Tour of 11 Days/10 Nights – From Saturday 18-Aug-2018 to Tuesday 28-Aug-2018
[Articolo in ITALIANO: http://www3.lacuriosa.it/?p=6863]
DAY ONE – Saturday 18/08/2018: from ITALY to SAINT PETERSBURG
Saturday 18/08/2018: ITALY / SAINT PETERSBURG
Meeting of the participants at the airport and processing of boarding formalities. Departure for St. Petersburg. Upon arrival, formal customs clearance and meeting with the local bus and transfer to the hotel. Check-in and arrangements in the assigned rooms, dinner and overnight stay.
DAY TWO – Sunday 19/08/2018: SAINT PETERSBURG – PUSHKIN
Breakfast at the hotel. In the morning panoramic view of the beautiful city with entrance to the Peter and Paul Fortress, the first nucleus of the ‘city of Peter’. The city was commissioned in 1703 by Tsar Peter the Great as the new capital of the empire. To design it the Tsar called the best architects of the moment, most Italians: the result is a city of a unique, refined beauty, a happy marriage between elements of the Eastern and Western world. St. Petersburg is the city on the water: it stands on more than 100 islands intersected by numerous canals and bridges, on the delta of the river Neva, on the Gulf of Finland. As evidence of the rich cultural and architectural tradition, there are numerous artistic jewels, museums, palaces, churches, monuments and romantic views that the city contains. Visit to the fortress of St. Petersburg: the fortress of Saints Peter and Paul is the true historical core of the city as it was the very first construction erected by Peter the Great to defend the outlet on the Baltic, at the time dominated by the Swedish fleet. The stone complex, completed in 1740, follows roughly the hexagonal contour of the island on which it is built, with six bastions and six high walls from 9 to 12 meters. After losing its strategic value, it was turned into a prison where various political conspirators were imprisoned, including Dostoevsky, Ul’janov (brother of Lenin) Bakunin and the writer Gor’kij. From the fortress the signal was given to the Aurora cruiser to open fire on the Winter Palace.
Lunch in St. Petersburg. In the afternoon visit of the Palace of Catherine in Pushkin, a jewel of Baroque architecture with the famous Amber room and the beautiful park. Tsarkoe Selo with Amber Room: 27 km south of St. Petersburg, in an intact and beautiful nature, it is one of the tsars’ palaces. Today it is also called with its first name, Tsarkoe Selo, the Tsar village, conceived for the stops of the imperial family during the transfers. The Catherine palace is one of the best works by the architect Rastrelli and the Rococo. In one wing there was also the high school attended by Pushkin. The exterior is turquoise with gold inserts. The interiors are a collection of works of art: furniture, inlaid floors, stoves, paintings, porcelain. During the celebrations of the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg the “Amber Room” was reopened after a careful restoration.
Return to hotel, dinner and overnight.
DAY THREE – Monday 20/08/2018: SAINT PETERSBURG – HERMITAGE MUSEUM
Breakfast at the hotel. Visit the most beautiful rooms of the Hermitage Museum, the famous Winter Palace designed by Bartolomeo Rastrelli, with entrance to the Impressionist collection. There are 2,700,000 pieces (paintings, sculptures, archaeological finds, art objects of all kinds), exhibited in 400 rooms: the complete itinerary measures 24 km. Our program includes a visit to the main rooms.
Lunch in St. Petersburg. In the afternoon, a boat ride through the canals to admire the most representative architecture of the city from the water. Rest of the afternoon to devote to free visits and shopping.
Return to hotel, dinner and overnight.
DAY FOUR – Tusday 21/08/2018: SAINT PETERSBURG / MOSCOW / SERGJEV POSAD / SUZDAL
Breakfast at the hotel. Early morning transfer to the train station and departure by train to Moscow. Upon arrival, departure for Sergjev Posad, the most important religious center in all of Russia, where you will visit the Trinity and St. Sergius Monastery. Serghjev Possad, the former Zagorsk. Visit to Zagorsk-Serghjev Possad: 70 km from Moscow, Serghjev Possad is the first of the ancient fortified medieval cities known as the Golden Ring. It is a true city-museum, rich in treasures and works of art, already developed and flourishing in the form of a principality, when Moscow was still a wooden village. Within the walls are authentic masterpieces of ancient Russian art: cathedrals with typical golden or blue bulb domes with gold stars, icons, objects of gold and silver. Sergjev Posad is the current home of the Orthodox patriarch, an important devotional destination and deeply dear to the Russian soul. It is an itinerary of the highest cultural and aesthetic value, an opportunity to get to know the romantic and endless Russian countryside, where meadows, fields, birch woods and villages made by tiny izbas triumph. At the end continuation for Suzdal.
