Russian Recital and Northern Lights

We meet with you, our passengers, at the Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport International Departures terminal at 20:00 to depart for St. Petersburg at 00:45 with Ajet Airlines flight VF 293. After document checks, baggage delivery and check-in procedures, we proceed to our plane.

After our arrival in St. Petersburg at 04:30, we proceed to our hotel to rest with our private bus waiting for us. After breakfast, we depart from the hotel for our panoramic tour. We begin our panoramic tour of St. Petersburg, the center of art, science, and industry in the Russian geography. The panoramic tour of the city, founded in 1703 by the Russian Tsar Peter the Great, offers a unique visual feast at every hour of the day. During our panoramic tour starting from the airport, we will witness history along the 4.5 km long Nevsky Prospect, which stretches out straight before our eyes. Named after Alexander Nevsky, the most famous hero of Russian history, and considered the city's key point, Nevsky Prospect features the Admiralty Building; the Kazan Cathedral, a small replica of the famous St. Peter's Basilica in Rome; the Beloselsky-Belozersky Palace; the Stroganov Palace; Gostiny Dvor, which, although not as large or deep-rooted as the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, was established as a market 250 years ago and is used as a shopping center today; the National Library of Russia, one of the largest libraries in the world; the Singer House, which caused quite a reaction at the time due to its founding story; the Eliseyev Building with its magnificent stained glass and bronze interior; the Aurora Cinema, also known as the Piccadilly Cinema, often mentioned in the memoirs of the writer Nabokov; the famous Anichkov Bridge, which has a special place in Russian literature and bears the traces of the Siege of Leningrad, and many other structures, we will take a rapid journey through time from Tsarist Russia to the Soviet Union and the present day. After our tour, guests who wish can join the optional Hermitage Museum Tour in the afternoon. (50 Euro). The Hermitage Museum is a true treasure for those who want to see cultural heritage from every type and geography imaginable, from the "Golden Man" to the world's oldest carpet, from the door of the Kaaba to important works of modern art including unique manuscripts, and even the "Peacock Clock"! The collection, which was founded on works that Empress Catherine began to store in her summer and winter palaces, now houses more than four million pieces. Even the story of how the works in the palace, which was turned into a museum after the Bolshevik Revolution, were saved from the Nazi art invasion during the Second World War explains the importance of the Hermitage in protecting world cultural heritage. During the Hermitage Tour, where we will visit the old summer and winter palaces, we will enjoy listening to our tour guide tell the story of how one of the world's largest and richest museums became the cultural cornerstone of a country that has changed regimes three times. After our tour, there is free time. Guests who wish can join the Peterhof Palace and Park Tour. (100 EUR) Peterhof is a complex of structures built with inspiration from the Palace of Versailles, which Tsar Peter the Great, the leader of the Russian Westernization Movement, saw and was impressed by during his trip to France. Famous for its gardens and especially its fountains, it is a pioneer in terms of both fountain architecture and the engineering approach of the period. Positioned to offer a magnificent view of the Baltic Sea due to its location on the Gulf of Finland, the palace's fountains and jets have an impressive mechanical system from a technical perspective. These fountains and jets, where everyone from seven to seventy enjoys themselves in the summer months, also offer a visual feast to the viewers. The main fountain located in the palace garden and connected to the Baltic Sea by a canal is an architectural masterpiece admired not only by tourists but also by the people of St. Petersburg. The Peter and Paul Cathedral, located just outside the summer palace complex of Peter, who went down in history with his intelligence, innovative attitude, and taste, stands out as a dazzling example of Orthodox church architecture with both its exterior and interior structure. After Peterhof, which you will not want to leave easily and which was restored faithfully to its original architecture despite being heavily damaged during the Second World War, there is free time; it is possible to relieve the tiredness of the day in the wonderful restaurants in the center. Overnight at our hotel.

