| Northern Capitals & Russia - Itinerary |
DAY 1
– SUN – UK – BERLIN
After your scheduled flight to Berlin’s Tegel Airport, there are
complimentary transfers to your hotel at 10.30 & 12.30hrs. Later, why not walk along the bustling
‘Ku-damm’, the shopping centre of West Berlin. In the evening, meet your Tour Director and fellow
travellers for a Welcome Drink. Hotel: Berlin. (D) |
DAY
10 – TUE – MOSCOW SIGHTSEEING
A sightseeing tour takes
in St Basil’s Cathedral and Lenin’s Tomb in Red
Square; walk inside the Kremlin walls to visit one of the
cathedrals, and explore the Metro stations which Stalin called
“palaces for the people”. There is also time to
shop. (BB) |
DAY 2
– MON – BERLIN – COPENHAGEN
On a sightseeing tour, see the Reichstag
building, Brandenburg Gate and follow the Unter den Linden to the Alexanderplatz. Leaving Berlin,
drive to Rostock and set sail for Denmark. A peaceful drive leads to Copenhagen. In the evening, visit
the famous Tivoli Gardens. Hotel: Radisson SAS Scandinavia. (BB) |
DAY
11 – WED – MOSCOW AT LEISURE
A full day is set aside
to explore Moscow at your own pace. Consider visiting the
Kremlin museum to gaze at the treasury of the Tsars. (BB) |
DAY
3 – TUE – COPENHAGEN SIGHTSEEING
Begin your sightseeing
tour with a visit to the Christiansborg (the Danish Parliament
Building) to marvel at the opulent interior. Then see the
Rosenborg Palace, Stock Exchange and Amalienborg Palace (where
the reigning Monarch resides) and, of course, Hans Christian
Andersen's 'Little Mermaid' gazing across the harbour. This
afternoon is at leisure. (BB) |
DAY
12 – THU – MOSCOW – VITEBSK
Head west to Smolensk
before entering Belarus. Take a scenic drive to Vitebsk, a
fascinating city with cobbled streets. Vitebsk is also known
as the birthplace of Marc Chagall. Enjoy a Highlight Dinner
of traditional cuisine. Hotel: Luchesa. (BB,L,HD) |
DAY
4 – WED – COPENHAGEN – STOCKHOLM
From the ferry to Sweden,
see Hamlet’s Kronborg castle at Elsinore. The journey
then passes through fertile farmlands and along the shores
of Lake Vattern to Stockholm. Hotel: Scandic Alvik. (BB) |
DAY
13 – FRI – VITEBSK – VILNIUS
Enjoy tea from a samovar as you see Marc Chagall’s
childhood home and visit the museum housing over 150 of his original works. Continue to Vilnius, the
capital of Lithuania. En route, stop in the ancient Slavic capital of Polotsk. Hotel: Reval Lietuva. (BB,D) |
DAY
5 – THU – STOCKHOLM – O’NIGHT CRUISE
With your local guide,
visit the imposing City Hall with its Golden Room (where the
annual Nobel Prize presentation banquet takes place), then
cross into the medieval heart of the city to see the Cathedral
and the Royal Palace. There is the option of visiting the
Wasa Ship, before boarding your luxury cruise ship for the
overnight voyage to Finland. (BB) |
DAY
14 – SAT – VILNIUS SIGHTSEEING
Sightseeing starts in
the baroque church of St Peter and St Paul; it's simple exterior
hiding a most spectacular interior decoration. See the neo-classical
cathedral before joining a guide on a leisurely walking tour
of the Old Town. See the Jesuit University and the Gates of
Dawn; the former Soviet KGB headquarters are a reminder of
more recent and grim events. Now enjoy a highlight visit to
the splendid Trakai Castle, built on a fortified island by
Grand Duke Vietautas at the beginning of the 15th century.
(BB) |
DAY 6
– FRI – HELSINKI SIGHTSEEING
Disembark in Helsinki
and visit the ‘Church in the Rock’, Sibelius Monument
and see Finlandia Hall in the new quarter. Hotel: Radisson
SAS Plaza. (BB) |
DAY
15 – SUN – VILNIUS – WARSAW
Pass Suwalki and lakeside Augustow on a scenic
drive through Mazuria, a region of lakes and vast forests. Arrive in Warsaw, the capital of Poland.
Hotel: Sheraton. (BB,D) |
DAY
7 – SAT – HELSINKI – ST PETERSBURG
Follow the coast along the Gulf
of Finland and cross into Russia near Vyborg. Drive through beautiful forests on the way to St
Petersburg. Hotel: Sokos Vasilievsky. (BB,L,D) |
DAY
16 – MON – WARSAW SIGHTSEEING
On your guided tour
you will see the Chopin Memorial in Lazienki Park, St John’s
Cathedral and the memorial to the Warsaw uprising. Warsaw
was faithfully rebuilt after the devastation of World War
Two; walk in the reconstructed Old Town to the Market Square
where you will enjoy a fascinating film, about the reconstruction
of the city. (BB) |
DAY
8 – SUN – ST PETERSBURG SIGHTSEEING
See the ‘Church
of Spilled Blood’, Nevsky Prospect and the cruiser ‘Aurora’.
Then a highlight: a visit to the Winter Palace, former home
of the Czars, but now housing the spectacular Hermitage Museum,
one of the world’s greatest art collections. (BB) |
DAY
17 – TUE – WARSAW – BERLIN
Drive across the Polish
plains, pausing in the town of Poznan, with its medieval town
square, before crossing the German border at the River Oder
and returning to Berlin. Hotel: Berlin. (BB,D) |
DAY
9 – MON – ST PETERSBURG – MOSCOW
Travel to the nearby village of
Petrodvorets to see the beautiful gardens of Peter the Great’s Summer Palace with their magnificent
fountains. Return to St Petersburg to board your comfortable afternoon train to Moscow, arriving in
the evening. Hotel: Crowne Plaza. (BB,L) |
DAY
18 – WED – BERLIN – UK
The tour ends with transfers
to Berlin’s Tegel Airport at 08.00 & 10.00 hours.
(BB) |
