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| Tours to Russia and Eastern Europe |
| Ukraine, Moldova, and Belarus 13 days/12 nights 2012 Tour Departure Dates: May 5 September 8 October 12 
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Day 1: Arrival in Kiev Arrival at Borispol Airport where you will be met and assisted by your English-speaking guide. Transfer to 3* Rus Hotel. According to ancient chronicles Kiev has existed since about the end of the fifth century. Because of its role in history as the center of the Kievian Rus State around the 10th century, it is the mother city of all Eastern Slavic peoples of Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia. Overnight at Rus Hotel. Day 2: Kiev Breakfast at hotel. Sightseeing tour of Kiev includes the St. Sophia Cathedral complex, built in 1017-31 to celebrate Prince Yaroslavs's victory over a rival tribe from the East. It was named after St. Sophia Cathedral of Istanbul and brought authority to the king by being a center of political, cultural, and educational activity. Lunch. Later we visit the Ethnological Center in the Cossack village of Mamayeva Sloboda, which opened in July 2009. Mamayeva Sloboda is a bright embodiment of glorious Cossack traditions, which can be spotted in its architecture and also in the landscape. Take a stroll on Andreevky Street (often called Kiev's Montmartre), where you shall find many interesting picture galleries and souvenir shops. Dinner at a local restaurant. Overnight at Rus Hotel. (B, L, D) Day 3: Kiev - Simferopol After breakfast we continue Kiev's sightseeing tour, visiting the Caves Monastery or Pechersk Lavra. It is an extensive complex spreading across wooded slopes of gold-domed churches and underground labyrinths of mummified monks. Established in 1051 by the Kievian Rus, it played a major role in the intellectual history of the Ukraine. Later we visit the Museum of Historic Treasures. Transfer to railway station for the overnight train from Kiev to Simferopol. (B, L, D) Day 4: Simferopol - Yalta Early morning arrival in Simferopol. Meet the local guide at the railway station. After breakfast at a local restaurant transfer to Yalta. Yalta was the summer retreat for the imperial family. The earlier history of Crimea is one of colonization by Genoese, Greeks, Armenians, and Tartars. Tolstoy, Chekhov, and Rachmaninov spent their summers on large sprawling estates in this spectacular, almost Mediterranean setting. Our tour today will take you to historical palaces of Yalta including Livadia where the Yalta Conference of 1943 took place. Dinner at a local restaurant and overnight 3* Bristol hotel. (B, L, D) Day 5: Yalta - Odessa After breakfast and check out, we continue the sightseeing tour in the outskirts of Yalta. Drive to Vorontsov's Castle situated in the small resort town of Alupka. Vorontsov's Castle, built in five different architectural styles, is well kept and has a small art gallery. The staircase of this stunning villa leads all the way to the Black Sea, and the lions that guard it are carved from imported Italian marble. After visiting the Nikitsky botanical gardens, transfer to Simferopol for overnight train to Odessa. Dinner in train independently. (B, L) Day 6: Odessa - Chisinau Morning arrival in Odessa. Meet and assist by local guide. After breakfast at Chorne More Hotel, transfer from Odessa to Chisinau, the charming capital city of the Republic of Moldova. The panoramic city tour of Chisinau includes the Museum of National Ethnography and History, the St. Tiron Cathedral, the Kischinev Cathedral, and more. Overnight at 3* Jazz hotel. (B, L, D) Day 7: Chisinau - Odessa After breakfast at the hotel, we drive to the archaeological complex Old Orhei, which is an open-air museum situated between the villages of Trebujeni and Butuceni 60 km northeast from Chisinau. Lunch at a local restaurant. Transfer to Odessa. Dinner and overnight at 3* Chorne More Hotel. (B, L, D) Day 8: Odessa - Lviv After breakfast and check out from the hotel, the panoramic city tour of Odessa includes the Museum of Fine Arts, the Museum of Partisan Glory, and Opera Theater. Transfer to airport for your flight to Lviv. Upon arrival in Lviv, meet and assist by your English-speaking guide and transfer to 4* Dnister hotel. (B, L, D) Day 9: Lviv After breakfast, sightseeing tour of Lviv includes the Apteka Museum, located inside a still-functioning pharmacy dating from 1735; the Arsenal Museum (1554-56), where you can check out suits of armor and various cannons and weapons, and; the Lychakovsky Cemetery, the final resting place of Lviv's most prominent citizens. In elegant tombs, submerged in lavish green vegetation, Austrian aristocrats lie alongside Napoleonic generals, Polish professors and artists, and Ukrainian and Soviet heroes. Lunch and time at leisure to explore Lviv. Dinner and overnight at 4* Dnister hotel. (B, L, D) Day 10: Lviv - Brest After breakfast, we leave Lviv for a full-day journey to the beautiful modern city of Brest located southwest of Belarus at frontier with Poland. Being a major rail junction and trade center at the confluence of the Bug and Mukhavyets rivers, Brest has industries manufacturing food products, textiles, and metal goods. Dinner and overnight at 3* Vesta hotel. (B, L, D) Day 11: Brest - Mir Castle Complex - Minsk After breakfast at the hotel we visit Mir Castle Complex (UNESCO site). The construction of this Gothic style castle began at the end of the 15th century. It was subsequently extended and reconstructed, first in the Renaissance and then in the Baroque style. After being abandoned for nearly a century and suffering severe damage during the Napoleonic period, the castle was restored at the end of the 19th century. Lunch. Departure for Minsk. Dinner and overnight at 3* Belarus hotel. (B, L, D) Day 12: Minsk Breakfast. The sightseeing tour of Minsk (founded in 1067) includes the Independence Square with the House of Government and "Red" Roman Catholic Church; Victory Square with its 38 meter Obelisk and the Eternal Flame honoring the heroes of World War II; Holy Trinity Cathedral, and; St. Catherin Church (17th century). Lunch. Later we drive to the unique, open-air museum of folk architecture and housing to learn about the rural style of life in different parts of old Belarus. Return to Minsk for dinner and overnight. (B, L, D) Day 13: Departure Breakfast and transfer to airport for your next destination. TOUR PRICE: Land Cost Per Person: (double occupancy)
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Payment and Refund Policies If you have any questions or you'd like to book this trip, please contact us. Custom itineraries available to this or any of the destinations we travel to. <-- back to list of Tours to Russia and Eastern Europe |
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