For expert help planning your Scandinavia vacation, call a travel specialist at 1-800-942-3301
| RUSSIA and NORTHERN EUROPE
A 19-Day tour starting from $3,469
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| About This Tour | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The perfect 19-day vacation in Northern Europe and Russia: From Copenhagen travel via Stockholm and Helsinki to St. Petersburg, where, among other spectacular features, a visit to the Hermitage Museum and magnificent Catherine Palace (if closed: Pavlosk Palace) is included. In Moscow, visits to the Kremlin, Red Square, and the Armory Museum will delight you. The stop in Smolensk gives you insight into characteristic Russian city life before continuing to Minsk, the capital of Belarus. Via Warsaw, end in Berlin. First-class two-berth cabins with private facilities make your Baltic Sea crossing comfortable. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
City Highlights COPENHAGENWelcome dinner; guided sightseeing, the Little Mermaid; visit the Royal Reception Rooms in Christiansborg Palace; Tivoli Gardens (mid-Apr. to mid-Sept.)ELSINOREFerry crossing with a view of Hamlet’s castleSTOCKHOLMGuided sightseeing, visit the City HallSTOCKHOLM-HELSINKIBaltic Sea overnight crossing in first-class two-berth cabins with private facilitiesHELSINKIGuided sightseeing, Sibelius monument, visit the Lutheran Cathedral and the Open Air MarketST. PETERSBURGGuided sightseeing, visit St. Isaac’s Cathedral, Catherine Palace (if closed, visit Pavlovsk Palace instead), and the Hermitage MuseumNOVGORODOrientationTVERIncluded lunchMOSCOWGuided sightseeing, visit Red Square and the Armory Museum in the KremlinSMOLENSKGuided sightseeing, visit Uspensky CathedralMINSKGuided sightseeingBRESTIncluded lunchWARSAWGuided sightseeing, visit the Stare Miasto, St. John’s Cathedral, and the Historical MuseumPOZNANLunch stopBERLINGuided sightseeing, visit Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church; farewell dinner at a local restaurant Meals 4 buffet breakfasts (BB); 13 full breakfasts (FB); 5 lunches (L); 8 three-course dinners (D), including a welcome dinner in Copenhagen and a farewell dinner in Berlin Hotels: COPENHAGEN First Vesterbro (F), STOCKHOLM First Amaranten (F), HELSINKI Scandic Marski (F), ST. PETERSBURG Angleterre (SF), NOVGOROD Beresta Palace (F), MOSCOW Holiday Inn Sokolniki (F), SMOLENSK Rossiya (F), MINSK Minsk (F), WARSAW The Westin Warsaw (SF), BERLIN Hilton Berlin (SF)
Day 1:
(Fri.) Board your overnight transatlantic flight. Day 2: Arrival in Copenhagen, Denmark. (Sat.) Time to rest or to start exploring Denmark’s capital. At 6 p.m. meet your Tour Director and traveling companions for a welcome dinner at your hotel. (D) Day 3: Copenhagen. (Sun.) Sightseeing with a Local Guide includes the Church of Our Savior and the Stock Exchange. Visit the lavish ROYAL RECEPTION ROOMS in Christiansborg Palace and take pictures of Amalienborg Palace and of the wistful LITTLE MERMAID. Tonight visit TIVOLI GARDENS, the city’s colorful amusement park (mid-April through mid-Sept.). (FB) Day 4: Copenhagen–Stockholm, Sweden. (Mon.) From Elsinore beneath Hamlet’s Kronborg Castle take a FERRY to Helsingborg, and drive through the Swedish Lake District past industrial towns like Linköping, Saab headquarters, on your way to Stockholm. (FB) Day 5: Stockholm. Night Ferry to Finland. (Tue.) Stockholm is settled on 14 islands between Lake Mälar and the Baltic. Sightseeing with a Local Guide features the Royal Palace, Riddarholm Church, and the blue and gold chambers in the CITY HALL, where the annual Nobel Prize banquet is held. In the late afternoon, board your ship for the overnight BALTIC SEA CRUISE to Finland. (FB) Day 6: Helsinki. (Wed.) After breakfast on board, a Local Guide shows you the City Hall and Parliament House, the Presidential Palace, the grand railroad station, the LUTHERAN CATHEDRAL, the Olympic Stadium, and the SIBELIUS MONUMENT. Stop at the OPEN AIR MARKET. (FB,D) Day 7: Helsinki–St. Petersburg, Russia. (Thu.) Along the coast to Hamina and the Russian border. After completing frontier formalities, cross the Karelian Isthmus on the way to St. Petersburg. (FB,D) Day 8: St. Petersburg. (Fri.) Founded by Peter the Great, construction began in 1703, and the city eventually spread over 100 islands linked by 700 bridges. It suffered severe damage during World War II, when a cruel 900-day siege claimed nearly a million victims. Sightseeing with a Local Guide today shows how the city has been restored to its former splendor. Drive along elegant Nevsky Prospect, admire ST. ISAAC’S CATHEDRAL, and continue to Pushkin, home of Russia’s last czar, and visit magnificent CATHERINE PALACE (if closed, visit PAVLOVSK PALACE instead). (FB) Day 9: St. Petersburg. (Sat.) Today visit the Winter Palace