4-Day Golden Ring Tour from Moscow

Itinerary

Day 1: Moscow – Vladimir

Stop At: Vladimir Suzdal Museum Reserve, 43, Bolshaya Moskovskaya St, Vladimir 600000 Russia
Start with the historical settlement of Vladimir. See the sights on a coach tour, hearing the history of the town once known as the capital of Russia, and then head inside the magnificent Assumption Cathedral (once Russia’s main cathedral). Admire treasures like Rublyov’s The Last Judgement frescoes, and then board your coach to travel to the Cathedral of St Dmitry, marveling at its incredible stone carvings from the outside. Your coach tour also includes Vladimir’s UNESCO World Heritage-listed sites like the Golden Gates and the Museum of Crystal, Lacquer Miniature Painting and Embroidery.

Stop for lunch and a drink in a traditional Russian restaurant, enjoying a bowl of hearty Russian borscht (beetroot soup) with dumplings, and then check in to your hotel. Spend the rest of your afternoon and evening at leisure.
Duration: 6 hours

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight: 4-star Vladimirskaya Sloboda in Vladimir

Day 2: Vladimir – Suzdal – Kostroma

Stop At: Suzdal Kremlin, Ul. Kremlevskaja, d. 20, Suzdal 601293 Russia
Check out of your hotel after breakfast and then leave your hotel by coach, traveling the short distance north to the 11th-century fortress town of Suzdal. Explore the town by coach, seeing the ramparts of Suzdal’s Kremlin and learning about the town. As you sit back and relax, your guide will talk to you about the town’s history, explaining how it was once a favorite town of the Soviet government, who strived to retain its original architecture and charm.

Pass through the open-air Museum of Wooden Architecture and Peasant Life to see traditional old izbas (wooden houses) and churches – all built without using a single nail. Then, continue your tour back into town to see Suzdal’s monasteries and churches.
Duration: 3 hours

Stop At: Monastery of st Ipaty, Prosveshheniya St, 1, Kostroma 156004 Russia
After a break for lunch, travel north to Kostroma, a town sat on the banks of its namesake river. See its highlights on a city tour, marveling at its star attraction – the 14th-century Monastery of St Ipaty. Hear tales of the Godunov family who founded the place of worship, and learn about the rivalries between them and the Romanov dynasty – another powerful Kostroma family. Check in to your hotel and enjoy free time in town.
Duration: 3 hours

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight: 3-star Ostrovsky Prichal in Kostroma

Day 3: Kostroma – Yaroslavl – Rostov-Veliky

Stop At: St. John the Baptist Church, 2nd Zakotoroslnaya Emb., 69, Yaroslavl 150001 Russia
Leave Kostroma after breakfast and travel west to the ancient town of Yaroslavl that was once a major political and economic hub. As the second largest city in Russia, Yaroslavl holds a collection of sites to rival the country’s capital. See the best sites on your city tour, admiring the onion-domed St John the Baptist Church and Strelka Park where the town’s founder (Yaroslavl the Wise) fought a sacred bear to save his people. Stop to visit the Monastery of Transfiguration of the Saviour – one of Russia’s richest monasteries – and then head inside the Church of Elijah the Prophet to see some of the brightest frescoes in the Golden Ring.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Strelka Fountains, Volga Embankment, Yaroslavl Russia
Leave Kostroma after breakfast and travel west to the ancient town of Yaroslavl that was once a major political and economic hub. As the second largest city in Russia, Yaroslavl holds a collection of sites to rival the country’s capital. See the best sites on your city tour, admiring the onion-domed St John the Baptist Church and Strelka Park where the town’s founder (Yaroslavl the Wise) fought a sacred bear to save his people. Stop to visit the Monastery of Transfiguration of the Saviour – one of Russia’s richest monasteries – and then head inside the Church of Elijah the Prophet to see some of the brightest frescoes in the Golden Ring.
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: State Museum Preserve Rostov Kremlin, Petrovicheva st., 1 Rostov Kremlin, Rostov 152151 Russia
Enjoy lunch in town, and then travel south to Rostov-Veliky, a town that’s often considered the prettiest in the Golden Ring with its silver-domed Kremlin. See the highlights on your city tour, stopping outside the Kremlin and the fairytale-esque Monastery of St Jacob. Check in to your hotel, and then spend your night at leisure.
Duration: 3 hours

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight: 3-star Usadba Pleshanova in Rostov-Veliky


Day 4: Rostov-Veliky – Pereyaslavl-Zalessky – Sergiev Posad – Moscow

Stop At: Pereslavl-Zalessky Historical, Arhitectural and Art Museum, Muzeiny pereulok, d. 4, Pereslavl-Zalessky 152020 Russia
Say your goodbyes to Rostov-Veliky after breakfast, and then head to Pereyaslavl-Zalessky, a small town popular with vacationing Muscovites. Sat on the shores of Lake Pleshcheevo, the pretty town is best known for its two main attractions: Red Square and the Cathedral of the Transfiguration (one of Russia’s oldest buildings. See them both on a city tour by coach, and then travel further south to your final Golden Ring town of your tour, Sergiev Posad.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: The Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra, Sergiev Posad mkr, Sergiyev Posad 141300 Russia
The town’s undisputed highlight is the Trinity Lavra Monastery of St Sergius, an active monastery that sprawls around the town. Taking a well-deserved place on the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the colossal monastery comprises onion-domed churches and countless buildings with eye-catching architecture. See the best bits, such as the Cathedral of the Assumption, on your coach tour and hear stories of St Sergius, after whom the monastery is named.

Stop for lunch in town and then return to Moscow, where your tour finishes.
Duration: 4 hours

No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.