Our best Russia tour, with hotels and treatment fit for a Tsar. Enjoy the services of an expert guide with a private vehicle and driver, providing interpretation and insights at your own pace. Start with an exploration of the Kremlin and Red Square, Lenin's tomb, Church of the Intercessor, the Armory, Diamond Fund and more. Continue your tour in Moscow and visit Novodevichi Monastery and Tretyakov Gallery. Enjoy a cruise on Moskva River (optional) before boarding the Grand Express train in your private cabin with two beds. In St. Petersburg, drive with your guide along the world famous "Nevsky Prospect" lined with marble palaces of Russian royalty and aristocracy. Explore the Hermitage Museum, one of the largest museums in the world. Enjoy a visit to St. Peter and St. Paul's fortress, St. Isaac Cathedral, Pushkin and Pavlovsk, and more. Total luxury with the comfort of local support, transfers and the flexibility of starting whenever you want. All these with your private English Speaking Guide and driver. NOTE* Drivers in Russia don't speak English.

Enjoy a private transfer with private vehicle, driver and assistance. A welcome package with your vouchers, a city map, train tickets (if relevant) and any other touristic information that you may find useful will be waiting for you upon your arrival at your first hotel on your trip. We will provide you with a letter of Invitation for your Russian Visa. Once payment has been received, the letter along with other important documents will be sent to you. Start at the Kremlin, the center of Russia´s political life and State power. The famous Red Square starts outside the Kremlin´s walls. View the panorama of the Kremlin from the Sophiiskaya Embankment, Lubyanka Square, Tverskaya Street, The White House of Russia and Victory Park, view of St. Basil Cathedrals, Lenin Mausoleum, Alexabdrovsky Garden, Manezh Square and shopping. No entrance fees included. Kensington Tours donates a portion of proceeds to our charitable initiative www.kensingtoncares.com which supports education-based initiatives in disadvantaged communities. Enjoy dinner at leisure (not included in tour price).

Le Royal Meridien National (5*) is uniquely located just off the Red Square in the very heart of the historical, cultural and business center of Moscow. Its spacious rooms and breathtaking views over the Kremlin has made the National famous worldwide, attracting presidents, royalties and celebrities among the guests. Dine at Moskovsky restaurant, which is considered the best hotel restaurant in Moscow. Its aristocratic Russian and European cuisine, enchanting historical ambience as well as breathtaking panoramic view over the Kremlin make dining truly unforgettable. As an official member of the “Leading Hotels of the World”, The National combines historical ambience, up-to-date convenience and top-notch service with genuine Russian hospitality.

The focal point of Moscow is Red Square, on one side of which is the Kremlin surrounded by a thick red fortress wall containing 20 towers altogether. There a several gorgeous buildings in the square including the Uspensky Cathedral which contains three of the oldest Russian icons, and where the tsars were crowned, the 14th-century Grand Kremlin Palace, the golden-domed Belfry of Ivan the Great, and St Basil’s Cathedral famous for its brightly colored domes. The Blagoveshchensky (Annunciation) Cathedral was built for Ivan III and is extravagantly decorated, from its copper domes to its agate- and jasper-tiled floors. Our Lady of Kazan Cathedral has recently been reconstructed and rededicated. Lenin’s Mausoleum is still open to the public on certain days. Outside Red Square, Tverskaya Street is one of the main shopping streets. Arbat Street is the main thoroughfare of a traditionally bohemian quarter. Today it is a pedestrian zone with crafts and artists’ stalls and street performers. The area known as Kitai-Gorod lies east of the Kremlin, and is notable for its 16th- and 17th-century churches, especially the five-domed Cathedral of the Sign, with its amazing acoustic properties. The world-famous Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theater at Teatralnaya Square dates from 1824. Novodevichy Convent near Sportivnaya metro station houses a museum of rare and ancient Russian art, and is one of the finest examples of 16th- and 17th-century architecture in the city. One of the most popular new, but macabre attractions is the KGB Museum housed in the sinister Lubyanka building.

Tour the Kremlin, the city´s former military fortification, a palace, an armoury, the sovereign treasury and the workplace of the Russian President. The Kremlin is the center of Russia´s political life and State power. The Armoury Palace features weaponry, imperial regalia and unique art. Visit the impressive Diamond Fund, where the exhibits include the great imperial crown of gold, silver, diamonds and pearls made for the coronation of Empress Catherine XI (Entrance fees are included). If accommodation is outside city, meeting with guide will be in front of Kremlin entrance. The Moscow Metro is one of the largest and most grandly built metro systems in the world. It was meant to be a showcase of the Soviet Union´s achievements both for the Russians and foreign visitors. The stations are all uniquely designed with decorative elements including mosaics, statues, marble floors, walls and staircases to name a few. Each station has a unique decorative motive utilizing semi-precious stones and sculptures. The tour will proceed to bohemian Old Arbat street. Learn about the street´s interesting history and enjoy it's artisan culture and the street´s many craftsman and souvenir stalls. Entrance to the Metro station is included in the price. For hotels outside the city center, guest must meet guide at entrance to Metro. Overnight at Le Royal Meridien National (5*).

