Overlooking Red Square | Moscow | Russia
FROM: USD $975 pp

CHRISTMAS OR NEW YEAR TOUR: No stuffing turkeys or entertaining aunts, head to mighty Russia this Christmas or New Year! With fun and good cheer discover the wonders of St Petersburg and the nation’s capital - Moscow on this 6 day tour of Russia, taking in palaces of the tsars and the Hermitage, Red Square, the Kremlin and more.

Inclusions
Itinerary
Prices & Dates
Hotels
COVID SAFE GUIDE
Reviews

Trip Highlights

Take in the highlights of St Petersburg including a guided tour of the exquisite Church on Spilled Blood, Peter & Paul Fortress and Cathedral
Take a guided tour of the remarkable Hermitage Museum at the Winter Palace
Visit Catherine Palace at Tsarkoe Selo and marvel at the incredible Amber Room
Discover Moscow's UNESCO-listed Red Square, home to spectacular St Basil’s Cathedral, Lenin's Mausoleum and the historic GUM Department store
Explore the grounds of Moscow's mighty Kremlin, with its numerous government buildings, gold-domed cathedrals and the giant tsar bell

Included

5 breakfasts, 1 lunch and 1 dinner (including a Welcome Dinner on day 1)
4 nights 4 star hotels
Specialist Russian guides at local sights
Airport arrival transfer on day 1
All relevant transfers and transportation on tour
1 overnight train from St Petersburg - Moscow in a 4-berth cabin including bed linen
Escorted by an English speaking Russian tour guide
Guided sightseeing - St Petersburg and Moscow
Moscow Metro travel card - 6 journeys

Not Included

Tip for your tour guide. We recommend you allow USD$3 - 5 per day, per traveller. Tipping your guide is an entirely personal gesture.
Entrance Fees: USD$40-50pp, paid in local currency
International flights and visa

Itinerary

Day 1

St Petersburg

Welcome to Russia and the start of your winter holiday! Upon arrival you will be met at St Petersburg Pulkovo Airport and transferred to your hotel for check-in. This evening meet for an informative welcome meeting and dinner with the rest of your group at the hotel.
Overnight: St Petersburg  |  Dinner

Day 2

Catherine Palace

St Petersburg is known as the city of the tsars and this morning we head out of city to explore beautiful Catherine Palace at Tsarskoe Selo. At Catherine Palace the exterior and the interior of this lavishly decorated building really catch the eye - particularly the spectacular Amber room.

The rest of the day is free for you to relax and independently explore the city. Most of the city sights are dotted along and just off the main thoroughfare - Nevsky Prospekt. It’s an easy city to find your bearings and get around. St Petersburg has a spirited restaurant, bar and jazz club scene, plus some of Russia’s best beers.

During our time in St Petersburg there will be the chance to book optional evening excursions such a traditional Cossack Show or a night at the Russian Ballet. On Christmas Day there will also be an optional dinner at a local restaurant. All optional excursions are subject to availability, and are booked and payable locally.
Overnight: St Petersburg  |  Breakfast

Day 3

City sightseeing & the Hermitage

St Petersburg - Moscow. This morning we get a wonderful overview of the city as we drive along the famed Nevsky Prospekt, past the museum and university districts and a few photo stops will be made along the way at places such as the magnificent St Isaac's Cathedral and The Bronze Horseman. Then we enjoy a guided tour of impressive Peter & Paul Fortress and the beautiful Peter & Paul Cathedral, which houses the tombs of the Romanov monarchs. We will also visit the exquisite Church on Spilled Blood.

After a hearty lunch we take a guided tour of the Hermitage Museum in the Winter Palace - which houses one of the biggest and best art collections on earth. Then there's free time before we meet back at the hotel at an agreed time to gather our bags and travel to the railway station for our overnight journey by train to Moscow.
Overnight: Sleeper Train  |  Breakfast, Lunch

Day 4

Red Square

Arriving into Moscow very early this morning we transfer to our hotel. Then we hop on the Moscow Metro and make our way to legendary Red Square for a walking tour. As the historical, political and social heart of Moscow, this famous square is home to some of the city’s most recognisable landmarks. Within the Red Square we will find the iconic domes of St Basil’s Cathedral, the imposing red brick walls of the Kremlin and the glitzy Neo-Russian facade of the GUM shopping mall. Lenin's Mausoleum is also in Red Square, housed within a red and black marble building. If open, we can enter the mausoleum free of charge and pay our respects to the grandfather of Communism whose embalmed body has lain in state here since his death. The rest of the day is free for you to explore more of Moscow.

