This tour is specially designed for people wishing to relax and enjoy the jewels of Russian culture whilst learning from your art teacher and guide how to and appreciate what Russia holds dear. Her palaces and cathedrals and incredibly beautiful art collections span centuries. From ancient icons right through to the most wonderful examples of impressionist and post-impressionist work, some argue the best in the world are all just dazzling.

Touring both of the capitals Moscow and St Petersburg in a fully guided and intimate tour group, you will see and experience the rich art masterpieces, in museums and some in private collections in ease and comfort. The onion topped cathedrals in Moscow, the Kremlins magnificent buildings, the exclusive Diamond vaults housing Catherine the Greats jewels and the museums! In St Petersburg you will spend your days at the Hermitage one of the oldest Russian royal residences now a magnificent art gallery, and the European-style Winter Palace. Now a museum complex, the art and architecture of the Hermitage is breathtaking with ornate and baroque rooms made of gold and malachite.

Outbound Flights

am: walking tour through Red Square to St. Basil’s Cathedral and the Kremlin entrance.

our guide will take you to the renovated Tretyakov Gallery, the acclaimed museum housing some of the most priceless artwork ever to be produced in Russia.The Department of Icons, houses some of the most remarkable artworks in the world. Handed over to the Gallery from the Cathedral of the Assumption was the icon The Virgin of Vladimir. Painted in Byzantiiim in the 12th century the icon was brought to Kiev from Constantinople. Kept at first among the ti easiness of the Grand Ducal residence of Vyshgorod near Kiev, the icon was brought secretly by Prince Andrei Bogoliubsky to the city of Vladimir in 1115. The icon was given the name of Vladimir and was regarded as the guardian of the Vladimir-Suzdal Principality. With the rise of the Moscow Principality in the 15th century the icon was moved to Moscow's Kremlin and began to be revered as the palladium of the Russian state.

Another icon handed to the Gallery, The Virgirn, of the Don, is ascribed to Theophanes the Greek. According to legend the icon was with Dmitry Donskoi at the battle on Kulikovo Field in 1380. It was regarded as having helped to bring about success on the battlefield. Ivan IV the Terrible prayed before the icon when setting out against Kazan in 1552. It was with Russian troops when they repelled the last raid of the Crimean Tatars on Moscow in 1599.

Another outstanding work by Theophanes the Greek is The Dominion, painted on the reverse of the icon of The Virgin of the Don. The dramatic lamentation in The Dormition's parting scene is of tremendous force.

Also in the Department of Russian Icons one can see the famous Old Testament Trinity, the only work, authentically attributed to Andrei Rubliov. Its subject is borrowed from the Old Testament legend of the appearance of God to Abraham and Sarah in the images of weary angels who asked for shelter. Rubliov depicted the three angels as an embodiment of'the concept of spiritual perfection. The Old Testament Trinity was considered to be the main icon of the Trinity Sergius Monastery at Zagorsk; the chronicles certify that Andrei Rubliov was its author (like all icon-painters of his time, Rubliov never signed his works). Evening at the Bolshoy Theatre (schedule permitting).
Meals: B

This morning we will visit The Pushkin Art Museum. Opened in 1912, the Pushkin Fine Arts Museum possesses a collection of European art second in Russia to only St. Petersburg's Hermitage. Much of the strength of the collection is in Impressionist and Post-Impressionist painting, a result of the oft-forgotten fact that such works gained an appreciative audience in Russia long before they captured the imagination of collectors further west. Manet's Dejeuner sur l'herbe resides here, as do Renoir's Bathing in the Seine, a host of fine works by Van Gogh and Matisse, and an entire gallery of Gauguins.

The State Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow, Russia, is one of the world’s great museums of European art. With more than 500,000 works of art dating from ancient times to the mid-twentieth century, the museum is renowned for its extensive holdings of Dutch, Flemish, Italian, and especially French paintings.

Dinner and transfer to the railway station.

Embark on an overnight trip into the magical St Petersburg.. (We will keep 2 rooms at our hotel in Moscow for a late check out). Meals: B, L, D

On the way to the hotel a city tour of the Venice of the North. Bus tour will take us to a number of major sights, such as the Smolny Cathedral, en route to the Peter and Paul Fortress. Here we will visit the Cathedral and see the tombs of the Imperial Tzars, the prison where so many political prisoners were held, and a print workshop.

pm: we will enjoy a tour of the opulent Yusupov Palace on the banks of the Moika Canal. This enormous and ornate palace was the family home of one of Russia’s richest noble families, but most famous for the sight of Rasputin’s murder by Prince Yusupov.

