Last Journey of the Tsars - Culture
 |
On the night of the 17th July 1918, the Tsar of Russia and his family were executed in Yekaterinburg, Russia's fourth largest city just east of the Ural Mountains, the gateway to Siberia and a whole other Russia. As the 100th anniversary of one of the 20th century’s most famous events approaches, our journey follows their final footsteps.
From Moscow we travel by train across this historically fascinating, yet almost unknown region of Russia. Visiting ancient Suzdal and Vladimir, Kazan; capital of the Republic of Tartarstan - the centre of Russia’s Muslim culture; the once closed city of Gorky – now known as Nizhny Novgorod. Finally, on day 7 we will reach Yekaterinburg a city overflowing with history and culture.
At a glance - Travel by private mini bus and sleeper train
- Normally 6 to 16, plus leader. Min age 16 yrs
- 8 nights hotels all en suite, 1 night sleeper train
- St Petersburg pre-extension available - see trip notes
- All breakfasts and 1 dinner included
Itinerary
Day 1 Start Moscow Arrive in the early evening and transfer to our centrally located hotel in Moscow. The journey takes approximately 1 hour from Sheremetyevo Airport yet during peak season this can be longer due to traffic. The closest subway station to our hotel is Arbatskaya on the blue line (the only station where all four lines meet). After dinner we recommend an evening walk onto Red Square.See more images and videos Day 2 Full day sightseeing tour of Moscow. Evening train to Suzdal This morning we enjoy a walking tour of Moscow, surely one of the most iconic cities in the world. Our route takes us across Red Square, with time visit Lenin's Mausoleum, St Basil's Cathedral and the ornate GUM Shopping Centre. We then hop aboard the marvelous, efficient Metro system, for a short tour of some of the most beautiful stations. After lunch we will tour the Kremlin - a city within a city. It is still the seat of much political power and contains many of Russia’s greatest treasures. We visit the magnificent Cathedrals of St. Michael the Archangel, the Annunciation and the Assumption, as well as the Tsar Bell and the golden domes of Ivan the Great Bell Tower. In the early evening we transfer to Kurskaya Train Station for the train to Vladimir. With an onward transfer to Suzdal. It's an interesting run, firstly though the suburbs of soviet blocks and then the pretty countryside that surrounds the Russian capital.See more images and videos Day 3 Guided tour of Suzdal and wooden architecture museum. Suzdal is sometime call the diamond in the Golden Ring - a ring of ancient towns and cities of historic and religious importance surrounding Moscow. This small town of cute wooden cottages, and fine churches once served as the capital of Russia, when Moscow was not much more than a cluster of cowsheds. It transformed into a major monastic centre in the times of Ivan the Terrible as well as an important commercial hub. Our morning walking tour will take in all the main sights, including the Kremlin and the Nativity of the Virgin Cathedral. After a lunch stop we'll visit the Museum of Wooden Architecture, where buildings from all over the region were brought to protect them from redevelopment. The museum really gives us an idea of how the locals of the past lived. The 'village' includes houses, workshops and even two whole churches. In the evening we visit a local family and enjoy an traditional evening meal with them.See more images and videos Day 4 Transfer to Vladimir; sightseeing and free time. Evening train to Nizhny. Today we return to Vladimir, somewhat more industrial than Suzdal, due to it's location on the Trans-Siberian Railway, but no less significant. The town is another former capital of Russian and home to several UNESCO protected architectural masterpieces, including the Golden Gates, St Demetrius’ Cathedral and the Dormition Cathedral. In the late afternoon we board the east bound Trans-Siberian Express bound for Nizhny Novgorod arriving in time for a late dinner.See more images and videos Day 5 City tour of Nizhny Novgorod; optional afternoon excursion to Makaryev Monastery. Overnight train to Kazan. Nizhny Novgorod, known as Gorky until 1991, was once a 'closed city' to foreigners to safeguard the security of Soviet military research and production facilities. It was also home to the exiled nuclear physicist Andrei Sakharov an activist for disarmament, peace and human rights. With these dark days behind it, Russia fifth largest city is now home to a beautiful restored cliff-top Kremlin looking over the confluence of the Volga and Oka rivers. After a morning tour of the main sights, there is free time or you may wish to take an optional excursion along the Volga River, to the 15th century Makaryev Monastery. After an early dinner back in the city we once again board the Trans-Siberian Express, this time into cosy 4 berth cabins for the overnight journey to Kazan the capital of the Tatarstan Republic.See more images and videos Day 6 Full day in Kazan, Russia's Tartar Capital. Kazan is sometime referred to the 'Istanbul on the Volga', a city where East meets West, and the Orthodox domes and spires compete with the minarets to form the most unique skyline of any Russian City. This is the capital of the Tatarstan Republic, autonomous, oil rich, but still firmly under Moscow's control. Since 2000 vast sums of money have been spent cleaning up the city, adding bilingual street signs and building a stunning new mosque all an attempted to keep the Sunni population loyal to Moscow. Kazan really is like no other city in Russia. Our morning tour includes the Kremlin, The Qul Sharif Mosque, Khan’s Mausoleum and Temple of All Religions, the afternoon is free to enjoy the city at your leisure. Overnight in KazanSee more images and videos Day 7 From Europe to Asia, cross the Ural Mountains. After breakfast we start out final journey by rail to Yekaterinburg. Boarding the Trans-Siberian Express we head east, leaving Europe behind and moving into the Asian region of the colossal nation that is Russia. Our 14.5hr journey goes through dense forest of pine, small industrial towns, wooden villages and the rolling foothills of the Urals, the journey really give us a sense of what most of Russia is actually like and an idea of just how vast and empty the country is. This is a day to relax and watch the world go by, before reaching our final destination late in the evening.See more images and videos Day 8 Morning tour of Yekaterinburg; free afternoon. Our final destination on this epic journey is Yekaterinburg, a city that has played a huge part in the recent history of Russia. Here, on the 17th June 1918 the Romanov Family met their fate, having been taken here from St Petersburg (then Petrograd) in April of there same here. In a the dark cellar of a modest house they were shot and stabbed by Bolshevik troops, changing the course of European history forever. Today the house no longer stands, having been pulled down in 1977. Today the Church on the Blood sits on the same site. As well a city tour we visit the Museum of The Royal Family. We have a free afternoon to enjoy the city, you may choose to visit the Museum of Military Glory, or maybe just relax with a coffee in one of the cities many cafes.See more images and videos
To book of for more details call 01 8047153
For more trips visit the adventures section of our website
|
|
