9 days / 8 nights - from £1,155 pp

This tour starts in Helsinki, takes you to St. Petersburg and its glorious palaces and countless canals and culminates in the Russian capital of Moscow.

Package price is from £ 1,155 per person, based on availability and two people sharing a twin or double room. Single supplement is £370.

The Tsar Route - 2012 guaranteed departure dates:

Package includes:

• Direct flights with British Airways from London Heathrow to Helsinki and return from Moscow to London Heathrow (we can arrange flights from other airports upon request)
• 8 overnights at centrally located 4 star hotels 
• 8 x buffet breakfast 
• Welcome meeting with champagne-cocktail or juice 
• Entrances to Church-in-the-Rock in Helsinki, Vyborg Castle, Peter-Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg and Moscow Metro 
• Service of English speaking tour escort from arrival in Helsinki to departure from St. Petersburg and local English speaking guide in Moscow on all tours 
• Service of 1st class motor coaches or 1st class minivans from arrival in Helsinki to departure from St. Petersburg and in Moscow 
• Train ticket St. Petersburg-Moscow OW (2. class 6-persons compartments) 
• Portage at hotels and railway stations 
• Service and VAT

• QUIETVOX audio communication system in use throughout the tour

Optional tours & dinners:
- 3-hour excursion to Seurasaari Open Air Museum: £38.00 pp
- 4-hour excursion to Peterhof: £60.00 pp
- Visit to folklore show at Nikolaevsky Palace: £42.00 pp
- 4-hour guided tour to Catherine's Palace: £50.00 pp
- 3-hour visit to the Hermitage Art Museum: £38.00 pp
- Russian dinner at Restaurant Na Zdrorovie: £45.00 pp
- 3-hour guided shopping tour on Nevsky Prospekt: £29.00 pp
- 3-hour excursion to Kremlin and one cathedral: £42.00 pp
- 4-hours excursion to Novodevich Convent: £46.00 pp
- 3-hour excursion and cruise on the Moscow River: £38.00 pp
- Visit to Old Russian Circus: £59.00 pp
- Half board at hotels (8 x 3 course dinner): £200.00 pp

The Tsar Route itinerary:

DAY 1 (SUNDAY):  ARRIVAL IN HELSINKI
Arrival in Helsinki, transfer to Hotel Radison Blu Plaza **** or similar, check-in, welcome meeting.

DAY 2 (MONDAY):  HELSINKI
Helsinki is truly located at the crossroads of Western and Eastern culture and it is reflected everywhere in the green and lively Finnish capital. The sightseeing tour takes us around the harbours, up central Mannerheim Street and by the Parliament Building, the Finlandia Hall, and the Sibelius Monument and for a visit at the famous Church-in the-Rock. In the afternoon an optional excursion to Seurasaari Open Air Museum.

DAY 3 (TUESDAY):  HELSINKI - ST. PETERSBURG
Continue eastbound to St. Petersburg. Shortly after crossing the border into Russia we arrive in Vyborg, where we take time for a short sightseeing tour and a visit to Vyborg Castle. In the late afternoon we arrive in St. Petersburg and check-in at Hotel Radisson Sonya **** or similar.

DAY 4 (WEDNESDAY):  ST. PETERSBURG
St. Petersburg is an amazing city. Its imperial palaces and museums enjoy worldwide fame, while the Neva River and the many canals have deservedly given the city the title “The Venice of the North”. During the morning sightseeing tour we get acquainted with all the splendours of the city: the Peter-Paul Fortress, the Winter Palace, and St. Isaac’s Cathedral, the Church of the Bleeding Savior, the Nevsky Convent and much more. The afternoon offers an optional visit to Peterhof, an uncontested masterpiece of the time of Peter the Great, with the impressive Grand Palace, Grand Cascade and Water Avenue and its wonderful parks. In the evening enjoy an optional visit to the Nikolaevsky Palace with an exciting Russian folklore show and Russian „champagne”  and snacks.

DAY 5 (THURSDAY):  ST. PETERSBURG
The morning is reserved for an optional excursion to Tsarskoye Selo with the impressive Catherine’s Palace and the Amber Room, which vanished during World War II and was restored for St. Petersburg’s tri-centennial celebrations. In the afternoon, an optional visit to the world-famous Hermitage Art Museum is offered. In the evening enjoy an optional Russian dinner at Restaurant Na Zdoroviye.

DAY 6 (FRIDAY):  ST. PETERSBURG - MOSCOW
The morning is reserved for an optional guided shopping tour on Nevsky Prospect.  In the afternoon we go to the Moscow Railway Station and board the Sapsan high-speed train bound for Moscow. The train ride takes us along endless Russian landscapes along the River Volga. In the evening we arrive to Moscow and check in at Hotel Holiday Inn Lesnaya **** or similar

DAY 7 (SATURDAY):  MOSCOW
Moscow, The Mother of Russia, is a genuine Russian city with the Kremlin and its onion domed cathedrals. The dramatic changes over the last decade has made the city to one of the most dynamic metropolis of the world. The morning sightseeing tour include all the highlights of the vast city including the Red Square with Kremlin, the Theater Square with Bolshoi Theater, Sparrow Hills with Moscow University and a visit to the famous Moscow Metro. In the afternoon there is an optional excursion to the Kremlin grounds with a visit to a cathedral.  In the evening there is an optional excursion with a cruise on the Moscow River.

DAY 8 (SUNDAY):  MOSCOW
The day offers an optional excursion to Novidevichy Convent, a cluster of sparkling domes, one of the city’s most beautiful group of buildings and full of history and treasures. The adjacent Novodevichy Cemetery is Moscow ‘s most prestigious resting place after the Kremlin. The balance of the day is reserved for exploring more of Moscow on own hand. The evening offers an optional visit to the Old Russian Circus.

DAY 9 (MONDAY):  DEPARTURE FROM MOSCOW
Transfer to the airport.