Moscow Undercovered

executive summary by darmansjah

Explore Russia's capital city with all the remnants of Communism; check out the art at the Tretyakov Gallery, gasp in awe at St Basil's Cathedral and get your taste buds flowing with the sublime blinis and borsch. 

Day 1: Moscow

Welcome to Russia! Airport arrival transfer and hotel check in. Spend what remains of the day at leisure, relax and prepare for an exciting full day of touring tomorrow! Overnight - Moscow

 

Day 2: Red Square & Kremlin

Enjoy a guided walking tour of Red Square and the mighty Kremlin today. Red Square is dominated by the spectacular and iconic St Basil’s Cathedral, with its brightly coloured turban shaped domes. St Basil’s was commissioned by Ivan the Terrible in 1555. Head inside the cathedral and wander through the maze like corridors, to see the beautiful floral decorated walls of the nine interior chapels and the Chapel of Intercession’s priceless iconostasis. Red Square is also the site of the historic and ritzy GUM department store and Lenin’s Mausoleum, where if open, you can pay your respects to the grandfather of Communism. Lenin’s eerie embalmed body lays in a glass case and has been on display since the year he died in 1924. Behind the Mausoleum is the Kremlin Wall Necropolis where many prominent Russian communist leaders are buried, including Stalin. Next to Red Square is Russia’s political power house - the Kremlin. Our walking tour takes in the treasures of the golden domed Kremlin, its cathedrals, Ivan the Great’s Bell Tower and the Tsar Bell - the largest bell in the world, which weighs in at over 200 ton! This evening why not try some delicious Russian borsch for dinner - it’s beetroot soup that tastes divine! Overnight - Moscow (B)

Day 3: Optional Excursions

Enjoy a day at leisure exploring Moscow independently. The vibrant city of Moscow has plenty of galleries, museums, shops and monuments to keep you entertained. Perhaps visit the Armoury at the Kremlin, which houses an incredible collection of treasures and historic artefacts or jump on the metro to view the ornate Moscow Metro stations, built during Stalin’s rule as “palaces for the people”.

Alternatively, you can choose from one of two exciting optional excursions today (available at an additional cost), please contact us for further details.

Option 1: Take a guided tour of the Tretyakov Gallery, which houses the best examples of Russian fine art in the world, from icons to modern art, including Soviet propaganda paintings. The incredible collection includes more than 130,000 exhibits.

Option 2: Head 65 meters underground in the heart of Moscow, to visit an incredible Soviet Bunker which looks more like an underground town! The bunker was top secret for many years, used by only a select few during the war. Now there is the unique opportunity to take a guided tour of the facilities and learn more about the Cold War and nuclear weapons which fortunately were never used! See our bolt on 'Inside a Soviet Bunker' for further details. Overnight - Moscow (B)

Day 4: a day at leisure

Our city stay concludes after breakfast. Hotel check out is at 12.00. Included departure transfer to the airport. (B)