• · St. Petersburg Panoramic City tour free of charge
• · Hermitage Museum Tour (50 EUR)
• · Peterhof Palace and Park Tour (100 EUR)

After breakfast at our hotel, guests who wish can join the optional Catherine Palace (including the Amber Room) Pushkin Tsar Village Tour. (80 Euro). Included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, the town, where the school of the great poet and writer of Russian literature, Pushkin, is also located, attracts attention with its palaces, parks, and various structures. Built for the Tsar's family in the eighteenth century, this area invites its guests to a Russian fairy tale. The main building of the town, which covers an area of 600 hectares, is the Catherine Palace, which offers an exclusive example of the Rococo style. Named after Empress Catherine I, the building is known as the "Summer Palace". Although the palace's famous Amber Room suffered from German looting during the Second World War, even the version of the original room decorated with five tons of pure amber that has survived to the present day fascinates everyone. The landscape of the palace, carefully designed by Dutch and English gardeners, still provides peace to its guests with its serenity in the twenty-first century. The Chesma Column, erected in memory of Russia's victory in the Turkish-Russian Naval War, and the Kagul Obelisk, another symbol of victory, are also located in this garden. On the shore of the large pond in the garden, a bathhouse designed with inspiration from Turkish mosques attracts attention. The greatest feature of the garden is that it contains traces of many cultures, from Chinese bridges to Turkish baths and ancient Greek statues, as records of Russian history. The Alexander Palace, located in the same area, where all members of the Romanov dynasty were together at the time of their arrest, has the quality of being the scene of another perspective of Russian history. After our tour, we proceed to the airport for our flight to Murmansk. After our arrival in Murmansk, we take a Murmansk city tour with our private buses waiting for us at the airport. Feeling the cold but fascinating atmosphere of Murmansk, the main street of the city, Lenin Street, the city's central Five Corners Square, the historic Arctic Hotel, the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, the Anchor Monument, the Monument Complex to the Defenders of the Soviet Arctic, and the Lenin Icebreaker, one of the famous nuclear icebreaker ships of the Soviet Union, are among the main places we will see. After our tour, we transfer to our hotel and check into our rooms. Free time until the transfer time to be announced by your guide in the evening. In the evening, we set out for our Aurora (Northern Lights) Tour accompanied by our guide. We will experience an unforgettable polar night accompanied by colorful lights dancing in the sky. Accommodation at our hotel.

• Catherine Palace (including Amber Room) Pushkin Tsar Village Tour 80 EUR
• Murmansk Panoramic City tour free of charge
• Northern Lights tour free of charge

After breakfast at the hotel, we set off for the Saami Village Tour with Lunch to spend a day in touch with nature. (120 EUR) Upon our arrival at the Saami Village, we meet the Saami people who welcome us in colorful traditional clothes and learn about their lifestyle, beliefs, and deep connection with nature. We have the opportunity to take photos with and feed reindeer, and we visit their traditional tents (lavvu). After this cultural experience in touch with nature, a local lunch prepared in the village awaits us. After lunch, we move to Husky Park to meet the cute husky dogs. After our trip, we transfer to our hotel and have free time to rest. Free time until the transfer time to be announced by our guide in the evening. In the evening, we set out for our Aurora (Northern Lights) Tour accompanied by our guide. We will experience an unforgettable polar night accompanied by colorful lights dancing in the sky. Accommodation at our hotel.

• Full-day Saami Village Tour (with lunch) 120 EUR
• Northern Lights tour free of charge

After breakfast at our hotel following the wake-up call, we depart from the hotel for our private Snowmobile tour and ice lake swimming activity with guests who wish. (100 EUR) We are waiting for you for an unforgettable adventure in the icy beauty of Murmansk. As we speed through freezing forests and snow-covered tundras on our snowmobiles, we discover the untouched nature of the north. Then, we test both our courage and endurance by stepping into the icy waters of frozen lakes with our specially designed thermal clothing. We experience this unique experience in a completely safe way accompanied by our guides. We invite you to this unique adventure-filled day to feel the wild northern spirit of Murmansk both on land and in water. Free time until the transfer time to be announced by our guide in the evening. In the evening, we set out for our Aurora (Northern Lights) Tour accompanied by our guide. We will experience an unforgettable

• polar night in the sky with colorful lights dancing. Accommodation at our hotel.
• Murmansk - Snowmobile tour – Ice swimming activity (100 EUR)
• Northern Lights tour free of charge

