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Schools Tour Information
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What is included
What is not included
Extras to budget for
Additional activies
Free places
Flights
Overnight train
Hotels
Allocation of rooms
Meals
Our guides and city representatives
24*7 Emergency number
Below you will find some practical information about our school trips: our pricing policy, what is included, what it’s like on a Go Russia organised tour, and other useful information.
Generally our aim is to include as much as possible in your quote, so that you have complete peace of mind when travelling with your school group. If you prefer to exclude some meals and services from your quote, please let us know and we will revise it accordingly. From experience, however, we know that with your busy schedule and a big group to take care of, it’s better to have more services prepaid, so that you save time and enjoy your trip, rather than frantically trying to organize something for yourselves in an unfamiliar city.
WHAT IS INCLUDED
We normally include the following services in our quote:
- Russian visa support documents
- Standard Russian visa processing and consular fees (standard terms)
- Airport arrival and departure transfers in Russia with an English-speaking representative
- Professional English-speaking guides in Moscow and St. Petersburg for all excursions as per itinerary
- Transport throughout the programme (by coach or underground)
- Overnight train, 2nd class (4-berth compartments); upgrade to 1st class (2-berth compartment) is possible. A daytime train option between Moscow and St. Petersburg is available; please inquire
- Twin or triple room accommodation in 3* hotels; upgrade to a 4* hotel is possible. Please note that we will arrange accommodation for your students by gender; if there are odd numbers of either gender, a single supplement will be payable
- Half board, starting with dinner on day of arrival and ending with breakfast on day of departure. When booking please state clearly any dietary requirements in your group – vegetarians, food allergies etc. Please discuss the eating possibilities in the local area with us, both in town and in hotels
- Maps of the cities, translated into English; 1 map per group of 6
- All applicable museum entrance fees
- Sightseeing programme as per bespoke itinerary
- Group leader’s family discount –available on request
- 24/7 emergency service (UK and Russian numbers)
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WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED
- Return flights and airport fees/taxes (quoted separately depending on the date of your journey, due to price fluctuations)
- Travel insurance
- Evening entertainment
- Tickets for ballet, opera, circus and sporting events
- Full-time representative during your whole trip (available upon request)
- Single supplement for hotels
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EXTRAS TO BUDGET FOR
- Transfers from and to school in the UK
- Meals en route, outward and return
- Drinks with meals, other than breakfast
- Optional extras, including single room supplement, 1st class train compartments
- Meals on the plane (most likely to be covered by the regular air fare)
- Additional adult supervisors
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ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES
We can arrange visits to the theatre and/or circus for your group, if there are performances during your visit. In Russia, the tickets are normally put on sale no more than 2 months in advance, so we’ll need to check the options closer to your departure date and give you an overview of prices. Please note that while we can also arrange a theatre trip once you’re in Russia, we recommend buying tickets beforehand to avoid disappointment. With the help of your local guide, you can also arrange on the spot to go bowling or play pool. If you want the guide to accompany you, you can pay her or him direct for additional time and services.
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FREE PLACES
We normally include 1 free place for every 10 paying participants in our quotes. We can be flexible with this and include as many free places as you need, but the more free places are included, the higher will be the cost to each group member.
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FLIGHTS
Taking a group of young people through an airport, onto a flight and off at the other end can be quite a daunting procedure. At Go Russia we aim to make this process as easy as possible for your staff team. We will research the most suitable flights for your group, guaranteeing the best prices possible. Depending on your route and time of booking we expect the fares to be about £280 - £350 for direct flights or £200 for indirect flights. Unless stated otherwise, for direct flights we prefer to use BA, Pulkovo / Rossyia airlines or Aeroflot, and for indirect other major European and Russian airlines (KLM, Lufthansa, Air France, KD Avia, etc).
Important. Airline taxes and fuel surcharges: as your flights are booked some time in advance, there is a possibility that these charges may increase slightly before you make your booking. Please note that the total price including these charges is only guaranteed once your tickets are physically issued, not on reservation. Remember, booking with an ATOL bonded operator (rather than direct with the airline) also means that your group’s money is financially protected.
Baggage Allowances. Normally 20kg per check-in, plus hand luggage; but this may vary depending on the airline you use. We will confirm the exact allowance closer to your departure date.
UK Airport Information. Please check our links to the websites of major UK airports, which will help you plan ahead and provide useful information on reasonably priced eating and drinking places, terminal maps, special security, baggage restrictions and more. We recommend taking a look at the available information on your UK departure airport, as part of your risk assessment and planning:
Heathrow airport Gatwick airport London City airport Birmingham airport Liverpool airport Manchester airport Glasgow airport Edinburgh airport Bristol airport
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OVERNIGHT TRAIN
For transport within Russia, especially between Moscow and St. Petersburg, we use comfortable 4 berth compartments (2nd class); however upgraded 2 berth compartments (1st class) are also available. There is almost no difference between the 1st and 2nd Class, apart from the number of berths, and slightly more space in 1st Class.
