Russia

Itinerary

• Days 1-3: Touring Moscow (Russia)

  After meeting your guide at the hotel, begin your tour with a panoramic view of the city from Sparrow Hills, and then visit two major sights nearby: UNESCO-listed Novodevichy Convent and Poklonnaya Gora. The following day, make a stop at Lenin’s tomb before descending into the Moscow Metro to explore several of its most ornate stations. Emerge above ground at VDNKh, a group of lavish Soviet-era pavilions dedicated to achievements of the USSR; there, visit the Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics. End the afternoon at Izmailovo Market, the best place in the city to find souvenirs and crafts, and a great spot for people-watching. For dinner, learn the meaning of Russian hospitality with a meal in the home of a local family.

  HIGHLIGHTS

  • Novodevichy Convent, a showcase of Russian baroque architecture with a cemetery holding the graves of Russian luminaries including Gogol, Chekhov, Khrushchev, and Yeltsin
  • Poklonnaya Gora (Hill of Homage), home to a major complex of WWII memorials, and the site where Napoleon stood with his troops in 1812 while waiting to receive the keys to the city
  • The carefully embalmed body of Soviet founding father Vladimir Lenin, occupying a place of reverence on Red Square
  • The extravagantly decorated stations of the Moscow Metro
  • Monumental Soviet-era architecture at VDNKh
  • The retro space-age feel of the Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics, filled with rockets, landing capsules, and other artifacts of space exploration
  • People-watching at Izmailovo Market
  • A home-cooked dinner with a Muscovite family
• Day 4: Red Square

  This day is dedicated to the heart of the city, Red Square, and the sights that surround it. You’ll examine the domes of Russia’s most famous church, St. Basil’s Cathedral; explore the massive Kremlin, the center of Russian politics; tour the Armory Museum, a storehouse of national treasures; and browse through GUM, a historic shopping arcade. In the evening, attend a ballet or opera at one of Moscow’s renowned theaters.

  HIGHLIGHTS

  • The 850-year-old Kremlin and Red Square, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
  • The colorful domes of iconic St. Basil’s Cathedral
  • The treasures of the Armory Museum, from Faberge eggs to the ivory throne of Ivan the Terrible
  • Shopping at the boutiques of GUM
  • A performance at one of Moscow’s renowned theaters
• Day 5: Day trip to Kolomenskoye

  Start the day with a trip outside the city to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Kolomenskoye. The 390-acre grounds, which include a former royal summer palace, serve as an architectural museum featuring historic buildings both native to the site and relocated from elsewhere in Russia. In the afternoon, return to the city to tour the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, the best collection of foreign art and antiques in Moscow.

  HIGHLIGHTS

  • Kolomenskoye Museum Preserve’s pretty, park-like grounds and its beautiful buildings, displaying a variety of Russian architectural styles
  • The Pushkin Museum’s especially strong collections of ancient artifacts and Dutch masters
• Days 6-7: More Moscow sights

  On your final full day, visit three more distinctive Moscow sights. At the Tretyakov Gallery, tour a collection that encompasses the history of Russian art from the 11th century to the present. Learn secrets of
  the past at Stalin’s underground bunker, buried 200 feet below the city. And take a leisurely stroll along Moscow’s most famous street, Arbat, today an artsy hangout lined with craft stands and street performers. The itinerary ends the next morning with a transfer to the airport – or with further MIR touring (see “Stay a Little Longer …” below).

  HIGHLIGHTS

  • The world-class collection of Russian art at Tretyakov Gallery
  • Stalin’s Bunker (Bunker 42), an abandoned relic of the Cold War built to withstand a nuclear attack