Private tour to Golden Ring - Vladimir, Suzdal and Yaroslavl (with Lastochka roundtrip train, accommodation included) - uVisitRussia
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Private tour to Golden Ring - Vladimir, Suzdal and Yaroslavl (with Lastochka roundtrip train, accommodation included)

Vladimir, Suzdal and Yaroslavl are the main cities of the Golden Ring, which are not only famed for their beauty but also for the significant roles the cities have played in the history of the Russian state.

To make your trip more comfortable, the transfer from Moscow to Vladimir is via the Lastochka express train and all further travel is via private car as there are no railway connections between the cities.

On your trip you will see the main cathedrals, historical buildings and sights of all three cities and find out a lot about the history of mediaeval Rus.

You will not be accompanied with a guide when travelling on the route, but local guides will take you on excursions in the cities themselves. At your request and for an additional fee, we can add a guide to accompany you on the whole route.

Type: Private Tour
Duration: 3 days

Itinerary Hide all details

Day 1: VLADIMIR - SUZDAL

08:00 Transfer from your hotel to the railway station. A driver will wait for you at the lobby of your hotel or place where you stay. (OPTIONAL)

Please note that the check-in for Russian trains starts 30 minutes before departure. You must have your passport with you and present it at check-in.

09:30 Departure from Moscow.

The way to Vladimir the train takes 1h 40min. Stations are announced in Russian and English. The train only has a two-minute stop in Vladimir, so be ready to get off in advance.

11:14 Meeting your English-speaking guide and the driver at the Vladimir train station. 

11:30 City tour of Vladimir. Vladimir was once the mediaeval capital of the Russian state and so is an important city in terms of Russian history. The highlights of this tour include:

Assumption Cathedral, 1158, with the unique fresco by Andrey Rublev dated 1408 - the main cathedral of the city. For over 200 years this cathedral held the revered Our Lady of Vladimir Icon, which Prince Andrey Bogolyubsky brought from Vyshgorod in Ukraine to Vladimir. The icon was later transferred to Moscow and can now be seen in the Tretyakov Gallery. According to legend, the icon was created by Luke the Evangelist. The interior still retains fragments of frescos by Andrey Rublev. (CLOSED ON MONDAYS)

Golden Gates - a rare monument of Russian 12th-century defensive architecture and all that remains of the walls which once surrounded Vladimir.

St.Demetrius’ Cathedral - one of the most remarkable monuments of mediaeval Rus. It was built in the 1190s as a palace temple of Grand Prince Vsevolod the Big Nest of Vladimir and is decorated on the outside with engravings of plants and animals. (CLOSED ON TUESDAYS (IN WINTER). 

The Lacquer boxes and Crystal glass museum

Transfer from Vladimir to your hotel in Suzdal. (Distance: 40km)

Night in Suzdal.

Day 2: SUZDAL - YAROSLAVL

Breakfast in the hotel.

10:00 City tour of Suzdal - Suzdal is perhaps the highlight of the Golden Ring, as the whole city is an open-air museum thanks to it being practically unspoiled by modernisation and industrialisation. On this excursion you will visit:

Suzdal Kremlin - this is the oldest part and historical core of the city. Although the kremlin's walls no longer stand, parts of the earthen mound fortifications do remain. The buildings inside the kremlin are now used as museums. (CLOSED ON TUESDAYS)

Nativity Cathedral (1222) – the kremlin’s cathedral is the Nativity Cathedral and the current version stands on the place of an 11th century version which was built on the orders of Vladimir Monomakh. The interior features stunning frescos as well as a necropolis where the sons of Yury Dolgoruky have been interred along with several members of various noble families from Suzdal.

Spaso-Yefimiev Monastery (1352) – this is the largest monastery in Suzdal and with its large fortified walls it is often mistaken for being the Suzdal Kremlin. Today it is a museum with various exhibitions including its main cathedral with its amazing frescos. (CLOSED ON MONDAYS)

Museum of the Wooden Architecture and Peasant life – this collection of wooden buildings, including churches and windmills, from various parts of European Russia is one of the best of architectural museums in Russia. It now resembles a village in itself made up of beautiful examples of 17th - 19th century wooden buildings which have been brought here to protect them from fire or from being dismantled.

