Moscow, St Petersburg & Helsinki

You have plenty of time to have a look around before your onward journey today. Warsaw is a fascinating city with a tempestuous history – particularly in the 20th century. You might like to visit the beautifully reconstructed Old Town or the absorbing and sobering Warsaw Uprising Museum.

Later in the day, it’s time to return to the station and board your sleeper service bound for Russia. Settle into your compartment and enjoy a pewter mug of delicious Russian tea as the train makes its way through Poland to the Belarussian border.

Arrive in Moscow and check in at the Peter I Hotel (or similar). Spend three days discovering the imposing Russian capital. There’s plenty to see here, from the stately Kremlin complex and Red Square, home of Lenin’s tomb, to the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts and the grand GUM department store.

You can spend a full day touring the Kremlin alone as there is so much to see. Don’t miss a visit to the iconic St Basil’s Cathedral.

Enjoy another morning in Moscow, perhaps having a coffee in Gorky Park or taking a cruise along the Moskva river. After lunch, head for the station and catch a high speed service to St Petersburg.

You’ll arrive here in the early evening, with time to check in to the Domina  Hotel (or similar) before heading out for dinner.

St Petersburg has more of a European feel than the capital and is considered to be one of the world’s most beautiful cities. Wander around the large historic centre, threaded with canals and baroque bridges or spend some time at the Peter and Paul Fortress, built by Peter the Great on an island in the Neva river.

Don’t miss a visit to the Hermitage Museum, offering one of the world’s oldest and greatest collections of art, housed in a former palace of the Tsars.

You have a leisurely start this morning, before you check out of your hotel and make your way to St Petersburg Finlandsky station to catch a direct Allegro train service to Helsinki. When you reach the border, there will be customs checks before you continue through Finland to capital Helsinki. On arrival, check in for your 2-night stay at the Hotel Katajanokka (or similar), before heading out, perhaps for a late lunch at one of the city’s cosmopolitan restaurants.

If you would rather fly home from St Petersburg (or any of the other cities along the route home), we can tailor-make your trip to finish wherever you would prefer and you are welcome to arrange your own flight back to the UK.

With a history dating back to the mid-16th century, Helsinki has a stunning setting on the Gulf of Finland and has regularly been voted one of the world’s most liveable cities.

The city centre is very walkable, with shops, galleries, bars and restaurants to discover. During the summer you might also like to relax in one of the city’s lush green spaces or enjoy a stroll along the seafront promenade. If you have time, it’s well worth taking a ferry from Market Square out to the island of Suomenlinna with its imposing fortress, catacombs and historic buildings.

Enjoy another free morning in the Finnish capital and then return to your hotel to collect your bags and head to the station. Board one of the regular Pendolino trains that take you the 100 miles or so, in a westerly direction to the port city of Turku. 

Here, you check into the Scandic Plaza (or similar) to leave yourself in a prime location for the ferry departure the following morning.

Board your vessel this morning and marvel at the views as you weave through the inlets and islets of the Finnish coast and soon approach the Åland Islands, with a brief stop at the city of Mariehamn.  The Åland Islands are an autonomous region of Finland that are almost exclusively Swedish-speaking.  After departing from here you continue onto the open sea before winding through the extensive Stockholm Archipelago, docking at the centrally-situated Stadsgården port within sight of the city’s stunning waterside setting.

Make your way along the shoreline of the island of Södermalm, to the Hilton Slussen (or similar) for an overnight stay.

After a morning strolling around Stockholm, not missing the quaint old town of Gamla Stan and the spectacular Vasa Museum, its time to take a train in the afternoon across the southern half of Sweden and over the famous Oresund Bridge into Denmark.

You’ll arrive into Copenhagen in the evening and check in for an overnight stay at the Hotel Absalon (or similar).

There’s plenty of time for breakfast in your hotel and a leisurely stroll around the Tivoli Gardens opposite the station before you continue your journey west, via Hamburg to Cologne. Here, check in at the centrally located Mondial am Dom MGallery (or similar), where you have an overnight stay.

The main station in the Rhine city of Cologne is right in the centre of town, opposite the city’s famous twin-spired cathedral, which makes it very easy to get around.

Spend a free morning exploring Cologne. Perhaps pay a visit to the Cathedral or enjoy a cruise along the Rhine.

At lunchtime, head back to the station and catch a train to Brussels. An easy change takes you to the Eurostar departures lounge where you can stock up on some Belgian chocolates before your final rail journey back to London.