20 Day Stunning Russia & Scandinavia (old)

Your small group tour through Russia and Scandinavia awaits, beginning with an international flight to Moscow.

The great city of Moscow has survived centuries of revolution and a tumultuous past. From the days of the tsars, through the communist era to the growing pains of democracy, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing. Beneath its modern veneer – a sign of Russia's recent embrace of capitalism – Moscow is a fascinating, historic city with a wealth of sights to see.

Please note: some flights might depart the night prior.

This morning you'll meet your guide and visit the mausoleum of Russia’s most famous revolutionary – Lenin. The initiator of the 1917 Russian revolution, Lenin helped to usher in the era of communism. You will visit his austere final resting place within Red Square.

With a local guide, you’ll enter the renowned Kremlin grounds next. Home to the oldest and most important churches in the country, many tsars and tsarinas are laid to rest here. Walk through the soaring towers and cathedrals of the political and spiritual heart of Russia before entering the Kremlin Armoury Museum, home to a startlingly vast collection of ambassadorial gifts, Fabergé eggs, coronation robes and glittering jewels.

In the evening your guide will organise a local meal so that you can enjoy your first taste of delicious Russian cuisine with new friends.

This morning you are free to enjoy some time exploring the fascinating city of Moscow at your own pace. Your guide will be available to help make suggestions and advise of transport options, or you can choose to enjoy one of our bonus Inspiring Sights to enhance your experience.

This evening we'll transfer to Leningradsky railway station where we’ll board an overnight train to Saint Petersburg (approximately eight hours) on the Grand Express train. This train journey is the most famous and romantic way to travel between the two cities and is still popular among locals. Your first-class private cabin will consist of two lower beds (not bunks) making for a comfortable night's sleep. There's hot water available for making drinks or instant meals, tea and coffee. Snacks and drinks are available for purchase onboard and most trains also have a dining car.

You may choose to include two optional Inspiring Sights throughout your tour, free as part of your package.

Inspiring Sight (1 of 3): Explore Moscow’s Underground
Go beneath street level on this tour of the surprisingly spectacular Moscow Metro. Be awed by the architecture and the propaganda and listen to the Soviet stories from a well-connected local. You'll finish above ground, looking up at Stalin’s skyscrapers and get the inside scoop on what goes on behind those walls.

We arrive into Saint Petersburg early this morning and transfer to our hotel. In the instance that the rooms are not ready upon our arrival, our tour guide will take us for breakfast in town and provide some orientation of this fine city.

Today we'll explore one of Russia’s most spectacular sights – the stunning Hermitage Museum. One of the largest and oldest museums in the world, it was founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great and houses one of the globe's premier art collections. Your tour will begin around 10am and continue until around 2pm, after which you are free to continue exploring this vast museum independently, should you wish. There's a café inside the museum for when you need a break to recharge!

The Hermitage boasts more than 2.7 million exhibits and displays a diverse range of art and artefacts from all over the world and numerous different historical periods, from Ancient Egypt to early 20th-century Europe. The collection includes works by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael and Titian, a unique collection of Rembrandts and Rubens, many French Impressionist works and several sculptures by Rodin. Experts have calculated that if you look at each item for no longer than a minute and spend eight hours in the Hermitage daily, it will still take you almost 15 years to view all the museum’s exhibits, it’s that gigantic.

In the evening, we'll discover authentic Russian culture on a food tour that takes you from the oldest market through to a modern residential neighbourhood where you’ll be welcomed into a local’s home for an Inspiring Taste dinner. Dig into a traditional home-cooked meal paired with tastings of vodka and Crimean wines, then play some typical Russian games with your hosts. This is the best (and tastiest!) way to uncover the real Saint Petersburg – from those that know it best.

Today is free for you to see some more of this fabulous city. Relax, explore or enjoy one of our bonus Inspiring Sights options to enhance your experience.

You may choose to include two optional Inspiring Sightsthroughout your tour, free as part of your package.

