Murmansk & Beyond 12-Day Journey from Moscow via Murmansk to Kirkenes (or vice versa)
Murmansk & Beyond This dreamlike journey takes you more than 900 miles (1,448 kilometers) through Russia from St. Petersburg to Murmansk—the Arctic Circle’s largest city—and beyond!
This dreamlike journey takes you more than 900 miles (1,448 kilometers) through Russia from St. Petersburg to Murmansk—the Arctic Circle’s largest city—and beyond! We have designed a diverse itinerary during the best time of the year to travel the Arctic—the summer—when the sun barely sets and the days never end, earning this wondrous part of the world its nickname: the Land of the Midnight Sun.
After culture-filled visits to Moscow and St. Petersburg, you board your private train for the Arctic Circle, where nature and gorgeous landscapes become the focus. You make your first stops in Sortavala and Petrosavodsk, where you travel to the idyllic Kizhi Island on Lake Onega. Then it’s off to Murmansk, where you discover the city on a harbor cruise on the Kola Bay. From the Norwegian city of Kirkenes, you make your way back home. A private train on this route is an absolute rarity—you won’t find such a comfortable journey anywhere else in this part of the Arctic! What Makes Your Journey Unique
• Private train journey on the Murmansk Railroad (aka—the Kirov Railroad) from Moscow to Murmansk in the Arctic Circle • Rare visits to the cities of Sortvala and Murmansk • Tsar-style gourmet feast, including Russian culinary specialties, vodka and artistic performances • Fun and informative daily talks about regional people, places and culture • Visit to the State Hermitage Museum and the Amber Room in Russia’s Venice of the North, St. Petersburg • Excursion to historic Kizhi Island and its famous open-air museum • Untouched Karelian and Russian towns • Murmansk, the Arctic’s largest city • Russia’s stately and impressive capital, Moscow • Magnificent cathedrals and religious relics • Excursion to the Solovetsky Islands
Dates
Info and Booking
Susann Bridgewater E-Mail: [email protected]
Itinerary
Day 1., Moscow: Welcome to Russia’s Capital After arriving in Moscow and taking an airport shuttle to your hotel in the city center, you immediately feel immersed. That evening after dinner, you and your fellow travelers take nighttime city tour of Moscow, illuminated by the inviting lights of bridges, towers, palaces—and two spectacularly beautiful train stations that feel more like cathedrals and art museums than mass transit systems. After such an enjoyable day, you head back to the hotel where you grab a nightcap or simply rest your head and let the day’s sights populate your dreams.
Overnight: Hotel Intercontinental Tverskaya (or similar), Meals included: dinner (D)
Day 2., The Beauty of Moscow In the morning, after a hearty breakfast at the hotel, you continue your informative guided discovery of Moscow. You explore the grounds of the Kremlin, including several gorgeous cathedrals from Russia’s tsarist era. In the evening, you can enjoy a boat ride on the Moskva.
Overnight: Hotel Intercontinental Tverskaya (or similar), Meals included: breakfast (B), lunch (L), dinner (D)
Day 3., Moscow to St. Petersburg: Your First Step North In the afternoon, you board the Sapsan high-speed train to St. Petersburg, where you are brought to your centrally located hotel.
Overnight: Hotel Park Inn Nevsky, Meals included: breakfast (BLD)
Day 4., St. Petersburg: Palaces and Art Treasures Today you visit the Peter and Paul Fortress and Cathedral, the final resting place of the Romanov imperial family, where you can see sarcophaguses of practically all Russia’s tsars and tsarinas. You go on a guided tour through the world-renowned Hermitage Museum, where you can to see paintings by Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael. The museum itself is housed in the former Winter Palace of the tsars. Tonight you can take a stroll through the city, go to the theater, or take an atmospheric boat ride on the Neva River.
