PSKOV

PSKOV

2 days / 1 night 

DAY 1. Transfer to Pskov from Saint Petersburg. Arrival in Pskov. Accommodation.  Lunch.

City sightseeing tour. During the tour you will get acquainted with history of the city and see main places of interest – the Pskov Kremlin, St. Trinity Cathedral, fortress construction, visit ancient Pskov churches of the 14-16^th centuries, getting acquainted with Pskov Civil architecture. Also you will see well-known Alexander Nevsky monument.

Dinner.

DAY 2. Breakfast at the hotel. Excursion to Izborsk – Pechory. The small town of Pechory (in English means Caves), a local centre, is situated near the Estonian border 53 kilometers away from Pskov. The main sight of the town is the Holy-Pechory Assumption Orthodox Monastery of the caves, the oldest in Russia, being the monument of Russian culture and military history. Originally located in the caves, the monastery gave the name to the town. The contemporary appearance of the monastery is unusually picturesque. The fortress walls surrounded the wonderful architectural ensemble consisting of churches of 15-19^th centuries, a big belfry (with complete set of the ancient bells) and original household constructions. Now the cloister has 11 churches, three among them are of cave type. Seventy monks live in the monastery. The monastery has a collection of restored icons, wonderful children choir. The main cave consists of six “streets” about 200 meters long, and there are more than 300 gravestones there.  It is a burial vault for monks, martyrs, statesmen, peasants and townspeople. More than 10,000 monks are buried here.

On the way from Pskov to Pechory there is another ancient city – Izborsk. It is one of the oldest towns in Russia; originally it started its history from a small settlement. The remains of 8 – 13^th century fortifications and other buildings are still hidden in the hill. From its rocky foot the Slavonic springs like subterranean waterfalls spurt out of the ground. They never freeze over. This ancient settlement was mentioned among the first Russian towns under the year 862. At the Izborsk Nature Reserve you can visit a museum and an active church. Its main monument is a new 14^th century fortress on Crane Hill. It bore the brunt of countless enemy attacks against Russia. The old walls and towers of the fortress look as if they grow directly out of the earth of this magnificent land. 

Lunch. Transfer to St. Petersburg.