DAY 1: MOSCOW
Arrive at Moscow airport, where you are met and transferred to a luxurious five-star
hotel located in the heart of this vibrant city for a one-night stay. We enjoy a welcome
dinner at our hotel, whilst you meet your fellow travellers and, together, look forward
to the 14 day voyage that lies ahead.
DAY 2: MOSCOW
Our city tour of Moscow principally takes us to Red Square, an iconic symbol of
Russia's former military and political might. Here we see an eclectic mix of fascinating
architecture, such as the ornate St Basil's Cathedral with its magnificent onion-domed
spires, the grandeur of The Kremlin and the sombre and evocative site of Lenin's tomb.
In the late afternoon, we board the Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express and after
settling into our modern, stylish cabins, we enjoy dinner in one of the beautifully
designed restaurant cars as our journey to Kiev begins.
DAY 3: ST PETERSBURG
Today we tour this magnificent city and visit Catherine the Great's rococo Summer
Palace in Pushkin, including the world-famous Amber Room. Lunch is at the Podvorye
'Coach House' Restaurant in Pavlovsk before returning to the imperial capital city of
the Russian Empire for an afternoon tour of the key sights including St Isaac's
Cathedral and Nevsky Prospect.
DAY 4: MINSK
We spend the day in Minsk, capital of Belarus and enjoy a tour of this city which saw
fierce fighting during World War II.
DAY 5: LVOV
Breakfast is early prior to our arrival in Lvov, capital of the Western Ukraine and an
ancient city that has seen many rulers. Named 'Lemberg' during Polish/Austrian rule,
and again briefly during Nazi occupation, the old city, with its winding streets has
survived almost untouched. Our city tour includes lunch before we reboard our train
and head south.
DAY 6: KISHINEV
Passing over the Moldovan border during the night, we arrive at lunchtime in the
capital city of Kishinev. Our afternoon tour of the city includes a visit to a local winery.
DAY 7: ODESSA
With its tree-lined Primorsky Boulevard featuring street cafes on the embankment and
Potemkin Steps, we arrive in the elegant city of Odessa at lunchtime. This Black Sea
city was immortalised in Einstein's 1925 film 'Battleship Potemkin'. Nearby is the
impressive Opera and Ballet Theatre.
DAY 8: SEVASTOPOL
Sevastopol is home to the Russian Black Sea Fleet and is a town steeped in the history
of the Crimean War and World War II, on both occasions being under siege for almost
a year. Our tour includes the Old Town, the Panorama (a 360-degree painting and
montage depicting the siege of Sevastopol during the Crimean War) and Khersones,
reputed to be the most complete ancient Greek settlement in existence, and only opened
to foreigners a few years ago. We spend our final night on board the Golden Eagle.
DAY 9: BALACLAVA
Before arriving late afternoon at the Hotel Oreanda in Yalta for a 3 night stay we visit
Balaclava and the Diorama depicting the WWII battle and from where there is a fine
view of the valley where the Charge of the Light Brigade took place. The valley is now
covered in neat rows of vines and in the middle is a white stone memorial to the
infamous Charge.
DAY 10: YALTA
Today there is a guided tour of Yalta including Chekhov's House and the Botanical
Gardens, followed by lunch at a local restaurant. In the afternoon we visit the Massandra Palace and Imperial Winery, touring the cellars (they have bottles dating
back to 1775 and many bottles from the Tsars personal collection), followed by a
scenic cruise along the picturesque coastline. The boat drops us at Cape Ai-Todor,
where we climb over 100 steps for dinner at Lastochinko Gnezdo (the Swallow's Nest),
a fairy-tale castle breathtakingly perched high above the sea. This restaurant is a world
famous location and many world leaders have eaten here.
DAY 11: YALTA
This morning we visit Alupka Palace which was built for Count Mikhail Vorontsov,
former special envoy to the United Kingdom and friend of the Marlborough Family.
The Palace is a strange, but attractive combination of a Scottish castle with Arabian
additions. Churchill stayed here during the Yalta conference of February 1945. In the
afternoon we enjoy a private tour of the Tsar's Summer Palace at Livadia and the site
of the Yalta conference between Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill. A champagne reception
in the grounds will be followed by a concert of chamber music and dinner in the
restaurant attached to the palace.
DAY 12: KIEV
We take a short flight from Simferopol to Kiev, one of Europe's oldest cities, where we
transfer to our 5-star city centre hotel for 2 nights.
DAY 13: KIEV
Our tour of this ancient city includes the beautifully restored Monastery of Caves,
Lavra Complex which has the highest bell tower in the former USSR, the huge Mother
Ukraina WWII monument and museum, a stroll along Khreshchatyk Street, Saint
Sophia's Cathedral and Independence Square.
DAY 14: KIEV
Free time for shopping in the morning. Airport transfers for guests connecting to
international flights.
Please note the order of visits in the Crimea may change as some venues may need our groups to be split.
This itinerary is available from Kiev to Moscow from April 27 - May 10, 2010. |
