Moscow & St Petersburg for Solo Travellers
Holiday Highlights
- Spend three nights in the heart of Moscow
- Spend three nights in St Petersburg
- Enjoy a fascinating guided tour of the Russian capital
- Take in the Kremlin, St Basil's and the Bolshoi Theatre
- Enjoy a fascinating introductory tour of the exquisite 'Venice of the North'
- Visit the world-renowned Hermitage Museum
- Enjoy a vodka tasting in Moscow
What's Included
- Six nights' bed and breakfast accommodation at good-quality hotels in Moscow (3 nights) and St Petersburg (3)
- Tours of Moscow and St Petersburg
- Dinner on your first evening in Moscow, plus a vodka tasting
- Dinner on your first evening in St Petersburg
- A Welcome Drink on your first evening
- Return flights from your chosen airport to Moscow, returning from St Petersburg
- A daytime train journey from Moscow to St Petersburg
- Comfortable, air-conditioned coach travel and transfers
- Fully escorted by a friendly, experienced tour manager
Itinerary
Day 1
Fly to Moscow and transfer by coach to your hotel, your base for the next three nights. Rest and relax after the journey, and enjoy your first evening in the city. This evening, your tour manager will organise a Welcome Drink and a get-together before dinner is served at a local restaurant, where you'll also enjoy a vodka tasting.
Day 2
This morning our included coach tour will introduce Moscow's historic and geographic heart, where the Kremlin stands beside Red Square. See onion-domed St Basil's Cathedral, Lenin's eerie Mausoleum and the GUM (the former State Department Store and now a thriving shopping mall) all if which look out over the vast space. Other highlights may include Revolution Square, the newly rebuilt Cathedral of Christ the Saviour (one of the city’s most striking landmarks), the Bolshoi Theatre and the infamous Lubyanka the former headquarters of the KGB. This afternoon, an optional guided walking tour will reveal some of the secrets of the Kremlin, as you pass through the turreted walls and enter a fascinating enclave of imposing buildings like the Senate House and the Presidium, the vast State Kremlin Palace concert hall and the cathedrals of the Assumption, the Annunciation and the Archangel - the last containing the Tombs of the Tsars - on Sobornaya Square, which is also the site of the magnificent Ivan the Great Belltower, the Kremlin’s tallest structure. This evening, why not round off your day with dinner in the city? Moscow is crammed with restaurants offering many different styles of cuisine at prices to suit all budgets. Your tour manager will be on hand to suggest options today, and on any other day where lunch or dinner is not included.
Moscow and St Petersburg Touring Hotels
You will be staying in a series of hotels in Moscow and St Petersburg.
Holiday Inn Sokolniki, Moscow (nights 1-3)
Original Sokos Olympia Garden Hotel, St Petersburg (nights 4-6)
Passports and visas
Please note that visas are required for travel on this tour. The visa application process requires you to appear in person at the Russian embassy in either Edinburgh, Manchester or London. We will send you full application details, including your invitation letter, approximately eight weeks prior to your holiday. Please note that you can not obtain your visa until you have received your invitation letter from us. The cost of the visa is approximately £110 per person if obtained directly. The cost is approximately £187 per person if using the services of our preferred visa agency - CIBT. Passports must be valid for at least six months after the visa expiration date.
Foreign Office Travel Advice
Visit www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice to find out the latest Foreign And Commonwealth Office travel advice for your holiday destination, as well as information about passports and visas.
Hotel transfer times
The transfer time from the airport to your hotel is approximately one hour.
Combining hotel transfers
We sometimes need to combine transfers to and from your hotel. We always try to keep any wait to a minimum, but you may be asked to wait at the airport for up to an hour, while other incoming flights arrive, before the transfer to your hotel. Similarly, we may need to transfer you back to the airport up to three hours before your flight home departs.
Booking optional excursions
If you'd like to join any of the optional excursions on this tour, please be aware that they are only available in advance and that it will not be possible to book them once you arrive on holiday.
Special requirements
If you have notified us of any special requirements, please check that they have been noted and acknowledged. This is especially important with any dietary needs you may have.
Disabled access
The majority of our tours involve a certain amount of walking, including a short walk from the coach stop to the town, attraction or venue you're visiting. If you are bringing a wheelchair, please let us know at the time of booking so that appropriate arrangements can be made.
Itinerary changes
Occasionally, for operational reasons, we may have to change the order of the excursions on your holiday. This includes reversing the itinerary. The final day-by-day itinerary will be confirmed on your Final Travel Documents, which you will receive approximately three weeks prior to your departure.
Airport development fees
An Airport Development Fee has been introduced at a few UK Airports. You will be required to pay this charge at the following airports prior to checking in for your flight: Blackpool, Durham Tees Valley, Newquay and Norwich. The amount varies from airport to airport, but it is generally between £5 and £10 per person. Please visit the airport's website for further information.