During our stay in Moscow there will be the chance to join our optional Moscow by Night coach tour (book and pay locally)
Overnight: Moscow  |  Breakfast

Day 5

The Kremlin

Today we head back to Red Square to visit the Kremlin - Russia’s bastion of political might, where we will enjoy a guided walk through the grounds, seeing numerous government buildings, gold-domed cathedrals and the tsar bell. The rest of the day is free for you to relax or perhaps visit one or two of the city’s plentiful museums. Alternatively we offer an optional guided tour of a formerly top secret Soviet bunker today.

New Year's Eve arrangements: On our 27th December departure the tour of the Kremlin will be in the afternoon of day 4 and day 5 (New Year's Eve) will be free to spend at leisure with our optional Inside a Soviet Bunker add-on in the morning. In the evening we will head into the city to ring in the New Year among the crowds and offer an optional New Year's Eve dinner (book and pay locally).
Overnight: Moscow  |  Breakfast

Day 6

Goodbye Russia!

Our tour comes to an end after breakfast and hotel check out.
Breakfast

Prices & Dates

Departure dates are guaranteed with a minimum of 4 persons. 'Twin Share' prices are per person when there are 2 people sharing a room. 'Single Room' prices are applicable to those who don’t have anyone to share a room with or anyone wanting the privacy of a single room.

Read More
Christmas departure - book early!
Christmas Departure
New Year's departure - book early!
New Year's Departure
Available
Contact us to book
Not Available
2022
Twin Share
Single Room
24 Dec - 29 Dec Christmas departure - book early!
Christmas departure - book early!
USD $975
USD $1,245
27 Dec - 01 Jan New Year's departure - book early!
New Year's departure - book early!
USD $975
USD $1,245

Extra Prices

Twin Share
Single Room
Pre tour accommodation - St Petersburg (Sep - Apr)
USD $95
USD $175
Post tour accommodation - Moscow
USD $75
USD $145
Inside a Soviet Bunker
USD $105
N/A

Hotels

The hotels listed below are ones which we frequently use on this tour. We reserve the right to substitute these hotels to ones of a similar standard.

Harbor Club Hotel, St Petersburg

Our Category: Superior   |   Regional Category: 4 Star Hotel

Well-located in St Petersburg, the Harbor Club Hotel can be found on a quiet street, yet only a short walk from the bustling city centre. Its guestrooms feature modern décor, with spacious ensuite bathrooms and modern amenities including air conditioning. You’ll also find a shared lounge and bar, as well as an on-site restaurant serving tasty European cuisine. Here, guests can enjoy a continental or buffet breakfast or, if you’d prefer, there is also the option of dining in the comfort of your hotel room.

Izmailovo Delta Hotel, Moscow

Our Category: Superior   |   Regional Category: 4 Star Hotel

The 4 star Izmailovo Delta Hotel forms part of the huge Izmailovo Gamma Delta complex, which was built to accommodate guests and participants of the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow. Offering comfortable guest rooms with modern amenities, the complex also boasts 16 restaurants and bars serving Russian and international cuisine, a SPA, gym and swimming pool, in addition to shops, a bank and post office. Conveniently located with the Partizanskaya Metro Station just 350 yards away, it's a quick 10 minute metro ride to Red Square where you can take in the highlights of the capital. The hotel is also ideally located for souvenir shopping, with the famous Izmailovo Market just a short stroll away.

Reviews

Travellers have rated this tour as 4.82 out of 5 based on 11 recent reviews

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Very quick to respond to queries. Kept us updated with information well, including altering letters for visa when information was entered incorrectly. Would buy from them again!

• Submitted 05 Mar 2020
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Guide
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The Snowball New Years tour was fantastic. It was a lot to see in just a few days however I felt satisfied leaving Russia that I saw and did everything I wanted there. I loved having some free time in both St. Petersburg as well as Moscow. Both cities are quite large and have a lot to offer. I will definitely visit again, perhaps in the summer to see how the cities look like when gardens, flowers are in full bloom. My guide made an incredible tour just about perfect. Alina was friendly, knowledgeable and attentive to the tour team. It was also a great experience to be in Moscow during New Years which is a very significant holiday in Russia. We watched the fire works show right in the city centre.

• Submitted 04 Jan 2019
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Excellent! Packed so much in, Darya really enthusiastic, helpful and everything well organised from start to finish.

• Submitted 05 Jan 2017
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Nataliya was an outstanding tour guide. She is very knowledgeable on the aspects of the tour to include history and culture, and shared tons of interesting information. She was thoughtful to all members of our group, kept the trip moving forward smoothly, and extremely patient towards multiple, repetitive questions from our group members who weren't listening to her announcements the first time. I was very impressed with her all around, she is an asset to your company.

