 | back in the ussr - 9 days
 Tour Information
Starts: St Petersburg, Russia
Ends: Tallinn, Estonia
Prices and departures: Click here
Local Payment: No
Breakfast: 8, Lunch: 1
Hotel Rating: 3
Tour Leader: Yes (on groups of 6 or more)
Day 1: St Petersburg
Tuesday. Welcome to Russia and the start of your holiday! Meet and greet arrival transfer from St Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport. Transfer to hotel and check-in. Tonight, our tip-filled Welcome Meeting takes place. Remainder of the evening is free. Your tour leader will recommend some local bars and restaurants to try out. Overnight - St Petersburg.
Day 2: The Hermitage
St Petersburg - breakfast. A city tour offers us an overview of all the key sights. We drive along Nevsky Prospekt, through the university and museum districts, with stops at the Church on Spilled Blood and Admiral End. Later, we enjoy a guided visit at the Hermitage, which houses a gargantuan art and antiquity collection. The rest of the day is free to enjoy St Pete's your way. Most of the city sights are dotted along and just off the main thoroughfare - Nevsky Prospekt. St Petersburg has an inspiring cafe, bar and music scene, so perhaps indulge. Overnight - St Petersburg. |
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Go the max and sign up for a day of culture and all things grand with our St Petersburg pukka pass!
For more information,
please click here.
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Day 3: Free time to explore
St Petersburg - breakfast. A free day to explore St Pete's your way, or join our optional Pukka Pass bolt-on.. Our Pukka Pass includes guided sightseeing, entrance fees, lunch and transport with visits to Peter and Paul Fortress on the Petrogradskaya Side, St Isaac's Cathedral - one of the world's largest cathedrals and the Summer Gardens at Peterhof. Later this evening we board our overnight sleeper train bound for Moscow. Overnight - sleeper train.
Day 4: Red Square
Moscow - breakfast. This morning, we'll ride the Metro to Red Square, from where we undertake a guided walk. In Russian, Moscow's famous Red Square is called Krasnaya Ploschad. The word 'red' doesn't refer to the colour of the bricks or Communism. The word 'krasnaya' simultaneously means 'red' and 'beautiful'. In Red Square, feast your eyes on the wildly coloured, turban domed St Basil's Cathedral - an enduring Russian symbol. Remains of day free. Overnight - Moscow.
Day 5: The Kremlin
Moscow - breakfast. Today, in Red Square, if open, we can pay our respects to Lenin, the father of Communism, who lies in state in his eerie granite mausoleum. We continue inside the Kremlin, home to the campaigns of Ivan the Terrible, Stalin, Lenin, Napoleon and more recently Gorbachev, Yeltsin and Putin. Inside the enclave we are able to view the Russian Palaces of Congresses, Senate and Supreme Soviet buildings and make visits to the Assumption Cathedral, Ivan the Great Bell Tower, Tsar Bell and Armoury (optional). The remainder of the afternoon is free for your explore on your own or why not sign up for our Inside a Soviet Bunker bolt on? Head 65 meters underground to explore a Stalinist-era bunker that up until recently was a top secret symbol of Soviet Power. Cleverly hidden beneath an ordinary apartment building, on a busy street in the heart of Moscow, 18 floors below ground level, this mighty 75,000-square-foot facility was constructed in secret in the 1950’s, to protect the select few against a US nuclear attack. Check out our bolt-on page for further details. Overnight - Moscow.
Day 6: Time to explore
Moscow - Tallinn - breakfast. Free day to pursue whatever takes your fancy in Moscow. For souvenirs head to Izmailovsky flea market, boasting a massive collection of stalls selling everything from Soviet Red Army memorabilia to bootleg CDs, fluffy hats and Matryoshka dolls. Tonight, we bid farewell to our Russian tour leader and travel north by sleeper train to Tallinn. Overnight - sleeper train.
Day 7: Tallin/Estonia
Tallinn - breakfast. Arriving into Tallinn, we are met at the rail station and transferred to our hotel where, after breakfast, we enjoy a city tour. Sparkling with kaleidoscopic history, culture and architecture, Tallinn - the capital of the Northernmost and smallest of the Baltic states, hugs the Gulf of Finland. Steeped in maritime tradition, Tallinn is a walker-friendly city and offers an enchanting mix of church spires, medieval turrets and cobblestone streets in its World- Heritage listed Old Town. Lunch and overnight - Tallinn.
Day 8: The Old Town
Tallinn - breakfast. Today we continue our discoveries in the Old Town, where we stroll the fascinating narrow streets and alleyways, which give way to medieval towers, churches and shopfronts that were once the preserve of wealthy merchants. We also take in the upper part of the Old Town known as Toompea, where we view the Parliament Building and some churches. Overnight - Tallinn.
Day 9: Tallinn
Wednesday. Tour ends after breakfast and hotel check out at 12 noon.
NOTE: MULTIPLE ENTRY RUSSIA VISA REQUIRED IF YOU PLAN TO RETURN TO RUSSIA AT THE END OF THE TOUR. For detailed visa info, please click here..
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