St Petersburg and Moscow: Russian capitals
24 May–2 June 2008 (EU 916)
10 days, £3,690
Lecturer: Dr Alexey Makhrov
- The two great cities of Russia, vast, monumental and very beautiful in parts.
- History and literature are subject matter of the tour as well the visual arts.
St Petersburg is the grandest city in Europe, with magnificent buildings in all the Classical styles of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
The Hermitage is one of the world’s greatest art museums, with an immensely rich collection of paintings, sculpture, antiquities and decorative arts filling the enormous Winter Palace of the Romanov Tsars. There are other great galleries to see, including the Russian Museum, a formidable collection of Russian art.
Moscow developed as the chief city of Muscovy from the twelfth century and became capital of the Russian Empire as it expanded in later centuries. Regaining its status as capital in 1918, Moscow has undergone massive changes in the last twenty years, with restoration, painting and gilding as well as a hectic commercial life all but banishing the drabness of the Communist era.
Itinerary
DAY 1: LONDON TO ST PETERSBURG—fly at c. 10.00 a.m. from London Heathrow to St Petersburg—arrive at the hotel for dinner—first of five nights in St Petersburg.
DAY 2: ST PETERSBURG—the north bank of the Neva and Vasilevskiy Island with some of St Petersburg’s earliest buildings including the Twelve Colleges and the Peter-Paul Fortress—the Menshikov Palace, the early 18th-century residence with impressive Petrine decoration—first visit to the Hermitage—overnight St Petersburg.
DAY 3: ST PETERSBURG—drive along Nevsky Prospekt to the Alexander Nevsky Monastery, an extensive Baroque layout and cemetery with graves of many famous Russians—the Mikhailovsky Palace housing the Russian Museum, with Russian painting from mediaeval icons to the vast canvases of the 19th century Romantics and Realists—a private visit to Prince Vladimir Palace—overnight St Petersburg.
DAY 4: ST PETERSBURG—morning by coach includes exteriors on Rossi Street, the Kazan Cathedral and Anichkovsky Palace—the Cathedral of St Nicholas, with gilded domes and cupolas—the 19th-century Yusupov Palace, the scene of Rasputin’s murder—the remarkable Neo-Classical buildings of the Senate & Synod, and Admiralty—second visit to the Hermitage—overnight St Petersburg.
DAY 5: ST PETERSBURG—a free morning—an excursion to the magnificent palace at Peterhof on the Gulf of Finland, with vast gardens, cascades and fountains—overnight St Petersburg.
DAY 6: ST PETERSBURG TO MOSCOW—drive out to Tsarskoye Selo, a summer palace set in a landscaped park—the main building is the Rococo Catherine Palace by Rastrelli, with richly ornamented interiors—to the airport for an internal flight arriving in Moscow for a late dinner—first of four nights in Moscow.
DAY 7: MOSCOW—walk through Red Square, flanked by the Kremlin—see Lenin’s Mausoleum, GUM Department Store, and St Basil’s Cathedral, the wonderfully ornamented quinclux of onion domes—visit the Tretyakov Galleries; the pre-revolutionary collection of Russian art from mediaeval icons to avant garde and the post 1917 collection in the new gallery—overnight Moscow.
DAY 8: MOSCOW—walk to the Kremlin, a formidable citadel with high walls and gateways and the centre of Russian government for the last eight centuries—the 15th-century cathedral of Assumption, filled with frescoes and icons, and the Armoury Museum, a rich display of gold and silver—the rebuilt Cathedral of Christ the Saviour—the Pushkin Fine Arts Museum with European Old Masters and excellent Post-Impressionists—overnight Moscow.
DAY 9: SERGIEV POSAD—morning out of Moscow at the monastery complex of St Sergei, the holiest site in Russia—buildings date from the 15th–17th centuries—return to Moscow for some free time—overnight Moscow.
DAY 10: MOSCOW—the Novodevichy Convent is a picturesque enclave of churches with the graves of many leading writers and artists in the cemetery—continue to Moscow Domodedovo airport—the flight to Heathrow arrives c. 6.15 p.m.
Practicalities
Price: £3,690 (deposit £300)–this includes:–air travel (economy class) on scheduled British Airways flights (aircraft: Airbus 319, Boeing 767) and Rossiya Airlines (formerly Pulkovo) (aircraft: Tupolev TU 154)–private coach travel for transfers and excursions–accommodation as described below–breakfasts, 1 light lunch and 7 dinners, with wine, water and coffee–all admission to museums, etc.–all tips for drivers, restaurant staff, guides etc.–all state and airport taxes–the services of the lecturer and a local guide–single supplement £790–price without flights £3,330.
Dr Alexey Makhrov: Lives in Switzerland, a specialist in Russian and European culture of the 19th century–born in St Petersburg, where he read art history at the Academy of Arts, has worked at Pavlovsk Palace and as a guide and has led many MRT tours–obtained his doctorate from the University of St Andrews and did postdoctoral work as a Research Fellow in Russian at Exeter University–has published papers in British architectural journals.
Hotels: in St Petersburg (5 nights): a superior and comfortable hotel built in 1910–excellently located within easy walking distance of the Hermitage–in Moscow (4 nights): 5-star hotel overlooking the Kremlin–built in 1903, it retains the grand style of pre-Revolutionary Russia, though thoroughly restored and modernised.
Visas: British citizens and most foreign nationals require a visa–we will advise on obtaining these for applicants in the UK–a visa currently costs £45 and must be obtained by sending your passport to the Russian Consulate.
Music: the programme of opera and ballet performances will be sent to participants about one month in advance and tickets can be requested.
How strenuous? There is a lot of standing around in galleries and walking–paving is often in poor condition–average distance by coach per day: 32 miles.
Small group: this tour will operate with between 12 and 22 participants.
