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ITINERARY Insight Vacations - Northern Capitals & Russia
Tour Pace
This extensive tour which visits eight countries moves at a lively pace and has two night stays in the five major cities of Copenhagen, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Vilnius and Warsaw. Seasoned travellers will know that border crossing formalities can extend the length of some driving days.
Day 1 - BERLIN AT LEISURE
On arrival at Berlin's Tegel Airport, your airport shuttle service leaves for the tour hotel at 10:30 & 12:30. Later, why not walk along the bustling 'Ku-damm', the shopping centre of West Berlin which during 40 years of division, became the shop window of the West and the envy of the East? In the evening, meet your Tour Director for a Welcome Drink.
Hotel: Marriott Berlin (D)
Day 2 - BERLIN SIGHTSEEING
A guided sightseeing tour takes you along the Unter den Linden past the Humboldt University and Opera. Stop a while on Museum Island before passing the Brandenberg Gate, symbol of the reunification. See Norman Foster's glass-dome which crowns the reconstructed Reichstag building before a pleasant drive through the Tiergarten. Spend the afternoon at leisure or take an optional excursion to Potsdam, site of the post war meetings which resulted in the division of the city? This evening perhaps round off the trip by sampling Berlin's fabled nightlife? (BB)
Day 3 - BERLIN - COPENHAGEN
Depart Berlin and continue through northern Germany to Rostock for the sea crossing to Denmark. A peaceful drive through Danish farmland brings you to the capital of Copenhagen. In the evening, visit the famous Tivoli Gardens.
Hotel: Radisson SAS Royal (BB)
Day 4 - COPENHAGEN SIGHTSEEING
Begin your sightseeing tour with a visit to the Christiansborg (the Danish Parliament Building) to marvel at the opulent interior. Then passing the Cathedral and University to see the Rosenborg Palace, Stock Exchange and Amalienborg Palace (where the reigning monarch resides). This afternoon is at leisure. (BB)
Day 5 - COPENHAGEN - STOCKHOLM
Enjoy a view of Kronborg Castle, reputedly the Elsinore home of Hamlet, on the short ferry crossing over to Sweden. Your journey takes you through fertile farmland, dotted with neat farms, and along the shores of Lake Vattern to Stockholm.
Hotel: Clarion. (BB)
Day 6 - STOCKHOLM sightseeing - OVERNIGHT 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 cruise ship for the overnight voyage to Finland. (BB)
Day 7 - HELSINKI SIGHTSEEING
Disembark in Helsinki and visit the astonishing modern 'Church in the Rock', which has been cut right into the rock in the centre of Helsinki. Also see the Sibelius Monument and Finlandia Hall in the new quarter.
Hotel: Radisson SAS Plaza (BB)
Day 8 - HELSINKI - ST PETERSBURG
From Helsinki, drive through rural villages, following the coast of the Gulf of Finland. Cross into Russia near Vyborg. Then continue through beautiful forests to St Petersburg,one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
Hotel: Pribaltiskaya (BB,L,D)
Day 9 - ST PETERSBURG SIGHTSEEING
See the 'Church of Spilled Blood', the bustling Nevsky Prospect and the cruiser 'Aurora' which played an important part in Russian history. Then a highlight: a visit to the Winter Palace, former home of the Czars, but now housing the spectacular Hermitage Museum, a treasure trove of magnificent works of art. (BB)
Day 10 - ST PETERSBURG - MOSCOW
See the memorial to the WWII siege of Leningrad en route to the village of Petrodvorets. Time here to enjoy the magnificent fountains and beautiful gardens of Peter the Great's Summer Palace. Return to St Petersburg to board your comfortable afternoon train to Moscow, arriving in the evening.
Hotel: Radisson Moscow. (BB,L)
Day 11 - 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 12 - MOSCOW AT LEISURE
A full day is set aside to explore Moscow at your own pace. Perhaps consider visiting the Kremlin museum to gaze at the treasury of the Tsars? (BB)
Day 13 - 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 14 - VITEBSK - VILNIUS
Enjoy tea from a samovar before seeing 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 15 - 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, now faithfully restored in all its glory. (BB)
Day 16 - VILNIUS - WARSAW
Pass Suwalki and lakeside Augustow on a scenic drive through Mazuria, a region richly endowed with a plethora of lakes and vast forests. Your destination is the Polish capital of Warsaw which is celebrating the 200th anniversary of Chopin's birth.
Hotel: Hilton. (BB,D)
Day 17 - 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 see a fascinating film, about the reconstruction of the city. (BB,D)
Day 18 - WARSAW
Departure transfers arrive at Warsaw Airport at 7:30 & 10:00 (BB)
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