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The Russian Metropolis Express
Group
Train holiday
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Travel first class by train and visit the metropolis
of Russia; Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Your journey goes
through the northwest corner of Russia: from St.
Petersburg, the capital of Russia’s north, through
picturesque Karelia, and on to the Kola Peninsula, lapped
by the waters of the Barents Sea followed by visit to
ancient capital of Russia - Moscow. Marvel at the
fabulous palaces of Saint Petersburg and Moscow, and visit
the Solovetsky Islands, Valaam and Kizhi - three pearls
of the White Sea. Kick off your adventures on the Kola
Peninsula by participating in ancient traditions in a
coastal village on the White Sea; then proceed to
Murmansk, the world’s largest city north of the Arctic
Circle.
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Proposed Train holiday programme: |
Day 1, Saturday:
Arrival in Saint Petersburg. Meet up with a guide at Pulkovo airport.
Dinner in restaurant of Mariynskiy theatre “Backstage”. Transfer to
railway station. Departure for Petrozavodsk in evening.
Day 2, Sunday: Arrive in Petrozavodsk in the morning. Meet up
with a guide at train station. Transfer to hotel. Check-in. Breakfast.
City tour by bus and hike. Sea trip to Kizhi Island. Lunch-basket.
Walking excursion in Kizhi. Late afternoon return to Petrozavodsk for
your evening at leisure. Dinner on your own. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 3, Monday: Drive to Sortavala. Breakfast-basket. Optional
visit to the wood carve exhibition and handicraft shop (free of charge).
Sea trip to Valaam Archipelago. Walking excursion in the central
Monastery. Sea trip to Voskresenski and Gefsimanski Monasteries. Lunch
in a refectory. Take the ferry back to Sortavala in evening. Transfer to
Petrozavodsk by bus. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Day 4, Tuesday: Breakfast at the hotel. Trip to Kem by bus. On
the way visiting Waterfall Kivach and Natural Reservation Kivach.
Excursion to Mar’s Waters Resort. Lunch-shashlyk. Walking excursion to
Petrogliphs. Transfer to Kem by bus and check-in at a hotel. Dinner and
overnight at the hotel.
Day 5, Wednesday: Breakfast at the hotel. Sea trip to Solovetsky
Islands. Arrive in a harbour. Check-in at a hotel. Lunch in a
restaurant. Walking excursion “History and Architecture of Solovetsky
Monastery”. Walking excursion “History and Architecture of Solovetsky
Fortress”. Dinner on your own. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 6, Thursday: Breakfast at the hotel. Trip to a boat harbour
by bus. Excursions «On blue and green ways of Solovki” followed by visit
to Botanical Garden and Fish-ponds. Basket lunch. At 17.00 take the
ferry back to the mainland. Dinner in café. Transfer to the train
station by bus. Boarding a train leaving for Kandalaksha.
Day 7, Friday: Breakfast and lunch on your own in the train.
Rendezvous at Kandalaksha train station. Meet up with a guide. Transfer
to hotel. Check-in. Dinner in Russian restaurant. Overnight at the
hotel.
Day 8, Saturday: Breakfast at the hotel. Trip to Umba village by
bus. A walk through Old Umba; a visit to Pomor’s Museum and to craft
shops. Lunch in a restaurant. At 16.00 a performance by the Pomor Folk
Ensemble. Return to Kandalaksha. Dinner in a restaurant. Overnight at
the hotel.
Day 9, Sunday: Breakfast at the hotel. Sea trip to Labyrinth
Babylon by small ship. It is possible to watch seals and sometimes white
whales (beluga's) in the sea. Traditional Russian shashlyk party on the
shore. Fishing is possible. Return to Kandalaksha late afternoon. Trip
to Kirovsk city by bus. Check-in at a hotel. Dinner in a bowling centre.
Overnight in the hotel.
Day 10, Monday: Breakfast at the hotel. Trip to Lovozero village
by bus. A visit to Lapps’ Museum. A performance by the Lappish Folk
Ensemble, followed by a Traditional Lappish food lunch - reindeer meet
and dishes made of fresh fish. Lunch around a camp-fire in a Lappish
dwelling. Trip to Murmansk late afternoon and check-in at a hotel.
Dinner and overnight in the hotel.
Day 11, Tuesday: Breakfast at the hotel. City tour in Murmansk.
Making pictures of a panorama of the city and a harbour from the highest
point. Visit to Navy Museum. Lunch in a restaurant. Harbour excursion
including one of working Atomic icebreakers. Free time late afternoon.
