The magic of Christmas from St. Petersburg to Vyborg. Bus tour from Moscow

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Wonderful mood, gifts, meetings, travel, smiles, happiness, love – all that characterizes this truly magical holiday. Everyone believes at least a little in magic and fairy tales. And there is a day in the year when miracles happen especially often.

Since ancient times, the night before Christmas has been considered magical. Millions of people are waiting in awe for the stars to light up in the sky.

Once upon a time, a star that rose over Bethlehem announced to people the birth of the divine baby Jesus.

Christmas is an amazing time when the heart is filled with expectation of a miracle, and this miracle happens!

For this tour, departure from the cities of Khimki, Solnechnogorsk, Klin, Tver is possible.

Location

Moscow, VDNKh metro station

from

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Weekdays: 8am - 8pm
Weekends: 8am - 7pm (GMT +3)

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Tour highlights

Tsarskoye Selo

Visit the beautiful park with a unique architectural ensemble created by great sculptors of the XVIII–XX centuries

Delicious master class

A master class on baking a real Vyborg pretzel awaits you

Architecture of St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg is saturated with an atmosphere of palatial luxury, an abundance of castles, art and incredible architecture, which we can experience on excursions

Winter Vyborg

You will see the Market Square, the Peter and Paul Cathedral, the Transfiguration Cathedral, the Panzerlaks bastion, the Town Hall tower, the medieval Vyborg Castle - the symbol of the city

"Christmas at the manor"

You will find an interactive program at the manor "Christmas in the manor", which will be conducted by the cheerful Youlou Pukki – Finnish Santa Claus

Itinerary

Day 1 - Excursion to Torzhok, master class and lunch at Daria Pozharskaya's
06:30 Gathering of the group in Moscow: VDNKh metro station, parking lot to the right of the Kosmos Hotel.
A bus with a sign on the windshield "The Magic of Christmas".
07:00 Departure to Torzhok along the M 11 highway.
08:00 Boarding is possible in Solnechnogorsk (cafe Deliciously — I dot, Krasnaya str., 118) (by prior arrangement).
08:30 Boarding is possible in the city of Klin (cafe Deliciously — I dot, Pervomaiskaya str., 2) (by prior arrangement).
10:00 It is possible to board in Tver (Globus shopping center, Oktyabrsky ave., 101) (by prior arrangement).
The ancient town of Torzhok is a cozy corner of the Tver region, which has preserved the atmosphere of the province of pre—revolutionary times.
The town became famous for one of the oldest monasteries and pozharsky cutlets, which Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin praised in his poems.
On a sightseeing tour we will get acquainted with the main sights of Torzhok.
Few cities in the world can boast that they are the birthplace of a renowned gastronomic brand that has gained worldwide fame.
But the small Russian town of Torzhok, located in the Tver region, is famous not only for the fact that it is one of the oldest and most beautiful cities in Russia, but also for the fact that it was here, in the Pozharsky hotel, in the first half of the 19th century, they came up with a recipe for cutlets, which were called Pozharsky.
Cafe "Lira" chose for its guests an original recipe from 1853, which was published in the "Almanac of Gastronomies" by professional chef Ignat Radetsky.
This is the only recipe that was published during Daria Pozharskaya's lifetime.
It was she who prepared her signature dish for the guests.
Lunch at a restaurant in the city.
Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, a connoisseur of good cuisine, recommended his friend Sobolevsky to try fried cutlets in Torzhok at the Pozharsky Hotel.
Lunch with the famous fireman's cutlets awaits you.
After lunch, we drive along the M11 expressway to St. Petersburg.
Arrival in St. Petersburg.
Accommodation at Cosmos Saint Petersburg Pribaltiyskaya Hotel 4*
Free time.