Carriages usually contain nine compartments (with 4 berths in each) and are served by two attendants (conductors) who are present throughout the journey. If your group is more than 36 people, you will be split between 2 carriages. We try to get adjacent carriages when possible. If your group doesn’t completely fill all the compartments, we can at your request purchase the remaining berths so that you’re not sharing with strangers. The cost of this will be included in your quote.
We understand that for some people travelling overnight by train might seem undesirable, for various reasons. If you do not wish to travel overnight, a daytime train between Moscow and St. Petersburg is also available. The train departs daily at approximately 4-5 p.m. and arrives at 10 - 11pm. Please inquire about this option.
Read more about train travel in Russia.
Note: If your arrangements don’t include our representative travelling on the train with your group, our guide will assist with boarding. On arrival another guide will be waiting for you on the platform. If you don’t feel confident travelling by train on your own, please let us know and we can provide you with a Russian speaking representative throughout the journey.
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COACH TRANSPORTATION
All our tour coaches are fitted with seatbelts. All our drivers are very experienced professionals who are used to driving on the busy streets and traffic of Moscow and St Petersburg. The maximum seating capacity on a coach is generally around 50 and a double-decker around 70.
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HOTELS
We use hotels with local ratings, but please note that Russian star ratings sometimes vary from those of Western Europe. To avoid disappointment and give you a opinion first-hand, we provide our own Go Russia rating if it differs from the official one. Please visit our hotels section for more information on the hotels we use. Although we recommend these particular hotels, you can select any of those featured on our hotel page. You can also change from standard accommodation and upgrade to 4* hotels, or switch to hostels/youth hotels. In either case, your quote will be amended. Below you will find details of the hotels we usually offer for school tours to Moscow and St. Petersburg:
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ALLOCATION OF ROOMS
We accommodate pupils in twin-bedded rooms unless stated otherwise, so even numbers of both male and female students make room allocation a lot easier. In some hotels it’s possible to request an extra bed to accommodate students in triple rooms, but some refuse to do this so some students may have to be in singles. Please note that this may change the cost of your quote. We will require a completed rooming list a month before departure.
Teacher’s single room supplement. We usually accommodate teachers in twin-bedded rooms. If you prefer to stay in single rooms, or if there is an odd number of adults, single person supplements apply. You should let us know about any preference for single accommodation as early as possible, to ensure availability.
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MEALS
Unless stated otherwise, our quotes include half board. Service starts with dinner on the day of arrival, and ends with breakfast on the day of departure. Having half board saves you time and effort and makes you trip more enjoyable. When booking please state clearly any dietary requirements in your group – vegetarian, food allergies etc. Russian cuisine is meat based and vegetarian food is not widely available, so we need to make all necessary arrangements for your group well in advance.
Pre-booking meals out for the times when you’re away from the hotel offers a number of advantages:
- You save time searching for a suitable restaurant
- You save time at your destination, as your meals will be ready sooner, leaving you more time with your group for excursions, planned visits and attractions, theatre performances and more!
- You save money, as group prepaid meals always work out cheaper than paying a la carte on the spot
- No need to worry about paying on the day, and students don’t need to carry additional cash
- We can fit more into your itinerary, as we’ll recommend restaurants in suitable locations to complement your plans and save time on logistics
- We have personally checked all our restaurants and selected only the best
- It’s much easier to pre-book meals for vegetarians or for pupils with food allergies, than to try to negotiate on the spot. The traditional Russian diet is based on meat, and vegetarian food is not widely available, though more establishments are becoming aware of the concept of vegetarianism.
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OUR GUIDES AND CITY REPRESENTATIVES
Go Russia has local English-speaking guides and representatives who can provide useful additional assistance where needed. Their professional experience, local knowledge and language skills can prove invaluable in any circumstances. When booking you can choose either to have a full-time representative for your whole trip, or to explore the cities more independently with the guides only accompanying you on your sightseeing programme.
We believe that the success or failure of an escorted tour can often be determined by the knowledge, enthusiasm and passion of the person leading it. Our local guides have an in-depth knowledge of Russian history, culture and contemporary life. They have many years’ professional experience and are committed to having you go home with unforgettable memories.
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24 * 7 EMERGENCY NUMBER
Before your departure you will be provided with all the contact details for your trip, including our 24-hour Russian and UK emergency contact numbers. Please call us immediately if you experience any problem (getting lost in the city, missing the train, needing help with explaining something in Russian, and so on). In most cases the situation can be easily resolved if it is dealt with promptly.
Of course, it is very unlikely that you will need to contact our emergency operator, as all your arrangements are carefully planned and monitored. Our local English-speaking representatives are also available throughout your stay in Russia.
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