Arrival at the hotel, dinner and overnight.
DAY FIVE – Wednesday 22/08/2018: SUZDAL / VLADIMIR / SUZDAL
Breakfast at the hotel. In the morning visit of Suzdal, a charming city museum with its Kremlin, Pokrovsky monasteries and Spaso-Efimievskiy, the Museum of wooden architecture.
Lunch in a restaurant. In the afternoon visit of Vladimir, one of the oldest Russian cities and together with Suzdal one of the pearls of the Golden Ring, dating back to the early 10th century, when it was the capital of the Kiev kingdom. Among its treasures are the cathedrals with onion domes, the Uspensky Monastery, the church of the Assumption with the frescoes by Rublev, the splendid façade of the church of St. Demetrio and the Golden Gate.
Arrival at the hotel, dinner and overnight.
DAY SIX – Thursday 23/08/2018: SUZDAL / KOSTROMA / JAROSLAVL
Breakfast at the hotel. Departure to Kostroma, an ancient citadel whose original nucleus dates back to the 12th century, with the Ipatevsky Monastery and the beautiful Trinity Cathedral. Lunch in a restaurant. Continue to Jaroslavl, founded in 1010, with the beautiful Monastery of the Transfiguration and that of the Prophet Elia, a 17th century white stone building with a curious sequence of different facades, giving the impression of always being in front of a new church.
Arrival at the hotel, dinner and overnight.
DAY SEVEN – Friday 24/08/2018: JAROSLAVL / ROSTOV VELIKIJ / MOSCOW
Breakfast at the hotel. Departure to Rostov Velikij or “the Great”, which boasts one of Russia’s oldest “kremlins” (Russian fortress), surrounded by mighty white walls that also enclose its beautiful churches. After, the stop in Rostov with the visit of the Kremlin of Rostov: an agricultural village animated only on Saturday, the market day, is among the places of the Golden Ring, the furthest from the standard of life of the capital. The traveler can thus enrich the image that is forming of Russia, which would not be complete without the perception of the monotonous poverty that characterizes the infinite forgotten corners of which the mosaic of the country is made up. Compact, harmonious, extremely suggestive, the Kremlin consists of two distinct squares: that of the cathedrals and the museum area of the former courtyard of the metropolitan, with the appendix of the garden, towards the lake. and lunch, continuation for Moscow.
Arrival at the hotel, dinner and overnight.
DAY EIGHT – Saturday 25/08/2018: MOSCOW
Breakfast at the hotel. In the morning, panoramic tour of Moscow: the true heart of the Russias, center and symbol of political, ideological, religious power since its origins, 850 years ago. A testimony to this role, so strongly recognized and rooted in the soul of every Russian, is the grand set of palaces, churches and wide streets that make it up. Moscow, crossed by the river Moscova, is today a modern metropolis that welcomes cultural and economic innovations. The historic center shines with a new light: palaces, churches reopened and restored to their original splendor, and streets, shopping centers, restaurants crowded with people. Panoramic visit from the Red Square. Lunch in a restaurant in Moscow. Entrance to the territory of the Novodevicj Monastery*. Visit to the Kremlin with 3 cathedrals: the territory of the Kremlin, the famous fortified citadel and sanctuary of Russian political power, represents the central architectural ensemble of Moscow. It is the original core of the city, ie the fortress (kreml = fortress, citadel) built in 1147 in an elevated position, which contained the highest political and religious institutions. The city then developed, according to the traditional Russian model, growing in concentric circles around this fortress. Its current appearance is the result of numerous interventions: from the profound restructuring done by Prince Ivan III, to the construction of the cathedrals and the bell tower and finally the outer walls of red bricks. In addition to visiting the Kremlin territory, the excursion also includes admission to two of the cathedrals, built as private chapels for the families of the Tsars. In the morning, a panoramic visit of the city and entrance to the territory of Novodevich Monastery* (of Novices).
Return to the hotel, dinner and overnight.
DAY NINE – Sunday 26/08/2018: MOSCOW
Breakfast at the hotel. In the morning visit to the Tret’jakov gallery, which in its ancient section houses the prestigious icons of the monk Rublev.
Lunch in a restaurant. Walk on Arbat Street and visit to the Moscow Metro: Arbat Street is one of the oldest in Moscow, now a lively pedestrian area.
Return to the hotel by bus or subway, dinner and overnight.