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Day 2 - Bus tour "Winter holidays". Moving to Vyborg
Breakfast at the hotel is a buffet.
Bus tour "Winter holidays".
Getting to know the festive city, the central squares decorated with New Year's beauties-Christmas trees.
A retrospective of the traditions of New Year and Christmas celebrations in St. Petersburg from past eras.
An excursion to the Petrovsky Aquatoria mock-up theater – a charming maid of honor will conduct a New Year's trip around St. Petersburg for the museum guests.
You will find out why Russia celebrates the New Year on January 1, who was the most important participant in the New Year celebrations in Russia before Santa Claus, how masquerades were held, and which traditions of celebrating the New Year have survived to this day, and which have not been preserved.
The Petrovskaya Aquatoria Mock–up Museum is the first grandiose historical model in Russia on a scale of 1:87 with an area of 500 square meters. It was opened on September 4, 2014.
The museum's exposition is a reconstruction of the most significant sights of St. Petersburg and its suburbs related to the history of the city and the Russian navy.
Here, based on engravings and materials from museum archives, ancient manors, parks, and palaces have been recreated, some of which we will never see again...
The main feature of the layout is a real body of water, symbolizing the waters of the Neva River and the Gulf of Finland, where models of ships of the Peter the Great era walk on the water!
Lunch at a cafe.
Transfer to Vyborg.
Travel tour "Russian Finland".
Accommodation at the Druzhba 3* hotel.
Free time.
Recommended cafes for dinner: the Bear restaurant, the Camelot restaurant, the Medieval Tavern, the Russian Courtyard restaurant, the Beaujolais restaurant, the Owl cafe, the panoramic restaurant of the Victoria Hotel.

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Day 3 - Master class, Castle Island, interactive in the manor
Breakfast at the hotel is a buffet.
Check out of the hotel with your belongings.
Christmas master class on baking a real Vyborg pretzel.
You will learn about its history, recipes and participate in the manufacturing process yourself. We will try two authentic recipes: medieval according to the recipe of the Old Woman Marin (rye without yeast) and Viiperinrinkelli, baked on straw (fluffy, yeast).
Walking tour of the center of Vyborg — our guide will tell you about the history of the city, its legends and secrets.
You will see the Market Square, the Peter and Paul Cathedral, the Transfiguration Cathedral, the Panzerlaks bastion, and the Town Hall Tower.
Guided tour of Castle Island, where the medieval knightly Vyborg Castle, the symbol of the city, is located.
Lunch at a cafe.
Interactive program "Christmas at the manor" (hosted by the cheerful Joul Pukki, the Finnish Santa Claus).
The program includes:
A story about the traditions of celebrating Christmas in the Scandinavian countries.
The story of the Burgher Estate, two neighboring monasteries, about the symbols of Vyborg – the witch Louhi, the cat Totti, the Franciscan monks and the Dominicans.
Tasting of the famous Vyborg pretzel and glega, a Scandinavian hot berry drink with spices and spices.
Medieval theater – reincarnations of the heroes of medieval Vyborg (Finnish reindeer herders, dwarfs, knight, monk, Finnish townspeople, Swedish king).
Funny fortune–telling (they pull out playful fortune-tellers - who was who in medieval Vyborg).
Transfer to St. Petersburg.
Accommodation at Cosmos Saint Petersburg Pribaltiyskaya Hotel 4*.

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Day 4 - Alexander Palace. Departure
Breakfast at the hotel is a buffet.
Check out of the hotel with your belongings.
Departure to Tsarskoye Selo (Pushkin).
Excursion to the Alexander Palace.
In the northern part of the picturesque Alexander Park stands a magnificent building with a two—century history — the New Tsarskoye Selo (later Alexander) Palace.
It was laid out in 1792 by order of Catherine II and was built for the wedding of her beloved grandson, Grand Duke Alexander Pavlovich (the future Emperor Alexander I) with Grand Duchess Elizabeth Alekseevna.
The architectural design of the Alexander Palace belongs to the famous Italian architect D. Quarenghi.
Since 1904, the Alexander Palace became the permanent residence of Emperor Nicholas II, who was born here in 1868 and treated Tsarskoye Selo with special warmth.
The last 13 years of the reign of the Russian emperor passed here; from here, on the morning of August 1, 1917, the imperial family was sent into exile to Tobolsk.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the Alexander Palace hosted almost all important events related to Russian state life: receptions for ambassadors and foreign figures, celebrations of anniversaries — the 300th anniversary of the House of Romanov and the 200th anniversary of Tsarskoye Selo.
In September 2015, the Alexander Palace Museum was closed to visitors during the restoration work.
And now guests of the palace can see a Reception room, a study, a Moorish, a Valet's room and a State study (half of Emperor Nicholas II), a suite, a bedroom, a Lilac study, a Rosewood and Maple living room (half of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna), as well as a Corner living room and Library rooms.
The rest of the palace is still undergoing restoration.
A walk through the Catherine Park.
Along with the palace complex, parks are an integral part of the Tsarskoye Selo imperial residence, primarily the main ones — Catherine and Alexander, which received these names from the palaces located in them.
Catherine Park consists of two parts: regular Old Garden and English landscape Park.
Old (Dutch) The garden was founded, according to legend, by Peter I. himself.
Visit to the Fedorovsky Cathedral.
The Feodorovsky Sovereign's Cathedral stands majestically above the Fedorovsky town, the barracks for the imperial family's guard regiments.
It was built in 1909-1912.
14:00 Lunch at a cafe.
15:00 Departure to Moscow along the M11 highway.
The approximate time of return to Moscow is 23:30-24:00 to the VDNKh metro station.

