Highlights of Russia

This luxurious private tour features the best of Moscow, The Golden Ring and St. Petersburg and includes unique activities such as special access to top cultural sites, visits to the best local markets, a relaxing afternoon at a traditional Russian bathhouse, a private cruise on the canals of St. Petersburg, meals in evocative Old Russia settings, a traditional Russian Orthodox ceremony at a local church and more.

Begin in Moscow. During private touring with your own guide and driver, experience the spectacular treasures this exciting city has amassed over the centuries since it became Russia's capital. Tour the Kremlin's gold-domed cathedrals and their frescoed interiors, and gaze at the czar's precious collections in the Armory. Also, gain access to the Diamond Fund, a dazzling array of the rarest jewels. Tour Red Square, St. Basil's Cathedral, Lenin's Mausoleum and GUM Department Store. Visit the Tretyakov Gallery and Pushkin Museum to see masterpieces of Russian and European art. Browse for unique Russian products at a local market and along the city's most fashionable shopping streets. Learn about the Metro's ostentatious designs from a local expert, and explore mansions where Russian aristocracy and intelligentsia once lived. Enjoy a performance at the Bolshoi Theater, and dine at the finest restaurants in the city — some of the best on the Continent.

One day, take a private excursion past the green fields, birch forests and wooden cottages of the countryside to Sergiev Posad, one of the most beautiful medieval towns in The Golden Ring. Tour the fairytale setting of onion-domed churches and towers of this important pilgrimage site.

Next, fly to stunning St. Petersburg to experience the artwork, palaces, waterways and lifestyle of Peter the Great's "window on the world." During private cultural touring with your own guide and driver, visit the Hermitage — one of the greatest museums in the world — and other highlights of the city, such as Peter & Paul Fortress and St. Isaac's Cathedral. Take a private excursion to Pavlovsk and Pushkin to tour the Catherine Palace, a Baroque confection of blue, white and gold, and ride in a troika (horse-drawn carriage) through the vast English-style gardens of Pavlovsk Park. During another excursion, enjoy special access to Peterhof, home of Peter the Great's grand Summer Palace, whose pavilions and water gardens overlook the Gulf of Finland. Also visit a decorative arts museum, dine at the city's best restaurants, explore interesting residential and shopping districts, and enjoy a performance at the world-renowned Mariinsky Theater.