Trading Rows (1812) – Suzdal’s set of trading rows are still used for their original purpose and a souvenir market is held outside where you can buy a whole range of souvenirs, including bottles of the mead for which Suzdal is famed.

Free time in Suzdal.

16:00 - Transfer from Suzdal to Yaroslavl. (Distance: 200km)

This is the longest transfer on the route and can take up to three hours, however on the drive you will get a chance to see provincial Russia and its nature through the window. During the transfer you will pass through the territory known as Opolye where the landscape is not at all typical for the north-eastern part of European Russia and characterised by its open fields and wide open spaces. 

19:00 - Arrival in Yaroslavl and check-in at the hotel.

Day 3: YAROSLAVL - MOSCOW

Breakfast in the hotel.

11:00 Walking tour around Yaroslavl – during this tour you will visit the following sights:

Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery – one of the largest, richest and best fortified monasteries of the 16th century. It is closely associated with the volunteer army of Minin and Pozharsky which was based here while it prepared to liberate Moscow from the Poles in the early 17th century. Inside the monastery is the Transfiguration Cathedral which is the oldest surviving building in Yaroslavl and was built on the site of an even older church between 1506 and 1516. It interior is decorated with spectacular frescos. To protect these unique frescos it can only be visited between May and October.

Volga Embankment - this embankment running along the River Volga is one of the prettiest places in Yaroslavl and several historical churches and other buildings are located here. From here you can enjoy great views of the largest river in Europe. 

St Elijah the Prophet’s Church (17th Century) - this church is a masterpiece of ancient Russian architecture which is stunningly beautiful on the outside and on the inside thanks to its detailed frescos and amazing iconostasis. To protect these unique frescos it can only be visited between May and October.

Free time in the city.

18:30 - Transfer from your hotel to the railway station in Yaroslavl. The driver will wait for you in the reception of the hotel.

19:30 - Express train to Moscow.

Duration: 3.5 hours.

23:00 - Arrival at Yaroslavsky Railway station in Moscow.

Transfer to your hotel. A driver will wait for you next to your wagon (OPTIONAL)

What's included

  • Professional English-speaking guide assistance in Vladimir, Suzdal and Yaroslavl. Other languages upon request (additional charge may apply)
  • Driver’s services as per the program in Vladimir, Suzdal and Yaroslavl (Comfortable car/minivan with A/C)
  • Roundtrip train tickets for the Lastochka high-speed trains: Moscow to Vladimir and Yaroslavl to Moscow
  • Private excursion with a local guide in Vladimir, Suzdal and Yaroslavl
  • Accommodation in a 3/4* hotel, central location, standard DBL rooms with breakfast
  • Entrance tickets to museums as per the programme
  • All taxes, fees and handling charges
Not included in the price
  • Transfers in Moscow to/from the railway station.
  • Food / Drinks
  • Personal expenses
  • Gratuities to guide/driver (optional)
Additional expenses

 

Additional info
  • The tour is available the whole year round starting on any day, but please take into account that the museum’s working hours and days-off vary so we reserve the right to change the itinerary while trying to save the excursion programme.
  • Some religious sights such as active monasteries require a specific dress code in order to be allowed to visit - for women a scarf to cover your head and a skirt covering your knees (no trousers); for men, no shorts and all headwear must be removed.
  • In cities of the Golden Ring where there are no 4 or 5 star hotels, the calculation includes hotels of 3 or 4 stars.

Visa

Russian visa support (Russian visa invitation letter) is included.

