Hero Cities of Russia: Volgograd, Moscow and St. Petersburg - Timeless Monuments to Heroic Russian People (CB-27)

At Volgograd airport, our driver will meet you in the arrival sector with a Go Russia sign board from where you’ll transfer to the hotel.

In Volgograd, better known as Stalingrad, 1943 was the turning point in World War II. After a fierce battle that had lasted more than 200 days, Russian forces emerged victorious and Germany would begin its retreat from Russia. Our city tour begins in Peace Street, the first part of the city to be rebuilt after the war. Other highlights include the Square of the Fallen Heroes, the Alley of Heroes and the Volga River. We’ll also visit the striking “Motherland calls” sculpture on top of Mamayev Hill, a vantage point which offers incredible views over the city.

The Museum of the Battle of Stalingrad is a must-see while in Volgograd. Visitors can learn about the events of 1942-43 in the museum’s eight exhibition halls. The extensive collection contains all manner of artefacts, documents and photographs, among them the largest painted panorama in Russia, known as “The Defeat of Fascist Armies in Stalingrad” and a unique portrait gallery of Soviet military leaders. Next to the museum building you will find the ruins of a mill. This five storey building was left undisturbed as a gruesome reminder to future generations of what had happened in Volgograd in 1942. Later our driver, bearing a Go Russia sign, will meet you in the hotel lobby to take you to the airport for your flight to Moscow; another representative will be waiting at the other end to transfer you to your Moscow accommodation.

Today begins with a drive around some of Moscow’s beautiful streets to get your bearings. We’ll stop a few times so you can have a closer look at some of its better-known sights including the main Russian Orthodox Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, and one of the oldest and loveliest convents in the city, the New Maiden's Convent with its fascinating cemetery. After we’ve taken in the panorama from one of our favourite vantage points overlooking the city, we’ll return to Red Square for a chance to examine the delightful 16th century St Basil’s Cathedral close up. While we’re there, we won’t let you miss Lenin’s Mausoleum or the huge GUM department store. Our final stop today is at the Central Museum of the Armed Forces of Russia. Our guided visit will reveal an extensive collection of banners of Soviet and Third Reich Army as well as the personal belongings of Soviet and Nazi leaders including General Zhukov and Adolf Hitler.

No visit to Moscow could be complete without seeing the Kremlin and today we take you behind its imposing walls to discover its beautiful interior. The Kremlin was once the residence of the Tsars and now the Russian president. Indeed, Cathedral Square still retains the aura of early Tsarist Russia, where the spirits of Ivan the Terrible, Boris Godunov, and the early Romanovs loom large. Its Armoury dates from the 16th century and, now a museum, has an almost overwhelming collection of treasures, with everything from Faberge eggs to antique weapons. Lastly, we’ll accompany you to the Moscow Underground. No ordinary metro system, its ornately decorated stations are resplendently adorned with marble, mosaics, stained glass and sculptures - if it weren’t for the frequent trains, you’d forget you were in a station at all.

One of the highest spots in Moscow, Poklonnaya Hill commemorates Russian victory in the Great Patriotic War. Victory Park and the Square of Victors form part of an open air museum where you’ll find a fascinating collection of tanks and other vehicles used in the Second World War. From there, we’ll head for the Museum of the Cold War, Moscow’s newest museum. Visitors travel 65 metres underground via a high-speed lift to what was once a top secret military facility, the command centre of the Russian Armed Forces. During your guided tour you will pass through its secret tunnels, see samples of communication equipment and fire arms and find out how the place once functioned.

Later, you'll be met by our driver with a Go Russia sign board at the lobby of the hotel to transfer you to the train station. You can choose between an overnight and high-speed day train.

High-speed train: the high speed journey by Sapsan takes around 4 hours. On arrival you’ll be met at the train station and driven to your hotel where you’ll check in.

Overnight train: for those opting for the overnight service, the rest of the afternoon in Moscow is free for you to continue sightseeing at your leisure. Later, you’ll be taken to the railway station to board the Grand Express train.

On arrival in St. Petersburg, our driver will meet you with a Go Russia sign board at the end of the platform and after breakfast in a local cafe you’ll transfer to the hotel. Later, we’ll take you on a city tour of what we think is one of the most graceful and elegant cities in the world, St Petersburg. Nicknamed the “Venice of the North” for its extensive network of canals, you’ll visit all the major sights, including the Peter and Paul Fortress, St. Isaac's Cathedral and the Church of Christ's Resurrection (The Saviour of the Blood). You will also see the ship whose cannon gave the signal, on the order of Lenin, for the beginning of the Great Social Revolution more than 90 years ago.

Today we offer a programme based around two very different museums. They don’t come much more famous than the Winter Palace at the Hermitage, with its incredible collection of works of art including everything from Leonardo da Vinci to the French Impressionists. Alongside world-renowned paintings sit treasured icons, antique coins and exquisite jewellery which once belonged to the Tsar. The State Museum of the Defense and Blockade of Leningrad is tiny by comparison but its subject matter makes this compelling viewing. Dedicated to the city's historical siege and defence of Leningrad during the Second World War, moving displays show the famine-ravaged city and the heroic efforts made to somehow get food in from beyond the blockade. More than one million people died during the blockade. Their sacrifice and the extraordinary endurance of the survivors remains a source of both immense pride and profound sorrow.

Today we head to the suburbs of St Petersburg to visit one of its most magnificent summer palaces, Petrodvorets, also known as the Peterhof. Founded by Emperor Peter the Great at the start of the 18th century it features a glorious park dotted with elegant fountains as well as the palace itself. We’ll move on to the Museum of Political History of Russia where our guided visit will uncover the story of the revolution. Created in 1919 by prominent figures in the Bolshevik Party members of the narodnik (populist) movement and representatives of the intelligentsia it was the first museum in the country to engage with historical and revolutionary issues. To this day it remains a fascinating collection and our tour will help you understand how modern Russia has evolved.

When it’s time to transfer to the airport, our driver will meet you with a Go Russia sign board in the hotel lobby.