Lesnaya st 43 (office 227)  Moscow 127055   Tel. (495) 926-58-82, (495) 926-58-83, (499)978-69-65  Fax. (499) 972-40-32   E-mail: moscow@travelrussia.net   Web: http://www.travelrussia.net Classic Russia tour: Moscow - Saint Petersburg May/July/August/Oct 2010 “Classic Russia tour” – fixed departure tours. Enjoy Private trip to Russia for a group rate! Dates of travel: May 7-14, July 30-Aug 06, Aug 20-27, Oct 15-22

ITINERARY IN BRIEF Day 1 Friday afternoon Arrival Moscow international airport, private transfer in cars. Arrival at the hotel with a short tour en route. Day 2 Saturday am Kremlin visit (territory, cathedrals), Armoury chamber pm Visit Izmaylovo souvenir market by metro Day 3 Sunday am City tour including Red Square, metro ride, Sparrow Hills (highest viewpoint) visit, New Maiden convert (outside) pm Tretyakov gallery Day 4 Monday am-pm At leisure eve Transfer to the railway station for Overnight train Grand Express to St Petersburg (23.40-08.35), 1st class tickete Day 5 Tuesday morning transfer to the hotel am City tour with Peter & Paul’s fortress pm Hermitage Day 6 Wednesday am Tzar Village (Catherine palace) pm return to the city Day 7 Thursday am –pm Day at leisure Day 8 Friday   Departure private transfers in cars END OF SERVICES

TOUR PRICE The price for the tour is NETT, in EUR per person in a double room. Holiday Inn Simonovsky/Ibis 3*   May 07-14/July 30-Aug 06/Aug 20-27 Oct 15-22 6-9 pax (5 rooms booked) Euro 835 Euro 765 10 - 15 pax Euro 770 Euro 710 16 – 20 pax Euro 730 Euro 660 Single suppl. Euro 205 Euro 170 The price includes: arrival/departure transfers in a private car/minivan 3 night accommodation in Moscow – Holiday Inn Simonovsky 3* (Friday arrivals) 3 night accommodation in St Petersburg – Ibis 3* Breakfast on all days air-conditioned minivan/bus (6-9 pax/ 10-15 pax – 19-seater for sightseeing, 16-20 pax – 30-seater), English speaking guide as per program all entrance fees mentioned above Overnight train ticket “Grand Express” Moscow – St Pet 1st class All applicable taxes included Visa support letter The Price is valid with min 6 people and 5 rooms booked on a tour. The Tour is subject to release 65 days in advance in case of fewer people/rooms are booked on a tour. *The offer is subject to availability and advance reservation. Not included (options): porterage at the airports/stations meals supplement for whole compartment on “Grand Express” train is euro 115

