Russia – Draft Itinerary June 13 Moscow • Transfer from airport to hotel; hotel check-in and free time to get some rest and relax after the flight. • In the evening, enjoy a city tour "Moscow by Night", a general overview of the city and its main areas within the boundaries of the Garden Ring and the Boulevard Ring: Red Square, Kremlin, Kitay Gorod, Tverskaya, Arbat and Zamoskvorechje; includes famous landmarks: Red Square and Kremlin, St. Basil's Church, Cathedral of Christ the Savior, Novodevichiy Convent, Luzhniki, the White House, Moskva River; and a drive to the Sparrow Hills, 6 km south- west of the Kremlin, topped by the Moscow University skyscraper, for a beautiful panoramic view of the city. June 14 Moscow • In the morning, get acquainted with the Red Square and Kremlin areas, where you will see the famous St. Basil's Cathedral, Mausoleum, Historical Museum, and GUM store. • Inside Kremlin the main landmarks are three cathedrals - Assumption, Annunciation and Archangel - date back to the 15-16th centuries, Ivan the Great Bell Tower, Tsar Bell, Tsar Cannon, Hall of Facets and Terem Place, including a visit to the Armory - a stunning collection of wealth and treasures accumulated by the Russian state and church over the centuries. The collection includes royal regalia, Faberge Eggs of precious metals and jewels, the 800-diamond throne of Tsar Alexey, the jewel-studded and sable-trimmed gold Cap of Monomakh worn for coronations for two centuries, the coronation dress of Catherine the Great, the sleigh in which Elizabeth rode from St. Petersburg to Moscow for her coronation pulled by 23 horses at a time. • Between the Armory and the Annunciation Cathedral is the Great Kremlin Palace the official residence of Russian president. • In the evening, enjoy dinner and a circus performance June 15 Moscow • All-day tour to Sergiev Posad, located about 70 km from the capital. • The town was built around the Trinity Monastery of St. Sergius, and is one of Russia's most important religious and historic landmarks, a place of pilgrimage of the Russian Orthodox Church and one of the most interesting museums, where you will find the icons of Andrei Rublev and other famous masters of the 15th- 18th centuries. • The monastery is a unique combination of different architectural styles forming a most impressive and harmonious composition. • Visit the Old Russia Applied Art Museum and the Art Museum. June 16 Moscow • A morning in the Moscow Metro - one of the most beautiful and efficient subway systems in the world, carrying over 10 million passengers daily (more than the New York and London systems combined); designed by prominent Russian architects and artists whose goal was not only to create a transportation system but to glorify the socialism and its achievements; visit amazing stations decorated with granite, marble, bronze, statues and other pieces of art - making it look more like a museum than a subway. • Tour of the Tretyakov Gallery located in one of the oldest parts of Moscow Zamoskvorechje, not far from the Red Square. The gallery is a national treasury which houses the largest and most distinguished collection of Russian art in the world; named after Russian entrepreneur Pavel Tretyakov, who donated his house, where the Gallery is still located, surrounding buildings and almost 2000 works of Russian art from his own private collection to the city of Moscow at the end of the 19th century. The collection grew overtime and now features over 100,000 Russian works from medieval icons, including those by famous Andrei Rublev and 20th century examples. • Evening flight to St. Petersburg with dinner on the way to the Moscow airport. • Hotel check-in in St. Petersburg June 17 St. Petersburg • In the morning, a city tour of St. Petersburg, one of the most fascinating cities in Europe; drive by the elegant buildings on the Nevsky Prospect, stately palaces on Palace Embankment along the Neva River, Palace Square with Winter Palace and Alexander Column, the bronze horseman - the famous monument to Peter the Great, the Admiralty, Schmidt Bridge, Strelka with the stock exchange and Rosstral Columns, St. Isaac's Cathedral, Peter and Paul Fortress, Alexander Nevsky Lavra, Canal Griboyedova, Fontanka, Kazan Cathedral, Church of Spilled Blood and other fine architectural, historical and cultural landmarks. • After lunch, a tour of the Yusupov Palace located on a quiet stretch of the Moika River. This long yellow building was once a residence of the wealthy and respected Yusupov family and served as a stage for one of Russian history's moments of high drama - the murder of Grigory Rasputin, a peasant who had gained control over the tsar's family through his alleged supernatural powers. The Palace is notable for its lavish interiors, the exotic Moorish Room, the elegant Rococo style theater and the Rasputin Cellars where “the holy man” Grigory Rasputin was murdered by Prince Felix Yusupov. • In the evening, dinner and a ballet performance. June 18 St. Petersburg • After breakfast, visit a local school to meet Russian students and get acquainted. • Lunch in town or at the school. • After lunch, the city tour continues with a visit to the Aurora cruiser, Peter and Paul Fortress, and St. Isaac’s Cathedral. Peter-and-Paul Fortress was built in 1704 to defend the city from naval attacks; however it never served it purpose. Instead its history is rather gruesome: thousands of laborers died while building the fortress, many political prisoners, including Peter's own son Alexi, were kept and tortured in its cells, and the tombs of the Romanov family are in its cathedral. St. Isaac’s Cathedral is one of the world’s largest cathedrals, with a capacity of 10,000. It was designed by then unknown Auguste de Montferrand and opened in 1858. The cathedral is beautifully decorated inside with marble of 13 colors, malachite, lapis-lazuli, paintings, mosaics, and stained glass made by famous Russian artists. June 19 St. Petersburg • All-day tour to Pushkin, located 25-30 km from St. Petersburg. Pushkin's palaces and parks were created under Empresses Elizabeth and Catherine the Great between 1744 and 1796. The main landmark is the Catherine Palace designed by Rastrelli and named after Elizabeth’s mother, Peter the Great's second wife. Re- named in 1937 after the famous Russian poet who used to study here, Pushkin's original name was Tsarskoye Selo (Tsar's Village). • Visit the WWII museum upon your return to the city. • In the evening, dinner and a performance. June 20 St. Petersburg • Enjoy a private tour of the State Hermitage Art Museum, occupying six magnificent buildings situated along the embankment of the Neva River, right in the heart of St Petersburg. The leading role in this unique architectural ensemble is played by the Winter Palace, the residence of the Russian tsars that was built according to the design of Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli in 1754-62. This ensemble is extended by the eastern wing of the General Staff building, the Menshikov Palace and the recently constructed Repository. Put together over two- and-a-half centuries, the Hermitage collection consists of over 3,000,000 works of art and represents the development of culture and art from the Stone Age to the 20th century. • In the afternoon, you are free to continue exploring the Hermitage on your own or to enjoy beautiful St. Petersburg. • Later in the afternoon, take the Dostoyevsky literary walk. June 21 St. Petersburg • Transfer to the airport for your return flight to the U.S. .