Walk in the city streets visiting shops and watching city life. In the
evening a farewell party in a beautiful restaurant with delicious food
and pleasant music. Overnight in the hotel.
Day 12, Wednesday: Breakfast at the hotel. Visit to Art Museum
and a specialized shop to buy souvenirs of Russian North. Lunch in a
restaurant. Visit to Regional Historical Museum and Centre of Folk Arts.
At 6 PM we are at the railway station to leave for Moscow. Everybody
will have a picnic basket with delicious meal for the train travel.
Day 13, Thursday: Train travel day.
Day 14, Friday: Arrive in Moscow in the morning. Meet up with a
guide. Transfer to hotel and check-in. Breakfast. City tour with
visiting the most famous places of Moscow (Red Square, Maneznaya Square,
Vorobjevy Hills, The Christ the Savior Cathedral, Tverskaya street,
Kutuzovsky prospect and etc). Lunch in a restaurant. Visiting to Centre
of Grafts "Russkoje Podvorje". Free time. Dinner and at the hotel.
Day 15, Saturday: Breakfast. Visit to Kremlin (territory +
Cathedrals). Excursion in Armoury Chamber. Lunch at the Russian cuisine
restaurant. Visit to Kolomenskoye - summer residence of Russian Tsars
followed by the Folklore show "Russian hospitality" with tea and
pancakes party. Return to Moscow for your evening at leisure. Dinner and
overnight at the hotel.
Day 16, Sunday: Breakfast and free time until 12.00. Check out
before 12.00. Trip to Sergiev Posad City by bus. Lunch at the Russian
cuisine restaurant. Visit to St. Trinity-Sergius Lavra (territory +
Cathedrals) - the residence of the Patriarch of All Russia. Return to
Moscow. Dinner in a restaurant. Excursion to Moscow Metro in evening.
Arrival in Leningradsky train station. Leaving for Saint Petersburg.
Day 17, Monday: Arrival in Saint Petersburg in the morning. Meet up
with a guide at train station. Transfer to hotel. Check-in. City tour
with visiting the most famous places of Saint-Petersburg . Lunch in the
ASTORIA restaurant followed by an excursion to St. Isaac Cathedral. The
remainder of the afternoon and evening are at your leisure, with an
OPTIONAL performance available at the Mariinsky or Mussorgsky theatre.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Day 18, Tuesday: Breakfast. Excursion to Hermitage. Lunch in a
very tradition restaurant with origin list of dishes. Some free time.
Transfer to Nikolaevsky Palace for Russian Folklore performance “Feel
yourself Russian” with traditional Russian fourchette. Dinner in Grand
Duke Banquet Hall of Nikolaevsky Palace. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 19, Wednesday: Breakfast followed by an excursion to
Tsarskoye Selo/Pushkin and Ekaterina. Lunch in the Admirality
restaurant. Trip to Russian village Schuvalovka. Visit to Craft House
including nice and pleasant opportunity experience in potter or steel
craft making simple things. Taste local liqueurs and snacks. Return to
the hotel for your evening at leisure. Dinner and overnight at the
hotel.
Day 20, Thursday: Breakfast at the hotel followed by an excursion
to Petergof by hydrofoil “Meteor”. Lunch in a restaurant Alex House.
Transfer to the hotel. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 21, Friday: Check out. Transfer to airport.
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Train holiday details |
Highlights:
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• Petrozavodsk: Excursion by bus combined with walking excursion
“From Petrozavodsk’s History”
• Petrozavodsk: Trip by ferry to Kizhi Island with excursion:
“History, Architecture and Ethnography”
• Sortavala: Trip by ferry to and from Valaam Islands with
excursions to: “Central Monastery’s Complex”, “Transfiguration
Cathedral”, Old Brother’s cemetery”, “Resurrection and Gephsimansky
monasteries”,
• Belamorsk: Excursions to Kivach Waterfall and Mar’s Waters Resort
• Belamorsk: Walking excursion to Petroglyphs (Rock Carving)
• Kem: Trip by ferry to and from Solovetsky Islands with
excursions there: “History and Architecture of Solovetsky
Monastery”, “History and Architecture of Solovetsky Fortress”, “Blue
and green ways of Solovetsky”, “Nature of Solovetsky” with visit to
Botanical garden and Fish ponds.
• Umba: Pomor Folk concert
• Umba: Visit to craft shops
• Umba: Visit to National Pomor’s Museum
• Kandalaksha: Sea excursion to labyrinth “Babylon”
• Lovozero: Sámi Folk concert
• Lovozero: Visit to National Saami Museum
• Murmansk: Bus excursion combined with walking excursion in City
and Harbour.