Novodevichy Convent was founded at the beginning of 16th century. The complex consists of 15 buildings, surmounted by golden domes. For 400 years the Novodevichy Convent was part of important historical events, connected with the names of Ivan the Terrible, Boris Godunov, Sofia and Peter I. For several years, it was even used as a place of imprisonment for disgraced women from noble families. Visit the interesting cemetery, a charming sight, rich in the spirit of the past, hidden behind a wall in the Twentieth century inner city. Visit the Tretyakov Gallery, the largest museum of Russian art in the world. The museum represents the history of Russian art from the ancient periods. Its superb collection consists of numerous icons, paintings, sculptures and graphics. Entrance fees to the Monastery and Gallery are included in the tour price. Enjoy a train station transfer with private vehicle/driver and guide. Enjoy dinner at leisure (not included in tour price).

The Grand Express is currently changing the standards of overnight railway travel. 'Grand Express' truly is a hotel on wheels and offers guests spacious sleeping carriages with a full set of amenities one would expect from a high quality hotel. The train also offers Grand de Luxe class carriages with comfortable and functional interiors and exquisite service. The restaurant is open from departure to arrival and serves hot and cold snacks, European and Eastern inspired dishes, as well as a selection of wines and drinks. Breakfast is also available. Combine your travels with a good night’s sleep, and arrive to St. Petersburg rested and ready for discovery.

Take a panoramic tour and get acquainted with the main architectural and historical monuments of St Petersburg, ride along its main streets and prospects, and enjoy its splendid parks and gardens. Drive along world famous "Nevsky Prospect" lined with marble palaces of Russian royalty and aristocracy, with most fashionable boutiques and art salons arranged in old settings of the 18th century, the Monastery of Alexander Nevsky, one of four Russia’s Lavras with its magnificent Trinity Cathedral and its cemetery where Dostoevsky, Tchaikovsky and other world celebrities were buried. along the Neva’s embankments, view the Hermitage Museum, St. Peter and St. Paul's fortress, the first public museum of the country, the Chamber of Curiosities, St. Isaac Cathedral with «The Bronze Horseman» unveiled in Senate Square. Stop in the Field of Mars with the eternal flame lit in the centre of the monument to victims of revolutions and wars, at the Resurrection Cathedral on the Spilt Blood.Drive through the Square of Arts which is a perfect classical ensemble of the city, enjoy an overwhelming beauty of the third largest square in the world, the Palace Square with the Alexander Column, the Triumphal Arch of the general Staff building, and the Winter Palace complex. The tour starts and ends in your hotel. This is a panoramic tour with photostops and doesn't includes any entrance fees. Enjoy lunch at leisure (not included in tour price). Enjoy dinner at leisure (not included in tour price).

Positioned on Nevsky Prospekt, St Petersburg's most splendid avenue, Grand Hotel Europe (5*) is surrounded by some of the world's greatest cultural treasures, including the Russian Museum and Mussorgsky Theatre Grand Hotel Europe. Discerning travelers are charmed by the hotel's warm Russian hospitality, impressive architecture and exceptional service. The Hotel offers spacious, tastefully decorated accommodations with antique furniture and period touches, but also incorporates all the comforts a modern traveler needs. The hotel has a wide range of dining options, including its own chocolate factory. The Grand Hotel Europe offers its guests gracious elegance and luxurious comfort, such as in the era of the Tsars.

St Petersburg is known as a cultural center and for its elegant buildings, the city is spread over 42 islands in the delta of the River Neva. In comparison to Moscow, which tended to be more Eastern in character, St Petersburg has always retained a European flavor and was intended as a ‘Window to the West’. It was built by Peter the Great in 1703 and remained the capital of Tsarist Russia for 200 years. Wide boulevards, tranquil canals, bridges and some of the best examples of tsarist architecture gave rise to the epithet the ‘Venice of the North’. The Palace Square and the Winter Palace are among the most popular attractions for enthusiasts of Russian history. The Museum of the History of the City gives a comprehensive picture of St Petersburg’s history. While exploring the city the visitor will inevitably see the Alexandrovskaya Column and St Isaac’s Cathedral -one of the biggest dome buildings of the world. Also worth a visit is the St Peter and Paul Fortress, a former prison that is now a popular museum. The grand Nevsky Prospekt, dominated by the spire of the Admiralty Building, is one of the city’s main thoroughfares and is lined by opulent buildings. Outskirts - There are a collection of spectacular estates outside the city collectively known as the Summer Palaces. Petrodvorets is a former summer palace of Tsar Peter the Great and is known for its beautiful cascades and fountains. The tsar designed the initial plan which was intended to rival Versailles. Oranienbaum, the Grand Catherine Palace at Tsarskoye Selo, and Pavlovsk are other stunning estates.

