The Czar Route

Itinerary: Helsinki, St. Petersburg, Moscow

Period: May-October 2022

Length: 9 days / 8 nights

Tour languages:  English German Italian Spanish Portuguese

DAY 1 (SUNDAY): ARRIVAL HELSINKI
Arrival in Helsinki, optional transfer to Hotel Radisson Blu Seaside**** or similar, check-in, welcome meeting.

DAY 2 (MONDAY): HELSINKI
Helsinki is truly located at the crossroads of Western and Eastern culture and this is reflected everywhere in the green and lively Finnish capital. The sightseeing tour takes us around the harbours and the Senate Square with the Lutheran Cathedral, up central Mannerheim Street and by the Parliament Building, the Finlandia Hall, the Sibelius Monument and the famous Church-in-the-Rock. The afternoon offers an optional excursion to the Suomenlinna fortress. Optional Finnish dinner at the restaurant Salve.

DAY 3 (TUESDAY): HELSINKI-ST. PETERSBURG
Today we continue eastbound to St. Petersburg. Shortly after crossing the border into Russia we arrive in Vyborg, where we take time for a short sightseeing tour and a photo-stop at Vyborg Castle. In the late afternoon we arrive in St. Petersburg and check-in at Hotel Sokos Vasilievsky **** or similar.

DAY 4 (WEDNESDAY): ST. PETERSBURG
St. Petersburg is an amazing city. Its imperial palaces and museums enjoy worldwide fame, while the Neva River and the many canals have deservedly given the city the title “The Venice of the North”. During the morning sightseeing tour we get acquainted with all the splendours of the city: the Peter-Paul Fortress, the Winter Palace, St. Isaac’s Cathedral, the Church of the Bleeding Savior, the Nevsky Convent and much more. The afternoon offers an optional excursion to Zarskoye Selo with the impressive Catherine’s Palace and the Amber Room, which vanished during World War II and was restored for St. Petersburg’s tri-centennial celebrations. In the evening enjoy an optional visit to the Nikolaevsky Palace with an exciting Russian folklore show and Russian „champagne” and snacks.

DAY 5 (THURSDAY): ST. PETERSBURG
The morning is reserved for an optional visit to Peterhof, an uncontested masterpiece of the time of Peter the Great, with the impressive Grand Palace, Grand Cascade and Water Avenue and its wonderful parks. In the afternoon, an optional visit to the world-famous Hermitage Art Museum is offered. In the evening enjoy an optional Russian dinner at Restaurant Pryanosti & Radosti.

DAY 6 (FRIDAY): ST. PETERSBURG-MOSCOW
The early morning is reserved for an optional St. Petersburg channels cruise. Around noon we go to the Moscow Railway Station and board the Sapsan high-speed train bound for Moscow. The train ride takes us through endless Russian landscapes along the River Volga. In the late afternoon we arrive to Moscow and check in at Hotel Azimut Smolenskaya**** or similar.

DAY 7 (SATURDAY): MOSCOW
Moscow, The Mother of Russia, is a genuine Russian city with the Kremlin and its onion domed cathedrals. The dramatic changes over the last decade have made the city to one of the most dynamic metropolis in the world. The morning sightseeing tour includes the highlights of the vast city: the Red Square with St. Basil’s Cathedral, the Theatre Square with Bolshoi Theatre and Sparrow Hills with Moscow University and we visit the Kremlin grounds and one of the cathedrals. In the afternoon is offered an optional visit to the Moscow Metro including the historical stations on the Ring-Line and a guided stroll on the famous pedestrian Arbat Street. The evening offers an optional Moscow by night tour including an unforgettable river cruise with the White Flotilla.

DAY 8 (SUNDAY): MOSCOW
The day offers an optional full day excursion to the quaint town of Sergiev Posad, where we visit the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, the most important Russian monastery and the spiritual heart of the Russian Orthodox Church. The whole Lavra has been beautifully restored for the 700-years celebrations of the birth of St. Sergius of Radonezh.

DAY 9 (MONDAY): MOSCOW DEPARTURE
Optional transfer to the airport.

VISA FOR RUSSIA: This tour requires a tourist visa for Russia for most passport holders. We DO NOT provide Visa services but we’ll issue invitation letters. Our issued visa invitation letters are not visas itself and valid visa must be obtained before travelling to Russia. The invitation letters we supply should be included with all the required documentation for the Visa application. Please note that the grant or refusal of the Russia Visa is at the sole discretion of the Russian authorities and we are neither involved in the process nor are liable or responsible in any manner whatsoever for any delay in processing or grant or rejection of the visa application of any applicant and the cancellation conditions specified below will apply also in these cases.