• Submitted 04 Jan 2017
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I wrote on the feedback form that we were given in Moscow that the highlight of our trip was our tour guide and I would like to reiterate that statement. She was fun, professional, helpful, very informative and as far as I could see was never off duty. As for the tour itself with the benefit of hindsight there were a couple of optional trips that we could have skipped but purely because we were tired after the overnight train journey. We thought everything was very well organised, we enjoyed the restaurants that we ate in, we loved the Hermitage, the Moscow Metro, night city tours, St. Petersburg itself is just beautiful - I could go on! We loved the trip and would happily recommend it to friends.

A final comment with regard to the On the Go staff at the London office, many thanks go to Phil Hammond and Sarah Bansgrove for going above and beyond in their successful mission to retrieve our keys for us.

• Submitted 04 Jan 2017
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Loved the trip, saw so much, and had a wonderful guide, Daria, who looked out for everything and everyone. I enjoyed the food, and Daria's recommended restaurants were excellent. The only thing I think could be better is the location for the Moscow hotel, being so far out of the center made it hard to enjoy the city fully. I feel like I missed a lot of Moscow, and though using the subway was fine, you can't see what's above ground like you can when walking or riding above ground. Otherwise, the tours, sites, food, everything was great, and I will definitely book with On The Go again.

• Submitted 04 Jan 2017
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Natasha was very enthusiastic and patient with questions. She stayed until the early morning with me to make sure I caught the taxi to the airport. The tour was interesting. I had been to Russia many years ago and saw most of the sights before. The group was a mixed bunch of people but everyone got along.we had fun on the train to Moscow. I went to the cossack show and the bunker. I thought the ballet was too expensive but the bunker interesting. I decided against the circus because animals were involved but others who went enjoyed it. I was sick on the first day in Moscow. Natasha gave me money to cover for the metro ticket I couldn't use. I think the highlight for me in Moscow was the tour by night as we were able to see around moscow. A lot was crammed in a couple of days in Moscow. I was trying to see everything because I missed the morning when I was sick. Apart from getting sick I can't complain about anything. I would definitely go back to Moscow maybe in the summer.

• Submitted 03 Jan 2017
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My partner, Evan McCloy and I fully enjoyed this trip. Coming to a country were we knew little of the language, we found it very reassuring to have alot of our tickets and activities already organised for us. We found Dasha and other staff who assisted her to be very helpful and supportive every step of the way ( the metro especially can be a very busy and intimidating place!). The accommodations and places we stopped for lunch were of great quality and service. The new years eve dinner was especially pleasing, with quality food and services provided for everyone. I was impressed by Dasha's breadth of knowledge and passion for her country's history and culture. Overall, we learnt a great deal and appreciation of the beauty of both Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Although the pace of the tour was at times fast and tiring, it was well worth it and necessary in order to see/do the things that were scheduled- we never would have been able to fit as many activities if we visited the country by ourselves. We would recomend On The Go tours, and especially Dasha as a tour guide for an introduction to Russia, and would nominate her for the Tour Leader Award. We are also sure the other tour guides employed by this company would be just as passionate and diligent with their jobs. Best new years eve for us so far! Kind regards

Anna and Evan

• Submitted 08 Jan 2016
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Loved it! Russia was a beautiful country, at the same time both very representative of yet very different to Western stereotypes!!

We packed a lot into the few full days that we had, the guides were very friendly and helpful and the tour extras were 100% worth it. We would certainly recommend On The Go Tours and Russia to anyone!

• Submitted 04 Jan 2016
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Great to have the airport transfer and hotel booking for the extra day add on done by On The Go. Natalie was an excellent guide, fun but very professional and organized. Helpful too. Theo Porter responsive to all my many questions. Only suggestion is that a list of optional sleeper upgrades and price be available. Happy New Year to all! We will have wonderful memories of this trip forever. The trip also had a great price point and allowed us to see many many of the highlights. The two hotels were great since near metro, supermarkets, etc.

• Submitted 31 Dec 2015
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In Brief

Range
Trip Type
Starts
St Petersburg
Ends
Moscow
Departs
24 and 27 December
Group Size
Min 4 / Max 24
Hotel Rating
3-4 star
Tour Guide
Yes - escorted by a tour guide
Meals
Breakfast: 5, Lunch: 1, Dinner: 1
Visiting
St Petersburg, Moscow
Countries
Attractive buildings lining the canals of St Petersburg
Attractive buildings lining the canals of St Petersburg
View of Moscow city including the Kremlin in the soft morning light
View of Moscow city including the Kremlin in the soft morning light

Tour Add-ons

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Very quick to respond to queries. Kept us updated with information well, including altering letters for visa when information was entered incorrectly. Would buy from them again!

Andrew Jackson Higgins
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