Moscow & St. Petersburg - New Year Special
DAY 01 ISTANBUL AIRPORT – MOSCOW
We meet our valued guests at 05:35 at the international departures terminal of Istanbul New Airport and, after baggage and check-in procedures, depart for Moscow at 08:30 on Turkish Airlines flight TK 413. Upon arrival in Moscow at 12:30 and being met at the airport, we proceed by private vehicle for the “Moscow Panoramic City Tour.” On our panoramic Moscow city tour, the places we will see include the historic center that has witnessed political and social upheavals, Red Square; the colorful onion-domed St. Basil’s Cathedral; the Kremlin Palace; the Bolshoi Theater; Tverskaya Street; Gorky Park; Novodevichy Monastery; Swan Lake; Luzhniki Stadium; Sparrow Hills; and finally Moscow University, all seen panoramically. At the end of our tour, transfer to our hotel and free time. Guests who wish may join the optional “Russian Folk Dance Show Tour.” The National Dance and Music Ensemble, one of Russia’s most important groups with a large cast, offers the audience a magnificent spectacle by bringing together music, dance, and theater from classical dances to modern ballet, reflecting Russia’s life from past to present. During the program, we will also see Russian history and watch local dances of the different ethnic groups living in the country. After the tour, transfer to our hotel. Overnight at our hotel.
DAY 02 MOSCOW
After breakfast at the hotel, free time. Guests who wish may join the optional “Kremlin Palace & Moscow Metro & Arbat & Nazım Hikmet’s Grave Tour.” The Kremlin, where Russian President Vladimir Putin also has his working office, contains the Cathedral of the Dormition, considered Moscow’s most important church since the 14th century, as well as the world’s largest bell. We will continue our tour by Moscow Metro. Started by Stalin in 1931, the Moscow Metro is generally considered the most beautiful metro in the world in terms of interior architecture and decoration, although today it is compared in size with the metro systems of New York, Paris, or London. Arbat Street, running through the center of Moscow, is a traffic-free road that everyone who comes to this city visits at least once and walks along with pleasure from end to end. Here you can browse colorful shop windows, taste the best examples of Russian and world cuisine, sit in stylish cafés that would not look out of place in Paris, and best of all, sit on a bench and watch the Russians who are lost in the flow of life. If you want to keep a souvenir of Moscow, this street is the right place. Then we continue our tour with Nazım Hikmet’s grave. We will depart from our hotel for the Novodevichy Monastery (where Nazım Hikmet’s grave is also located). One of Russia’s most important monasteries, Novodevichy was founded in 1524 and over time became the place where the stars of many prospective tsarinas faded. Although Napoleon ordered its destruction in 1812, the nuns managed to prevent this decision. Within the scope of the visit, we will visit Nazım Hikmet’s grave inside the monastery. After the tour, transfer to our hotel. Overnight at our hotel. In the evening, guests who wish may join the extra “New Year’s Dinner with Russian Entertainment” program organized by our guide. After the tour, return to the hotel. Overnight at our hotel in Moscow.
DAY 03 MOSCOW – ST. PETERSBURG (TRAIN JOURNEY)
After breakfast at the hotel, we check out of our rooms and transfer to the train station. After our train journey from Moscow to St. Petersburg, upon arrival we are met and depart by private vehicle for the “St. Petersburg Panoramic City Tour.” On this tour, we will have the opportunity to see the streets where the works of the world’s most famous architects and artists are displayed, as well as the city’s historical and touristic landmarks. Nevsky Prospect, Old Harbor Lighthouses, the Mint, Clock Tower, the Statue of Peter the Great, the Winter Palace, Palace Square, the Admiralty Building, and the Aurora Cruiser are among the places to be seen.
After the tour, transfer to our hotel and free time.
DAY 04 ST. PETERSBURG
After breakfast, free time. Guests who wish may join the optional “Hermitage, Peterhof and Canal Tours.” The Hermitage Museum, located beside the Neva River and containing approximately 4 million works from the Tsarist era, is one of the largest museums in the world and in Russia; because it has the largest collection of paintings, it is also listed in the Guinness Book of Records. At the end of the tour, guests who wish may join the Peterhof tour. In this tour, we will have the opportunity to see the summer palace located on the Gulf of Finland, which Peter had designed and then had the Italian architect Rastrelli build according to his plans. Its building rivaling Versailles in Paris, with 150 monumental fountains and gardens decorated with 4 waterfalls, is a magnificent palace complex. Although it suffered great damage during World War II, it has been restored faithfully to its original architecture in all its splendor. We then continue with our canal tour. On our canal tour, accompanied by our guide, we will see St. Petersburg from the canals and extend to the Neva River. After the tour, transfer to our hotel. Overnight at our hotel.
DAY 05 ST. PETERSBURG
After breakfast, free time. Guests who wish may join the optional “Pushkin Tsar Village and Peter & Paul Tours.” Built by Catherine in the 18th century and known as Tsar Village, this park, palace, and building complex covers an area of 600 hectares, and its main building is Catherine Palace. Although the Amber Room here is highly interesting, due to the heavy crowds, especially in the summer months, many tourists are unable to visit it. In this famous village where the Tsarist aristocracy met the imperial family, there is also the school where the famous poet Pushkin studied. Then guests who wish may join the Peter & Paul tour. Built by Peter in the 1700s in St. Petersburg, the first structure is remarkable in its splendor. The cathedral in the fortress on the Neva River and the tombs of the Romanov dynasty inside attract many tourists. The angel atop the cathedral, the city’s tallest building, has become a symbol of the city. The famous prison cells of the fortress, where Dostoevsky, Trotsky, and Lenin’s brother Aleksandr also stayed, have hosted many other famous people over the years. At the end of our tour, transfer to our hotel.
DAY 06 ST. PETERSBURG
After breakfast, free time. In the evening, transfer to the airport at the time determined by our guide. Upon arrival, passport and check-in procedures.
DAY 07 ST. PETERSBURG – ISTANBUL AIRPORT
Departure for Istanbul at 00:20 with Turkish Airlines scheduled flight TK 400. Arrival in Istanbul at 04:20 local time in the morning. Until we meet again on our next tour.
What's Included
Turkish Airlines economy class flights between Istanbul Airport and Moscow / St. Petersburg – Istanbul Airport.
2 nights hotel accommodation in 4-star hotels in Moscow, including bed and breakfast
3 nights hotel accommodation in 4-star hotels in St. Petersburg, including bed and breakfast
All transfers
St. Petersburg – Moscow compartment train ticket
St. Petersburg panoramic city tour
Moscow panoramic city tour
Airport taxes
Hotel taxes
Experienced Turkish-speaking tour leader service. (Regardless of number of participants)
Mandatory travel insurance (professional liability insurance)
Not Included
- All kinds of personal expenses and hotel extras.
- Departure tax for overseas travel (You can pay it to the relevant banks or at the treasury desk at the airport).
- All optional extra tours stated in the program
- Museum and archaeological site entrance fees
- Lunches and dinners
- City taxes
- Domestic connecting flights.
- Visa fee (For Russian visas, in accordance with KVKK, all guests holding burgundy passports can obtain their visas electronically from https://evisa.kdmid.ru/. The application must be made no earlier than 10 business days before the tour start date. Due to exchange rate fluctuations, the visa fee varies, but is approximately USD 50–60 per person. No visa is required for green passport holders.)
- Travel insurance package (includes cancellation coverage). A 100% surcharge applies for guests over 70 years of age.
