Our tour manager meets you at Moscow airport and drives you to your hotel. After check-in, take a walk around the area. Dinner is a chance to try local Russian food. You stay at a luxury hotel in Moscow.

Moscow dates back to the 12th century. See the Moscow Kremlin, Red Square, St Basil's Cathedral, the Bolshoi Theatre and Lubianka Square. The metro stations are famous for their ornate design. Lunch is at a local restaurant, and the afternoon is for the circus at one of Moscow's well-known venues, like Nikulin or Bolshoi.

Browse Old Arbat Street, Moscow's oldest street, known for its souvenir shops. Lunch is at an Indian restaurant. Then visit Bunker 42, a Cold War museum built in 1950, with a network of tunnels under the city. In the evening, take a cruise on the Volga for a panoramic view of Moscow, followed by dinner.

After breakfast, board the Sapsan train to St Petersburg. The journey takes a little over four hours, with lunch on board. Check in at your hotel, then go to Nikolaevsky Palace for a folk show with Cossack songs and dances from Don, Kuban and Voronezh. Dinner is at a local restaurant.

See the Spit of Basil Island, Saint Isaac's Cathedral, Palace Square, the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, Nevsky Prospect, the Neva embankments and the Cruiser Aurora Museum. After lunch, visit the Peter and Paul Fortress, where Russian royals are buried.

Head to Pushkin to visit Catherine Palace, built in the 18th century and now a museum of more than 3 million artefacts. After lunch, go to the Grand Palace at Peterhof, built in 1721 as a Russian Versailles. Spend the evening shopping, and finish with dinner at a fine dining restaurant.

Say goodbye to Russia and catch your flight home.