- Join the unique once-in-a-lifetime program of art and culture.
- Enjoy lectures at a variety of prestigious sites, explaining their cultural, political and historical significance.
- Slowly walk through the world-famous Hermitage and the Tretyakov Galleries, discover Social Realism, see the paintings by Impressionists at the Pushkin Museum and General Staff building, visit the State Russian Museum and marvel at the Faberge eggs.
- Explore all must-see sites in both cities – the Kremlin, Peterhof, Catherine’s Palace, Church of Our Savior on the Spilled Blood
- Relax on a Canal cruise and visit the park of Fallen Idols.
- Relax at trendy restaurants with delightful food and ambiance.
| Accommodation 5-star hotels |
Moscow: Intercontinental Tverskaya / Lotte / Metropol / Aurora Marriott St. Petersburg: Astoria / Grand Belmond / Lotte / Moika Kempinski |
| Included |
Museum entrance fees Highly-educated expert guides 8 breakfasts, 7 lunches, 2 dinners with wine, daily bottled water High-speed train from Moscow to St. Petersburg (business class) All on-tour transportation on modern air-conditioned motor coach including arrival and departure transfers Luggage handling in/out Visa support, registration fees |
| Not included |
Air tickets Visa processing Gratuities Evening performances |
Additional information
| Number of guests in the party | 1 guest, 2 guests, 3 guests, 4 guests |
|---|---|
| Occupancy | Double (shared hotel room, per person), Single (individual hotel room, per person) |
Day 1 THU: Welcome to Russia
Upon arrival, you will be met, greeted, and escorted to your hotel. This evening you can relax, have a welcome drink with the Russian team.
Day 2 FRI: Discover Moscow and Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts
Today we offer you some insights into the rich history of Moscow. Step into Red Square. View famous landmarks
including the Savior Tower, the Kremlin walls, GUM department store, the State Historical Museum, and Lenin’s mausoleum. Enter the colorful St. Basil’s Cathedral.
View the Christ the Savior Cathedral, a church with a controversial history. Then follow your expert in art guide to see the world-famous collection of works by Impressionist and Post-Impressionist at the Pushkin Museum.
In the evening, you will enjoy a dinner a la Russe, and soak up the unique atmosphere of downtown Moscow.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner with wine
Day 3 SAT: Old Tretyakov Gallery and Its Neighbourhood
After breakfast, take a Metro ride with your guide and stop to explore the grandeur of its most impressive stations
. Then visit the Old Tretyakov Gallery – the main museum housing a collection of Russian art from the XII to the XX century, including the world famous Andrey Rublev’s “Holy Trinity.”
We will stop for lunch at the local restaurant and then walk around the ancient streets of Zamoskvorechye – the neighborhood around the Tretyakov gallery. Here you can catch a glimpse of pre-Revolutionary Moscow. It used to be home to craftsmen of all trades. Peter the Great’s reforms brought in merchants with their grand mansions. Later, they were followed by the nobility who built grand palaces. While you explore the many little picturesque lanes, you will forget for a moment that you are in one of the busiest cities in the world. Today, the district is full of pedestrian zones with cozy cafes and restaurants.
Optional: You’ll have time to refresh back at the hotel before the evening program. The most popular ballets in Russia are the Swan Lake, Spartak, Giselle, Romeo & Juliette, Don Quixote, La Bayadere, Onegin and many many more. You will have a chance to enjoy a magnificent performance at one of the theaters or entertain yourself with the Russian National Folklore Show (the schedule is subject to change, tickets and transfers to/from the venue are not included).
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 4 SUN: New Tretyakov Gallery and Garage Museum
Get up close to the world of the contemporary art and visit the Garage Museum. Walk along the embankment from Gorky Park to the Park of Arts Muzeon. It is one of the largest Russian outdoor museums where the statues of disgraced leaders share their place with diverse creations by contemporary sculptors. To complete the topic, visit the New Tretyakov gallery – the premier venue for XX century Russian art – to see the reflection of the controversial times in arts and discover Social realism.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 5 MON: Kremlin Day - Rail to St. Petersburg
Today, you will enter the Kremlin walls to feel the country’s past and present. The Kremlin is an old fortress and the most important historical and
political center of Russia. You will see the Kremlin’s compositional center and look into the three main cathedrals – the Assumption, the Annunciation and the Archangel’s Michael cathedral.
You will visit the Armory Chamber – the treasury of Russian Tsars that houses a collection of unique jewelry, court regalia, armor, coronation dresses, golden carriages, and some of the fabulous and priceless Easter Eggs by Karl Faberge.
