If your school trips take you eastward to learn about the arts and history of the largest country in Europe, then you will certainly be headed into the great cities of Moscow and St Petersburg. St. Petersburg is located on the western edge of Russia on the Gulf of Finland in the Baltic Sea. The city was founded in 1703 by Tsar Peter the Great and today it is a Mecca of arts and culture and the second largest in the country, behind Moscow. As the largest city in Russia, and its capital, Moscow is a beacon of history in Russia and the most northern megacity in the world. It is named after the river Moskva that runs through it and it dates from 1147. St. Petersburg boasts the exceptional Hermitage Museum, while school trips to Moscow will take you to explore the history of the Kremlin and the Red Square.

St Petersburg’s Hermitage Museum

School trips could actually take you to St. Petersburg to spend weeks just exploring the many buildings of the Hermitage Museum! It is a sprawling museum that fills multiple buildings, a palace, and residences in the centre of the city. In 1764, Russian Empress Catherine the Great bought a large collection of paintings that today makes up the foundation of the collection at the Hermitage. As one of the largest and oldest museums in the world, its vast collection of over three million items is one that should not be overlooked as a destination in and of itself. Among the collection are paintings, graphic works, sculptures and works of applied art, and archaeological finds. Some of the highlights include the collection of Western European art that occupies 120 rooms and showcases all the stages and development of Western art from the Middle Ages to modernity. Specific works that you should not miss include two works by Leonardo, two works by Raphael, and items by Titian, Carravaggio and Rosa, just to name a small selection.

The Kremlin and Red Square

Once you have spent time exploring the vast collection of art in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, take a break and explore some history on your school trips to Moscow. The Kremlin and Red Square have been linked to many of the most important events in Russian politics and the area was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1990. Built between the 14th and 17th centuries, the Kremlin and Red Square were both the resident of the Great Prince and a seat of religion, with St. Peter’s Basilica at the foot of the Square. The Kremlin itself includes four palaces and four cathedrals, along with walls and towers, and Red Square separates the Kremlin from the historic merchant quarter of Kitai-gorod. The Square is surrounded by the famous Lenin’s Mausoleum and the State Historical Museum [which sits on the square’s northern side] to give you some insight into the important history of this area.