Golden Eagle Arctic Explorer: Quest for the Northern Lights (February) Route Saint Petersburg - Moscow

Flight arrivals into St Petersburg and transfer to the luxurious Four Seasons Hotel for a two-night stay.
On your first evening you are invited to a champagne drinks reception with the opportunity to meet your fellow travellers before our exclusive welcome dinner. Specially selected international wines are included with dinner, as are all meals during the tour. Included in our time spent in St Petersburg is two nights in the luxurious Four Seasons Hotel, or similar. Why not extend your stay in St Petersburg at the start of your adventure with pre-tour nights to explore more of the city at your leisure?

St Petersburg is a stunning city, crowded with splendid palaces, impressive historical monuments, wide boulevards and beautiful bridges. It is also renowned as the Ballet Capital of the World.
This morning we have a guided tour of Catherine’s Palace in Pushkin, followed by lunch in a local restaurant overlooking St Isaac’s Cathedral. We continue our exploration of St Petersburg with a city tour featuring the key sights including Kazan Cathedral, St Isaac’s Cathedral and Nevsky Prospect.
Make your evening in St Petersburg extra special by purchasing a ticket for a ballet or opera performance at one of the world-renowned St Petersburg theatres (subject to schedule and availability and pre-booked at least six weeks prior to departure).

A tour of St Petersburg would not be complete without a visit to the world-famous Hermitage Museum, located in the Winter Palace, which epitomizes Russia’s love affair with art and culture. Dating back to 1764, it is the home to the largest collection of paintings in the world.
After lunch there is the option to make a short visit to either Peter and Paul’s Fortress or the Faberge Museum.
Late afternoon we transfer to the station to board Russia’s premier train, the Golden Eagle, and settle into our modern, stylish cabins to embark upon our rail adventure to the Arctic Circle. We are welcomed on board with a signature Gala Caviar Dinner in the beautifully designed restaurant car and enjoy after dinner drinks and musical entertainment.

We have a relaxed start to the day as our train crosses the Arctic Circle on our quest to see the Northern Lights. We can reflect on the many sights we are about to experience on our rail journey, maybe listen to a talk or simply relax and enjoy the ever-changing winter landscape outside our window.
Our guest astronomer will host an afternoon tea with freshly baked Russian cakes and talk about the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) in our stylish Bar Lounge Car.

We leave our train with an overnight bag at the Russian border station of Nikel Murmansk and transfer by bus (90 minutes’ drive) across the Russian/Norwegian border to Kirkenes for a two-night stay at the Thon Hotel (or similar). We will visit the magical Snow Hotel just 15 km outside Kirkenes.
We will have a welcome drink in the snow bar and a tour of the Snow Hotel with its ice sculptures and snow paintings by local and international artists. After a traditional meal in the Snow Hotel’s Hoyloftet restaurant we will take an evening bus tour in search of the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights). If the sky is clear our guest astronomer will be on hand to advise us during stargazing and will bring the night sky to life with their extensive knowledge.
Optional Activities in Kirkenes: You may like to book some additional optional activities such as an evening snowmobile tour (3 hours) or husky dog sledge tour (2 hours) in search of the Northern Lights. Each sledge is pulled by a team of eight dogs and can seat two people and a driver called a dog musher. These activities have limited places and should be requested at the time of booking the tour - please contact us for prices.
For a really memorable experience why not choose the ‘coolest’ hotel check-in around and stay overnight at the Snow Hotel? Upgrades to the snow hotel are limited so book early to avoid disappointment. The snow hotel stays at a constant minus five degrees centigrade and thermal sleeping bags are provided. Showers, toilets and a Scandinavian sauna are provided in a building next to the snow hotel.

