Grand Ukraine (Crimea and Kiev)

Overview:

2015 Departure Dates:

Tour Itinerary:

Day 1: Arrival in Yalta, Crimea

Depart London Heathrow and arrive in Kiev. Change planes and continue on the short flight to Simferopol.  Transfer to Yalta, which lies between the gently curving shore of Yalta Bay and Crimean mountains. Check in and dinner at Oreanda Hotel.

Day 2: Full day tour of Yalta

Breakfast at the hotel. Full day tour of Yalta starting with a pleasant walk along the main town square, still named after Lenin, and the promenade, which leads to a small history museum and Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. Continue by coach to the Chekhov house-museum, garden and exhibition hall with innumerable editions of his works. In the afternoon visit Alupka, the most exotic palace-park complex on the whole coast. Designed and built between 1828 - 1846 by English architects for the English-educated Count Vorontsov, the palace is a bizarre combination of Scottish castle on its landward side and Arabic fantasy facing the sea.

Day 3: Tour of Sebastopol

Breakfast at the hotel. Travel approximately 90 minutes by private transfer to Sebastopol, which used to be a closed city during Soviet times. Located on an inlet of the Black Sea, Sebastopol is today a naval base and seaport with over 4000 monuments and sites of historical interest. Lying near the entrance to the port of Sebastopol are the ruins of Chersonesus, a Greek colony founded in 422 BC. Later it passed into Roman, Byzantine and Genoese control. It is considered to be the birthplace of the Russian Orthodox Church. Some 40% of the 32 hectare site has been excavated to reveal the old port area, the theater, the mint for copper and silver and the site of the main square in the inland part of the city, all of which we shall visit in the morning. Next to the shoreline can be seen the homes and streets of this once thriving community. Here, too, are the Roman baths, the 6th century basilica, one of fifteen churches discovered on the site, well preserved mosaic floors and a particular feature of Chersonesus, its fish reservoirs. For many with a particular interest in the Crimean campaign the highlight of this tour is likely to be the time spent at the Panorama Museum. An evocative 360-degree painting merges into a relief model vividly capturing the siege by the British, French and Turks and defense of Sebastopol during 1854-55.  Among highlights We will also visit The Valley of Death, the site of the Charge of the Light Brigade. On the way back to Yalta we will make a short stop at very photogenic Balaklava Harbour, the location of the main British base.

Day 4: Tour of Crimea - Livadia Palace, Massandra Winery, Botanical Gardens

Breakfast at the hotel. Morning visit to Livadia Palace built in 1911 as a summer residence for Nicholas II in Italian Renaissance style with pretty Florentine and Arabic courtyards. In February 1945 Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchil held their Yalta Conference here. Crimea now produces some very good vintages and this afternoon you'll have an introduction to the regional wines with, of course, an opportunity to sample and purchase some of the best from the Massandra winery. Even if you're no gardener, Nikitskiy Botanical Gardens, tumbling down of hillside to the sea, are well worth a visit for their beauty and excellent views. The gardens, founded in 1812, holds 28,000 species and varieties, including 2,000 types of rose.

Day 5:  Tour of Bakhchisaray, flight to Kiev

Breakfast at the hotel and check out. Afternoon visit to the small town of Bakhchisaray. From the 15th century until 1783, Bakhchisaray (garden palace) was the seat of the Crimean khans. You'll see there the Khans' Palace built primarily by Russian and Ukrainian slaves in the 16h century under the direction of Persian, Ottoman and Italian master builders, the Ambassador's Gate, The Fountain of Tears, harem and historical museum. Continue to Simferopol. Transfer to airport for flight to Kiev. Arrival transfer followed by check in at the Radisson BLU Hotel or similar.

Day 6: Tour of Kiev

Buffet breakfast at the hotel. This morning we'll visit Kiev's Old Town with its magnificent St. Andrew's church located at the top of the charming Andriyivsky uzvis. It is an inspired 1746-61 Baroque interpretation of the traditional Ukrainian five-domed, cross-shaped church by Rastrelli. The slender curves of its blue, white, gold and green exterior stand out against the skyline, perched up above the Podil district at the crest of the historic Upper Town, at the supposed site where the Apostle Andrew erected a cross. Visit to St. Sophia Cathedral and Monastery complex with its magnificent frescoes and murals. It is the city's oldest standing church built in 1017-1031 in honour of Prince Yaroslav's victory over a rival tribe Pechenegs. In the afternoon continue to the golden-domed Kiev-Pechersk Lavra Monastery. The Caves Monastery was Kievan Rus first and for a long time most famous monastery. Spread across wooded slopes above the Dnipro, it is a unique array of gold-domed churches, underground labyrinths lined with mummified monks, and elegant monastic buildings. 

Day 7: Departure from Kiev

Breakfast at the hotel and check out. Departure transfer.

Package Includes:

• Flights from London to Kiev, Kiev to Simferopol and return
• 1 piece of check-in luggage per traveler
• Airport transfers in Simferopol and Kiev
• 4 nights' accommodation at Hotel Oreanda, Yalta
• 2 nights' accommodation at Hotel Radisson, Kiev 
• Breakfast daily
• Private transportation with a English-speaking guide as per programme 
• Entrance to Chekhov House Museum, Vorontsov Palace, Panorama Museum, Chersonesus, Livadia Palace, Massandra Winery, Nikitsky Botanical Gardens, Khan's Palace, St Sophia Cathedral and Lavra Monastery
• 24 hour emergency service
• ATOL protection
• All taxes