complex. Formerly the residence of the czars, it now houses the world-famous HERMITAGE MUSEUM with celebrated works by Rembrandt, Leonardo da Vinci, and the major French impressionists. Optional activities are available. (FB) Day 10: St. Petersburg–Novgorod. (Sun.) Today drive to Novgorod. Orientation features the restored Kremlin and venerable churches dating as far back as the 11th century. (FB,L,D) Day 11: Novgorod–Tver–Moscow. (Mon.) Through the Valdai Hills to Tver on the Volga, the “Mother River” of Russia, where you will have lunch. Then via Tchaikovsky’s Klin on to Moscow. (FB,L) Day 12: Moscow. (Tue.) Follow your Local Guide to RED SQUARE, the center of this 850-year-old city. At its core is the Lenin Mausoleum and St. Basil’s Cathedral. Inside the KREMLIN, a city-within-a-city, admire the medieval towers, cathedrals, and palaces. At the ARMORY MUSEUM see treasures such as Ivan the Terrible’s throne. O course you will also see the Bolshoi Theater. (FB) Day 13: Moscow–Smolensk. (Wed.) Travel via Borodino, site of the cruel battle between Napoleon’s Grand Armée and the Russian Army in 1812, to Smolensk. Sightseeing with a Local Guide features the impressive town walls, the 17th-century USPENSKY CATHEDRAL, and the monument to General Kutuzov, the brilliant strategist who conquered Napoleon’s military genius. (FB,L,D) Day 14: Smolensk–Minsk, Belarus. (Thu.) Through Katyn Forest and the White Russian plains to Minsk, the Belorussian capital. After lunch enjoy sightseeing with a Local Guide in historic Minsk. Post-war architects were given carte-blanche to reconstruct a showcase city: 67 percent of Minsk was destroyed during World War II. (FB,L,D) Day 15: Minsk–Brest–Warsaw, Poland. (Fri.) Have lunch in Brest, best known for the Treaty of Brest- Litovsk, on your way to Warsaw, Poland’s beautiful capital. (FB,L,D) Day 16: Warsaw. (Sat.) Your Local Guide takes you to the medieval STARE MIASTO (Old Quarter), the 14th-century CATHEDRAL OF ST. JOHN, the Palace of Culture and Science, Lazienki Palace, and the Marszalkowska residential development. In the HISTORICAL MUSEUM watch a moving film showing the city before and after wartime destruction. Tonight maybe an optional Polish dinner and polka party? (BB) Day 17: Warsaw–Poznan–Berlin, Germany. (Sun.) Stop in the river port of Poznan for a short orientation drive, then on to Berlin. Tonight is your chance to sample Berlin’s fine restaurants! (BB) Day 18: Berlin. (Mon.) Sightseeing with a Local Guide in the once-divided metropolis includes the Ku’damm, the restored Reichstag, monumental Brandenburg Gate, Charlottenburg Palace, the 210-foot Victory Column in vast Tiergarten Park, and a visit to the KAISER WILHELM MEMORIAL CHURCH. Drive along Unter Den Linden Boulevard, and pass the German State Opera House and Checkpoint Charlie. In the afternoon an optional excursion to historic Potsdam is available. Tonight enjoy a farewell dinner with wine at a local restaurant. (BB,D) Day 19: (Tue.) Your homebound flight arrives the same day. (BB)
COPENHAGENWelcome dinner; guided sightseeing, the Little Mermaid; visit the Royal Reception Rooms in Christiansborg Palace; Tivoli Gardens (mid-Apr. to mid-Sept.)ELSINOREFerry crossing with a view of Hamlet’s castleSTOCKHOLMGuided sightseeing, visit the City HallSTOCKHOLM-HELSINKIBaltic Sea overnight crossing in first-class two-berth cabins with private facilitiesHELSINKIGuided sightseeing, Sibelius monument, visit the Lutheran Cathedral and the Open Air MarketST. PETERSBURGGuided sightseeing, visit St. Isaac’s Cathedral, Catherine Palace (if closed, visit Pavlovsk Palace instead), and the Hermitage MuseumNOVGORODOrientationTVERIncluded lunchMOSCOWGuided sightseeing, visit Red Square and the Armory Museum in the KremlinSMOLENSKGuided sightseeing, visit Uspensky CathedralMINSKGuided sightseeingBRESTIncluded lunchWARSAWGuided sightseeing, visit the Stare Miasto, St. John’s Cathedral, and the Historical MuseumPOZNANLunch stopBERLINGuided sightseeing, visit Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church; farewell dinner at a local restaurant
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| Note: All prices are per person, double occupancy, subject to availability. These pages are not endorsed or supported by the tour operator in any way. All information presented is based on promotional material provided by the tour operator. All prices, itineraries, accommodations and dates are subject to change without notice and at any time by the tour operators. Availability is limited and must be reconfirmed at time of booking. The prices on this website are not guaranteed. We are not responsible for errors, omissions, or changes in pricing. Please call us toll free at 1-800-942-3301 to confirm availability and pricing. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||