1 day

Private

Full Day

Instant confirmation

About this activity

Meet your guide at the lobby of your hotel early morning and set off for a full day countryside adventure. We will ride 60 miles (100 km) towards the town of Sergiev Posad, one of the Golden Ring towns. First, visit a famous Russian Orthodox retreat temple called Chernigov Skete (If you book your tour on Sunday, we will have a chance to visit early morning church service).

In Skete you will research an underground church, dug by monks in the 19th century. Afterwards, refresh yourself with local herb tea and fresh pastries.

After that we will continue to St. Sergius Monastery. Enjoy a walking tour, visit 15-16th century temples, look at famous paintings of Andrey Rublyov and learn about Russian history. Along the way, you will have a chance to try a famous Russian Summer drink, called kvass (if your trip is during the summertime) along with a famous Russian pastries called pirozhki. Take a break for lunch in a nice cafe where you will have a chance to try dishes from Russian or soviet cuisine.

And you will have a chance to do something creative with your hands. You will have a master class at Matryoshka regarding painting or at creating church candles made from real wax.

The final stop of the day is at the Abramtsevo estate, a 19th century retreat for Russian writers and painters, a gorgeous place to learn about the Russophile movement and relax before transferring back to Moscow. You will be dropped off at your hotel between 5pm and 6pm at the conclusion of your tour. Feel free to ask questions and your guide will share some useful information and suggestions on what to do and to see regarding the best Moscow has to offer.

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Included

For groups up to 4 people - Private car (4 doors sedan) tour with a guide
Hotel pickup and drop-off (Central Moscow area)
Underground Church tour at Chernigov Skit
Master class: Matryoshka nesting doll painting
Fresh pastries with herbal tea tasting
Kvass tasting (traditional Russian Summer drink)
Drinking water
For groups up to 9 people - Minivan

Not included

Gratuities (very much appreciated!)
Lunch

Additional

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Instant Confirmation
Conservative clothing required. Ladies please wear long skirts and have a scarf to cover your head inside churches
Not wheelchair accessible
Infants must sit on laps
Most travelers can participate
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

Features

Tourism

100%

Cultural

60%

Reviews

5.0

8

C

Cristina B

5 | 2018-07-24

We took a day trip to the Trinity Lavra of St Sergius. Great Experience with Anton! Our guide was friendly, knowledgeable, flexible, and he spoke very good English. During our day at a countryside we learned a great deal about the importance of the Eastern Orthodox religion to the Russian people. The monastery is a must see if you are visiting Moscow, and Anton is the person to take you there.

C

Catharine U

5 | 2018-01-05

Go you must go Everything was great. Got picked up at the hotel and pent an amazing day. The highlight of our Moscow trip. The Russian guide was wonderful.

J

Javber48

5 | 2017-09-19

Great tour if you want to get out of the city. Anton was very nice and very informative. He even went off the highway and drove through a small town just so we could see what small towns are like outside of Moscow. Had a fun time making our own nesting doll. Walking around Trinity Lavra and seeing all the different churches was a highlight to our trip to Russia. A must when going outside of Moscow.

R

Rory M

5 | 2017-06-27

We had a fantastic one day trip with Anton and Juliia, who picked us up from our hotel in Moscow at 7.30am. Our tour included Sergiyev Posad where we spent time at the peaceful Gefsimansky Chernigovsky Skit and the much busier Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra - the architecture and atmosphere were strong competition for our Kremlin visit a few days later. A surprise treat for us was the Matryoshka painting masterclass - although neither of us are particularly gifted at painting, we really enjoyed this activity - Anton and Juliia translated instructions from our talented and patient! instructor, Lyudmilla. Our final stop was the picturesque Abramtsevo estate - we could have spent a whole day exploring the nature paths. It was an idyllic setting and it is clear how it would have been an inspirational setting for the many writers and artists who spent time here in its heyday. Throughout the day, Anton and Juliia were very friendly and knowledgeable, with Juliia taking many great photos for us. It was a pleasure spending time with them and we will remember this as the highlight of our long weekend trip to Moscow. We would definitely recommend this trip for anyone considering a daytrip out of Moscow. Rory and Lynda

C

Cindy P

5 | 2017-04-19

Anton was the perfect guide. He took things at our pace, and was sensitive to our likes and dislikes. He gave us time where we needed it, and suggested all kinds of extras that we would not have discovered on our own. He was on time to collect us in the morning, and a very safe driver. For me, the church service at the beginning of the day was a real highlight - but the whole day was very special indeed. I would highly recommend this tour.

Collections This experience is part of these collections

Collections

Churches & Monasteries 16 Activities

Golden Ring and Trinity Lavra Private Day Trip from Moscow

Moscow

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