Russia and Turkey

ITINERARY

DAY 01 DEPARTURE TO ISTANBUL

Overnight on board.

DAY 02 ISTANBUL – CAPPADOCIA

Arrival in Istanbul, connection to the city of Cappadocia. Reception and transfer to the hotel. Overnight in hotel.

DAY 03 CAPPADOCIA

Breakfast. Departure to visit this fantastic region with its fascinating and original landscape, formed by lava thrown by the Erciyes and Hasan Volcanoes 3 million years ago. Visit of the Pasabag Valley and Güvercinlik; both of which have spectacular scenery of Fairy Chimneys. Visit of the Goreme Chapels, an open-air museum. Visit of a carpet and jewelry workshop. 

Optional excursion. Balloon ride at sunrise to admire one of the most beautiful landscapes on earth.

Optional excursion. Turkish night with folkloric dance show in a typical cave with unlimited local drinks.

DAY 04 CAPPADOCIA – ANKARA – ISTANBUL

Breakfast. Early departure by bus to Ankara and visit of the capital of Turkey and the Mausoleum of the Founder of the Republic. Arrival in Istanbul. Overnight in Istanbul.

DAY 05 ISTANBUL

Breakfast. Free day.

Possibility to take the optional guided excursion with lunch in a typical restaurant “JEWELS OF CONSTANTINOPLA + BASILICA CISTERNE”: Explore the historical center of the city, where you can see the variety of vestiges of the different empires that shaped today’s Istanbul: the imposing Topkapi Palace, residence of the sultans and main administrative center of the Ottoman Empire; Hagia Sophia with its majestic Byzantine architecture and mixture of Christian and Islamic religious elements; the Roman Hippodrome, center of social life in Constantinople for thousands of years; the Blue Mosque with its more than 20,000 handmade ceramic tiles brought from Iznik; the Grand Bazaar, one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world where bargaining is a tradition; the Basilica Cistern with more than 300 marble columns rising above the water. 

DAY 06 ISTANBUL

Breakfast.

Breakfast. Day off for personal activities or an optional excursion. Accommodation. Possibility of taking the optional guided excursion with lunch in a typical food restaurant “TOUR BY THE BOSPHORUS”. Departure to contemplate the spectacular panorama of the Golden Horn from the Pierre Loti hill; visit of the Cathedral of Saint George, main patriarchate of the Greek Orthodox Church and seat of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, recognized as the spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians in the world; we continue to the Mosque of Suleiman the Magnificent, designed by the Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan and which has the largest dome of all the mosques in Istanbul; We headed to the Spice Bazaar, a place with special charm due to its color and aromas, the quintessential place to buy teas, herbs, nuts, typical sweets and of course spices; We culminate with a tour through the Bosphorus, the strait that divides the city between Europe and Asia, we will appreciate the wonderful views of the Ottoman fortresses, palaces, villas and the bridges that connect both sides of this city. Accommodation. 

DAY 07 ISTANBUL

Breakfast. Free day for personal activities. Overnight stay. 

DAY 08 ISTANBUL – MOSCOW

Departure by flight to Moscow. Arrival and transfer to a place for breakfast (not included). At the indicated time we will have a panoramic tour of the most attractive areas of Moscow: the impressive Red Square – where Lenin’s Mausoleum is located and St. Basil’s Cathedral with its famous multicolored domes built by order of Tsar Ivan the Terrible and the magnificent building of GUM or “the Main Universal Stores”, where historically the most important trade center of the country was located. Nearby is the famous Bolshoi Theatre, the imposing building of the Lubyanka – headquarters of the former KGB and the beautiful churches of the old Kitay Gorod quarter. Next, you will visit the majestic Cathedral of Christ the Saviour of the Patriarch of Moscow, which is considered to be the highest Orthodox Church in the world. 

DAY 09 MOSCOW

Breakfast. Free day for optional excursions. Overnight.

– Optional excursions:

KREMLIN. The ancient fortress called Kremlin was built in the 12th century. Even today it still houses all the main organs of political and religious government. The Kremlin complex contains monuments of six centuries, each of which left its mark on the architectural image of the Kremlin. These monuments bear witness to the most important events in the history of Russia. On the territory of the Kremlin you can visit the Assumption Cathedral, the Arkhanguelsky Cathedral, and the Cathedral of the Annunciation, the Ivan the Great Bell Tower and other significant monuments of the country.

BUNKER. The bunker project was initiated in the 1940s. In 1956, the object with a total area of 7000 m2 was approved by the state commission and handed over to the Ministry of Defense. The bunker is the outpost in the heart of the capital, which for almost 30 years served as a 24-hour security post ensuring the safety of the country in the event of a nuclear attack. In 2006 the object was put out to public tender and was bought by a private company.