Sights included in program

Moscow : Golden Ring
One of the most fascinating regions in Russia is the famous 'Golden Ring' of cities to the northeast of Moscow. This ancient heart of Russia with its old whitewashed city walls and venerable onion-domed churches created the world's definition of medieval Rus. In this enchanted region - which has remained relatively untouched by tourist crowds - time stands still. The main currents of history ignored these cities, leaving towns such as Vladimir, S... Read more
Golden Ring : Yaroslavl
Yaroslavl makes a lasting impression on people from all parts of the world. Yaroslavl is possibly one of the most ancient settlements of Russians on the Volga River. An ancient legend says that construction began on the city's fortress on the site where Yaroslav the Wise slew a bear. The fortress quickly became a vibrant city on the crossroads of trade routes. Today, Yaroslavl is one of the most popular tourist destinations, and the unofficial c... Read more
Golden Ring : Suzdal
Suzdal is a unique compilation of numerous monuments of material culture, architecture and history. Standing along the banks of the Kamenka River, Suzdal used to be the capital of several Russian principalities. It is a religious hub with numerous monasteries churches making it now an important tourist center, featuring many fine examples of old Russian architecture. The town has almost 300 architectural monuments of the last millennium and a ple... Read more
Golden Ring : Vladimir
The City of Vladimir is one of the oldest Russian communities. It is one of the major members of the Golden Ring of communities which have played a significant role in Russian history. Among many other attractions, the city boasts three UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Read more
Church of Elijah the Prophet, standing on Sovetskaya Square in the center of Yaroslavl, is an outstanding architectural monument of Yaroslavl school of architecture of the 17th century. This church almost completely preserved its original appearance. Read more
Yaroslavl starts from the Spassky monastery (Saviour monastery), that was founded in the 12th century at the place where Kotorosl river meets Volga river. The main entrance to the monastery were the Saint gates (Svyatye vorota), that were built in 1516, but were changed since then (the decorations and the small church on top were added in 1621). Read more
Suzdal : Market Square
The Market Square is a raised stone patio that has been served as Suzdal's trading center for the better part of the millennium. Read more
The Museum of Wooden Architecture keeps numerous examples of old wooden architecture and is considered to be a little corner of classical ancient Russia. Read more
Founded in the 14th century to protect the town’s northern entrance, Suzdal’s biggest monastery grew mighty in the 16th and 17th centuries after Vasily III, Ivan the Terrible and the noble Pozharsky family funded impressive new stone buildings and made large land and property acquisitions. It was girded with its great brick walls and towers in the 17th century. Read more
The ancient Kremlin of Suzdal is the place that gave rise to the city. The central street of the city leads there. Even from afar you can see its white-stone walls with bright-green roofs of the buildings. Bright white in the backdrop of the green meadows are the slender silhouettes of churches and the golden domes of ancient monasteries. Read more
At the time of the reign of Grand Prince of Vladimir Vsevolod the Big Nest, Vladimir-Suzdal Princedom was in the zenith of its glory. “Suzdal Region back in the beginning of XII century was a forsaken north-eastern corner of Russian Land, but in XIII century was already a Princedom that decisively headed up the rest of Russ,” V. Klyuchevsky wrote. And Dmitrievsky Cathedral built by Vsevolod was purposed to signify this rise of Vladimi... Read more
The Dormition Cathedral in Vladimir (sometimes translated Assumption Cathedral) was a mother church of Medieval Russia in the 13th and 14th centuries. It is part of a World Heritage Site, the White Monuments of Vladimir and Suzdal. Read more
Vladimir : Golden Gates
Golden Gate in Vladimir is a unique example of Russian military architecture of the 12th century. It was erected in 1164 as a part of the defensive wall encircling the ancient Vladimir. The gate was crowned with the tiny Church of the Deposition of the Robe. Along with the Golden Gate there was several other gates, but the Golden Gates were the main entrance to the city. Read more

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1 person - US$ 1,473 (US$ 1,473 per person)
2 person - US$ 2,191 (US$ 1,095 per person)
3 person - US$ 2,414 (US$ 804.65 per person)
4 person - US$ 2,485 (US$ 621.30 per person)
5 person - US$ 3021 (US$ 604.20 per person)
6 person - US$ 3,089 (US$ 514.90 per person)
Price for persons: 1 - 6

Our flexible payment options allow you to pay 20% of a deposit first and the remaining 80% in 14 days prior to your tour date - payment can be done both online or over the phone. This gives you the peace of mind knowing your spaces are booked on the tours and that you do not miss out on making the most of your time in Russia.

Also you get 5% discount and get the best, top-rated and most experienced and knowledgeable hand-picked tour guide appointed on a priority basis.
In our experience, exceptional travel experiences are almost always delivered by exceptional people. With that in mind, we utilize a comprehensive approach to select and employ the best tour guides only. Multilingual and well travelled, each possesses deep insight into the diverse attractions and cultural patterns throughout the region. With us guides undergo a rigorous selection process, achieving outstanding knowledge of local culture and language. Rest assured that the best tour guides only will be working on the tours to give you excellent opportunity to explore the best of the sights during both short and long-term stay in Russia.

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