St Petersburg & Moscow for Solo Travellers

Arrive at the airport for your flight to St Petersburg. On arrival, we transfer by coach to the five-star SO Sofitel St Petersburg, where we stay for three nights, with breakfast.  

This evening we enjoy an informal drinks reception, followed by dinner at a nearby restaurant, for a chance to get to know our travel companions a little better.

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5* SO Sofitel St Petersburg

Wonderful rooftop terrace with city views.

• Swimming pool
• Bar & restaurant
• Great location

Morning

Today begins with a city sightseeing tour by coach, experiencing at first hand the unrivalled splendour of St Petersburg’s imperial buildings. We see the breathtaking Winter Palace – which today houses part of the Hermitage Museum. We also pass the Peter and Paul Fortress, renowned for the glittering spire, the fortress sits on an island in the Neva. The gleaming cathedral is the final resting place of Peter the Great.

We see handsome religious buildings like the gargantuan St Isaac’s Cathedral and the Church of Our Saviour on Spilled Blood with its ornate towers. You’ll also discover grand boulevards like Nevsky Prospekt, the pretty canals and arched bridges that give the city its sobriquet, the ‘Venice of the North’ and the magnificent Admiralty building. We also see the enormous Palace Square, the city’s best-known open space. 

Afternoon

This afternoon we visit the Hermitage for a guided tour of some of its highlights. The scale of this complex is overwhelming as you’re surrounded by the grandeur of the former Winter Palace – enormous rooms, endless corridors, marble and gilt everywhere. The Hermitage houses an astonishing art collection, almost unmatched anywhere in the world. The statistics are staggering – its five buildings house over three million artefacts, with European paintings alone occupying 120 rooms that include masterpieces by Leonardo, Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Monet and Matisse. 

Dinner is included this evening at a local restaurant.

Morning

After breakfast we explore Peterhof, sometimes called the ‘Russian Versailles’ due to its amazing residences, gardens and fountains, which were originally commissioned by Peter the Great in the 1700s. The luxurious rooms inside the Grand Palace brim with fine art and lavish decoration while outside, hundreds of acres of gorgeously landscaped parkland display with bronze sculptures, summerhouses and geometrically arranged flowerbeds in complete harmony with their surroundings. Perhaps its most captivating view is the incredible Grand Cascade – 64 fountains and tiered pools adorned with golden statues that create an enchanting display. With the Grand Palace in the background, it’s a truly unforgettable spectacle. 

There’s also time to learn about Russia’s national drink – vodka – with a local guide who explains how the spirit is made, its history and traditions and the many different types. This insightful experience is accompanied, of course, by a vodka tasting. 

Afternoon

Then the afternoon is free for you to explore St Petersburg. Perhaps take a boat trip along the Neva, climb the 262 steps to the colonnade of St Isaac’s Cathedral for fabulous city views or simply stroll along the river, which is lined by attractive 19th-century merchants’ houses as well as splendid palaces. Russia is a remarkable country and, especially for first-time visitors, one of the most thought-provoking destinations anywhere.

This evening, join your tour manager and fellow travellers for an included dinner at a local restaurant.

Morning

This morning we get a taste of the jaw-dropping vastness of this country when we board the German-built, high-speed Sapsan train that whisks us from St Petersburg to Moscow – roughly the distance between London and Aberdeen – in just under four hours.

Afternoon

Upon our arrival in Moscow in the early afternoon, we have a guided tour of this incredible city that has played a pivotal role in world history over the past two centuries. The sense of history is staggering as we pass one remarkable sight after another and listen to the captivating stories behind them. 

We’ll see the 16th-century Novodevichy Convent and its adjacent cemetery, as well as the grandiose Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. Moscow’s myriad highlights include the world-famous Bolshoi Theatre; Lubyanka Square, dominated by the former home of the KGB; Tverskaya, the main thoroughfare; and the legendary Red Square, now an upscale department store but renowned in Soviet times as the place to queue for one’s paltry allocation of pots and plates. 

Perhaps none is more iconic than the 16th-century St Basil’s Cathedral with its multicoloured domes – legend has it that the architects were blinded by Ivan the Terrible to prevent them from recreating this masterpiece.

After our tour we check in to the four-star Novotel Moscow Centre, where we stay for three nights, with breakfast and dinner. 

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4* Novotel Moscow Centre

Conveniently located near two Metro stations.

• Restaurant
• Bar
• Comfortable rooms

Moscow’s fantastic underground railway system, the Metro, is not only the best way of getting around the city, but many of the elegant stations are gilded works of art. This morning we visit some of the most striking stations, featuring reflective marble walls, glittering chandeliers and stunning mosaics.

Then we have a guided visit of the massive Kremlin complex – the apex of Russian political power. Commissioned in the 15th century by Ivan the Great, it was the world’s largest medieval fortress with walls and towers built by Italian master stonemasons. We’ll learn about its riveting history, as well as see its magnificent cathedrals and the splendid Terem Palace, whose 11 golden domes dominate the skyline. 

Gaze in awe at the astonishing Great Kremlin Palace, a 700-room royal residence that incorporates the Armoury, filled with treasures such as dazzling jewellery and the world-famous Fabergé eggs. You’ll also see the imposing State Kremlin Palace, which was the USSR’s base during Soviet times and is now home of the Kremlin ballet – look out for the red stars atop some of its towers.

You have the entire day at leisure to relax or explore Moscow’s very many gems. While the Hermitage often tops visitors’ must-see lists, the Pushkin Museum and Tretyakov Gallery each boast world-class art collections. Don’t miss the opportunity to see the Borodino Panorama at the newly reopened museum dedicated to one of the world’s largest paintings, whose 380-foot canvas illustrates in dramatic detail the decisive battle of 1812 that proved to be a major turning point in history. Perhaps stroll through the famous Gorky Park, which was designed in the 1920s as a communist utopia but has now been transformed into a beautiful, eco-friendly recreational zone. For a different view of Moscow, why not take a cruise along the River Moskva?

On our final evening in this utterly fascinating city, we sit down to a farewell dinner with our travelling companions – the perfect close to a memorable tour.

Transfer to the airport for your return flight.