Later you will be transferred to Leningradsky railway station to board the rapid train Sapsan to St. Petersburg. Upon arrival in St. Petersburg, you will check in to your hotel.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 6 TUE: The Hermitage and General Staff Building
After a leisurely breakfast, go to Dvortsovaya (Palace square). A highlight of your stay is a guided visit to the famous Hermitage Museum with its masterpieces by hundreds of artists including Renoir, Da Vinci, and Matisse. The State Hermitage occupies six magnificent buildings and is one of the oldest and largest art galleries in the world. It is estimated that you would need eleven years to view each exhibit on display for just one minute!
After a lunch-break admire the Impressionist Gallery. In 2014 the Hermitage opened a new wing in the General Staff Building directly across from the Winter Palace. This new wing consists of eight-hundred rooms all dedicated to the art from the nineteenth to twenty-first centuries. In this building includes Russia’s huge collection of impressionist and post-impressionist work; as well as exemplary examples of neo-classical, romanticism, Barizon School and an extensive collection of German art. Enjoy the canal cruise and see the city from a different perspective.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 7 WED: Imperial Treasures of Catherine's Palace and Peterhof fountains
Today, depart to the Pushkin town or Tsarskoye Selo, just outside St. Petersburg. It is famed for its majestic Catherine’s palace where Empress Catherine the Great lived and died. Its main attractions are the mirrored Grand Ballroom and the opulent Amber Room. You will continue to the beautiful Catherine Park surrounding the palace.
Then after lunch join your fellow travelers for an unforgettable tour to Peterhof Park – the “capital of fountains” – with the most famous Grand Cascade. It is beautiful in the summertime! There are 64 different fountains and numerous bronze statues, bas-reliefs, and other decorations. The architecture and decor of Peterhof reflects all the artistic styles of the past and the personal tastes and preferences of every Russian monarch.
Optional: You’ll have time to refresh back at the hotel before the performance. Enjoy the Gala Reception at the Romanov Dynasty Palace (the tickets and transfers to/from the venue are not included).
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 8 THU: Masterpieces of Russian Museum and Faberge Eggs
After a leisurely breakfast, meet your expert guide in the lobby for the Russian Museum tour. The State Russian Museum is the largest museum of Russian art in the world, housing crème de la crème of Russian art, ranging from historic to contemporary times.
After lunch visit the Faberge Museum established by Viktor Vekselberg. One item you might admire is the world’s largest collection of priceless Easter eggs that Faberge created for the Imperial family. Continue past the Field of Mars and the Summer Gardens to the most famous church in the city the Church of Our Savior on the Spilled Blood.
In the evening enjoy a Gala dinner.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Farewell dinner
Day 9 FRI: Return Home
Departure transfer for your onward flight.
Meals: Breakfast
The tour was created with the support and guidance of the US artist Cathy Locke
Cathy Locke holds a B.F.A. from Art Center College of Design and a M.F.A. from the Academy of Art University, both with honors. She currently teaches a variety of figurative courses in the graduate department at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. She has received accolades for my work from the Pastel Society of America, Art Directors Club of New York, Society of Illustrators in Los Angeles, Connecticut Society of Portrait Artists, the Pastel Journal and Campaign Papers. She has also received two Pastel 100 Awards placing her as one of the top 100 pastelists in the world. Her work is collected by civic institutions, colleges and universities, and private patrons across the United States, Canada, and Europe.Cathy Locke is currently writing a book on Russian art. She works as a freelance writer for a number of art publications and maintains a blog on Russian and European art.
Her work has been recently featured in two museum shows, including a special honor where my work was hand selected from the Pastel Society of America’s Annual Exhibition to show at the Butler Institute of American Art. The other was an exhibition at the Morris Graves Museum titled “Motion and Meaning.”
Cathy is a member of Oil Painters of America, the Portrait Society of America and the California Art Club.
Prices:
Double room $5,100 per person
Solo traveler $6,700 per person
Friends & Family Discount – Travel as a group of 3 or more and save $50-$200 per person
Payment Conditions:
Deposit: 10% of the price
Final Payment: 60 days prior to departure
Cancellation Fees:
61 days prior to departure or more: 10% of the price
60-31 days prior to departure: 20% of the price
30-15 days prior to departure: 50% of the price
14 days prior to departure or less: 100% of the price
Important notes:
- Strelka Tours reserves the right to alter the sequence of activities or replace an activity that becomes unavailable for a comparable one.
- Strelka Tours reserves the right to change an unavailable hotel/lodge for a similar one.
- Strelka Tours reserves the right to unilaterally change the prices in proportion to the change in the exchange rate.
- The rates may vary during holidays and not valid during trade shows, forums, summits and etc. The final rate and terms will be set at the time of booking.
- Payment with MasterCard or Visa will incur +3%, American Express +4% to the prices.
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