Artistic Treasures of Russia

Group Tour
Moscow and St. Petersburg
May 16 - 25, 2008
June 6 - 15, 2008
July 4 - 13, 2008
September 5 - 14, 2008

Day 1, Friday
Arrive in Moscow, Russia
Airport transfer and accommodations at the Holiday Inn Hotel (4 stars)
Welcome dinner at the hotel

Day 2, Saturday
Morning:
City Tour of Moscow will include the main historic and artistic landmarks of the capital: Red Square, New Maiden Convent, Sparrow Hills, etc. We will admire the colorful domes of St. Basil Cathedral (according to the legend Ivan the Terrible had the architect blinded so that he might never again create a church of such splendor). You can take photos of the fantastic panorama of Moscow viewed from the Sparrow Hills (formerly Lenin Hills), and enjoy a drive in the streets of Russia's most cosmopolitan city.
Afternoon:
Tour of the State Tretiakov Gallery will be an opportunity to visit one of Russia's most respected art museums. The picture gallery was founded by wealthy Moscow merchants, the Tretiakov brothers. In 1892 the Tretiakovs, who were great patrons of art, bequeathed to the town of Moscow the Neo-Russian museum building and the largest collection of Russian art.
Today the State Tretiakov Gallery houses the best collection of Russian paintings (from 13th century icons to early 20th century avant-garde) in the world.
The main entrance hall of the gallery is clad from top to bottom in marble of various shades, while modern but stylish chandeliers bathe visitors in a spray of golden light.
The Tretiakov Gallery collection now features more than 100,000 works and is divided into several historical sections: old Russian art of the 11th-17th centuries, paintings from the 18th to early 20th century (about 7,000 works), some 1,000 sculptures of Russian masters, and a huge collection of post-revolutionary paintings.

Day 3, Sunday
Morning:
The Kremlin (and Kremlin Grounds) was Moscow's castle from which the great city developed. Churches and palaces here have long been of the greatest historical and cultural importance, and the Kremlin is still the seat of the President of Russia.
Imposing walls and watch towers witnessed the Time of Troubles (beginning of the 17th century), occupation by Napoleon's army (1812), the Bolshevik Revolution (1917), and many other crucial events in Russian history. Highlights of the tour will be stops at the Tsar Cannon (with a 5.3 meter long barrel) and the Tsar Bell. At 201,900kg it is the world's largest bell (in comparison, London's 'Big Ben' weighs only 13,700kg).
Afternoon:
Tour of the Treasury of the Tsars (The Armory Chamber Museum) and Diamond Collection of Kremlin - the oldest and one of the richest museums in Russia. We will have a unique opportunity to view masterpieces of Faberge, the Russian State Regalia, clothing of the Russian Tsars, European gold and silver of the 15th-19th centuries, a unique collection of Royal carriages, and hundreds of other artifacts inlaid with gold filigree and adorned with diamonds, emeralds, and rubies.
Evening:
Transfer to the train station and travel to St. Petersburg via 1st class overnight train.

Day 4, Monday
Morning:
Arrival in St. Petersburg, transfer to the Dostoevsky Hotel located down-town (3 stars), check-in and breakfast. Tour of St. Peter and St. Paul Fortress and Cathedral - the birthplace of St. Petersburg. The Fortress occupies the entire island, and was meant to secure the capital of Russia from the Swedes. We shall also visit the St. Peter & St. Paul Cathedral where the Russian Tsars starting from Peter the Great were buried. The slim, sharp spire of the Cathedral became the leitmotif of St. Petersburg.
Afternoon:
City tour of St. Petersburg shall introduce us to the former administrative center of Imperial Russia. St. Petersburg (formerly Leningrad) has an unsurpassed blend of Russian and Western European Architecture. Founded by Peter the Great in 1703 as "Sankt Peterburg," a forward military base exposed to Swedish attacks, the town became the capital of Russia as early as 1712.
For over 200 years St. Petersburg was the epicenter of Russia's politics. The imposing architecture reflects the city's significance - the fabulous sweep of the golden colored General Staff Headquarters, the sea-green Winter Palace, the Senate Square where stands one of the best known symbols of the city - the Bronze Horseman, and much more.
There shall be plenty of stops during the tour to videotape and photograph. In 2007 the city will look its best after several years of restorations preparing for its 300th Anniversary (celebrated in 2003) and G8 Meeting in 2006. Even if you have visited St. Petersburg before, you will not recognize it, for all the Imperial historic center now looks splendid and colorful.
Evening:
Gala dinner at a down-town restaurant

Day 5, Tuesday
Morning and Afternoon:
Tour to Peterhof - Lower Park with Fountains and the Grand Palace. Often called "the Russian Versailles", the Lower Park features over 170 fountains. This country residence of the Royal Family was built in the beginning of the 18th century to commemorate the victory of Russian army over the Swedes near Poltava (as symbolized by the highest fountain depicting Samson (21 meters).
Evening:
Theatre performance: ballet or opera

