route of the romanovs - 10 days

Tour Information
Starts: St Petersburg
Ends: Yekaterinburg
Local Payment: No
Prices & Departures: Click here
Breakfast: 9, Lunch: 1, Dinner: 1
Local Payment: No
Hotel Rating: 3
Tour Leader: Yes (for groups 6 or more)

Day 1: St Pete’s
Welcome to Russia and the start of your holiday! Arrival transfer from St Petersburg Pulkovo Airport and hotel check in. Tonight, our tip-filled Welcome Meeting takes place. The rest of evening free - your tour leader will recommend some local bars and restaurants for you to try out. Overnight - St Petersburg.

Day 2: The Hermitage
St Petersburg – breakfast. A city tour gives us an orientation. We’ll break the journey at a few key sights including the beautiful Church on Spilled Blood, which was built on the spot where Tsar Alexander II was murdered in 1881. We later enjoy a guided visit at The Hermitage. Once a royal residence of the tsars, the palace houses one of the biggest art collections on earth. The rest of the day is free. Overnight - St Petersburg.

Day 3: Pukka Pass
St Petersburg - breakfast. Free day. If you purchase the Pukka Pass, day 3 will include guided sightseeing inclusive of transport, with visits to Peter and Paul Fortress - where the city began in 1703, St Isaac’s Cathedral, the Summer Gardens and stunning Grand Cascade fountains at Peterhof during summer months, or in winter, Catherine Palace or Pavlovsk Palace, after which we enjoy lunch. Built on the orders of Peter the Great, at the Peter and Paul Fortress is SS Peter and Paul Cathedral - housing the tombs of the Romanov monarchs, including the murdered Tsar Nicholas II and his family, whose remains were interred here after being discovered outside Yekaterinburg. Later this evening we board our overnight sleeper train bound for Moscow. Overnight - sleeper train.

Day 4: Moscow
Moscow - breakfast. Today, we ride the underground Metro to Red Square and enjoy a guided walk of the prominent sights. Remainder of the day at leisure. Consider hopping from station to station using your Metro pass. Be sure to take the circle line to fully view and absorb the opulence of Stalin's marble clad, chandelier lit underground stations. Overnight - Moscow.

Day 5: The Kremlin
Moscow - breakfast. Today, we tour Russia's powerhouse - the mighty Kremlin, with a guided walk through the grounds where we'll see numerous government buildings, gold-domed cathedrals and the Tsar Bell - the largest bell that never rang! Later you can visit St Basil's Cathedral, commissioned by Ivan IV (also known as Ivan the Terrible) in 1555. Afterward there is free time. If open, you can pay your respects to the grandfather of Communism at Lenin's mausoleum. The city offers amazing galleries, museums, plenty of cafes, shops and bars, all within walking distance. Overnight - Moscow.

Day 6: Moscow at leisure
Moscow – Yekaterinburg - breakfast. Today is yours to enjoy as you please. Since this tour runs in conjunction with other tours, today we bid farewell to those not continuing on to Yekaterinburg and to our tour leader who has escorted us thus far. Hotel check-out is at 1100hrs. However, the hotel has a luggage storage facility which you can use (nominal cost). This afternoon we join the Trans-Siberian line east. Overnight - Trans-Siberian train to Yekaterinburg.

Day 8: Yekaterinburg
Yekaterinburg - breakfast. Founded in 1723 to exploit the mineral riches of the surrounding Urals and Siberia, is Yekaterinburg. It was here in the cellar of a house, where now the beautiful Church on the Blood stands, that Tsar Nicholas Romanov II and his family were executed in 1918. Our tour takes us to the Church where you’ll see a sculpture dedicated to the Tsar and his family and the area of execution. Out of town, we visit Ganina Yama - the monastic complex set in Taiga forest, where the Romanov family remains were unceremoniously dumped and later discovered. After breaking for lunch, we then continue to the Mineral or Railway Museum and out to the famous Europe/Asia border marker where you can stand with a foot on either side of the boundary marker! Lunch and overnight - Yekaterinburg.

Day 9: Explore Yekaterinburg 
Yekaterinburg - breakfast. Today it’s outdoor action! Choose from a range of exciting options available locally (at own cost). In the summer there’s rafting, hiking and a visit to Koptelova (a traditional Siberian village).  In the winter dog-sledding and ice fishing and more!  Please call us for further details. Overnight - Yekaterinburg.

Day 10: Tour ends
Yekaterinburg - breakfast and hotel checkout and onward departure transfer.

Flights from Yekaterinburg

Yekaterinburg is served internationally by British Airways (direct to London), Lufthansa German Airlines (via Frankfurt) and Czech Air (via Prague), and domestically with Aeroflot, who offer direct flights to Moscow. In terms of an international carrier choice, all three airlines serve St Petersburg, so consider purchasing an ‘open-jaw’ ticket allowing you to fly from your point of origin to St Petersburg, make your own way (via surface means - i.e. on tour) to Yekaterinburg and then exit at Yekaterinburg to fly back to your point of origin. Alternatively, If you’d like to return to Moscow, we can arrange one-way transportation aboard the train. The choice is yours! Call us for further information.