The Russian Metropolis Express train holiday

The Russian Metropolis Express train holiday itinerary:

Day 1: Arrival in Moscow. Meeting at Sheremetyevo airport and transfer to a hotel. Check-in. Overnight in the hotel.

Day 2: Breakfast in the hotel. Day on your own in Moscow. You can take a public excursion from a top of open bus. A ticket for the excursion can be bought at city-sightseeing.com. Or you can take a personnel guided excursion.
In the evening take a train for Saint-Petersburg. Overnight in the train.

Day 3: Arrival in Saint-Petersburg in early morning. Transfer to the hotel. Check-in. You can explore the city on your own or take part in a guided excursion. Overnight in the hotel.

Day 4: Breakfast in the hotel. Stay in Saint-Petersburg. You can explore the city on your own or take part in a guided excursion (see above). Overnight in the hotel.

Day 5: Breakfast. Stay in Saint-Petersburg. In the evening leave for Petrozavodsk using train tickets provided by us. Overnight on the train.

Day 6: Arrival in Petrozavodsk in morning.Transfer to a hotel. Check-in. You can leave luggage in the hotel and hike in the city. At the harbour board the boat to Kizhi Island for a hiking excursion there. Lunch on your own. Dinner on your own in a recommended restaurant. Overnight in the hotel.

The boat excursion to Kizhi is included in the program.

Day 7: Breakfast. You can explore the city on your own or take a local guide per hour or book any guided excursion. Depart for Kem by train in afternoon. Arrival in Kem at night. Transfer to a hotel. Overnight. You can book one of the optionally excursions.

Day 8: Breakfast in the hotel. Leave for Solovetsky Islands in the morning (the harbour is close to the hotel). The reception of the hotel provide you with ferry tickets to the Solovetsky Islands. On Solovetsky you can explore the Monastery and its lands. Return to your hotel in the evening and tranfer to the train station. Depart for Murmansk by a night train. Overnight in the train.

Day 9: Arrival in Murmansk at noon; Transfer to a hotel; check-in. Explore the city on your own or take part in a guided excursion. Dinner in a recommended restaurant, which has an excellent and inexpensive menu and fine music. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 10: Breakfast in the hotel. You can continue sight-seeing in Murmansk. Take an evening bus to Monchegorsk. Check-in at a hotel. Overnight.

Day 11: Breakfast. Places to visit in Monchegorsk include the largest Orthodox Cathedral on the Kola Peninsula and the mineralogical museum. For dinner there is an excellent small restaurant close to the hotel. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 12: Breakfast in the hotel. Continue by bus to Kirovsk in the Khibiny Mountains; hotel check-in. The town has an interesting Museum of History. The hotel serves good meals for reasonable prices. With tickets reserved by us, you can visit the Botanical Garden located close to Kirovsk (take a taxi from the hotel). Close to the Botanical Garden there is a small reindeer fold with reindeers. You can give food to reindeers, to touch them and make photos. For travelling to Apatity city it is necessary to take a bus - it is 12 km far from Kirovsk. Visits can be made to the Museum of the European North of Russia, and to the shop "Salma" which sells jewellery, and stone carvings and other folk art. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 13: Breakfast. At 09:00 transfer to Kandalaksha railway station. You may leave your luggage in a locker at the railway station and walk around the old quarter of Kandalaksha, and up to a high point on the shore of the White Sea. Seals and even beluga whales can be spotted in the sea. The Museum of the Kandalaksha Reserve is worth a visit; there is a great view from a plateau in front of the museum to the mouth of the Kanda River, old Kandalaksha and Kandalaksha Bay with its numerous islands. At night leave by train for Moscow. Overnight in the train.

Day 14: Day in the train. Overnight in the train.

Day 15: Arrival in Moscow at 04:44; transfer to an airport.

