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the big chill - 9 days

Tour Information
Starts: St Petersburg
Ends: Moscow
Local Payment: No
Departs: 24th Dec 2008
Prices and departures: Click here
Breakfast: 8, Lunch: 2, Dinner: 2
Hotel Rating: 3
Tour Leader: Yes

24 Dec - Christmas Eve
Welcome to Russia and the start of a cool yule! Wanting more time in St Petersburg? This is the trip! Meet and greet arrival transfer from St Petersburg Pulkovo Airport. Transfer to hotel for registration and check-in. Tonight, our tip-filled Welcome Meeting takes place. Rest of the evening is free. Overnight - St Petersburg

25 Dec - Christmas Day: St Pete's sightseeing & hermitage
St Petersburg - breakfast. Merry Christmas! Founded by Peter the Great in 1703, grandiose St Petersburg is designed around an intrinsic network of canals and rivers. Known as the cradle of Revolution, in the 20th century the city underwent three name changes, three revolutions and 900-day siege. Enjoy a coach orientation of St Pete’s. Afterwards, we enjoy a guided visit at the Hermitage - which houses one of the biggest and best art and antiquity collections on earth, the bulk of which was amassed by Catherine the Great. With some 2.8 million pieces of art, including collections ranging from a dazzling array of Great Masters to Egyptian mummies and Greek vases, Catherine was, to put it lightly, one heck of a collector. The rest of the day is free for you to enjoy St Pete’s your way. Tonight, it’s our Big Night Out - our Russian Christmas Day dinner and party. Cheers! Dinner and overnight - St Petersburg

26 Dec: pukka pass
St Petersburg - breakfast. Free day. If you purchase the pukka pass today will include additional guided sightseeing inclusive of transport. The timetable of events will incorporate a visit to Peter and Paul Fortress on the Petrogradskaya Side, Catherine Palace at Tsarskoe Selo or Peterhof and lunch. Peter and Paul Fortress, built on the orders of Peter the Great was at one time a gruesome prison. On the grounds is SS Peter and Paul Cathedral - housing tombs of the Romanov dynasty. St Isaac’s Cathedral is one of the world’s largest. The construction was a colossal engineering feat. Thousands of wood piles were sunk into the city’s marshy ground to support its weight of 300,000 tonnes! From the dome are panoramic views that sweep across the city. The lavish imperial palace at Tsarskoe Selo was designed for Tsarina Elizabeth, who named it Catherine Palace in honour of her mum, Catherine I. The Amber Room is a stunning drawcard. Overnight – St Petersburg

27 Dec: St Petersburg & Vladimir
St Petersburg - breakfast. Free Day. Last day in St Pete’s before we head south to Vladimir. Stock up on stackable wooden dolls at the souvenir market near the awesome Church on Spilled Blood, have some fab St Petersburg ice cream, take a hike along Nevsky or take our optional revolution evolution! bolt-on.
Overnight train to Vladimir

28 Dec: Suzdal
Vladimir - breakfast. Comrades, welcome to Vladimir! Today, enjoy a visit to visit ancient and beautiful Suzdal – a rural settlement packed with striking buildings and churches. We’ll then thaw out at a steamy Russian banya (sauna) and enjoy lunch and a vodka. Later, relax before we enjoy dinner at the hotel.
Lunch, dinner & overnight – Vladimir

29 Dec: Vladimir
Vladimir - breakfast. This morning, we undertake a tour of historic Vladimir - founded in 1108. Vladimir was the city that eventually gave way to Moscow as Russia’s capital. Here, we’ll see a couple of cathedrals and the famous Golden Gate. After lunch we drive to Moscow, arriving early evening. Welcome to the capital city that launched a swag of bestsellers with espionage-soaked plots! Lunch & overnight – Moscow

Bolt-on star city - Join us on an optional adventure to the Star City Cosmonaut Training Centre. Experience the low-down on the Russian space program. Click here

30 Dec: Moscow sightseeing
Moscow - breakfast. We’re here in the city that kept Bond busy. Today, with our guide, we travel aboard the capital’s efficient Metro system 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 that takes in sights such as the epitome of Russian power – the Kremlin (where we enjoy a guided tour on 31 December). In Red Square, feast your eyes on the wildly coloured, turban domed St Basil’s Cathedral - an enduring Russian symbol. If open, we can see the eerie Lenin Mausoleum in Red Square, where the grandfather of Russian Communism – Vladimir Lenin still lies in state. Cultured out? Moscow’s restaurants and clubs are open ‘til very late! Overnight – Moscow

31 Dec: Red Square
Moscow - breakfast. Today, we head into Red Square where, we enjoy a guided tour of the Moscow Kremlin - Russia’s bastion of power. Walking through the grounds we’ll see numerous government buildings, gold-domed cathedrals and the tsar bell. Rest of day free to enjoy the last day of the year your way. There’s loads of eateries and bars in the immediate area - a good choice for your own private Moscow New Year’s celebration! Overnight - Moscow

01 Jan - New Years Day: Moscow – breakfast
Happy New Year! After breakfast, tour ends.

On the go is a specialist operator of cultural and adventure tours in Russia. Fun and informative group tours of Russia offering frequent year-round departures at realistic prices starting in Moscow or St Petersburg include highlights such as the Kremlin and Red Square in Moscow, St Petersburg-city of tsars including the Winter Palace, Pskov, Vladimir, Suzdal and Yekaterinburg. Christmas in Russia, New Year’s in Red Square, Easter tours, visits to Star City cosmonaut centre, tours of the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are also a hallmark.