After breakfast, we transfer to the airport early in the morning and depart for Moscow. Upon our arrival in the city, we begin our panoramic Moscow tour. The first stop of our tour will be Red Square. This historic square is a center that has been the scene of political and social events. Here, St. Basil's Cathedral, built in the sixteenth century by the Tsar known as Ivan the Terrible, with each dome corresponding to a Russian victory, is located. In front of the cathedral, there is a symbolic monument statue showing two famous Russian princes, Minin and Pozharsky. The GUM Shopping Center at the end of the square and its neighbor, the Kremlin Palace, are among the other important stops of our tour. In addition, the magnificent Lenin Mausoleum, which houses the mummy of Lenin, known all over the world as the symbol of communist ideology, the Karl Marx statue, and the famous Bolshoi Theatre building, which has been in operation since the eighteenth century, are among the places to be seen panoramically on our trip. A little further on, the famous Duma Parliament Building, where Russia's first elected parliament began working in 1906, and the Voskresensky Gate, a historic structure that was bombed in 1931 to allow tanks to enter Red Square, are other points we will visit. After our tour, we transfer to our hotel. After the tour, we continue our trip for the Birth of Swan Lake and Bolshoi Theatre visit tour (50 EUR). The Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow is one of the most prestigious opera and ballet stages in the world. Founded in 1776, this legendary institution is considered the heart of Russian performing arts. Swan Lake, composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, was introduced to the world for the first time at the Bolshoi Theatre in 1877. On this tour, we will witness in person the birth and development of the Bolshoi Theatre and the Swan Lake ballet, which have become inseparable over time, and the details of how they have been a mirror to history until today.

• Moscow Panoramic City tour free of charge
• Birth of Swan Lake and Bolshoi Theatre visit tour (50 EUR)

After breakfast, free time. Guests who wish can join the optional Kremlin Tour. (65 EUR). The Kremlin, which literally means 'fortress', is a magnificent structure called the heart not only of Moscow but also of Russia. This historic site houses a historical heritage that has been the scene of political intrigues and social transformations and has left deep traces. This work, which defines the eastern border of Red Square with its eastern walls, carries the magical texture of the past to the present with its old walls built in the fifteenth century. As you walk through the gardens of the Kremlin, the Grand Kremlin Palace Complex, the Concert Hall, and the Presidential Building, you breathe in the rich texture of history and culture. A tree known as the 'Space Tree' was planted after Yuri Gagarin's legendary space journey and shines in the waters of the Moskva River. The story of the bell tower built by Tsar Ivan and the cannon he had cast both makes you laugh and informs you with the pleasant narration of the tour guide. It awaits those who want to see the crown of the famous Empress Catherine, consisting of 5000 diamond stones, in the museum. At the end of the tour, guests who wish can join the optional Moscow Metro, Novodevichy Cemetery, and Arbat Street Tour (Nazım Hikmet's Grave). (50 EUR) You can discover the Moscow Metro, known as the oldest, largest, and most beautifully decorated metro in the world. Then, we will move to the Novodevichy Cemetery, which is closely known by those who want to visit Nazım Hikmet's grave. This cemetery, which has the status of a museum, and the monastery inside were founded in 1524 and were intended to be demolished by Napoleon's order in 1812, but the nuns managed to prevent this decision. The monastery, which was completely emptied and abandoned to its fate in 1922, opened its doors again after the restoration carried out in 1994. Novodevichy, which means "Young Maidens" in Turkish, still keeps alive the memory of the lives of the young girls of the period that passed and ended in the monastery. This monastery and cemetery, where the stars of many empress candidates faded over time, have also become the eternal resting place of names such as Chekhov, Gogol, Mayakovsky, Bulgakov, Eisenstein, Khrushchev, Shostakovich, and Yeltsin. After our tour full of history, literature, cinema, music, and of course sadness, we will embrace life and move to Arbat Street, the busiest street in Moscow. The history of this most famous art street in Moscow and Russia dates back to 1493. We will walk on the street, which takes its name from the word "Gorbat" meaning "Hill" in Slavic languages, and according to a legend, from the Arabic word "Rabad" meaning "City Vicinity" or "Suburb". In this journey from the fifteenth century to the present, we will be accompanied by street painters we encounter frequently. In addition, the traces of Pushkin and his wife Goncharova will welcome you in building number 53 on the street. After our tour, we visit one of Moscow's most famous shopping centers to complete our shopping and see our dinner alternatives. Afterwards, we proceed to Vnukovo airport accompanied by our private vehicles waiting for us for our airport transfer.

• Kremlin Tour (65 EUR)
• Moscow Metro, Novodevichy Cemetery, and Arbat Street (50 EUR)
• Moscow shopping center tour free of charge

Departure to Istanbul at 05:45 with AJET Airlines flight VF278 and arrival in Istanbul at 10:00 local time. Welcome home!