Overnight: Hotel Park Inn Nevsky (or similar). Meals included: (BL)
Day 5., St. Petersburg: Imperial Palaces and the Amber Room In the morning, you can visit the former home of the Tsar Paul I in the city of Pavlovsk, located 28 kilometers outside of St. Petersburg. You visit the Pavlovsk Palace on the banks of the Slavyansk, designed by Charles Cameron during the transition from the Baroque style to Classicism and built between 1782 and 1786. You take a stroll through the beautiful palace park. Another attraction is the collection of original objects of the imperial family of Russia. Your visit in the afternoon takes you to the city of Pushkin, once known as Tsarskoye Selo (Village of the Tsars), 25 kilometers south of St. Petersburg. Here the focus is the Catherine Palace, the former summer residence of the tsars, designed by Rastrelli in the baroque style. Its most famous room is the legendary Amber Room, a gift to Peter the Great in 1716 from Prussian King William I. The room disappeared during WWII, and in June 2003, a beautiful replica was completed. Later you board your Arctic special train, where you get settled in your comfortable compartment!
Overnight: On board. Meals included: (BLD)
Day 6., Sortvala and Karelia The first stop on your private train brings you to Sortvala on the northern shore of Lake Ladoga. You can enjoy the beautiful landsacpe of Karelia during a guided walking tour in a national park. You get a culinary taste of the region during a typical Karelian lunch. In the afternoon, you continue aboard your private train to Petrozavodsk.
Overnight: On board. Meals included: (BLD)
Day 7., Petrozavodsk: A Day on the Lake When you arrive in Karelia’s capital, Petrozavodsk, you enjoy an excursion to historic Kizhi Island on Lake Onega. The island is home to a famous open-air museum that features dozens of beautiful wooden houses built in traditional Karelian style. In the late evening, your train heads further north.
Overnight: On board. (BLD)
Day 8., Solovetsky Islands: Last Stop Before the Arctic In the small historic town of Kem on the coast of the White Sea, you have the opportunity to take a bus to the harbor, where you board a ferry for the Solovetsky Islands, (weather permitting). Here you see the famous Solovetsky Monastery, one of the first sites in Russia to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and enjoy a traditional lunch. If the weather doesn’t play along, alternatives will be arranged. In the late evening, your exclusive Arctic train takes you toward Murmansk, your first stop within the Arctic Circle.
Overnight: On board (BD)
Day 9., Murmansk: Cape Town of the North In the morning, you enjoy a delicious meal aboard your private train, after which you go on an informative tour of Murmansk, the Arctic’s largest city, situated on the picturesque Kola Bay. In the afternoon, you visit one of the city’s most unique attractions—the icebreaker NS Lenin, the world’s first nuclear-powered surface ship. You spend the night in a centrally located hotel.
Overnight: Hotel Murmansk, (BLD)
Day 10., Tundra Magic Today you go on an excursion after breakfast to the unique landscape of tundra. During a guided hike, you learn a lot about the flora and fauna in this fascinating landscape. Afterward, your palate enjoys a new experience: in an impressive setting you have the opportunity to taste some of the traditional dishes of the Nordic countries.
Day 11., Kirkenes In the morning, your train reaches the town Nikel at the Russia-Norway border, where a bus takes you to Kirkenes. During lunch in your hotel, you can look back on your adventures in the Artic Circle.
Overnight: Hotel (BL)
Day 12., Return Home After breakfast, it’s time to return home. Rates Include
• 5 nights on your exclusive Arctic train with guaranteed accommodation in the category booked from Moscow to St. Petersburg • 6 nights in hotels in Moscow, Petrozavodsk, Murmansk and St. Petersburg • Excursions and sightseeing according to itinerary, including entrance fees, with local English-speaking tour guide for up to 26 guests • All transportation according to itinerary • All meals according to itinerary (B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner) • Vodka tasting with typical snacks • Baggage service in all train stations • Informative, informal talks about the Murman Railroad as well as local geography and history • Doctor on board • Shower facilities on board • Travel guide and brochure with current insights into the country and people per booking
Not Included
• Visa fees • Gratuities • International flights • Personal expenses
Entry Requirements
• Passport and visas required • No vaccinations are required
Dates and Prices
Price and availability as of: 2021-09-30