Travel Russia - Samples MOSCOW

Samples
Suggested itinerary in brief
Day 1/Thursday
Afternoon	Arrive Airport Fast track on arrival Arrival at the hotel with a short tour en route
Option	Police Escort
Dinner	“Cafe Pushkin”
Day 2/Friday
AM	Transfer to the hotel, check in Cosmonaut training centre, meeting with cosmonaut, optional training
Lunch	in the hotel “Artists’s Gallery” At leisure
Option	Transfer to the restaurant by Limouzine (20 seater stretch limousine)
Dinner	“NOA” restaurant
Option	“Savoy”
Night Club	Fabrique
Day 3/Saturday
AM	Spy game (KGB training)
Lunch	“Glavpivtorg”
PM	Entertainment in Izmailovo, Vodka Museum Open air market
Dinner	“CDL” Restaurant
Day 4/Sunday
AM	Early opening of Kremlin and Armoury Metro Ride
Lunch	“At the Mill” Restaurant (Russian cuisine)
am	departure transfer
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Detailed itinerary
Day 1
On arrival you will be met at the customs area by a special representative of the airport to help you with custom’s formalities. A private vehicle with a guide will take you to the city center. Have a short tour en route. Arrive to the hotel. Check in. “Pushkin” restaurant. Dinner is served in one of the most interesting and refined restaurants of the city “Cafe Pushkin”, situated in a marvellous mansion. Under the roof of a gorgeous building there is an antique library where books, telescopes and globes dispose to philosophic meditation. The atmosphere of “Cafe Pushkin” is amazing not only due to the interior specificity, but also to the unique cuisine including Russian meals cooked according to old recipes as well as French culinary chef d’oeuevres.
Day 2
In the morning the group arrives to Moscow railway station and the bus takes the guests to the hotel. Cosmonaut Centre A visit to the State Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut training Center is a unique possibility for special groups and incentives and individual travellers.. The center is situated about 1 hour’s drive from Moscow in the totally self-contained “Space City”, and it is where cosmonauts from Russian and all over the world are trained for manned space flights. As it is a highly secure, working center, only the museum is usually open to the public and by special permit only, but special groups are allowed access for tours and program, and it is well worth the visit. There are various options for visiting groups, and these depend on the size of the group, budget and their interests. For day-visitors, it is possible to have a tour of the whole center, which will include several unique pieces of equipment, and life-size models of the Russian spacecraft. There is the centrifuge machine in which astronauts experience the full affects of centrifugal force; clients can try this but ONLY after a 4-hour medical test, and only a few clients per day. The water tank is a huge tank into which astronauts are lowered, in special $600,000 suits, and in which the affects of space are simulated. Clients cannot try this, but they can watch an experiment if there is one in progress. There are real, life-sized models of the spaceships Mir and Soyuz which visitors can look round (they are surprisingly small); a tour of these will be preceded by a detailed explanation from one of the center’s experts. Lunch awaits you in “Artist’s Gallery" "Artist`s gallery " – one of unique and amazing place. This small building (former palace of Dolgorukiy prince, built in XVII) is very modest in outsight design contrasted with splendor of the place inside. This place is perfectly located - 5 minutes walk to the Kremlin. There are 7 beautiful halls in the restaurant and Artist’s gallery of Zurab Tseritelly – well known Russian architect. The “Artist Gallery” hall of this restaurant seems to be lighted thanks to glossy roof and abundance of gleaming mosaics. Russian, Georgian cuisine. Dinner served in “NOA” restaurant “NOA” is one of the most trendy places of the city comprising 3 floors – 2 floors for cafe and 3d one – the restaurant itself. The interior is designed in modern style. The restaurant hall has got fish counter and open charcoal grill. The restaurant offers Italian cuisine with Asian elements. Option for a dinner - “Savoy” Restaurant The renowned Savoy Restaurant, designed to mirror the elegance of Versailles Palace, offers guests a distinctive fine dining experience with its authentic Russian and European culinary delights. Opened in 1913, it soon became one of the most famous and hospitable Moscow restaurants chosen by artists of Bolshoy and Maly theatres, popular writers and journalists. A marble fountain, hand painted ceiling delicately decorated with gilded mirrors and beautiful chandeliers create an elegant and luxurious ambiance for wedding celebrations, elegant black-tie evenings or corporate affairs as well as a romantic candle-lit dinner for two. The Savoy Restaurant is open daily for breakfast, a’ la carte lunch and dinner. Live music. Seasonal and theme menus available like Hunter Nook or Russian Oven. The Savoy Restaurant also features the separate banqueting hall with a wood burning fireplace and lovely large windows. This beautiful room is ideal for private dinners or wedding celebrations up to 40 guests.
