Friday. Depart from JFK Airport on Aeroflot flight SU 101 for Moscow at 14:10 hours. You will fly overnight arriving into Moscow the following morning.

Saturday. Welcome to Russia! After immigration you will connect onto Aeroflot flight SU12 to St. Petersburg at 10:05 hours. Meet and greet arrival transfer from St Petersburg Pulkovo Airport to your hotel and check in. Tonight, our Welcome Meeting takes place. The remainder of the evening is free for you to do as you please. Your tour leader will recommend some local bars and restaurants for you to try out. Overnight - St Petersburg

A city tour gives us a run-down of St Pete’s key areas. We will drive along the famed Nevsky Prospekt, the museum and university districts and a stop will be made at the Church on Spilled Blood (viewed from outside from the Nevsky prospect side for photo opportunities), The Bronze Horseman and Peter and Paul Fortress. Peter and Paul Fortress was built on the orders of Peter the Great. At one time a gruesome prison, within the compound is SS Peter and Paul Cathedral - housing the tombs of the Romanov monarchs.

Later, we enjoy a guided visit at the Hermitage - which houses one of the biggest and best art collections on earth.

The rest of the day is free for you to further explore. Most of the city sights are dotted along and just off the main thoroughfare - Nevsky Prospekt. It’s an easy city to find your bearings and get around. St Petersburg has a spirited restaurant, bar and jazz club scene, plus some of Russia’s best beers. Alternatively watch an ever energetic Cossacks performance or enjoy a night at the ballet - the Russian ballet never fails to impress. Overnight - St Petersburg (B)

A free day to explore on your own, alternatively fill your day with sightseeing by purchasing our pukka pass. Touring will include, dependent upon opening hours and availability, either a visit to the gardens of Peter the Great’s palatial Peterhof which overlooks the Gulf of Finland (in summer) or a visit to Catherine Palace at Tsarskoe Selo in winter (or Pavlosk Palace if Catherine Palace is closed). We then stop for lunch overlooking the Griboyedov Canal where we can enjoy a hearty meal. After lunch we continue with a guided tour of the interior of The Church on Spilled Blood with time to shop in the souvenir market located alongside the church. Overnight - St Petersburg (B)

St Petersburg – Novgorod. Today gives the opportunity to shop for souvenirs, maybe some wooden dolls or russian memorabilia found at the canal side market near the striking Church on Spilled Blood. Or take a walk along Nevsky Prospekt. Later we travel by coach or train to Novgorod where we enjoy a steamy Russian banya (sauna). Overnight - Novgorod (B, D)

Novgorod – Moscow. Novgorod is one of Russia’s oldest cities, located within reach of the Volkhov River and Lake Ilmen. It was formed as a town in the middle of the 10th century. A tour of Novgorod takes in the riverside fortified kremlin, cathedral and other sights. The fortress was mentioned in chronicles as early as in 1044, whilst today’s walls and towers, despite being re-built in 15th century, are impressive all the same. Tonight we have dinner before travelling by overnight sleeper train from Novgorod to Moscow. Overnight - Sleeper Train (B, D)

Moscow. Early this morning, we arrive into Moscow - the capital that spawned dozens of spy novels! Today we will ride on the capital’s efficient Metro to Red Square. From here, we’ll take in the jewels of Russia’s capital on a guided walk in the Kitay-Gorod and Lubyanka area, taking in sights such as the epitome of Russian power – the Kremlin (guided tour on day 8), Lenin’s Mausoleum and the ritzy GUM department store.

At the south end of the square, feast your eyes on the wildly coloured, turban domed St Basil’s Cathedral, an enduring Russian symbol commissioned by Ivan IV (also known as Ivan the terrible) in 1555. Overnight - Moscow (B)

A free day to explore Moscow. There are plenty of galleries, museums and shops to entertain. Perhaps hit one of the late night bars or nightclubs this evening; Moscow’s nightlife can rival any of the world’s capital cities! Overnight - Moscow (B)

Today, we head into Red Square where, if open, we can pay our respects for free to Lenin, the grandfather of Communism, who has lain in state within his eerie mausoleum since his death in 1924. We continue inside the Kremlin - Russia’s bastion of political might, where we enjoy a guided walk through the grounds, seeing numerous government buildings, gold-domed cathedrals and the tsar bell.

This afternoon we offer an optional guided tour of a formerly top secret Cold War bunker! Up until recently this Stalinist-era Soviet Bunker was a secret symbol of Soviet Power. Hidden beneath an ordinary two storey apartment building in Moscow, 18 floors below ground level, this 75,000-squarefoot facility was constructed covertly, in the 1950’s, to protect against the threat of a US nuclear attack. In the 1990’s with the Cold War thawing and the death of communism, this bunker came off the top secret list and is now open to the public! Enjoy an interactive tour of the bunker turned museum. Also included is a guided tour of some of the Stalinist era's most opulant metro stations.

Alternatively, explore Moscow your own way. Hop aboard the Metro and explore, or stop by the Izmailovsky flea market - a sprawling collection of stalls hocking everything from Soviet Red Army memorabilia to bootleg CDs, fluffy hats and Matryoshka dolls. Tonight an optional excursion to Moscow Circus. Overnight - Moscow (B)

Sunday. Our tour ends after breakfast and hotel check out at 12 noon. You can book your transfer to the airport locally. Your flight back to JFK is Aeroflot SU 102 departing Moscow at 15:40 hours. (B)