 Free time, until dinner at a local restaurant. Meals: B, L

Today’s visit to the Hermitage Museum will take us to another world- the tsars’ Winter Palace with its collection of the world’s finest art. Our guide will escort us through the main section of the museum, including the Imperial living quarters, the famous Malachite Room and beyond. We will then have time to explore on our own.

The State Hermitage occupies six magnificent buildings situated along the embankment of the River Neva, right in the heart of St Petersburg. The leading role in this unique architectural ensemble is played by the Winter Palace, the residence of the Russian tsars that was built to the design of Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli in 1754-62.

Put together throughout two centuries and a half, the Hermitage collections of works of art (over 3,000,000 items) present the development of the world culture and art from the Stone Age to the 20th century. It includes works by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian, unique collections of Rembrandt, Rubens, French Impressionists (Renoir, Cezanne, Manet, Monet, Pissarro), plus Van Gogh, Matisse, Gaugin and sculptures by Rodin. The collection is huge and very exciting. They say that "you can be absorbed for days in its treasures and still come out wishing for more".

The main building of the Hermitage Museum is the Winter Palace which was once the main residence of the Russian Tzars. Magnificently located on the bank of the Neva River, this green-and-white Baroque-style three-storey palace is truly impressive. It has 1786 doors, 1945 windows and 1057 halls and rooms, many of which are open to the public. The Baroque Winter Palace was built in 1754-62 and Catherine the Great was the first monarch to live there. Many of the impressive interiors have been remodelled after the huge fire of 1837. Some of the best Russian and foreign architects worked hard to make this residence of the Russian Tzars one of the world's most luxurious palaces.

Meals: B, D

This morning we will travel into the Russian countryside to visit the elegant Pavlovsk Palace. Designed by Cameron, Pavlovsk is one of the most refined palaces in all of Europe. (Note: We highly recommend reading Suzanne Massie’s Pavlovsk before you embark on this excursion. It will enrich the experience.) Later we will tour the grand Catherine Palace in Tsarskoe Selo (the Tsar’s Village). Bolshoy Catherine Palace is a remarkable example of Russian baroque architecture.

The leading role in design of the palace belongs to Italian architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli, who by 1756 created an architectural masterpiece, which the delighted Empress Elizabeth named after her mother, Catherine I. In latter 18C some baroque interiors with opulent mouldings and abundance of gold were replaced with rooms designed in more discreet classical style, preferred by Catherine the Great. Like the honoured guests of the Russian tsars, the nowadays visitors can also admire the full splendour of the palace interiors. Many restored rooms are open for public and contain objects of applied art, fine furniture, Russian and European paintings, and unique collections of porcelain, amber, weaponry, artistic bronze and sculpture.

Meals: B, L

This morning we will visit the Russian Museum. The State Russian Museum is the world's largest museum of Russian art. It is located in the very centre of St Petersburg, just of the city's central magisterial, Nevsky Prospekt. The museum is housed in the former Mikhailovsky Palace, a stunning monument of Empire architecture.

The collection of the Russian Museum numbers some 400,000 works and covers the entire history of Russian fine art from the tenth century to the present day. It reflects virtually every form and genre of art in Russia, including a unique collection of Old Russian icons, works of painting, graphic art and sculpture, decorative and applied art, folk art and numismatics, as well as the world's finest collection of Russian avant-garde.

The exposition of the Museum opens with the Ancient Russian painting department, where the visitors can see the icons by Andrei Rublev, Dionisiy, Simon Ushakov, as well as by unknown masters of Novgorodian and other schools of Russian icon painting. The department of the art of the 18th century presents marvellous portraits by A. Antropov, F. Rokotov, D. Levitsky, V. Borovikovsky. The department also features sculptural works by B. Rastrelli, F. Shubin, M. Kozlovsky, monumental canvases by A. Losenko. The museum contains an interesting collection of works of the first half of the 19th century. Among them there is "The Last Day of Pompeii" by K. Brullov, "The Brazen Serpent" by F. Bruni, "The Tidal Wave" by I. Aivazovsky.

Midday departure to Petrodvorets via hydrofoil (weather permitting) and its countless fountains and gardens. Founded by Peter the Great, this palace is often called the Russian Versailles due to its extraordinary fountains and gardens. We’ll enjoy lunch on the palace grounds before visiting the rarely-seen Chinese Pavilion of Oranienbaum, if open (this palace is weather-dependent).

pm: Chance of an evening at the Opera, Ballet or Symphony Performance at the Mariinsky Theater.

Meals: B, L

Inbound Flights