Inspiring Sight (2 of 3): A Day in the Eyes of a Local
Join this tour to discover the great and strange sights of 'Piter', as the locals call it, and make some new friends along the way. Visit the city’s oldest and most beautiful railway station, discover metro station art relics and enjoy a vodka in a bar famous among locals.

This morning, your Russian tour guide will take you to Finlyandsky train station to board the high-speed Allegro train to Helsinki. Your Russian guide will not accompany you on this journey, however, your Scandinavian guide will be waiting for you when you arrive into Helsinki station. The train terminates in Helsinki, so rest assured that there is no chance of missing your stop. On arrival, your Scandinavian guide will be waiting to transfer you to your hotel.

Today your guide will accompany you on a short trip to Estonia's capital, Tallinn, where you'll spend some time exploring the cobbled streets and alleyways filled with medieval houses and endless charm. Tallinn is a historic city, which was first recorded on a world map in 1154; and in 1997, it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List for its well-preserved old town. Enjoy free time exploring the old town on foot or sample our Inspiring Sight.

You may choose to include two optional Inspiring Sights throughout your tour, free as part of your package.

Inspiring Sight (3 of 3): City Bike Tour
Riding at a relaxed pace you'll admire the surroundings of this charming capital city, and discover interesting things to do here, including Kadriorg Palace and Park, the Presidential Palace, the grounds of the famous Laulupidu Song Festival, Maarjamäe War Memorial, Pirita beach and the the seaside promenade. This tour covers approximately 16km and takes approximately 2-2.5 hours of easy cycling with regular stops (walking is not possible).

You have a free day to explore Helsinki at your own pace, before we meet again in the evening for dinner. After dinner we board an overnight ferry to Stockholm.

Wake up this morning in Stockholm and take a short walk with your guide to your hotel. After check-in, we'll enjoy a grand tour of the city, taking in the Swedish capital and its surrounding areas by comfortable, air-conditioned coach while listening to expert commentary.

Afterwards, the guide will then join you on the boat, waiting to take you out to sea, and from the water you'll admire Stockholm at its most spectacular.

The remainder of the day will be free so you can explore the city at your own pace – perhaps visit a museum, relax at a café and people-watch or just stroll around and take in the sights.

After breakfast this morning, accompany your guide to the station to board a fast train to Copenhagen. The journey takes around five hours, so sit back, relax and enjoy the scenery.

On arrival in Copenhagen your guide will escort you to your hotel where you can spend the remainder of the day at leisure.

Denmark’s capital sits on the coastal islands of Zealand and Amager. It’s linked to Malmö in southern Sweden by the Öresund Bridge. Within the city's historic centre you'll find Frederiksstaden, an 18th-century rococo district that is home to the Danish royal family’s Amalienborg Palace.

After breakfast this morning, your guide will take you on a tour of the city. Start by sitting in a comfortable, air-conditioned coach, listening to commentary on the surrounding sights. We'll stop for 30 minutes at Amalienborg Palace where we'll watch the changing of the guards, but there are many more famous buildings to see, such as the Royal Danish Opera House, and there will also be a photo opportunity at the Little Mermaid statue.

After this it's time for a cruise around the harbour and canals of Copenhagen. The boat will wend through the picturesque canals of Christianshavn and Frederiksholm, where historic buildings are nestled snugly next to contemporary, cutting-edge designs. Enjoy the evening at your leisure.

Today you'll be transferred to the port, where you'll board your cruise that takes in the Norwegian coast and its jaw-dropping fjords. This is your chance to savour some of the world’s most extraordinary natural beauty. Upon boarding your deluxe vessel, check-in to your cabin and relax on deck as your ship makes its way out of port.

Ship: MSC Meravigila (April 24, July 31, August 14 and August 28 departures)

Ship: MSC Poesia (14 May departure)

Enjoy the many restaurants, activities or entertainment options onboard your ship as it makes its way from Denmark to the coast of Norway.

Ship: MSC Meravigila – Hellesylt

This morning we port at Hellesylt, a cosy little town on the shores of the Geirangerfjord – a UNESCO World Heritage listed area. If you want to learn more about the local environment, culture and what it means to live on the shores of a fjord, visit the Norwegian Fjord Centre, about a kilometre from the town centre. Those who'd like to savour the scenery can instead take a short hike along the fjord’s southern coast route to Homlong, where you'll find a small bar selling excellent, freshly made snacks.

