Suzdal and Vladimir are part of Moscow’s ‘Golden Ring’, a chain of ancient towns and cities located to the North-East of the Capital. The Suzdal and Vladimir tour enables you to discover treasures of Russian history and culture, masterpieces of ancient art and unique monuments of Old Russia.
This tour has an early start. At 6:00 am meet your driver in the hotel lobby, he will take you to the railway station to catch the high-speed train to Vladimir, one of the medieval capitals of Old Russia and also part of Moscow’s Golden Ring. It would take just 1 hour and 45 min. to get to Vladimir onboard of the comfortable modern train. You make your train journey on your own, but upon arrival meet your local English-speaking guide on platform. This guide will stay with you until you leave Vladimir by train the same evening. Upon your arrival you will be driven to Suzdal (45 min), which dates from the 11th century. Suzdal is a well-known and popular tourist destination. It has many remarkable riverside churches and monasteries dating from the 11th – 13th century, some of which are included in UNESCO World Heritage List as fine examples of ancient Russian architecture. The town, once an important religious center, has looks and feels like a provincial village with its beautiful landscape, rustic houses and unpaved roads. The tour includes visits to the beautiful ancient churches in the town, the Kremlin, its grounds, Cross Chamber and the Wooden Architecture Museum.
Lunch in a local restaurant is included.
In the afternoon, after lunch, you visit Vladimir. The town has three monuments on the UNESCO World Heritage Lis, visit one of themt:
– The magnificent five-domed Assumption Cathedral was designed as a sepulcher of grand princes and dedicated to the holy icon Theotokos of Vladimir, which had been brought to the city by Andrew the Pious. The cathedral was constructed in 1158–1160, expanded in 1185–1189, and includes major frescoes by the great artists Andrei Rublev and Daniil Chyorny.
–St.Demetrius Cathedral (end of the XII century) is notable for its noble forms and ideal proportions. Its walls are decorated with beautiful stone fretwork – it has more than 600 bas-reliefs.
–Golden Gate (1164), a combination of battle tower, over-gate church and triumphal arch, is considered a remarkable monument of Russian fortification
architecture.
After the tours you will be transferred to the railway station in Vladimir, where you catch the high-speed train back to Moscow.
Upon your arrival to Moscow your driver will transfer you to the hotel.