After your tour, you will stop for lunch at a local café, before enjoying a walking tour of the city where you will visit Palace Square and the splendid Hermitage Museum, including the Winter Palace, Small Hermitage, Old Hermitage, New Hermitage, and General Staff Building. With your guide, you will see the state interiors of the Winter Palace, the most glorious Tsar residence in Russia, started by Empress Elizabeth I and finished under Catherine the Great’s rule.

After your walking tour of the Hermitage, you will head back to your hotel where you will have some free time to relax or do some exploring yourself.

After breakfast, you will meet your guide and driver and depart for a tour at the Tzar’s village. Here, you will start your guided tour of the Catherine Palace and Amber Room with special fast-track admission, so no need to worry about waiting times!

After the tour, you will be taken to a nearby park café or restaurant for some lunch, before moving onto the next part of your day, a trip to the newly opened Faberge Museum. The museum boasts a unique private collection of Faberge eggs and jewellery, with over 4,000 items beautifully displayed in the unrivalled Shuvalov Palace. The museum also features a wide collection of paintings, statuettes, and applied arts.

In the evening, you will return to your hotel where you will have some free time to relax or continue exploring yourself.

Your day will end with a tour of Pavlovsk park with the option of taking a Russian Troika ride (at additional charge) to maximise the experience.

In the evening, you will return to your hotel where you will have plenty of time to relax.

The rest of your day will be spent on the train, giving you plenty of time to relax and reflect on your time in St Petersburg.

Depending on the weather, there may be a chance to see the Northern Lights for an additional fee. If so, your guide will let you know and meet you in your hotel to begin your Aurora hunting experience.

On arrival at your guesthouse retreat, you will check in and enjoy some well-needed time in a Russian Banya surrounded by beautiful pine forests before settling down to a full selection of traditional Saami dishes for your evening meal.

After dinner you will be able to spend some time around the campfire watching the stars and may even catch a glimpse of the elusive Northern Lights.

After a morning of exploring, you will stop for a late lunch before setting up the sauna where you will get the chance to help by collecting water or splitting firewood. Enjoy a relaxing afternoon accompanied by the scent of birch and juniper twigs. In the evening, you will enjoy a lighter evening meal of freshly caught fish from the Ponoy River, before having a bit of free time to go for a walk around camp.

Upon returning from fishing, you will have time to relax in the Russian sauna before enjoying an Orthodox Christmas Eve dinner based on traditional pancakes.

After lunch, you will head over to the Ethno-cultural centre for an exclusive Komi folk ensemble before having the chance to visit the local souvenir shops and see a traditional Komi peasant hut, preserved from the 19th century.

In the evening, you will head back to your campsite and enjoy a festive meal made up of traditional local dishes.

On arrival in Murmansk, you will check into your hotel where you will spend the evening.