Arrival in Saint-Petersburg. Meeting with English-speaking guide. Transfer to the hotel. Check-in time at leisure. Dinner at hotel.
Overnight at Hotel
Breakfast at the hotel. Meeting with the guide at hotel lobby. City tour. Lunch independent. From May to October - Tour of Petrodvorets – Grand palace and park. From October to May - Visit to Yusupov Palace and St. Isaac's Cathedral. Dinner at hotel.
Overnight at Hotel
Breakfast at the hotel. Tour around Pushkin (Tsarskoye Selo) – Catherine palace and park. Lunch independent. Time at leisure. Dinner at hotel.
Overnight at Hotel
Breakfast at the hotel. Check out, meeting with the guide at the hotel lobby. Visit to the state Hermitage museum. Lunch independent. Transfer to the RW station. Departure from Saint-Petersburg by the speed Sapsan train. Arrival in Moscow, meeting with English-speaking guide, transfer to the hotel, check-in.
Overnight: Hotel
Breakfast at the hotel. Meeting with the guide at the hotel lobby. Visit to the Kremlin and cathedrals. Lunch independent. Time at leisure. Dinner at hotel.
Overnight at Hotel
Breakfast at the hotel. Meeting with the guide at the hotel lobby. Visit to Tretiakov Gallery. Lunch independent. Visit the marketplace in Izmailovo. Dinner at hotel.
Overnight at Hotel
Breakfast at the hotel. Check out. Visit to the Novodevichy Convent. Lunch independent. Evening transfer to Sheremetyevo Airport for flight to Tashkent.
Upon arrival transfer to pre-booked hotel. Immediate check-in.
After having rest transfer to local restaurant for lunch.
Visit the old town to see Barak Khana Seminary, Tila Shaikh mosque and archives known for the exhibit of a rare copy of Koran written the third Caliph Othman. Later proceed to Chorsu bazaar, Kukeldash Madrassah. Later panoramic excursion to Mustakillik (Independence) Square in the heart of Tashkent city, Amir Temur Square, Monument of Couragethat was built in 1976 to the 10-th anniversary of the terrible earthquake that destroyed almost half of the city; if time allows excursion to visit famous Tashkent Metro (underground) decorated with local marble and granite like underground palaces.
Dinner at local restaurant.
Overnight at Hotel.
Morning transfer to the railway station to catch a train to Bukhara. Upon arrival transfer to pre-booked hotel. Check-in and registration.
Lunch at local restaurant.
Sightseeing tour of Bukhara: Visit – Lab-i-Khauz Ensemble, the pool and chaikhana of which is the modern center of traditional Uzbekistan: Madrassah Nadirkhon Devanbegi, Khanaga, Mogaki Attari mosque, see Madrassahs Aziz Khan and Ulugbek. Later visit 19th century Chor Minor Madrassah. “Chor–Minor” is translated as “four minarets”. This name is well justified: the corners of the square-rectangular madrassah building are really decorated with four small minarets crowned with blue domes, different in decors from each other.
Dinner at local restaurant.
Overnight at Hotel.
After breakfast start excursion in Bukhara. Visit Ark Fortress, Balo-Khauz Mosque, Mausoleum of Ismail Samanid, Chashma Ayub.
Lunch at local restaurant.
Later visit Poi-Kalon Ensemble situated on the way to trade crossing of "four bazars". Poi-Kalon means “the pedestal of the Great” (it means “the pedestal of Kalyan minaret”). Ensemble consists of 4 monuments: Kalon mosque and Miri-Arab Madrassah – faced to each other with main fronts; between them is Kalon minaret; to the south of Miri-Arab there is small Amir-AllimkhanMadrassah.Continue sightseeing of Bukhara with an out-of-town excursion to visit the Sitora-i-Mokhikhosa, the summer residence of the former emir of Bukhara where you can see unique mixture of traditional Russian style of architecture harmoniously mixed with local oriental traditions. Famous thrown white hall decorated with carved alabaster resembles halls in Petergof Palace in the suburb of St Petersburg. It has a selective Suzani collection, as well as other artifacts.
Dinner at local restaurant.
Overnight at Hotel
Morning drive to Samarkand. En route visit Gijduvan – visit the house of famous potter Alisher Nazrullayev. You can see all the processes from clay to Gijduvan pottery making that is famous for unique coloration and techniques.
Proceed to Samarkand. Lunch on the road.
On arrival transfer to hotel, check in.
Later visit Gur-Emir Mausoleum - one of the most significant architectural ensembles of medieval East. This majestic complex consisted of a khanaka, the madrasah of Muhammad Sultan - grandson of Amir Timur, and, later, tombs of Amir Timur himself and his descendants.
Dinner at local restaurant.
Overnight at Hotel
Morning visit Registan Square which was for many centuries the heart of Samarkand and UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 2001. Translated from Uzbek, “Registan” means a sand place. In the ancient times, authorities of the city were gathering people on the square to announce khan’s orders, held celebrations and public executions, and collected the army leaving to war.
The UlugbekMadrassah (the 15th century) was built by order of Ulugbek, Tamerlane’s grandson, in 1417-1420.The madrasah was one of the world’s best Islamic colleges in the 15th century. The famous scholar and poet Jami (Nur ad-Din Abd al-Rahman Jami or Djami) was one of its graduates, for instance. It was also a center of secular education and research during Ulugbek’s reign.
Here in the UlugbekMadrassah will meet a calligrapher who can write your names with unique Arabic script.
The Tillya-KoriMadrassah (the 17th century)was built by order BahadurYalangtush in 1646 - ten years after Sher-Dor Madrasah had been finished. They completed Tilla-Qori Madrasah in 1660, after the governor had already died.
The madrasah had been designed to complete the architectural ensemble in the square, adorning its northern side. However, the architect did not plan to make it a replica of either of the other two madrasahs. Though its main portal is similar to the ones of its mates, it is smaller, while the two-story wings, each with a short minaret at the end, are longer and have arched niches of 16 hujra cells.
Here you can see a unique black and white photo gallery showing the scale of restoration of Registan Square dated to the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century.
The Sher-DorMadrassah (the 17th century) which translates as ‘possessing lions’, was named after the mosaic motif on the upper part of its pishtaq portal. Reflecting each other on the right and left parts of the tympanum, it is a tiger-looking beast with a mane - some sort of a tiglon - pursuing some sort of a white fallow deer, and a segment of the personified sun over the tiglon’s back: either watching the hunting scene or just rising out.For almost three centuries the madrasah was quite a prominent Islamic college, although behind Ulugbek Madrasah in prestige. Despite its size, only around 40 students could study in it. Among its graduates was ShihabetdinMarjani, the famous Tatar theologian and a member of the Sufi order of Naqshbandi (1818-1889).
Here you can visit an amazing gallery of national Uzbek musical instrument.
Lunch at local restaurant.
After lunch continue excursion to the Observatory of Ulugbekand Shakhi – Zinda necropolis.
Dinner at local restaurant.
Overnight at Hotel.
Morning visit Afrosiab Museum and excavations, the grandest structure of Amir Temur’s times is the chief Friday Mosque called Bibi-Khanumand Silk Road Bazaar.
Lunch at local restaurant.
Afternoon visit the paper-making workshop located in the Konigil village (10 km from Samarkand). In the workshop of a talented master you will see how the rind of the mulberry tree turns into a paper. Later you can also visit a unique art gallery located in the handicraft centre.
Transfer to the railway station to catch a train to Tashkent. Upon arrival transfer to local restaurant for dinner. After dinner check-in to pre-booked hotel. After a short rest transfer to the airport for flight to Moscow.
Overnight at hotel
