Experience the land of the Tsars. This value tour provides an in-depth city tour of Moscow and St. Petersburg, with a luxurious second-class sleeper train transfer between cities. Your private guide will personally lead you through the sights of Russia, providing interpretation and commentary at your own pace. Start with an exploration of the Kremlin and Red Square and continue to Lenin's tomb, the Church of the Intercessor, the Armory, and more. The next day, visit Novodevichi Monastery and then board your cabin on the Grand Express train. In St. Petersburg, drive with your guide along the world famous "Nevsky Prospect", lined with marble palaces of Russian royalty and aristocracy. Explore the Hermitage Museum, St. Peter and St. Paul's fortress among other sites. Superb value with the comfort of local support, transfers, and the flexibility of starting whenever you want.

Day 1
Moscow
Enjoy an airport transfer with private vehicle and driver. Kensington Tours donates a portion of our proceeds to our charitable initiative www.kensingtoncares.com which supports education-based initiatives in disadvantaged communities. Enjoy dinner at leisure (not included in tour price). The Holiday Inn Sokolniki (4*) is situated just a short drive from the Moscow City center and the Red Square. The hotel gives the Russian capital a new dimension with world class service and intriguing cuisine. All 523 guest rooms are spacious and are outfitted with modern amenities, and the five restaurants and bars cater to a variety of needs and tastes. This hotel is a great choice for both business and leisure travelers as it is close to the business quarter and famous Moscow attractions, which are easily accessible by car or metro. The focal point of Moscow is Red Square, on one side of which is the Kremlin surrounded by a thick red fortress wall containing 20 towers altogether. There a several gorgeous buildings in the square including the Uspensky Cathedral which contains three of the oldest Russian icons, and where the tsars were crowned, the 14th-century Grand Kremlin Palace, the golden-domed Belfry of Ivan the Great, and St Basil’s Cathedral famous for its brightly colored domes. The Blagoveshchensky (Annunciation) Cathedral was built for Ivan III and is extravagantly decorated, from its copper domes to its agate- and jasper-tiled floors. Our Lady of Kazan Cathedral has recently been reconstructed and rededicated. Lenin’s Mausoleum is still open to the public on certain days. Outside Red Square, Tverskaya Street is one of the main shopping streets. Arbat Street is the main thoroughfare of a traditionally bohemian quarter. Today it is a pedestrian zone with crafts and artists’ stalls and street performers. The area known as Kitai-Gorod lies east of the Kremlin, and is notable for its 16th- and 17th-century churches, especially the five-domed Cathedral of the Sign, with its amazing acoustic properties. The world-famous Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theater at Teatralnaya Square dates from 1824. Novodevichy Convent near Sportivnaya metro station houses a museum of rare and ancient Russian art, and is one of the finest examples of 16th- and 17th-century architecture in the city. One of the most popular new, but macabre attractions is the KGB Museum housed in the sinister Lubyanka building.

Day 2
Moscow
Tour the Kremlin, the city´s former military fortification, a palace, an armoury, the sovereign treasury (Diamond Funds not included in price) and the workplace of the Russian President on a private Guided tour. Among the sights included in the tour are the Mausoleum of Lenin, the clock at the Savior (Spasskaya) Tower – showing the most correct Moscow time, the beautiful Cathedral of the Intercession (the Church of St Basil the Blessed), Kazansky Cathedral and many other outstanding pieces of Russian architecture. (Entrance to Kremlin Walls and Cathedrals included in tour price). Novodevichy Convent is one of the most beautiful Moscow convents, founded at the beginning of 16th century. The complex consists of 15 buildings, surmounted by golden domes. For 400 years the Novodevichy Convent was part of important historical events, connected with the names of Ivan the Terrible, Boris Godunov, Sofia and Peter I. The architectural ensemble of the convent was formed by the end of 17th century and till now remains one of the best in Russia. For several years, it was even used as a place of imprisonment for disgraced women from noble families. Visit the interesting cemetery, a charming sight, rich in the spirit of the past, hidden behind a wall in the Twentieth century inner city. Explore how the sculptured gravestones of famous Russian artists, writers, and politicians illustrate the country’s history. Entrance fee is included in the tour price. Enjoy a port transfer with private vehicle and driver. The Grand Express is currently changing the standards of overnight railway travel. 'Grand Express' truly is a hotel on wheels and offers guests spacious sleeping carriages with a full set of amenities one would expect from a high quality hotel. The train also offers Grand de Luxe class carriages with comfortable and functional interiors and exquisite service. The restaurant is open from departure to arrival and serves hot and cold snacks, European and Eastern inspired dishes, as well as a selection of wines and drinks. Breakfast is also available. Combine your travels with a good night’s sleep, and arrive to St. Petersburg rested and ready for discovery.