DETAILED ITINERARY Day 1 Friday afternoon MOSCOW Arrive in the hotel with a short tour en route. Day 2 Saturday am MOSCOW In the morning have a tour of Kremlin – the symbol of Moscow and the whole Russia. 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. Option - Special early opening of Kremlin (including early entrance to the Armoury and tour of the Kremlin grounds/cathedrals) pm In the afternoon visit Izmaylovo open air market (vernisage) – the best shopping area 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 or Chudo grad” – a copy of a traditional wooden settlement with wooden churches, houses. One can just spend hours here to buy souvenirs for friends and relatives. Day 3 Sunday am MOSCOW In the Morning begin the tour with the heart of the city – Red Square.Originally a commercial centre, Red Square has been at the very centre of Russian history since the 15th century, from Ivan the Terrible’s confession of his misdeeds to the people in 1550, to great demonstrations, executions and the great parades of the Soviet Union’s military might. Ironically, “krasny” originally meant beautiful; it came to mean “red” only in the last century! From the time of Ivan the Great the square was used as a huge gathering place for public events, markets, fairs and festivals. The magnificent square encompasses an area of over 70,000 square metres and is bounded by the Kremlin walls, St.Bazil’s cathedral, the Historical museum and GUM departments store, the shopping arcade, that was completed in 1893. At the southern end of Red Square is the almost fairy-tale like building of St Basil’s cathedral, commissioned in 1552 by Ivan the Terrible to celebrate his conquering of Kazan; legend has it that the architect was later blinded so that he could never repeat such a building that is so traditionally Russian. It is built of brick and comprises many colourful asymmetrical helmet & onion domes situated over nine chapels; the interior is full of 16th and 17th century icons, frescoes and ceiling paintings of subtle blues and pinks Continue to enjoy the first sights of Moscow during the city tour, passing the main streets and boulevards of the ancient city, that is 855 years old. Go to the best viewpoint on Sparrow hills, from which you could easily see most of the city. Pass the refined New Maiden Convent (outside ) This is one of the most beautiful of the city collection of buildings, located to the south-west of the city centre, with 16 gilded domes, founded in 1524. Many noble women, including Peter the Great’s first wife and his sister took vows and spent the rest of their lives here and are buried here. Visit the highest viewpoint – Sparrow Hills. 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. pm In the afternoon visit the famous Tretyakov gallery The Tretyakov gallery is a unique museum where one can have a perfect chance to get acquainted with the best samples of the Russian art. The gallery was founded by Moscow Merchant Pavel Tretyakov, who began collecting the finest works of Russian artists in 1856. In August, 1892 Tretyakov presented the collection and the Gallery to the city of Moscow. The Tretyakov gallery reopened in 1995 after a nine-year renovation. In The gallery you will see the world’s best collection of Russian icons, as well as a fantastic collection of other pre-Revolutionary Russian art. Day 4 Monday am-pm MOSCOW – SAINT PETERSBURG In the afternoon drive to the local railway station for day train to St Petersburg (16.00-21.30) – subject for reconfirmation by April 2010 Day 5 Tuesday am SAINT PETERSBURG Orientation tour with Peter & Paul’s fortress In the afternoon the guests will have a chance to get acquainted with one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Founded in 1703 by Peter the Great, Saint Petersburg remains one of the most romantic cities in Russia. Among the many poetical names applied to St. Petersburg the most common are “Northern Venice” and “Northern Palmyra”. The fascinating palaces and cathedrals, beautiful bridges over Venice-like canals, spacious squares and wide streets decorated with edifices of flourished baroque and impressive classical styles, monumental sculpture and lacy iron grilles and, of course, the special spirituality of this city infects everyone who visits it. In 1991 the city was placed on the UNESCO list of world cultural heritage. With numerous palaces and the world famous Hermitage on the banks of the Neva river, the city is Russia’s most popular destination, drawing visitors from all over the world throughout the year. Visit to Peter and Paul’s fortress Standing on a small island at the centre of the Neva delta, the fortress was founded in 1703 by Peter the Great and is the oldest building in St Petersburg. Up to 1917, the fortress was mainly used for holding political prisoners, such as Dostoyevsky, Lenin’s brother Alexander and Peter the Great’s own son Alexei. At the heart of the fortress is the Cathedral of St Peter and St Paul, with its landmark gold spire, where all of Russia’s pre-Revolutionary leaders were buried, apart from Peter, Ivan IV and Nicholas II. pm Hermitage - is undoubtedly the largest museum of the world, possessing over 3 million exhibits within its four buildings and attracting around 3 million visitors a year. The exhibitions are diverse with works by Da Vinchy, Raphael, Rembrandt, an impressive collection of impressionists and largest collection of Titians in existence. The main building of the Hermitage Museum ideally located on the bank of the river Neva is the Winter Palace built in 1754 – 1762, which was once the main residence of the Russian Tsars. The Hermitage is one of the most prominent art museums in the world, Russia's best gallery and one of the main tourist attractions of St. Petersburg. The museum was founded in 1764 when Catherine the Great purchased a collection of 255 paintings from Berlin. All the exhibits of the Hermitage exposed in 350 halls are originals and their number goes up to 2 million 800 thousand items. The collection is constantly filled up by new exhibits. Day 6 Wednesday am –pm SAINT PETERSBURG Today we would like to invite you to visit the sumptuous Tsar Village (Pushkin) – summer residence of Russian Emperors. It is located not far from the city – 27 km. Situated in the suburbs of Saint Petersburg The Tsar Village is a unique ensemble comprising several pavilions, beautiful lakes and gardens and a wonderful Catherine Palace. The summer palace was originally given by Peter the Great to his wife Catherine, and was rebuilt by Italian architect Rastrelli in 1756. The palace is a huge, elegant building with white and hold Baroque mouldings set against a blue background, set in a beautiful park with elaborate gardens, canals and pavilions. Catherine the Great loved living here. Some of the more beautiful rooms include the Great Hall, the State Dining Room, the Amber Room, the Blue Drawing Room, the bedroom of Alexander I’s wife Elisabeth and the Palace Church. Day 7 Thursday   SAINT PETERSBURG Day at leisure Day 8 Friday   SAINT PETERSBURG Departure transfer

ACCOMODATION DESCRIPTION Holiday Inn Simonovsky 4* (Moscow) A new 4* Hotel opened in July 2009. Nestled between the Novospassky Monastery and the Krutitsky Mission this newly built Holiday Inn lies south east of Moscow city centre. The hotel combines an excellent range of facilities for both business and leisure travellers with 217 spacious and modern fully air conditioned bedrooms and suites. All rooms have High speed internet access and all public areas have access to WiFi. There are 5 purpose built Conference and Banqueting suites suitable for Boardroom meetings, Training Courses Lunches and Dinners. The hotels Fitness centre is available free of charge, 24 hours, exclusive to all hotel guests. The hotel is a short drive to Red Square, The Kremlin and other Moscow attractions. Ibis hotel 3* (ST. Petersburg) is part of the ACCOR Group and located in the center of Saint-Petersburg at Ligovsky Prospect 54. Hotel Ibis offers everything what business and leisure visitors need: Ideal location – 400 meters from Nevsky Prospect and Moskovsky Railway Station, 221 new-generation-ibis rooms with individual air-conditioning, 3 conference-rooms with a capacity up to 100 persons, Free Wi-Fi Internet access in the rooms. The hotel has Restaurant «Sud & Cie» with Mediterranean cuisine, «Rendez Vous» Bar, Breakfast from 4am until noon and Drinks and snacks 24 hours