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

Stunningly grandiose St Pete’s - founded by Peter the Great in 1703 is built around a series of bridge-connected canals and rivers. We start the day with a city tour, driving along Nevsky Prospekt, we stop to see the outside of the Church on Spilled Blood and explore Peter and Paul Fortress, giving us a solid introduction of this beautiful city. At one time a gruesome prison within the Peter and Paul Fortress compound is SS Peter and Paul Cathedral - housing the tombs of the Romanov monarchs. Later, we enjoy a guided tour of the treasure-filled Hermitage at the Winter Palace. Overnight - St Petersburg (B)

A free day to explore, alternatively jump on board with our optional Pukka Pass! The Pukka Pass includes entrance fees and guiding, with visits to the Church On Spilled Blood, Peterhof in summer or Catherine or Pavlovsk Palace in winter and lunch overlooking Griboyedov Canal. Later this evening we board our overnight sleeper train bound for Moscow. Overnight - Sleeper Train (B)

Moscow. The city that kept Bond busy. At Red Square, we enjoy a guided walk of the Kitay Gorod and Lubyanka area. Discover the delights of Red Square, home to St Basil’s, the GUM department store and Lenin’s Mausoleum. The rest of the day is free for you to further explore. Overnight - Moscow (B)

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 to commemorate the capture of the Khanate of Kazan. The multi-tented cathedral with brightly coloured onion shaped domes is destinctively iconic Russia.

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 (including the GUM department store for high rollers) and bars all within walking distance. Alternatively, hop 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 (B)

Moscow - Kiev. After breakfast and hotel check out it’s just a short flight to Kiev, the Ukraine’s stunning capital (flight not included). On arrival into Kiev you’ll be met at the airport and transferred to our hotel for check in.

Later in the afternoon enjoy a guided walking tour of Kiev visiting its famous sights, including Independence Square – the scene of the recent ‘Orange Revolution, the sumptuous Opera House, ancient Golden Gates and the green onion-domed St Sophia Cathedral, the oldest cathedral in Kiev. Finish the day with a welcome dinner of traditional Ukrainian cuisine. Overnight - Kiev (B, D)

Kiev. Today we visit the Pecherska Lavra monastery which features a tight cluster of gold-domed churches and intriguing underground labyrinths lined with mummified monks. Set on 28 hectares of grassy hills above the Dnipro River, the monastery boasts a hoard of Scythian gold to rival that of the Hermitage in St Petersburg.

In the afternoon we visit the enthralling Chernobyl Museum, a museum dedicated to educating the public about many aspects of the Chernobyl disaster. A number of exhibits and photographs document the worst nuclear tragedy in history and include displays

on the first clean-up crews who were exposed to fatal doses of radiation. The rest of the afternoon is free for you to enjoy at leisure. Perhaps head into town for an evening beer and hit the city’s lively nightclubs. Overnight - Kiev (B)

Kiev. On the far edge of Kiev sits the Museum of Ukrainian Folk Architecture and Life, more commonly known as the Pirohovo Museum. Set in a scenic landscape of rolling hills and deep gullies, the open-air museum is divided into seven small villages representing different regions of the Ukraine. It consists of almost 500 authentic residential and farm structures collected from all over the country.

This morning we get to roam around the 17th to 20th century cottages, churches and windmills, many with manicured flower and vegetable gardens and interiors furnished with exquisite textiles, traditional furniture and tools.

After lunch we return to Kiev where the rest of the day can be spent shopping or strolling through the peaceful city parks. Shopping in Kiev is a rewarding experience with an enormous underground shopping mall, and a great selection of souvenir shops as well as traditional markets and flea markets dotted throughout the city. Overnight - Kiev (B)

Wednesday. Tour ends after breakfast and hotel check out at 12 noon. (B)