Four-Night St. Petersburg and Moscow Pre-Tour
 July 23-27, 2008

Afternoon arrival in St. Petersburg and transfer to our centrally located hotel. Time to rest before gathering in the evening for a festive Welcome Dinner.

Overnight: Hotel Angleterre or similar (3 nights)

St. Petersburg is often described as one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Its miles of canals, laced together with graceful bridges set amidst 18th century buildings, have earned it the name “Venice of the North”. Conceived of by Peter the Great and designed by his favorite European architects, St. Petersburg was meant to be Peter’s link to the western world. Capital of Russia from its birth in 1703 until the revolution, the city celebrated its 300th anniversary in 2003. Today explore the Peter & Paul Fortress and the Hermitage Museum.
    Begin with a drive along Nevsky Prospekt, the three-mile avenue that is the backbone of the city, introduces us to Peter’s beautiful city. Stops include Gostiny Dvor, the city’s oldest and largest shopping center; Eliseyevsky, an extravagantly beautiful pre-Revolutionary food store, decorated with crystal chandeliers; and the impressive Kazan Cathedral.
    St. Isaac’s Cathedral took 40 years to complete. The 48 red granite columns around the lower part of the building each weigh 110 tons, and the upper columns around the rotunda weigh 67 tons apiece. The dome is covered with 220 pounds of gold, and the interior columns are faced with lapis lazuli and malachite. The cathedral is bursting with sculptures, frescoes, stained glass works and woodcarvings.
    The Church of the Savior on the Blood was built on the spot where Czar Alexander II was killed by a bomb in 1881, and was commissioned in the style of St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow by his son and successor, Alexander III. Closed for renovation for many years, the church's beautiful interior is now open to visitors. Four jasper columns inside mark the spot where the czar was killed.
    Following lunch, afternoon is dedicated to exploration of the Hermitage. The Hermitage, also known as the Winter Palace, was built in 1754-62 as the principal home of the czars, and was lavishly rebuilt in 1839 after it was destroyed by fire. Originally a small private palace gallery begun by Catherine the Great with a purchase of 255 paintings from Berlin, the Hermitage today houses the largest museum collection in the world. It includes works by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian, Rembrandt, Rubens, the French Impressionists, Van Gogh, Matisse, Gauguin and Picasso. The fabulous rooms with their inlaid floors and gilded woodwork and the grand double entry staircase are works of art in themselves. Dinner at a restaurant in the city this evening.

Today visit the country estates of Peter the Great and Catherine the Great located outside the city.
    Travel by hydrofoil to the site where Peter the Great built his estate, Petrodvorets (Peterhof, as it was called prior to 1944), on a ridge by the Gulf of Finland 19 miles outside St. Petersburg. The former imperial residence (which we will see from the exterior only) is surrounded with extensive parks and gardens intended to rival Versailles, complete with an array of gilded statues, magnificent palaces and gravity-fed fountains.
    Travel by coach to the town of Pushkin, site of the royal residence Catherine's Palace, originally built in 1717 by Catherine I. After lunch at a traditional Russian restaurant, enjoy a guided tour of the estate. In 1752, famed architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli enlarged and embellished the palace, extending the facade to its current grandeur. The estate and palace buildings were almost completely destroyed by the Germans during World War II, but they have been carefully and expertly restored into a brilliant architectural monument.
    The fully restored Amber Room in Catherine's Palace, now open, has been years in the making. The wall coverings of amber panels, created in the time of Peter the Great, were taken by the Nazis during the Second World War and never recovered. The beautifully crafted amber panels we see today were re-created from photos and descriptions of the originals, and have become one of the highlights of Catherine's Palace.
    Returning to St. Petersburg, evening is free and dinner is independent.

