Compare From Stockholm to Moscow by Europamundo Vacations

Day 1: Stockholm

Today’s Highlights: Arrival. Transfer to the hotel. Welcome to Europe!!!. On arrival at the airport we shall be waiting to transfer you to the hotel. You can enjoy free time until your tour starts, information about the meeting place and start time can be found on the information boards in the hotel reception area.

Day 2: Stockholm

Today’s Highlights: Sightseeing of Stokholm. We take a panoramic tour of this very beautiful capital city, built on 13 islands joined together. We will see the Gamla Stan or the “City Between the Bridges”, the old quarter of the city, full of life where there are many monumental buildings. Alongside the main square of Stortorget stands the Nobel Museum (which pays tribute to the winners of the Nobel Prizes), the Cathedral and the Royal Palace. We can also enjoy a pretty view from the Fjällgatan viewpoint. Then free time, we recommend visiting the museums and parks. Another possibility is to visit to the City Hall and to the Vasa Museum.

Day 3: Stockholm - Stockholm-Turku Ferry

Today’s Highlights: Ferry to Finland. Enjoy a free day of leisure in Stockholm. In the evening we will board a modern ferry traveling overnight to Finland, where accommodation will be in double cabins with private bathrooms.

Day 4: Stockholm-Turku Ferry - Naantali - Helsinki

Today’s Highlights: Forests, lakes, pleasant landscapes. As we arrive to Finland, we recommend that you go to the ship’s deck for sunrise, enjoy mesmerizing landscapes from the sea as we sail along Aland Islands, hundreds of islands covered by forests. We disembark the ferry and have time to walk around Turku, a city with a very strong Swedish influence. We continue our journey to the neighbouring city of Naantali, a very picturesque town with wooden houses next to the sea. We travel on until we arrive in Helsinki, reaching at lunchtime. In the afternoon enjoy leisure time; you will be able to explore the city, with its old market, buildings with Russian influence and churches.

Day 5: Helsinki - Helsinki-Tallinn Ferry - Tallinn

Today’s Highlights: Stage by the sea with beautiful landscapes on the way out of Helsinki. We enjoy a boat trip to Suomenlinna Islands, a group of islands where we can witness a great fortress that used to protect the sea entry to the city, it has been declared World Heritage. Take time to walk around, it is possible to cross the islands through small pedestrian bridges. Later we will board a ferry to Estonia. The ferry trip will be around 2 hours 30 minutes. During the departure from Helsinki you have great views of the surrounding islands. On to Tallinn!

Day 6: Tallinn

Today’s Highlights: city tour of Tallinn. Tallinn, the capital of Estonia is a wonderful city with a well-conserved medieval centre. We will enjoy a comprehensive tour of the city, its walls, churches, squares, and its medieval streets filled with tourist attractions. An afternoon at leisure.

Day 7: Tallinn - Narva - St. Petersburg

Today’s Highlight: From Estonia to Russia. Today we leave Estonia and travel to Russia. We stop in Narva with time to see the impressive fortress by the river, on the border between the two countries. Border procedures (which can sometimes take time), then we will take our included lunch once in Russia. We make our way to St Petersburg, arriving and going to the hotel.

Day 8: St. Petersburg

Today’s Highlight: Panoramic visit of St. Petersburg. Catherine Palace. With a local guide we begin the panoramic visit of this beautiful city crossed by the Neva River and built on 40 islands. St Petersburg is the second most important city in Russia and capital of the Russian Empire. This imperial city reveals the history of the Russian tsars through its museums, palaces, and architectural wealth. The visit includes the Peter and Paul Fortress (entrance included), origin of the city. The city is surrounded by numerous palaces. We take an excursion, with a guide and tickets, to the Catherine Palace which is located 25km from St Petersburg. It was the Tzars summer Rococo residence. Note: Depending on availability, Peterhof Palace may be visited instead of Catherine Palace. The Peterhof Palace, with very similar characteristics, was also a former residence of tsars.

Day 9: St. Petersburg

Today’s Highlight: Hermitage Museum. Today we have a visit to the Hermitage Museum, a fantastic art museum located in the building that was the Tsars’ Winter Palace (visit with guide and tickets). Enjoy a free afternoon at leisure.

Day 10: St. Petersburg - Novgorod - Valday - Tver

Today’s Highlight: Russian plain, woodlands and lakes. Novgorod. Dinner included. We continue our journey to Novgorod, an exciting city that was one of Russia’s most important political and cultural centres. We will visit its Kremlin (guide and entrance included), the former market district, the court of Yaroslav. Lunch included. Followed by a relaxing lunch. Then to Valday, a picturesque little city by a lake. We will visit the ancient monastery on an island in the lake before going on to Tver. Dinner included.

Day 11: Tver - Sergei Posad - Suzdal

Today’s Highlight: Along tiny roads to see the rural areas of Russia, passing many pretty villages on our way. Lunch included. We start the day with a stroll in Tver, a city on the banks of the Volga River that was the centre of a small state that was Moscow’s main rival. After this, we will see some of the cities of the Golden Ring. A brief stop in Klin where we find the house of the brilliant composer Tchaikovsky. Then we carry on to Sergiev Posad, where we will see the Monastery of the Trinity, considered Russia’s most important spiritual centre. Lunch included. In the afternoon, we travel along small roads that pass through historical cities of the Golden Ring; Alexandrov, with its Kremlin dedicated to Ivan the Terrible. Yuryev Polskiy, a small provincial city with its historical Kremlin. Our route continues to Suzdal, where we will visit the wooden Architecture Museum, which illustrates the former peasant life with houses built of trunks, mills and the Church of the Transfiguration. During dinner (included) enjoy a folkloric group who will accompany us with the sound of balalaikas (not included if there are fewer than 15 participants in the group).

Day 12: Suzdal - Vladimir - Moscow

Today’s Highlight: Sightseeing of Suzdal. Lunch included. In the morning we will see how the famous Matryoshka dolls are made and painted, and you will get an opportunity to learn how to paint them. Then we visit Suzdal, which for many is the most beautiful of the cities of the Golden Ring, with its canals, flowers, domes on the horizon, which give the city a fairytale-like appearance. We visit the city with a local guide and enter the Kremlin and the cathedral (tickets included),. At the Monastery of St Eugen we will hear the bell concert. After this, we travel to Vladimir, lunch included. Then we continue to Moscow, where we will arrive in the late afternoon.

Day 13: Moscow

Today’s Highlight: City tour of Moscow with entrances. We will start our day with an exciting visit to Russia’s huge capital city. This city unites past, present and future in a very unique way. We will visit the immense avenues, elegant shopping areas, the Red Square where Lenin’s Mausoleum is, Saint Basil’s Cathedral, the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. We will also enter the Kremlin with a visit to two of its main cathedrals. We will try (not guaranteed) to coincide with the ceremonial military parade in Sobornaya Square. Enjoy the afternoon at leisure.

Day 14: Moscow

Today’s Highlight: Viewpoint over Moscow. Great Patriotic War Museum. We will learn more about the history of Russia and its capital. We will pass by the university viewpoint, with its fantastic view over the city where newly married couples leave flowers (we could go to the viewpoint after Saturday’s visit instead of Sunday) and we will get to know (including entry) the Great Patriotic War Museum (World War II) that also shows us many aspects of the Soviet period. Free afternoon.

Day 15: Moscow

After breakfast, transfer to the airport and end of our services.