Today a unique winter experience awaits on our King Crab Fishing adventure. The excursion begins with a snowmobile drawn sleigh across the frozen fjords. Warm clothing and a helmet is provided. Through a hole in the ice your guide will show you a catch of the magnificent Arctic King Crab (which can span two metres and weigh up to 15kgs). We then continue by sleigh to the nearby Fisherman’s Lodge, where your fresh King Crab meal awaits by a roaring log fire.
Also included during your stay in Kirkenes, weather permitting, is a one-hour husky dog sledge ride and a visit to the resident reindeers.
Optional Activities in Kirkenes: You may like to book some additional optional activities such as an evening snowmobile tour (3 hours) or husky dog sledge tour (2 hours) in search of the Northern Lights. Each sledge is pulled by a team of eight dogs and can seat two people and a driver called a dog musher. These activities have limited places and should be requested at the time of booking the tour - please contact us for prices.

We cross the border back into Russia and re-join our train, which is waiting for us in Nikel Murmansk. We will spend the afternoon on board travelling through arctic Russia with an early evening arrival into Murmansk. Relax and enjoy the ever-changing winter landscape outside your window, chat to fellow passengers or listen to a lecture by our guest astronomer. Afternoon tea with freshly baked Russian cookies will be served in our stylish Bar Lounge Car.

Murmansk is a city halfway between Moscow and the North Pole and 120 miles (193 km) north of the Arctic Circle. As the main city of the Kola Peninsula, it started as a tiny settlement and Arctic trading post. In 1916, under pressure from the British to establish a support port, Murmansk was founded.
Thanks to the influence of the Gulf Stream, the port is ice-free all year round. As Murmansk is homeport of Russia's nuclear-powered icebreaker, we make a scheduled visit to the Nuclear Icebreaker Museum Ship.

Petrozavodsk is the capital of the Karelia Republic and remains a major cultural and industrial centre of Russia’s North-West. It stretches along the western shore of Lake Onega, the second largest lake in Europe. Today we visit the Art Museum and Kantele House, where we enjoy a local Karelian folk performance.

This morning we arrive at Moscow Oktyabrskaya railway station.
Our touring programme of Russia’s capital takes us to the grandeur of the Kremlin – the spiritual, historical and political heart of Moscow – and to see the treasures of the Tsars in the Armoury Chamber where we will enjoy an exclusive private viewing.
Our exploration of the city continues with a visit to Red Square, the iconic symbol of Russia’s former military and political might with its eclectic mix of fascinating architecture. Here we visit the ornate St Basil’s Cathedral’s magnificent onion-domed spires and marvel at the beautiful façade of the world-famous GUM department store which was constructed in Tsarist times.
Lunch is served in Café Pushkin, a legendary Moscow restaurant with a décor that revives the atmosphere of an early 19th century mansion and serves traditional Russian cuisine. An essential part of any visit to Moscow is a tour of the opulent and unique stations of the Moscow metro - showpieces of Socialist art furnished with statues, frescoes and mosaics, unsurpassed anywhere in the world.
If you have been to Moscow before we offer included Freedom of Choice touring where we show you other sights of Moscow such as the famous State Tretyakov Gallery (National Museum of Fine Art) or the Space Museum.

Today we travel by public train north-west from Moscow to two of the ancient cities that form the Golden Ring.
The historic city of Vladimir was founded in 990 and is one of Russia’s oldest communities. With an architectural wealth, it has been decreed a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Our tour takes in Uspensky Cathedral, built between the twelfth and fifteenth centuries. It is considered one of the most important and beautiful of Russian cathedrals, where many of the prominent Russian Tsars were crowned. From Vladimir we travel to Suzdal, one of Russia’s most perfectly preserved walled cities dating back to 1024, located 35 kilometres from Vladimir. Here we visit the atmospheric St Euthymius Monastery to witness an enchanting choral performance. No Russian winter experience would be complete either without the horse-drawn sleigh ride through this stunning location.
Tonight, we return to Moscow for a Farewell Dinner.

Breakfast in the hotel brings the tour to a close and airport transfers are provided for your departure flights.
Why not extend your stay in Moscow to explore more of the city at your leisure?