ESPECTÁCULO FOLK “AMAZING RUSSIA” (Cena incluida) El espectáculo “Amazing Russia” es un verdadero viaje musical a través de las vastas extensiones del país. Cada región de Rusia está representada por los artistas y conjuntos folclóricos más talentosos que muestran las antiguas tradiciones de su tierra natal. Especialmente para el espectáculo «Rusia asombrosa» se crearon producciones de danza y música, se prepararon números con increíbles canciones nacionales. Cada escena te introduce en la cultura de Rusia.

DAY 10 MOSCOW

Breakfast. Free day for an optional excursion, it is suggested to visit Sergey Posad, later the guide can drop you off at a market (guide assistance in the market is not included), return to the hotel, at your own expense. Accommodation.

Optional excursion. SERGUIEV POSAD. Sergiev Posad is located about 60 km from Moscow. In this small town, the most interesting monument is the monastery of Trinity and St. Sergius, an architectural ensemble of the 15th-19th century that represents all stages of Russian architecture. It is also the spiritual center of the Orthodox religion, a monastery open for worship, where more than 300 monks live and look after the monastery territory.

DAY 11 MOSCOW – SAINT PETERSBURG

Breakfast. At the appointed time meet your guide and driver for transfer to the station to take the Sapsan train to St. Petersburg. Arrival and transfer to the hotel. In the afternoon we suggest to take an optional excursion. Overnight stay.

Optional excursion. ST. PETERSBURG RIVER AND CANAL WALK is one of the most beautiful walks in the city that allows you to see all the splendor of the “Venice of the North”, from the water you will see the palaces, domes of the Cathedrals and Churches, administrative buildings and the houses of the nobility and bourgeoisie of the past centuries. All this architectural ensemble creates a unique atmosphere for the best of Peter I’s work. And it is one of the best walks to get acquainted with the beauty and harmony of St. Petersburg.

DAY 12 SAINT PETERSBURG

Breakfast. At the appointed time departure for a panoramic sightseeing tour where we will walk along Nevsky prospect – the splendid main avenue with its elegant buildings of Gostiniy Dvor (the famous shopping arcades), Zinger House, Stroganov Palace and the imposing Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan. Then we cross Vasilievskiy Island – the old harbor, walk through the university area, see the golden dome of St. Isaac’s Cathedral. On the way back we cross the Summer Garden, stop at the Field of Mars in the center of which stands the perpetual flame and a breathtaking view of the multicolored domes of the Church of the Saviour on the Spilled Blood. Afternoon at leisure, optional excursions are suggested. Overnight stay. 

– Optional excursions:

THE FABERGÉ MUSEUM. The base of the museum is the world’s largest collection of Karl Fabergé’s works, which includes nine famous imperial Easter eggs. Also in the Museum is the collection of works of decorative arts created by Russian masters during the second half of the 19th – early 20th century. The Museum is located in the Shuvalov Palace on the Fontanka River. It is one of the most beautiful palaces in St. Petersburg.

PETER AND PAUL FORTRESS. It is the historical and architectural center of St. Petersburg. It was the first building of the city founded on May 27, 1703, which is considered to be the day of the foundation of St. Petersburg. On the territory of the Fortress is the Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul, which became the Pantheon of the Romanov Family, where in 1998 the remains of the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II and his family were buried in a side chapel of the Cathedral. Today the Fortress and the Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul function as museums of the city’s history.

DAY 13 SAINT PETERSBURG

Breakfast. Free day for optional excursions. Overnight. 

– Optional excursions:

HERMITAGE MUSEUM. The museum is located in the former Winter Palace, residence of the Tsars. The Hermitage is the largest museum in Russia, as well as one of the most prominent in the world, with more than three million works of art. It has collections of sculpture and paintings, glass and porcelain, tapestries and jewelry, engravings, antiquities from the classical period, weapons, medals, coins, valuable books. It owes its international renown in particular to its collections of paintings from the Italian, Flemish, French and Spanish schools. In particular, works by Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael and Rembrandt. Its sumptuous interiors are the ideal setting for such a vast collection of masterpieces.

YUSUPOV PALACE AND EXHIBITION “RASPUTIN’S ASSASSINATION”. We have the opportunity to visit the home of one of the richest, noblest and most famous families in Russian history – the Yusupov Palace on the bank of the Moika River, which was built in the 18th century and renovated by the best architects of its time. Inside is a rococo-style family theatre for 180 people. In the basement of the Palace there is an exhibition dedicated to Grigory Rasputin and the story of his assassination illustrated with wax figures. We will visit the interiors of the Palace and the basement.

DAY 14 SAINT PETERSBURG – ISTANBUL

Breakfast. Transfer to the airport for the flight to Istanbul, arrival and waiting time.

DAY 15 RETURN

Breakfast and at the scheduled time transfer to the airport for your departure flight. End of our services.