Day 6, Wednesday
Morning:
Tour of the State Hermitage Museum will go through the state rooms of the Winter Palace, the former residence of Russian Tsars, and the Picture Galleries of the Imperial Hermitage Museum.
The Hermitage was initially set up as a private picture gallery for Catherine the Great in the 18th century when the establishment of a royal picture gallery was seen as an affair of national importance in Western European countries. Such collection was needed to enhance the prestige of the Russian court and, after the acquisition of the first Dutch and Flemish canvases, both individual painting and whole private collections were bought. Today the Hermitage accommodates over 2,700,000 artifacts.
Majority of the picture collection is Western European, and most important names in European Art History are represented: Madonnas by Raphael and Leonardo, Judith by Giorgione, Rembrandt's Saskia as Flora, to name only a few of the more famous ones, as well as numerous Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works.
These treasures are set in magnificent surroundings - jasper, agate, marble and malachite adornments to the building provide a fabulous backdrop.
Afternoon:
Tour of the Prince Yusupov Palace - built in 1760's to the plans of Vallen de la Mothe, the building is famous both as the most ostentatious aristocratic residence of St. Petersburg, and as the place where in December of 1916 Rasputin was murdered by Prince Felix Yusupov. The majestic interiors of the palace are perfect settings for the artifacts exhibited. You will be thrilled by the display of the room with expressive wax figures showing the reproduced scene of Rasputin's murder.
Evening:
Picturesque ride in the rives and canals of St. Petersburg - our group will take one of the most spectacular trips in St. Petersburg and go by the city's numerous rivers and canals.
St. Petersburg is often referred to as 'the Venice of the North' for its over 90 waterways, 42 islands, and 300 bridges. This trip shall go past the most beautiful 19th century granite embankments, under uniquely ornamented bridges.

Day 7, Thursday
Morning:
Private visit to the Vaganova Ballet Academy; The Vaganova Ballet Academy of St. Petersburg, situated in a beautiful 19th century building with a majestic facade, is home of Mariinsky (Kirov) Theater. The famous School that graduated a galaxy of world-renowned dancers - Pavlova, Nijinsky, Balanchine, Nureyev, Baryshnikov, it still is probably the finest ballet school in the world, and offers superb classical training. Students of the Academy (ages 10-17) participate in the most famous ballets of Mariinsky (Kirov) Theater - "Nutcracker", "Cinderella", "Sleeping Beauty" side by side with prima-ballerinas, and after graduation join world's best ballet companies.
Afternoon:
Tour of St. Isaac's Cathedral - one of the city's premier landmarks. Built to the design of French architect August Monferan, it took 40 years to complete this majestic church visible from way out in the Gulf of Finland.
The Cathedral was dedicated to St. Isaac of Dalmatia, a Byzantine monk whose feast day fell on the birthday of Peter the Great (May 30). St. Isaac's Cathedral is famous not only for its Russian classical architecture and construction technology, but also for its interiors decorated with paintings, mosaics and sculptures of Russian and Italian masters.
Evening:
Folklore performance

Day 8, Friday
Morning:
Tour of the Church of Our Savior on the Spilled Blood. This spectacular Russian-style Church was built during 1883-1907 on the site where Emperor Alexander II was assassinated in March of 1881. The Church was closed for many years, and re-opened to public just recently after over 20 years of careful restoration. You will be impressed with both interior and exterior of this unique architectural creation decorated with mosaic masterpieces.
Afternoon:
Tour of the State Russian Museum. The handsome building of the State Russian Museum dominates the Square of Arts. Built for Prince Michael in the early 19th century the palace was converted by Nicholas the II of Russia into the "Russian Museum of Alexander the III" in memory of his father (the late Emperor had taken a great interest in Russian Art, and the new museum which opened its doors in 1898 was intended to be the national collection of such work).
The museum was expanded after 1917 through confiscation of rich private collections. The 300,000 artifacts of the Russian Museum provide a comprehensive view of Russian Art from Kievan times; they also give interesting insights into the Russian past.
Evening:
Theatre performance: ballet or opera

Day 9, Saturday
Morning:
Tour to Pushkin - Catherine's Palace. We will drive to the city of Pushkin, originally known as Tsarskoye Selo or the Royal Village, famous for its beautiful palaces and parks.
Our tour will go inside the world-famous baroque style Catherine's Palace, designed by architects Rastrelli and Cameron. This Palace is also the site of Russia's greatest post-WWII restoration projects. The interiors of the Palace are truly breathtaking - from the majestic grandeur of the Great Hall to the sumptuous Chinese Blue Drawing Room. Also very impressive are the works of art that adorn living quarters of the Palace. The sensation of 2003 was the opening of the world-famous 'Amber Room'. In the afternoon we will travel to Pavlovsk and visit Paul's Palace.
Evening:
Farewell Dinner at the hotel

Day 10, Sunday
Morning:
Transfer to the airport, departure from St. Petersburg.

TOUR PRICES (2008):
Standard Accommodations (double occupancy): $3,495 per person (Holiday Inn Hotel in Moscow - 4 stars; Dostoevsky Hotel in St. Petersburg - 3 stars)
Standard Single Supplement (hotels in Moscow & St. Petersburg and 1st class train from Moscow to St. Petersburg): please add $799

TOUR INCLUDES:
Hotel accommodations (double occupancy) in Moscow (Holiday Inn Hotel) and St. Petersburg (Dostoevsky Hotel), breakfasts daily, 3 dinners, airport and train station arrival and departure transfers, group transportation while in Russia, services of fully-licensed Executive English-speaking tour guides, 1st class overnight train from Moscow to St. Petersburg, sightseeing and cultural program (as listed above), museums entrance tickets, theatres entrance tickets and best seats available.