Enjoy the excursion to one of the most beautiful summer residences of the Royal family, Peterhof. The world-famous palace, fountain and park is an outstanding landmark of Russian artistic culture of the 18th-19th centuries. Learn from your private guide about the fate of the palace and the parks during the World War II, see the pictures representing the palace and in process of restoration works. Walk through the various fountains of different sizes and shapes in the lower Park, and admire the beautiful gardens. Continue with Yusupov Palace, one of the most mysterious places in St. Petersburg. Yusupov Palace once belonging to princes Yusupovs noble family is one of the most beautiful palaces in St. Petersburg. Princes Yusupovs had always been in the center of high life. The palace retains its genuine interiors of the 19th century. The cellar of the palace became the setting of the murder of one of the most scandalous figures in Russian history -Grigory Rasputin. The legendary favourite of the wife of Emperor Nicolas II, Rasputin convinced the royal family that he possessed supernatural powers and that only he could cure the heir to the throne Alexis, who suffered from haemophilia. Rasputin had strong influence on the decisions of the tsar and tsarina. Nowadays the cellar houses an exhibition about the life of Grigory Rasputin. Enjoy lunch at leisure (not included in tour price). Choose between one of the various entertainment options St. Petersburgh has to offer: performances at the Marinsky theater, folklore show in Nikolaevskey palace, a show at the famous Circus, or a river cruise, combined with a folklore show (not included in tour price). Overnight at Grand Hotel Europe (5*).

Enjoy a guided tour of the Hermitage and admire the gems of the collection. During the tour you will see the State Rooms of the Winter Palace, a part of the collection of paintings of Old Masters and other exciting exhibits and works of art. Value the splendour of the Gala stair-way, Peter's Memorial Hall, the Armorial Hall, the Gallery of 1812 with its numerous portraits, the Pavilion Hall and its various amusements and other gala rooms. You will enjoy the works of applied arts, precious items and paintings. The collection of Western European art, numbering over 600,000 items, is considered to be one of the finest in the world. It presents all the stages of the development of art from the Middle Ages to the present. Enjoy masterpieces by outstanding Western European artists, as Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Giorgione, Titian, Michelangelo, Francisco de Goya, Renoir, Picasso and others. You will have an opportunity to see such world-famous masterpieces as works by Degas, Renoir, Pissarro, Van Gogh, Gauguin and others. Admire the richest collection of ancient and early medieval items, works of art from Ancient Greece and Rome, fabulous treasures of oriental culture and wonderful European art. Entrance fee to Hermitage Museum is included in the tour price. Enjoy lunch at leisure (not included in tour price). Enjoy dinner at leisure (not included in tour price). Overnight at Grand Hotel Europe (5*).

Take a full day tour to Pushkin, originally named Tsarskoe Selo (Tsar's Village), famous for the marvelous Catherine Palace and park. The town, also known as Pushkin, in honour of the great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin, was the main summer residence of the royal family. The collection of the palace includes a large number of precious works of art, such as furniture, porcelain, statues, canvases, including personal belongings of Russian emperors and members of their families. Visit one of the most remarkable interiors of Catherine Palace, the Amber Room. Your private guide will tell the story of the Catherine Palace's construction, and will get to know about the tragic moments in the palace's history, connected with the Nazi occupation during the World War II. Continue to Pavlovsk, site of the only fully-restored former imperial palace following the Nazi’s ravage. The palace-and-park ensemble was presented by the Russian empress Catherine the Great to her son Paul on the occasion of the birth of his first son, Alexander. The palace's Greek Hall is adorned with green Corinthian columns making the ballroom the most elegant interior of the Palace in Pavlovsk. The park of Pavlovsk is the largest park in Russia with ponds, valleys, waterfalls and various statues laid out at the end of the 18th century. Entrance fees are included in the tour price. Enjoy lunch at leisure (not included in tour price). Enjoy dinner at leisure (not included in tour price). Overnight at Grand Hotel Europe (5*).

Enjoy a private airport transfer with vehicle, driver and assistance.

Depart from St. Petersburg international airport - end of itinerary.