Day 3
St. Petersburg
Train station transfer with private vehicle and driver (local language speaking) Take a panoramic tour and get acquainted with the main architectural and historical monuments of St Petersburg, ride along its main streets and prospects, and enjoy its splendid parks and gardens. Drive along world famous "Nevsky Prospect" lined with marble palaces of Russian royalty and aristocracy, with most fashionable boutiques. View Monastery of Alexander Nevsky with its magnificent Trinity Cathedral and its cemetery where Dostoevsky, Tchaikovsky and other world celebrities were buried. Visit St. Peter and St. Paul's fortress, view St. Isaac Cathedral with «The Bronze Horseman». Drive by Summer Garden with the oldest royal stone palace and breathtaking collection of Italian statues and sculpture set in a natural surrounding. Stop in the Field of Mars with the eternal flame lit in the centre of the monument to victims of revolutions and wars, at the Resurrection Cathedral on the Spilt Blood at its background, one of the most unusual monuments of Russian Orthodox. Drive through the Square of Arts which is a perfect classical ensemble of the city, enjoy an overwhelming beauty of the third largest square in the world, the Palace Square with the Alexander Column, the Triumphal Arch of the general Staff building, and the Winter Palace complex. Entrance fee to Peter and Paul's Fortress is included in the tour price. Enjoy lunch at leisure (not included in tour price). Dostoevsky Hotel (3*) is seated right in the center of St. Petersburg. Rich fabrics and solid, deluxe furnishings decorate each of the 207 rooms. Take advantage of the amenities offered in the hotel's accommodations, such as mini bars, high speed internet access, and underfloor heating. These little comforts add to the Dostoevsky Hotel experience. Dine at any of the many restaurants and bars at the hotel, which serve international and local gourmet dishes. From professional business atmospheres to casual food-court style settings, guests are offered a range of options for dining experiences. When in search of relaxation and cleansing, try out the sauna and its two lounges. St Petersburg is known as a cultural center and for its elegant buildings, the city is spread over 42 islands in the delta of the River Neva. In comparison to Moscow, which tended to be more Eastern in character, St Petersburg has always retained a European flavor and was intended as a ‘Window to the West’. It was built by Peter the Great in 1703 and remained the capital of Tsarist Russia for 200 years. Wide boulevards, tranquil canals, bridges and some of the best examples of tsarist architecture gave rise to the epithet the ‘Venice of the North’. The Palace Square and the Winter Palace are among the most popular attractions for enthusiasts of Russian history. The Museum of the History of the City gives a comprehensive picture of St Petersburg’s history. While exploring the city the visitor will inevitably see the Alexandrovskaya Column and St Isaac’s Cathedral -one of the biggest dome buildings of the world. Also worth a visit is the St Peter and Paul Fortress, a former prison that is now a popular museum. The grand Nevsky Prospekt, dominated by the spire of the Admiralty Building, is one of the city’s main thoroughfares and is lined by opulent buildings. Outskirts - There are a collection of spectacular estates outside the city collectively known as the Summer Palaces. Petrodvorets is a former summer palace of Tsar Peter the Great and is known for its beautiful cascades and fountains. The tsar designed the initial plan which was intended to rival Versailles. Oranienbaum, the Grand Catherine Palace at Tsarskoye Selo, and Pavlovsk are other stunning estates.

Day 4
St. Petersburg
Enjoy a guided tour of the Hermitage and admire the gems of the collection. During the tour you will see the State Rooms of the Winter Palace, a part of the collection of paintings of Old Masters and other exciting exhibits and works of art. Value the splendour of the Gala stair-way, Peter's Memorial Hall, the Armorial Hall, the Gallery of 1812 with its numerous portraits, the Pavilion Hall and its various amusements and other gala rooms. You will enjoy the works of applied arts, precious items and paintings. The collection of Western European art, numbering over 600,000 items, is considered to be one of the finest in the world. It presents all the stages of the development of art from the Middle Ages to the present. Enjoy masterpieces by outstanding Western European artists, as Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Giorgione, Titian, Michelangelo, Francisco de Goya, Renoir, Picasso and others. You will have an opportunity to see such world-famous masterpieces as works by Degas, Renoir, Pissarro, Van Gogh, Gauguin and others. Admire the richest collection of ancient and early medieval items, works of art from Ancient Greece and Rome, fabulous treasures of oriental culture and wonderful European art. Entrance fee to Hermitage Museum is included in the tour price. Enjoy lunch at leisure (not included in tour price). Enjoy dinner at leisure (not included in tour price). Overnight at Dostoevsky (3*).

Day 5
St. Petersburg
Airport transfer with private vehicle and driver. Depart from St. Petersburg international airport - end of itinerary.