Moscow Culture Tour - Versailles - Archangelskoe Park and Palace

Located 20 kilometers west from Moscow, the elaborate Archangelskoe Estate is a rare example of the elite residence on the outskirts of Moscow surrounded by a sprawling garden and facing the Moscow River. Get dramatic views, listen to interesting stories and get up close and personal with a private residence of Russian elite of 18-19th centuries.

10 am – Hotel pick-up

Your private friendly local guide will pick you up from your centrally-located hotel and you will take a brief city tour by car on your way to the Archangelskoe Estate.

10.40 am – 12.20 pm – See Big and Small Palaces, beautiful gardens, churches, the tiny Tea House, monuments of Catherine the Great and Alexander Pushkin, Upper and Lower Terraces

The estate was built in a neoclassical style and looks like it came from a vintage movie set. One of its highlights is a terraced park decorated with many antique statues. Arkhangelskoe's oldest buildings are the church of Archangel Michael (1646) and Saint Gates (1820s).

Take a walk around the park for nature nooks and architectural gems. The Archangelskoe ensemble features a stunning collection of fine art. Artifacts include sculptures, paintings, ceramics, furniture and interior.

Following the fashion in the Enlightenment period, Yusupov (one of its owners) displayed his 16,000-volume library and impressive treasure of paintings, which included works by Boucher, Tiepolo and van Dyke. The estate celebrates the harmony of architecture and nature, and you will feel it through all its beautiful elements: 200-year-old larch trees, a fountain "Cupids with Dolphins", sculptural groups "Hercules and Antaeus" and "Menelaus with the body of "Patroclus", balustrade with 44 marble busts of ancient heroes, emperors, philosophers and generals – Caesar, Democritus, Nero, Augustus.

12.20 – 1 pm – Hotel drop-off

After the tour say good-bye to ancient times and get back to bustling Moscow. Your guide will drop you off at your hotel or any centrally-located place you wish, provided that the traffic is good in that area.