DAY TEN – Monday 27/08/2018: MOSCOW
Breakfast at the hotel. Visit to Kolomenskoe: the famous architectural complex, inscribed on the list of UNESCO World Heritage, occupies a site of rare beauty 18km southeast of the city, on the banks of the Moscow. known as the residence of the Tsars in reality among the buildings of the Beauty Park stands out above all the Church of Our Lady of Kazan, from 1660. Trivia of the Park is the wooden house of Peter the Great, transported here by Arkangelskoe on the White Sea in 1934.
Lunch in restaurant in Moscow. Free time in the afternoon to devote to individual visits and shopping (always with the assistance of the guide). Then visit a subway station. A real underground museum, Moscow’s metropolitan is among the fastest, most profound, vast and also the most sumptuous in the world. The variety of architectural styles, the great collection of lighting systems and the wealth of materials used make each stop a work of art in its own right. Construction work began in 1993 and the first section was inaugurated on May 15, 1935. It currently covers 292.2 km, divided into 12 lines, served by 177 stations and is the second most frequented metro system in the world by average number of passengers per day (after the one in Tokyo).
Return to the hotel, dinner and overnight.
DAY ELEVEN – Tuesday 28/08/2018: MOSCOW / ITALY
Breakfast at the hotel. Free time available and transfer by bus to the airport. Departure to Italy by scheduled flight.
PAY ATTENTION:
- The order of visits can be modified on site at the discretion of our tour leaders and local guides, in order to ensure the best outcome of the tour.
- IMPORTANT: Lying under military jurisdiction of the Kremlin, Moscow’s Red Square may be closed without notice for security reasons, in particular on the occasion of celebrations and events that may be provided for installations and structures that hinder access and complete vision.
*The visit to the territory of Novodevicj does not include admission to the Cathedral of Our Lady of Smolensk, currently undergoing restoration for an estimated period of 3 years.
Flights from Milan, Turin, Rome or everywhere!
Individual participation fee Euros 1’699.For people holding the CuriosandoCard, cancellation insurance for FREE!
Rules and details in the agency.
Fee calculated for a minimum of 15 participants – Reduction in case of 20 or more participants: -49 Euros.
The price includes:
Tours, services and treatments as described/scheduled.
Museum entrances, boat and train tickets (where described/specified).
Tours Hotels (or similar)
SAINT PETERSBURG: Holiday Inn Vorota / Vedensky / Sokos Garden / Moscow or similar
MOSCOW: Holiday Inn Sokolniki or similar
SUZDAL: Hotel Heliopark
YAROSLAV: Hotel Yubileinaya.
Accommodation in a double room with private facilities in selected hotels. Full board treatment from the first day’s dinner to the last day’s breakfast. Mineral water (0.33 cl bottle or carafe or dispenser) and a coffee cup per person at meals. Visits and excursions as described/scheduled. Touring coaches and Italian speaking guides during visits. Government registration tax at the hotel. Travel kit. Medical health insurance and assistance of an agency employee.
English speaking guides will be available for a minimum of 10 (Ten) English speaking participants.
The fee does not include:
Flights from and to Italy – Currently € 289.00 plus taxes of € 168.00
Registration fee – Euros 55.00
Visa – Euros 95.00
Single supplement – Euros 499.00
Tips to be regularized on site – Euros 35.00 per person.
Transfer to the airport that will be counted based on the actual number of participants.
Extra drinks and personal extras. The CuriosandoCard (regulation and details in the agency), cancellation insurance Euro 49 (optional) and anything not specifically stated in “The price includes”.
EXPATRIUM DOCUMENTS: Passport and Visa
NEW PROCEDURE – To obtain an entry visa for Russia we need the original documentation at least 35 days before the departure date, after this date the visa will be subjected to a cost supplement due to the urgent obtaining. The procedure for obtaining the visa has been modified, the process has been digitized for the new development of the optical reading control, therefore we need as follows:
· Original passport with a residual validity of 6 months from the date of return, and with 2 continuous pages. The passport must be in perfect condition (clean, not worn, without torn parts), and signed; must not have custody, non-bonded stamps or other documents that are not strictly necessary for obtaining a visa.
· 2 (two) recent passport photos on a white background, dating back to 6 months before the visa application, (we do not accept reproductions / formats or photographic papers other than the normal passport photos) of 3.5 x 4.5 cm format, with the face centered in the photo, with a well-discovered front, without glasses, with a neutral expression (neither frowning nor smiling) and with the mouth closed; the photo must then also include the upper part of the shoulders.