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Day 3
"From Russia with Love” After the dinner the night before the training each participant find Dear Spy letter in the room from which he gets the first instruction. In the morning all the group meets in the lobby of the hotel and get divided into smaller groups. Then the KGB agent comes and has a short talk with each group. Each of the group is given instructions, some things they might need during the trip (Moscow map, stamps, magnifying glass, Russian money, etc). During their route the participants will have cover several central points, find the proper person at each point answer some questions. The points include: GUM department store (where the clients buy the souvenir and find a flower girl from whom they get the next task placed inside the bouquet) Moscow subway (meeting a photographer) Head Post Office (getting a letter) Metro ride Yuriy Dolgoruky Monument Eliseevsky store (find a lady reading a magazine) Finely the whole group gathers in the restaurants and the best one gets the awards. Lunch in “GavPivTorg” – newly designed restaurant located in one of the KGB buildings represents the interior of the Soviet institution. The abbreviation stands for “Main Beer Trade company” in Soviet time. If you would like to find yourself in the atmosphere of Soviet restaurant of 70-s – “Back to the USSR” – you’ll find the place to your liking. Big choice of beer. On Fridays – live music – band performing Russian/European hits of 80s – advance reservation is required as the place is very popular with locals. Izmaylovo open air market (vernisage) We offer you the visit to Russian handicraft centre – Izmaylovo, famous for its open air souvenir market. Izmaylovo is one of the oldest part of Moscow, where the second Romanov Tzar Alexey Mikhailovich had his summer residence where his son Peter the Great was brought up. At the present moment the complex occupies the territory of 17 hectares and includes: trade town (with streets of private booth-shops where the clients can see and buy great variety of traditional Russian crafts objects – famous matryoshkas, wood-carving goods, porcelain, glass, birchbark items, Russian Army uniforms, badges, etc.), traditional crafts workshops where once can see the process of creation of handicraft items, “Russian Yard” – a copy of a traditional wooden settlement with wooden churches, houses. At the entrance the guests are met by bread and salt offered by a Russian girl in traditional costume. Enjoy the feeling of creator, having Matryoshka (the famous Russian nestling dolls) doll painting class! The guests are taken to the classes. Applied art college where they attend a lesson of traditional Russian painting of matryoshka doll. The clients get acquainted with the techniques of painting, get the set of paints and a wooden unpainted doll to make an attempt to do the painting themselves and get the painted item as souvenir. Those who don’t feel themselves being a painter, will have a chance to try themselves in woodcarving. Or play the traditional old Russian game “gorodki” (old variant of bowling, played on the ground when the person is to destroy the structure made of wooden sticks, placed at the distance). The guests are met by Russian beauty in national costume with “bread and salt” – traditional welcome ceremony existing for centuries. Then they guests have a tour of the Russian Yard representing the story of the place and learning about Russian crafts and learn how to perform a traditional Russian dance and play on wooden spoons – nicely decorated spoon is given as a present. The guests will enjoy dinner in “CDL” (Central House of Writers) restaurant is one of the most stylish restaurants, which was owned by Countess Alexandra Olsufiyeva until the revolution. The exquisite interior of a one-time meeting place of Moscow Freemasons, with its warm fireplace, old wood panelling, wonderful wooden furniture, glorious heraldry and antique balustrades creates the atmosphere of an old house of Russian noble, where one can become familiar with remarkable Russian cuisine and taste such dishes as Veal “Orloff” Quail”Golotsiya”, Salmon “Tzar Nikholas II”, as well as many other unique and delicious dishes.
Day 4
Special early opening of the Kremlin grounds Armoury chamber is arranged for the group. You might be surprised how many ancient and magnificent structures one can see within its walls: 15th century cathedrals (the coronation, wedding and bury place of Russian rulers), bell-tower, Patriach’s Palace, Grand Kremlin Palace and of course the richest museum - Armoury. The Armoury has a fantastic collection of insignia of Imperial power, precious clothes, ceremonial harness and unique collection of imperial carriages. The 17th century throne of Alexey Romanov covered with a mosaic of turquoises and 900 diamonds, a pheloneon of Metropolitan Platon decorated with 150,000 pearls (it took the embroiderer 2 years to work on the pattern!), the famous Faberge eggs – one help admiring the priceless and luxurious items.. Visit the 15th century cathedrals with fantastic interiors afterwards.. Have a metro ride afterwards. Moscow underground is not only the fastest means of transportation in the city but also a unique architectural ensemble. Major stations built in 30s of last century look like palaces richly decorated with marble, mosaic and semi-precious stones. Lunch awaits you in “At the Mill” restaurant treating you to traditional Russian cuisine. The restaurant is located in the centre on Tverskoy boulevard. The interior recreates the atmosphere of the Russian merchant’s house of the 19th century.
Departure transfer Accommodation in Moscow Baltschug Kempinski Hotel 5* The hotel has 234 rooms and suites built around a daylight flooded atrium. The elegant 5 star Baltschug Hotel is excellently located, with standards of service which befit a Kempinski Hotel, and is a member of “Leading Hotels of the World”. Situated on the banks of the Moskva River, opposite Red Square and St Basil’s Cathedral, the hotel offers excellent facilities : 2 restaurants, Cafe Kranzler, the Baltschug Bar and lobby bar, business centre, swimming pool and fitness centre, conference rooms, 24 hour room service. Ararat Park Hyatt 5* The luxurious hotel is located within walking distance from Bolshoi theatre and Red Square. The hotel has got spacious and luxurious 219 bedrooms including 16 suites. Cafe Ararat, The Gallery restaurant and Enoki restaurant offer Armenian, European and Japanese food. Latest technology conference rooms – over 500 square metres of meeting and banqueting space. Fitness centre and spa with Jacuzzi, Roman, Steam and Russian baths. Aurora Marriott Royal Hotel 5* The hotel has 234 rooms and suites, 5 meeting rooms up to 220 people A beautiful Hotel on Petrovka Street just 2 minutes walk from the Bolshoi Theatre, and 5 minutes from Red Square. Opened in January 1999. The hotels has the Polo Club restaurant and all day Aurora Restaurant where breakfast, lunch and dinner are served under a stunning seven story glass ceiling.
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