This morning after breakfast we check out from the hotel, store luggage, and continue exploring St. Petersburg before taking an afternoon express train to Moscow.
    We head across the Neva River to Hare Island, to Peter and Paul's Fortress, one of the first structures in St. Petersburg. Peter the Great laid the cornerstone of the earthen fortress in May 1703, intending it to be used to repel a Swedish invasion. After the Swedes capitulated, the fortress was transformed into a prison in 1718.  Most importantly, it is the burial place for every czar from Peter the Great (except for Peter II and Ivan VI) through Nicholas II. It was not until 17 July 1998 (the 80th anniversary of his murder by the Bolsheviks in the Urals city of Ekaterinburg) that the remains of Nicholas II were reburied here in the Romanov family vault.
    Also visit Usupoff’s Palace. Although the Usupoff Palace looks ordinary from the outside, its interior is exquisite, with a marble staircase, crystal chandeliers, gilded candelabras and magnificently painted ceilings. Built in the early 18th century, the palace was remodeled and expanded in 1760, 1830 and 1858. Owned by the very rich and powerful Usupoff family, this is the site where Rasputin was poisoned, choked, shot and finally drowned, in 1916.
    Following lunch in the city, we have some free time for last-minute shopping and sightseeing before transferring to the station for a mid-afternoon departure to Moscow by express train. Dinner is served on the train. Upon arrival in Moscow, we are met and transferred to our centrally-located hotel for check-in.       

Overnight: Hotel Metropol or similar (1 night)

Today we begin getting acquainted with the Russian capital. Founded in 1147 by Yuri Dolgoruky (literally “Yuri of the Long Arms”), Moscow rose to prominence during Mongol domination and eventually became the Russian capital. Eclipsed for 200 years by St. Petersburg, Moscow was restored as the Russian political center after the October Revolution in 1917, and celebrated its 850th anniversary in 1997.
    The city has a population of 8.8 million (greater Moscow is estimated to be closer to 14 million) and covers 340 square miles (880 sq. km). For most of the 20th century, Moscow was not only the capital of Russia, but the center of world communism, as well as the political and economic center of all the Soviet Republics.
    The appearance of the city center is a result of the massive reconstruction instituted by Stalin in the 1930s, calling for the demolition of much of Moscow’s historic heart. Replacements were monumental stone government buildings that included seven “Stalin Gothic” (or wedding cake) buildings that dominate the Moscow skyline. Many other classic buildings were slowly allowed to deteriorate during Soviet rule, but fortunately were not demolished.
    The Soviet flag flew for the last time on 25 December 1991, and since then Moscow has been transformed. Beautiful pre-Revolutionary buildings that had been allowed to fall into disrepair under the Soviet system are being lovingly restored to their former glory.
    We begin this morning with a tour of Tretyakov Gallery. The Tretyakov was founded by 19th century Russian merchant, Pavel Tretyakov, who spent 40 years and much of his fortune collecting and preserving works of Russian art. The history and trajectory of Russian art is displayed here, encompassing pieces from the 11th century to the present, and including mosaics, icons, paintings and sculptures by such artists as Rublev, Repin, and Levitan. The collection is rarely seen outside of Russia.
    We have a chance to stroll on pedestrian Old Arbat Street, one of the oldest in the city. Lunch today is independent and it is a great place for it.
    In the afternoon we visit Lev Tolstoy House Museum. Founded in 1911 in a beautiful early 19th century building, the museum's collection includes Tolstoy's manuscripts, photographs, portraits, memorabilia and an invaluable book depository, including the author's works translated into many of the world's languages. The museum arranges excursions and lectures and conducts extensive research.
    Returning to hotel in the evening, join other Grand Passage Through Siberia guests arriving today for our welcome dinner and the first hotel night included in your eclipse tour package.

• Accommodation based on double occupancy per itinerary with breakfast daily, local service charge and tax (standard hotel check-in/out times apply unless otherwise noted)
• Group arrival and departure transfers
• All transportation per itinerary including hydrofoil to Peterhof, all-seater afternoon express train St. Petersburg-Moscow
• All sightseeing and excursions including entrance fees per itinerary
• English speaking local guides throughout itinerary
• Services of a MIR tour manager throughout the land program
• Meals as listed in itinerary
• Bottled/purified water with meals
• Beverages with lunches/dinners: choice of one non-alcoholic drink
• Gratuities to tour manager, local guides, drivers
• Baggage handling at the hotels
• Destination preparation information packet

• Prices are based on a group size minimum of 10 paying passengers. Prices are subject to increases if the number of paying passengers is less than a total of 10.
• Prices are based on 2007 rates, and are subject to change.
• Rates are based on payment by check or bank transfer.