow on a guided tour of Stalin’s “Palaces for the Workers” – the stations of the Moscow Metro. Underneath the city is one of the world’s largest and most intriguing galleries where the icons of Communism can still be seen.
Experience the full glory of the Kremlin with a guided tour of the Royal Armoury to see the collected treasures of the Tsars. The museum houses a collection of priceless Faberge Eggs, and personal possessions of the Romanov dynasty from the time of Peter the Great.
A chance to learn about the awesome military power that existed in the USSR. See missiles, tanks, fighter jets, and an array of military nostalgia from the Cold War era and take the opportunity to buy souvenir pendants, flags and other trinkets.
Enjoy an afternoon south of the river as you visit two of the most famous parks in Moscow. The ‘Statue Park’ surrounds a famous art gallery and contains many statues from the communist era, including the only remaining statue of Stalin! Our guide will make history come alive with personal accounts of life behind the “iron curtain”. Then time to explore the world-famous Gorky park. Entrance into both parks is included.
Visit the World War II memorial to the one million people who lost their lives during the Siege of Leningrad. Our guide takes us through the memorial and explains the historical significance of the siege, and the impact on the people of the city.
Join us on an evening cruise weaving through the canals of the Neva River to discover why St. Petersburg is known as the “Venice of the North”. Glimpse the famous Aurora battleship and the drawbridges that are opened every night.
We visit Peter the Great’s original fortress which was constructed over 300 years ago to protect the newly built city of St. Petersburg. Our visit includes entry into the Cathedral to see the final resting place of all the Tsars from Peter I to Alexander III, and the tombs of the last Tsar Nicholas II and his family. An interesting journey through Russian Imperial history.
An evening at a traditional restaurant named after Ivan Turgenev’s famous story of Mumu the dog. Your chance to try beef stroganoff – a dish created in the Stroganoff Palace of St. Petersburg. The dinner consists of a three-course meal including a glass of champagne and coffee.
This is your opportunity to see world-famous Russian Ballet in the city where the ‘Nutcracker’ & ‘Swan Lake’ came to life. For over 270 years St. Petersburg has been the home of ballet, producing such greats as Anna Pavlova and Rudolf Nureyev. If there is one place in the world to experience ballet, St Petersburg is it!
Add another country to your trip by catching a hydrofoil to Tallinn – the capital of Estonia. Wander the cobbled streets of the old town which has been dramatically rebuilt since the fall of the USSR.
Visit one of the most outstanding examples of modern architecture in Europe. The town hall was completed in 1923 and is the venue every year for the Nobel Prize banquet. A local guide will explain the various styles of architecture which make this building so unique, including the room containing 19 million gold mosaic tiles.