The Russian Metropolis Express train holiday details

The Russian Metropolis Express train holiday can be extended with the following optionals:

• Moscow options:
  • Personal 3 hour guided hiking excursion in Moscow.
  • Personal 4 hour guided hiking/driving excursion Moscow.
• Saint Petersburg:
  • Folklore program in Nikolaevsky Palace "Feel yourself Russian" inclusive traditional Russian snacks.
  • Guided hiking excursions in St-Petersburg, 3 hourss.
  • Guided hiking and driving excursion in St-Petersburg, 3 hours.
  • 7 hour excursion to Tsarskoe Selo/Pushkin and Ekaterina Palace.
  • 7 hour excursion to Peterhof by hydrofoil “Meteor".
  • Entrance tickets for Hermitage: approx. EUR 18 per person.
  • Local guide-interpreter.
• Petrozavodsk:
  • Trip to Zoo Complex located 70 km far from Petrozavodsk.
  • Trip to Kinerma village with excursion and lunch located 100 km far from Petrozavodsk.
  • Combination of trips Zoo Complex and Kinerma Village in a round drive. A taxi picks you up from Petrozavodsk, waits at the places and brings you back to Petrozavodsk.
  • Local guide-interpreter.
  • Entrance fees to Museums in Petrozavodsk will be between 5 and 10 euros per person.
  • Boat excursion to Kizhi Open Air Museum.
• Kizhi Open Air Museum:
  • Two-way boat tickets in Kizhi Island.
  • English speaking guide in Kizhi Island.
  • Audio guide on Kizhi Island: EUR 4,-- per person
  • See link above for more info.
• Kem harbour (5 min walk from boat to Solovetsky Island):
  • Overnight in a hotel: approx. EUR 51,-- per person in twin room
  • Overnight in a hotel: approx. EUR 85,-- per person in single room
• Solovetsky islands:
  • Two-way boat tickets
  • Entrance tickets to expositions. Price to exhibitions approx. EUR 3 to 5 per person.
  • Guided excursions for groups from 10 persons: from EUR 8 to 18 per person
  • Extra overnights in hotel: approx. EUR 51 per person per night in twin room or approx. EUR 85 in single room
  • See link above for more info
• What to see in Murmansk:
  • The city has a Region Historical Museum, where you can listen to an excursion in English language. The museum includes historical, mineralogical, nature, cultural and other exhibitions.
  • You can visit the Pictures' exhibitions of different painters or the Sport Museum where you will know about the famous sportsmen and a story of the development of the Northern sports.
  • In the Polar Research Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanography you will meet the fascinating world of the dwellers of the sea bottom.
  • The Museum of Northern Navy will show you different models of military ships and submarines, uniforms of the Russian navy military and many other things connected to Northern Russian Navy.
  • Regional Centre of Folk Arts may interest you in the special for Russia kind of handicraft.
  • You can visit Russian Orthodox Temples and enjoy listening to a nice church choir.
  • You will see the enormous Memorial of a Warrior named by citizens 'Alesha' which dominates above the city like a huge tower.
  • You can have a walk in the shining with lights city in Winter time, or under the never setting sun in Summer.
  • And at night you can have dinner in a restaurant with a nice variety show.
• Murmansk:
  • Guided excursions in Murmansk.
  • Tickets for museums and museum excursions cost between RUB 25,-- and RUB 400,-- per person.
  • Entrance ticket to Atomic Icebreaker to join an excursion in Russian language: RUR 150 pp. Individual excursion to Atomic Icebreaker with a lecture in English language can be arranged.
  • Trip to Saami settlement.
  • Trip to the Barents sea shore.
  • Trip to Husky Farm.
  • Trip to Lovozero village: price depends on group size
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  • Trip to Lovozero village; Capital of the Saami.
  • See link above for more info.
• Monchegorsk:
  • Entrance tickets museums: approx. 50 roubles per person
  • 2 hour yacht excursion on the biggest lake of Kola peninsula named Imandra. Up to 8 persons.
  • One day hiking tour to the waterfall Devichyi Kosi (Girl's plaits) in Monche Tundra with campfire lunch.
  • One day bicycling tour in hilly area with campfire lunch.
  • Karting centre in Monchegorsk.
  • Cross-country skiing in Monchegorsk suburbs (winter).
  • Skating in Ice stadion in Monchegorsk (winter).
  • See link above for more info.
• Kirovsk area:
  • Excursion in Mineralogical Museum in Kirovsk.
  • Excursion in Museum of the North in Kirovsk
  • Excursion in Northern Botanical garden in Kirovsk
  • See link above for more info
• Kandalaksha:
  • Boat excursion to "Babylon Labyrinth", a stone structure of archaeological interest
  • Traditional shashlyk meal
• Tourist invitation for visa request: EUR 25,-- per person.