Clients’ comments

“A first class effort to get the booking arranged in the time frame. We really liked the mixture of self-booking and Far Frontiers Travel-organised trip. Having a private guide in St. Petersburg was essential for a detailed insight, avoiding the queues and getting to outlying places — it was much better than being in a group.”
Mr and Mrs Keith Vanner, Russia and the Baltic States

Fiona’s travel tips

DON’T MISS: Our exceptional English-speaking Russian guides — they are so good we have to give them a special mention! A magical night of Russian Ballet at St Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theatre or the historic Bolshoi Opera House in Moscow.

READ: Simon Sebag Montefiore’s Stalin: The Court of the Red Tzar — for a fascinating insight into the deadly but informal power games played out behind the closed doors of Black Sea villas and Kremlin apartments.

INTERESTING FACTS: St. Basil’s Cathedral has been part of the Moscow Kremlin and Red Square UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1990. The Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg began life in 1764 with the purchase of a collection of Western European paintings by Empress Catherine II.

BEST TIME TO GO: Spring and Autumn are generally mild and dry but I particularly like winter when the golden domes sparkle against a backdrop of blue skies and majestic buildings are blanketed in snow.

JOURNEY TIME: 3½ hours (direct)

My Russian contacts are unsurpassed – why not have the Hermitage open just for you?