Ancient Russia. Golden Ring City Bus Tour

Breakfast. 

Transfer to Gus-Zhelezny.

Photo stop at the Trinity Cathedral.

Transfer to Kasimov. 

Between Moscow and Ryazan, for many centuries there has been a city that was first called Gorodets Meshchersky, later – a New Grassroots City, even later Khankirman – and that's all Kasimov. 

Such a number of names speaks only about one thing: this small town has a rich and interesting history.

Excursion program: majestic shopping malls of the XIX century, Petrovskaya zastava, merchant mansions, temples of the city: Ascension Cathedral, Annunciation, Assumption, Trinity churches. 

Monuments of Tatar architecture – a mosque with a minaret of the XV-XIX centuries, Tekie – the mausoleum of Shah Ali Khan of the XVI century. Climbing the minaret, which is 22 meters high, you can admire the panorama of the city from a bird's-eye view.

Moving to Murom – the birthplace of the hero Ilya Muromets. 

The city is glorified in legends and legends, it is called nothing less than glorious and is considered one of the most ancient cities in Russia.

Lunch.

Excursion program: sightseeing tour of the city with a visit to the Oka Park and active monasteries. 

The Trinity Convent, where the relics of Peter and Fevronia of Murom are kept, in whose honor the "Day of Family, Love and Fidelity" is celebrated. 

Inspection of the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery – the oldest monastery of Holy Orthodox Russia. Only the Kiev Pechersk Lavra is older than him!

Transfer to Nizhny Novgorod. 

The following year, after a successful campaign against the Volga Bulgars, Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich ordered the city to be built at the mouth of the Oka: "he decided to strengthen an important place beyond Russia." 

The chronicles say that he ordered the founding of a "new city". In 1341, the city was designated the capital of the independent Suzdal-Nizhny Novgorod Principality. 

Later Nizhny Novgorod played the role of a guard post, had its own permanent army, and it was here that Russian soldiers gathered before marching on the Kazan Khanate.

Accommodation at the hotel. On request, it is possible to organize a dinner for an additional fee.

Breakfast.

Excursion program: city tour with a tour of the Kremlin – built in 1515, it was considered one of the most advanced structures of Russian military fortification architecture. 

The Chkalovskaya Staircase is the main architectural masterpiece of Nizhny Novgorod. It has 560 steps, the staircase cascade is made in the form of two huge rings, and the difference in the levels of ascent is almost three times higher than that of the famous Potemkin stairs in Odessa. 

The Rozhdestvenskaya (Stroganov) Church, the Annunciation Monastery. A walk along Bolshaya Pokrovskaya Street. 

Transfer to Gorokhovets, a city where many temples and monasteries of the XVII-XVIII centuries have been perfectly preserved. 

But the main thing is that this city is a storehouse of ancient civil buildings: chambers of merchants of the XVII century, huts of ordinary residents of the posad, decorated with tiles and carvings.

Lunch.

Excursion program: city tour, the ensemble of the city-museum of civil architecture, Russian Art Nouveau. 

Photo stop on Bald Mountain. From a height of 100 meters above the Klyazma River, you will see a delightful natural landscape – an endless, taiga-like forest, the surface of a winding river, a wide, wide open plain, meadows and lakes.

Moving to Vladimir is one of the largest cities of the Golden Ring of Russia, located on the high bank of the Klyazma River. 

The main asset of the Vladimir land is the most beautiful examples of white stone architecture included in the UNESCO list. 

In 1157, Andrei Bogolyubsky moved the capital of the Rostov-Suzdal Principality from Suzdal to Vladimir. 

After the death of his father, Yuri Dolgoruky, he did not go to reign in Kiev, but made Vladimir the capital of Russia. In the 13th century, the city was captured and ravaged by the troops of Batu Khan. 

The city never recovered from this shock and already in the 14th century ceded Moscow the status of the capital.

Accommodation at the hotel. On request, it is possible to organize a dinner for an additional fee

Breakfast.

Transfer to Bogolyubovo. 

Bogolyubovo was first mentioned in chronicles in 1158. Andrey Bogolyubsky founded the settlement for his residence. 

There is a legend that it was in this place that the prince saw the appearance of the Virgin Mary, who ordered the founding of a monastery and a city. 

Excursion program: The Grand Ducal residence of Andrei Bogolyubsky, the architectural ensemble of the Bogolyubsky Monastery. A walk to the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl (depending on weather conditions). 

Return to Vladimir.

Lunch. Folklore program (for a group of 35 people or more).

The excursion program: sightseeing tour, Cathedral Square ensemble. Assumption Cathedral, Dmitrievsky Cathedral is a unique example of Russian white stone carved architecture of the 12th century. 

The Golden Gate is a unique monument of military engineering and architectural art of ancient Russia, a symbol of Vladimir and the entire Golden Ring of Russia. A walk along a pedestrian street. 

Return to the hotel. On request, it is possible to organize a dinner for an additional fee.

Breakfast.

We are going on an excursion to Suzdal, the museum city, because there are nowhere such a number of monuments of the history of Russia, as well as ancient buildings that have survived intact and preserved, unique churches and objects of wooden architecture.

Interestingly, at the same time, there is not a single industrial enterprise in Suzdal, which makes it an environmentally friendly place. Most of the buildings in Suzdal are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. 

For decades, the ancient city has served as a film set for many films. 

Excursion program: sightseeing tour, the architecture of the majestic Suzdal Kremlin, the construction of which began in the X century, the stunning Nativity Cathedral. The Spaso-Evfimiev Monastery, founded in 1350, the Spaso–Preobrazhensky Cathedral with frescoes by Guriy Nikitin. 

Lunch.

Departure to Moscow. 

Arrival in the evening, the time depends on the traffic situation.

The approximate time of return to Moscow is 20:00 (excluding traffic jams).