Ship: MSC Poesia

Enjoy the many restaurants, activities or entertainment options your ship has to offer as it makes its way from Denmark to the coast of Norway.

Ship: MSC Meravigila – Flåm

To reach the small village of Flåm, your MSC ship will navigate into the Sognefjord, the longest and deepest fjord in all of Norway. Extending more than 200 kilometres long and 1,308 metres deep, sailing through this staggering natural feat is a truly unique experience. The ship will head southward to reach the southern end of the Aurlandsfjord, a fjord that branches off Sognefjord. You'll spy mesmerising gorges, rifts and waterfalls, as well as numerous mountain farms where cattle are raised and artisanal cheese is produced.

Ship: MSC Poesia – Bergen

Bergen’s maritime tradition is age-old and exudes history. Take a walk amid the wooden homes built on the side of the hill and along the long, narrow passages typical of Bergen, and visit the wooden church of Fantoft, built in 1150 but transferred here in 1883 and rebuilt in 1992, folllowing a fire. Along the shores of Lake Lille Lungegårdsvann, in Bergen's centre, you can find many art galleries and a museum with a collection of paintings by Edward Munch. Another local attraction, just outside the city is Troldhaugen – the former home of famous Norwegian composer, Edvard Grieg, and his wife Nina Grieg, which is now a museum.

Ship: MSC Meravigila – Stavanger

The region of Stavanger is world renowned for its fjords, in particular the Lysefjord. The mountain walls here drop almost a thousand metres vertically along the 42 kilometres of coast. One of the main attractions here is Kjerag, a peak rising 1100 metres above sea level that towers over the fjord, with its northern face plummeting into the sea. But it’s a little lower down, at about 980 metres, that you'll find a much-photographed natural feature: the Kjeragbolten, a giant boulder wedged into a mountain crevasse.

Ship: MSC Poesia – Flam

To reach the small village of Flåm, your MSC ship will navigate into the Sognefjord, the longest and deepest fjord in all of Norway. Extending more than 200 kilometres long and 1,308 metres deep, sailing through this staggering natural feat is a truly unique experience. The ship will head southward to reach the southern end of the Aurlandsfjord, a fjord that branches off Sognefjord. You'll spy mesmerising gorges, rifts and waterfalls, as well as numerous mountain farms where cattle are raised and artisanal cheese is produced.

Ship: MSC Meravigila – At Sea

Enjoy the many restaurants, activities or entertainment options your ship has to offer as it makes its way from Norway to the coast of Germany.

Ship: MSC Poesia – Hellesylt and Geiranger

This morning we port at Hellesylt, a cosy little town on the shores of the Geirangerfjord – a UNESCO World Heritage listed area. If you want to learn more about the local environment, culture and what it means to live on the shores of a fjord, visit the Norwegian Fjord Centre, about a kilometre from the town centre. Those who'd like to savour the scenery can instead take a short hike along the fjord’s southern coast route to Homlong, where you'll find a small bar selling excellent, freshly made snacks.

Ship: MSC Meravigila – Kiel

Today, we'll arrive into Kiel. The city became Germany's Imperial military port in 1871 and, when its 95-kilometre-long canal was opened to connect the Baltic and the North Seas in 1895, the town began to control what was then the largest artificial waterway in the world. The spacious promenade that runs along the pier will give you the chance to admire a variety of vessels of all sorts, including the sailing school's dinghies, as well as the best view you can get of Kiel from the wet dock in front.

Ship: MSC Poesia – At Sea

Enjoy the many restaurants, activities or entertainment options your ship has to offer as it makes its way from Norway to the coast of Denmark.

Once you disembark the cruise ship in Copenhagen, you will be met and transferred from the port to Copenhagen Airport to board your flight home. We hope you have enjoyed your inspiring vacation through Russia, The Baltics and Scandinavia and we hope to see you again.

Arrive home today, with memories to last a lifetime.