Difficulty

Suitable for everyone

Accommodation

Hotel

3 nights

Comfort

Upscale
Premium

The tour includes accommodation in hotels.

The cost of the tour for 1 person in rubles:

Cosmos Pribaltiyskaya 4* Hotel, Druzhba 3*
2-seater standard	29 900
1-seat standard	34 900
Triple (2 main+additional beds)	29 400

Triple accommodation is possible in superior rooms with three full-fledged beds (on request).

There are no 1-bed rooms available.

From the hotel "Park Inn by Radisson (Cosmos)Pribaltiyskaya" offers a view of St. Petersburg and the Gulf of Finland.

It offers air-conditioned rooms with free Wi-Fi.

Rooms at the Pribaltiyskaya Hotel feature a flat-screen TV with satellite channels.

The bathrooms are equipped with a hairdryer.

The superior rooms also have bathrobes, slippers and free toiletries.

A buffet breakfast is served every morning at the hotel. Light snacks and drinks are available at the 24-hour lounge bar. The hotel also has a gift shop and concierge services.

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Tour conditions

Group

From 10 to 40 tourists

Minimum age

6 years old

Duration

4 days 3 nights

Group meets at

Moscow, VDNKh metro station

Included in price

accommodation at the Cosmos Pribaltiyskaya 4* hotel - 2 nights, at the Druzhba 3* hotel in Vyborg – 1 night;
Meals: 3 breakfasts, 4 lunches;
excursion service according to the tour program (including guide services and entrance tickets to museums);
escort services along the route;
transport service by a tourist class bus (a one-and-a-half-storey bus with a luggage compartment, comfortable armchairs, climate control system, video monitor).

Paid extra

air and railway tickets to Moscow and back;
meals not included in the program;
excursions and services not included in the tour program;
personal expenses.

It's important to know

Air and railway tickets are not included in the price of the tour. You can purchase them yourself or contact us for help.

Dates and Prices

The tour dates are not confirmed yet. Please, for clarification

from
$350

2 – 5 Jan, 2026 4 days 3 nights

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Reviews

A
Anna

about provider

13 Feb, 2025

My daughter and I took the St. Petersburg Collection tour for 7 days, and I highly recommend it for first-time visitors to the city like us. The tour is well-designed, allowing you to see the main attractions in a short period of time. A great advantage is that you can join on any day. Everything was well-organized—excellent guides, comfortable buses, and provided radio headsets for better communication. There were no delays or long waits. The schedule was planned in a way that left plenty of free time in the evenings for walks or additional sightseeing. The tour package includes hotel accommodation, with several options to choose from. I stayed at the Rossiya Hotel near Pobeda Park and was very satisfied. The rooms were clean, with daily housekeeping, fresh towels, and air conditioning—which was perfect given the pleasant temperatures of 24–30°C during our stay. A buffet breakfast was included—simple but sufficient to start the day. It was really convenient, as we would bring a small snack for the day and have dinner somewhere in central St. Petersburg. The hotel is within walking distance of the blue metro line, making it easy to reach the city center without transfers. There’s also a supermarket nearby, along with plenty of street food options. It’s also worth mentioning that additional excursions are available. We took a boat trip to the forts of Kronstadt and joined a nighttime tour to see the city's famous drawbridges—both were unforgettable experiences
E
Elena

about provider

12 Feb, 2025

First and foremost, we want to express our heartfelt gratitude to our personal manager in Big Country, Ksenia, for carefully selecting a tour that matched our preferences and for swiftly handling the changes to our group size. We had six unforgettable days on the banks of the Neva River! A huge thank you for the well-organized excursions, led by true professionals—Irina and Olga. We would be delighted to recommend traveling with Big Country to our friends and family!
M
Margarita

about provider

12 Feb, 2025

Many thanks to Big Country for the tour—everything was top-notch! We’ll definitely be back. Thank you!