Compare The Grand Capitals of Russia by Mercury Holidays

Day 1: UK to Moscow

Depart London on your scheduled flight to Moscow, where you will be met by a local guide and transferred to your hotel.

Dinner

Day 2: Moscow

After breakfast, embark on a fascinating guided tour of some of the highlights of Russia's bustling and colorful capital. You'll start with an enchanting tour of the 'Palaces of the People'; also know as Moscow's metro system. Built in the 1930s as a tribute to the Soviet state, you'll find stations that have more in common with museums and art galleries than train stations. Chandeliers hang from exquisitely painted ceilings, beautiful mosaics and paintings trimmed in gold adorn station walls and intricately carved statues guard walkways between trains. You'll emerge from this subterranean wonder at the entrance to Red Square. Enclosed on all four sides by impressive Tsarist architecture, Red Square is Moscow's spiritual, historical and geographical heart and its skyline is so well known you'll swear you've been here before. Clearly visible from the square is the magnificent St Basils Cathedral with its brightly colored onion domes, commissioned by Ivan the Terrible in the 16th Century. On the north-eastern side of the square opposite the Kremlin, you'll find the GUM. Built as a neoclassical shopping arcade in the time of Catherine the Great, it became the State Department Store for the former Soviet Union. Nowadays it houses a variety of designer boutiques and its glass roof and classical style have been compared to that of the famous Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan. Your tour guide will then take you to the heart of the Kremlin. Built as a fortress in the 11th Century, it's current fortifications were built in the late 15th Century and housed dukes, grand princes and queens until the Russian revolution in 1918 when Lenin made it his headquarters. Today it is still the official residence of the President and the Russian government. Despite its prominence in more recent history it still houses a fine collection of historic monuments including four cathedrals, five palaces and the largest bell in the world.

Breakfast

Day 3: Moscow

This morning you?ll, visit the world-famous Tretyakov Gallery, home to an outstanding collection of Russian art from the last thousand years, encompassing more than 170,000 works by Russian artists. The rest of the day is at leisure to explore this captivating city at your own pace. Barter for Soviet memorabilia at Izmaylovo Market; admire the red-brick palace of the State Historical Museum; explore Moscow's green spaces with a stroll in Gorky Park or Patriarch's Ponds or take in some high culture at The Bolshoi ballet.

Breakfast & Dinner

Day 4: Moscow to St Petersburg

After a morning at leisure, you'll depart for Leningradsky rail station where you'll board the high-speed Sapsan train to St Petersburg. Train travel is a way of life in Russia and its newest player was built with comfort in mind, allowing you to sit back, relax and watch the green, Russian landscape fly past your window. You'll be met on arrival at Moskovsky railway station and transferred to your hotel.

Breakfast & Dinner

Day 5: St Petersburg

Built from nothing on reclaimed swampland, St Petersburg was constructed by 18th Century tsar Peter the Great in an attempt to emulate Western European elegance in a display of Russia's growing status in the world. Today, you'll take a tour of the city and experience its imperial grandeur first hand, with an up-close look at its opulent palaces and remarkable cathedrals. One of the artistic and cultural highlights of St Petersburg, and arguably Europe, is the Hermitage. Set in the Winter Palace, the lavish former royal residence, the Hermitage houses an outstanding collection of treasures and works of art encompassing everything from Picassos to ancient Scythian gold. Afterward, you'll make the short hop across the Neva River to the Peter and Paul Fortress on Zayachy Island. St Petersburg's first structure and thus considered the birthplace of the city, this fortress never served in its defensive function, regardless it has a rich history as a military base, the burial ground of the Russian Imperial family and forbidding jail for Russia's political prisoners. Today it lives on as a fascinating history museum and is home to the stunning Peter and Paul Cathedral and the tombs of every Romanov monarch from Peter the Great onwards, excluding a few. The Panorama roof walk gives excellent views across the river to the Winter Palace and the city beyond. Your evening is at leisure to explore this beautiful city by twilight.

Breakfast

Day 6: St Petersburg and Pushkin

This morning you'll leave St Petersburg for the small, leafy town of Pushkin, home to the prized Catherine Palace, built for Catherine the Great in the 18th Century. Modeled on the palaces of Versailles and Vienna it screams opulence with its vast manicured gardens and intricate gold leaf decor. After returning from Pushkin the rest of your day is at leisure. Take a stroll down Nevsky Prospekt, the city's backbone and heart for three hundred years to admire the remarkable imperial architecture, wonder at vivid onion-domed cathedrals or wander the fountains, pavilions, and sculptures of Peter the Great's delightful Summer Garden. Before your farewell dinner enjoy a trip to the Vodka Museum where you can sample three vodkas and three snacks of your choice.

Breakfast & Dinner

Day 7: St Petersburg to London

After breakfast, you'll be transferred to the airport for your return flight to London.

Breakfast