Moscow is one of the most famous cities to visit in Russia because there are plenty of historical places to visit such as St.Basil's Cathedral, The Kremlin and The State Hermitage Museum. Most of the tourist attractions are close to each other, which makes for easy planning. Finally, I feel that Moscow deserves at least three days of exploring, however if you have more time to spend in the country than obviously stay longer!
WHERE TO VISIT DURING YOUR 7 DAYS IN MOSCOW & ST.PETERSBURG- ITINERARY BREAKDOWN
Day 1: Moscow Day 2: Moscow Day 3: Moscow Day 4: St.Petersburg Day 5: Pushkin & St.Petersburg Day 6: Peterhof & St. Petersburg Day 7: St.Petersburg MOSCOW & ST.PETERSBURG ITINERARY DAY ONE - ARRIVAL IN MOSCOW
On your first day, I suggest you get an early morning start and head to the Armoury Chamber. The Armoury Chamber is a museum located in the Kremlin Palace's complex. Here, they have treasures that have been preserved for centuries. Tickets are limited, so make sure to buy them online or else you will not be able to visit. Make sure to choose the earliest time possible, which is 10:00am, so that you can visit other places throughout the day. After you finish in the Armoury, check out the Cathedral Square, which will be a separate ticket. For lunch, you can make you way over to Bosco's in the Red Square at GUM. After eating, window shop in the luxurious GUM and take selfies. Then, you can spend the rest of your time in the Red Square near locations like St.Basil's Cathedral, Red Square, Kazan cathedral & Lenin's Mausoleum.
Costs Armoury Chamber- 1000RUB ($21CAD) Cathedral Square- 700RUB ($15CAD) St. Basil's Cathedral- 1200RUB ($25CAD)
PRO TIP: Buy your tickets online so you do not need to wait in line behind the huge tour groups!
MOSCOW & ST.PETERSBURG ITINERARY DAY TWO - MOSCOW
Get another early head start and head to Kolomenskoye Estate. This estate is a bit far from the city centre, which is why you need an early start. Getting here will take you about 40 mins to get there. Kolomenskoye was a royal estate belonging to Tsar Alexei. After spending your morning at the estate head back up to the city centre and make your way back to Red Square to check out the State Historical Museum. By early afternoon the museum will not be packed with tour groups, so you can browse leisurely. Luckily, the museum is open until 7:00pm so you can take your time. If you are looking for a great view of the city head to the Central Children's Store. On the 6th floor there is an observation deck which used to be free but is now 100RUB ($2CAD). Head to Old Arbat Street for souvenirs and delicious food!
Costs State Historical Museum- 1100RUB ($23CAD) Kolomenskoye Estate-400 RUB($8CAD) PRO TIP- Do not try to visit Kolomenskoye Estate on a Monday, it is closed! MOSCOW & ST.PETERSBURG ITINERARY DAY THREE - MOSCOW
Your last day in Moscow can be a little bit more relaxed as you won't be venturing off anywhere too far. Izmailovo Kremlin is a great place to start, it opens at 9am but is usually pretty dead in the early morning. Around lunch time is a bit more lively. The Kremlin is a fairytale like complex that was created to look like old Russia. Here, you can visit the Vodka Museum and Vernissage to get cheap souvenirs, furs and more! Make your way back to the city doing a metro station tour along the brown line. Every station is bound to surprise you! The Moscow City towers are very popular skyscrapers. You will see lots of people doing photoshoots across the Moskva River. Before you leave, check out the Triumphal Arch!
Costs Vodka Museum- 250RUB ($5CAD)
More recommended things to do in Moscow
MOSCOW & ST.PETERSBURG ITINERARY DAY FOUR - ARRIVAL IN ST.PETERSBURG
Today, you will be traveling to St.Petersburg, which is located 90mins north of Moscow by plane. St.Petersburg is a beautiful historical city with lots to discover. Four days in St.Petersburg was not nearly enough to see everything. However, St.Petersburg has a bustling nightlife and is open later, so you are able to explore more freely. After you've checked into your hotel make you way to Kazan Cathedral, one of the largest cathedrals in the city. If you enjoy shopping or walking, then stroll down Nevsky Prospekt, the Main Street in St.Petersburg. Just by walking along the street you will soak up so much history. The Faberge Museum is a short walk off of Nevsky Prospekt. Here, you can see a collection of real Faberge eggs! The collection is actually quite small but worth the visit. If you walk further down the street you will eventually see St.Michael's Castle from the 18th century. If you have planned ahead, then you can see the ballet or opera at Mariinsky Theatre. You cannot visit Russia without seeing ballet!
Costs Faberge Museum- 450RUB ($9CAD) St.Michael's Castle- 450RUB ($9CAD) Mariinsky Theatre- 2000RUB and up ($42CAD) PRO TIP- Always choose the first row in any tier you sit in otherwise you will be trying to dodge someones head in your view. Read More: A Quick Guide to St.Petersburg MOSCOW & ST.PETERSBURG ITINERARY DAY FIVE - PUSHKIN & ST.PETERSBURG
After a good nights rest, wake up early to enjoy Catherine Palace. Located in Pushkin, Catherine Palace is about an hour south from the city centre. You should have bought your ticket online that way you can skip the queue and enter from a different entrance! This palace is a large complex and will take you a few hours to explore. By early afternoon, you should be headed back to the city centre to for more exploring. Next, you can go to the pink, 18th century Stroganov Palace which holds some Russian art. If you are hungry take a break at Marketplace. You are able to walk around and choose what you would like to eat like a cafeteria. Once fuelled, see St.Petersburg by water, on a boat ride! After that, climb 300 steps in St.Issac's Cathedral to get a 360 degree view of the city!
Costs Catherine Palace- 700RUB ($15CAD) Stroganov Palace- 500RUB ($11CAD) Boat ride- 900RUB and up ($20CAD) St.Issac's Cathedral- 350RUB ($7CAD) MOSCOW & ST.PETERSBURG ITINERARY DAY SIX - ST.PETERSBURG
This will be your last full day in St.Petersburg, so get an early start. Make your way to the seafront museum complex, Peterhof, as it will take you an hour to get there from the city centre. You should arrive around 9am, as it is one of the busiest destinations. Although, buying a ticket in advance means you get to skip the line in front of all the tour groups. By the early afternoon you should be back in the city centre and making your way over to the Palace Square. Here you will find the Hermitage Museum & Winter Palace as well as the Special Treasury building. Visiting these places will take you at least a few hours. Finally, the Savior on the Spilled Blood Cathedral is a sight to see. It is right along the Moyka River and Griboyedova Canal.
Costs Peterhof Grand Palace- 1350RUB ($28CAD) Hermitage Museum & Winter Palace- 700RUB ($15CAD) Savior on the Spilled Blood Cathedral- 350RUB ($7CAD) MOSCOW & ST.PETERSBURG ITINERARY DAY SEVEN - ST.PETERSBURG
Today is when you venture back home or if you are staying longer you can add to your itinerary. There are a lot of attractions in St.Petersburg or you could even venture out to nearby towns. Thus, take a look at the recommended things to do and continue on your journey.
More recommended things to do in St.Petersburg
Pin it below!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Welcome to Herxtravels!I’m Hilda, the writer behind Herxtravels. Here you can find travel guides, reviews and tips. Find out more about me here. LATEST ON INSTAGRAMArchives
January 2020
Categories
All
|