• Murmansk: Excursion to Atomic icebreakers
• Murmansk: Excursion to Navy Museum
• Murmansk: Excursion to Art Museum
• Murmansk: Excursion to Regional Historical Museum
• Murmansk: Excursion to Centre of Folk Arts
• Moscow: Bus excursion combined with walking excursion “The most
famous places of Moscow"
• Moscow: Visiting to Centre of Grafts "Russkoje Podvorje"
• Moscow: Excursion to Kremlin (territory + Cathedrals)
• Moscow: Excursion to Armoury Chamber
• Moscow: Excursion to Kolomenskoye “The former summer residence of
Russian Tsars” including folklore show "Russian hospitality" with
tea and pancakes party
• Moscow: Bustrip to Sergiev Posad City with excursion: “Treasures
of St. Trinity-Sergius Lavra”
• Moscow: Excursion to Moscow Metro “Underground Palaces”
• Saint Petersburg: Bus trip to Tsarskoe Selo, Pushkin, and Russian
village Schuvalovka
• Saint Petersburg: Bus excursion combined with walking excursion “The
most famous places of Venice of the North”
• Saint Petersburg: Excursion to the Cathedral on Spilled Blood
• Saint Petersburg: Peter-and-Paul Fortress
• Saint Petersburg: Visit Zayachiy Island
• Saint Petersburg: Excursion to St.Isaac Cathedral.
• Saint Petersburg: Excursion to Katherine Palace (Tsarskow Selo,
Pushkin)
• Saint Petersburg: Excursion to Hermitage
• Saint Petersburg: Folklore Performance “Feel yourself Russian” in
Nikolaevsky Palace with traditional fourchette.
• Saint Petersburg: Excursion to Petergof by hydrofoil “Meteor”.
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Accommodation: |
• 2 nights in double room in business class hotel in Petrozavodsk
• 1 night in double room in standard class hotel in Kem
• 1 night in double room in standard class hotel in Solovetsky
• 2 nights in double room in standard class hotel in Kandalaksha
• 1 night in double room in business class hotel in Kirovsk
• 2 nights in double room in business class hotel in Murmansk
• 2 nights in double room in business class hotel in Moscow
• 4 nights in double room in standard class hotel in
Saint-Petersburg |
Level: |
not applicable |
Group size:
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9–30 persons (international participation possible)
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Duration:
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21 days
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Dates:
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Dates on request from the second half of June up to the first half of
September>>
Click here!
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Price:
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Price includes:
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• Accommodation in hotels and trains
• All mentioned highlights
• First class train tickets: Saint-Petersburg – Petrozavodsk, Kem – Kandalaksha
• First class train tickets: Murmansk – Moscow, Moscow – St.
Petersburg
• Restaurant lunches – 8
• Restaurant dinners – 13
• Lunch in refectory – 1
• Picnic baskets – 3
• Shashlyk lunches – 2
• Lappish Lunch – 1
• Farewell party – 1
• Dinner in restaurant with possibility for Bowling – 1
• Dinner in Nikolaevski Palace - 1
• Transfers by bus: Petrozavodsk – Sortavala – Petrozavodsk –
waterfall Kivach – Mar’s Waters Resort – Belomorsk – Kem.
• Transfers by bus: Kandalaksha – Umba – Kirovsk – Lovozero –
Murmansk
• Guide and interpreting services
• Visa invitation.
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Additional:
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• Bed clothes for the trains (~ EUR 1,50
per person per transfer).
• The travel from home to Saint Petersburg
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Documents
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Passport must be valid at least 3 months after date of return. A visa is required. We handle the tourist invitation.
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Insurance:
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The participant must possess medical insurance that at very least covers the European part of the Russian Federation.
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Program Overview Train holidays: |
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Code |
Name |
Days |
Group |
Data (dd.mm.yy) |
Activity |
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The Murmansk Express.
Travel individually from Saint Petersburg through Karelia to Murmansk on top
of the Kola
Peninsula. |
15 |
From
1 |
Dates on request from the second half of June up to the first half of
September>>
Click here!
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Train
Culture
Excursions |
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Russian Metropolis Express.
Groups travel to the 'metropolis' of Russia; Moscow - Saint Petersburg and Murmansk. Full
of memorable excursions to the most beautiful places of Northwest Russia. |
21 |
9-30 |
Dates on request from the second half of June up to the first half of
September>>
Click here!
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Train
Culture
Excursions |
| Legend: |
Blue=departure dates,
Green=guaranteed departure dates,
Orange=some places free,
Red=fully booked |
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