Russia’s Medieval Towns
Days
9 days
Available from
1 May 2020
From
£1,653pp
Russia’s Medieval Towns
- Overview
- Itinerary
- Included
Take a nine-day trip back through time and discover what made Russia’s empire such a powerful force to reckon with. Moscow, Vladimir, Suzdal, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan – five amazing cities with their own incredible story to tell. Moscow’s famous Kremlin and Red Square are sure to be among the highlights you’ll treasure forever. But there’s so much more – Vladimir’s 12th-century Golden Gates, for example. Or maybe Suzdal’s open-air Museum of Wooden Architecture is more your cup of tea. Don’t miss the view down onto Nizhny Novgorod’s very own Kremlin and the mighty Volga beyond, all rounded off by Kazan – a cultural and architectural melting pot of Tatar, Russian and European influences. So many exciting things to see and do when you join us on this unforgettable five-city tour.
Day 1 - Moscow
Rest of the day is free at leisure to explore on your own.
Day 2 - Moscow
After breakfast at the hotel, depart for a tour of the city with stops at the most famous sights: Poklonnaya Hill and Victory Park, Vorobievy Hills, Moscow State University. Drive by Tverskaya Street, Manezhnaya Square, Okhotny Riad, Bolshoy Theatre, Lubianka Square, Saviour Cathedral, the Kremlin and Kropotkinskaya Embankments etc. (No entrances.)
Rest of the day is free at leisure to explore on your own.
Day 3 - Moscow
After breakfast at the hotel, start with a walking tour to the Kremlin and Armoury Chamber: the heart of Moscow, visit one of its Cathedrals. The Kremlin has always been the centre of political life. The tsars’ coronation ceremony took place in one of the Cathedrals. All tsars before Peter the Great are buried there. The Armoury Chamber preserves ancient state regalia, ceremonial tsar's vestments and coronation dress, vestments of the Russian Orthodox Church’s hierarchs, the largest collection of gold and silverware by Russian craftsmen, Western European artistic silver, ceremonial weapons and arms, carriages, horses’ ceremonial harnesses.
Experience a Moscow Metro Tour and discover why our subway is recognised as the most beautiful in the world!
You will see the most amazing metro stations in Moscow, built under Stalin: Komsomolskaya, Revolution Square, Novoslobodskaya, Mayakovskaya. Our guide will tell you fascinating stories and secrets hidden underground, urban legends and funny stories.
Day 4 - Moscow-Vladimir-Suzdal
Breakfast at the hotel.
Meet your driver with placard at the hotel lobby. Transfer to Kursky railway station to take the fast train to Vladimir. Arrive in Vladimir, meet your local guide outside your compartment.
City tour of Vladimir including the Golden Gates (1158-1164), which is the only preserved example of the ancient Russian City Gate. Visit the Uspenski (Assumption) Cathedral. The Cathedral used to be a mother church of medieval Russia in the 13th and 14th centuries. It is part of the World Heritage Site entitled “White Monuments” of Vladimir and Suzdal.
Transfer to Suzdal, free time for lunch and afternoon to discover the city.
Day 5 - Suzdal - Nizhny Novgorod
Breakfast at the hotel.
City tour of Suzdal including visit to the Kremlin, Spaso-Evfimievsky Monastery, the open-air Museum of Wooden Architecture, etc.
Transfer to the train station at Vladimir.
Depart by train to Nizhny-Novgorod.
Arrive in Nizhny Novgorod.
Transfer to the hotel.
Free time to explore the city, overnight stay at the hotel.
Day 6 - Nizhny Novgorod-Kazan
Breakfast at the hotel.
Meet your guide and discover this city at the confluence of the Volga and the Oka. Its magnificent fortified Kremlin from the 16th century is considered to be one of the models of Russian fortresses. It offers a splendid view of the river and the region. Take a cableway from one bank of the Volga river to the other, enjoying beautiful panoramic views.
Free afternoon. Take a stroll along the Bolshaya Pokrovka pedestrian street, one of the oldest in the city, which runs through the park and past the beautiful 19th-century mansions.
Transfer to the train station. Depart for Kazan. Independent dinner (picnic or meal in the dining car of the train).
Day 7 - Kazan
Arrive in Kazan. Meet the local guide outside your compartment, transfer to the hotel.
Early check-in and freshen up.
Start your walking city-tour of Kazan. You will discover the Orthodox Cathedral of Peter and Paul, visiting the Old Tatar Sloboda, Mardjani’s Mosque and Kaban Lake. You will pass the traditional Tatar Village “Tugan Avilim”, Park of 1000th Anniversary, National Cultural Centre, Kremlin Street (the story of Kazan State University).
Then, visit the city's unique Kremlin, which combines elements of Tatar, Russian and European cultures.
Free afternoon to explore the city on your own.
Overnight stay at the hotel.
Day 8 - Kazan
Breakfast at the hotel.
Depart for Sviyazhsk town-island. The history of the town began on 24 May 1551, when Ivan the Terrible decided to build a wooden fortress on the island. It took just four weeks. Sviyazhsk became a base supporting Russian troops in the war against the Kazan Khanate.
The island has unique historical and cultural monuments, such as the Assumption Monastery of the Blessed Virgin, Sviazhsky Cathedral, John the Baptist Monastery which has the Trinity Church within its territory - the only remaining building from wooden Sviyazhsk. Through many centuries, Sviyazhsk has remained a Russian Orthodox shrine.
Later on, continue sightseeing at the “Raifa Male Monastery” – a land covered with legends (architectural complex of the 17th-19th centuries) with outside views on the way of “The Temple of all Religions”, the Georgian Miracle-working icon of God’s Mother, the Trinity Church, the Church in the name of Saint Fathers Slain in Sinai and Raifa.
Return to Kazan. Free time in the city.
Day 9 - Depart from Russia
Breakfast at the hotel at leisure.
Transfer to the airport. Return flight to London over Moscow.
Return home with Happy Memories!
Included:
- Accommodation at Holiday Inn Sokolniki Hotel 4* for 3 nights on TWN/DBL room share;
- Accommodation at Azimut Suzdal Hotel 4* for 1 night on TWN/DBL room share;
- Accommodation at Azimut Nizhny Novgorod 4* for 1 night on TWN/DBL room share;
- Accommodation at Chalyapin Hotel 4* for 2 nights on TWN/DBL room share;
- Professional English-speaking guide services as per itinerary;
- Transport services as per itinerary;
- Entrance fees to: Kremlin territory and Cathedrals, Armoury Chamber, Moscow metro, Uspenski (Assumption) Cathedral, Suzdal Kremlin, Spaso-Evfimievsky Monastery, the open-air Museum of Wooden Architecture, Nizhny Novgorod cableway, Kazan Kremlin, Sviyazhsk town-island, Raifa Male Monastery;
- Express train ticket: Moscow - Vladimir (2nd economy class, seating);
- Express train ticket: Vladimir - Nizhny Novgorod (2nd economy class, seating);
- Overnight train Nizhny Novgorod-Kazan (2nd economy class, 4-berth compartment);
Flights and Visa services are not included in the tour.
You may choose and book your flight using our smart and easy tool at: https://www.visitrussia.org.uk/flights/
