cliff palace tour difficulty

Family travel blog offering encouragement and tips for easy and affordable travel with kids

Ultimate Guide to the Cliff Palace Tour at Mesa Verde

Mesa Verde National Park, located in the southwestern corner of Colorado has captivated tourists for decades since two cowboys happened upon Cliff Palace in December 1888. Since then, Cliff Palace has been the quintessential stop for those admiring the cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde. The National Park Service provides tours of Cliff Palace between April and October each year. Privileged to take the tour, we present an ultimate guide to the Cliff Palace Tour.

About Mesa Verde

Mesa Verde National Park , in the southwest corner of Colorado, is a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the U.S. National Park Services oldest sites. The 55,000 acre park was the first national park designated specifically to preserve the cultural heritage of a people (in this case the Ancestral Puebloan people who lived in the Mesa Verde from 600-1300 A.D.).

The park is famous for some 5000 archaeological sites, from pit houses to the famed cliff dwellings.

What makes Mesa Verde so fascinating is the mystery surrounding the departure of the Ancestral Pueblo people around 1300 A.D. Many theories abound regarding their sudden departure from the valley. People conjecture that famine, fire, drought, or enemies brought about the transition of the people from Mesa Verde south to present day New Mexico and Arizona. Modern Day ancestors claim that it was time to leave the region.

Tours of Cliff Palace, Balcony House and Long House run every half hour during the summer months. Tours last one hour.

The answer may remain a mystery. But the allure of Mesa Verde is palpable today. Hundreds of thousands of visitors journey to the park yearly.

About Cliff Palace

Cowboys Richard Wetherill and Charles Mason discovered the Cliff Palace structures in December 1888 while searching for stray cattle on the snow-bleached mesa. The cowboys are the first modern Americans to find Cliff Palace. For the next 18 years, the men made expeditions into Mesa Verde collecting artifacts and exploring.

Cliff Palace is one of the largest dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park. The structures contain 150 rooms and 22 kivas (a circular religious structure that could be equated to an in-home chapel). The Ancestral Puebloans built rooms on the sandstone “floor” and into the recesses of the cliff using sandstone, mortar, and timber.

As one of the largest and most famous of the cliff dwellings, Cliff Palace was a popular site for early “archaeologists,” many of whom ransacked the artifacts. Today, access is limited to tourists and Park Rangers, although ancestors of the Ancient Pueblo now living in New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas have unfettered access to the structure.

Taking the Cliff Palace Tour

Tours meet every half hour and last for one hour. Tickets for the tour can be purchased up to two days in advance at the Visitors Center or the Archaeology Museum near Spruce Tree House. This is a popular tour, so tickets can sell out and tour groups may include 30-40 people.

Your Park Ranger walks you through the aspects of the tour. The tour does include climbing up and down a number of steep sandstone steps and ascending ladders. The tour involves about .25 miles of walking, although the walking is scattered throughout the hour.

Rangers are knowledgeable and answers questions throughout the tour.

While you get to walk over the cliff dwellings and look into a room, much of the rooms are off limits. Also, Rangers discourage touching the brick or mortar, since oily residue stains and darkens the structures. The sandstone is not off limits, and you can walk on and touch it as much as you like.

The Descent Down to Cliff Palace

After a brief introduction, your tour group heads past a gate and down a number of sandstone steps. The steps were built by the National Park Service shortly after Mesa Verde became a park site. Some of the steps are steep and narrow, and moisture can make them slippery. There are a number of handrails to assist you, but there are some areas without handholds, so be careful.

Once you get off the steps, you cross a narrow sandstone walkway into the Cliff Palace dwellings. Our son is afraid of heights, so I encouraged him as he walked over the walkway, asking him to hug the cliff wall for assurance.

Admiring the Structures

After you make your way down and into Cliff Palace, it is time to sit, learn, and admire the craftsmanship of the structures. The Ranger seats you within the cliff dwellings and tells some of the history of Cliff Palace.

While it was once believed that the Cliff Dwellings were built in order to protect the inhabitants from their enemies, these ideas are changing. We know now that the cliff dwellings were painted in bright colors and would be easily seen from the valleys below or the mesas above. Time has washed away the vibrant colors or the structures, leaving the beige or light red bricks and mortar today.

The mesa was very populated when the Ancestral Pueblo made Mesa Verde home. It is highly unlikely that they moved into the cliff side in order to hide from enemies.

We also learned that given the right conditions, sounds from Cliff Palace can be heard far away at the neighboring Wetherhill Mesa and its structures, such as Long House. So Rangers believe that the inhabitants of Cliff Palace could have had loud religious ceremonies or celebrations replete with shouting or banging of instruments. In other words, instead of hiding from foes, Cliff Palace residents may have preened like a peacock in search of a mate.

We had ample time during this portion of the tour to ask questions and to admire the structures from afar. Here we were better able to see the depth of the cliffs and see that the rooms recessed into the cliff much better.

In the Heart of Cliff Palace

We again were able to move on from the side of Cliff Palace across a sandstone bridge into the heart of Cliff Palace. Our tour took us between two kivas, and we were able to see the full size and depth of Cliff Palace.

A kiva is a circular room that was the center of family religious ceremony. It is comparable to an in-home chapel. The kivas had thatched tops and were entered from the roof by ladder. Kivas were well ventilated, and the Ancestral Pueblo masterfully crafted the structures to optimize air flow in the chapel. Today, the roofs are long gone, and tourists look down on the structures. At the center of the kiva is a hole , where ancients thought spirits rose from the world of the dead.

The End of the Tour

After circling the kiva, our Ranger asked us for our thoughts on why the Ancestral Pueblo left Mesa Verde in the 1300s. No one knows the answer. Some conjecture that drought, plague or enemies may have forced them south. We know that their meat sources, such as deer and elk became scarce, forcing some to eat the chickens and turkeys that had been their pets before.

During our tour, one woman made a strange conjecture that the Pacific Islanders, after moving to South America, drew the Ancestral Pueblo away from Mesa Verde into central and South America. Our Ranger guide patiently listened to her theory until finally telling her that there was no archaeological evidence to support this theory. However, we had a good chuckle over this theory.

Our Ranger guide told us that the answer to this question is unclear, but that the descendants of the Ancestral Pueblo say that it simply was time to move on. Their cultural stories tell of a migratory peoples, so maybe after 700 years in one place, it was simply time to move on.

We then had the opportunity to look up in one room to see artwork on the inside walls. Like peoples of all times, the Ancestral Pueblo created art to beautify their dwellings.

This was the official end of the tour. Our Ranger stayed behind to answer some questions, and we were instructed to leave the cliff dwellings via the path most likely used by the inhabitants to enter Cliff Palace.

The Steep Ascent

While the descent into Cliff Palace was mildly strenuous, the exit from the tour was steep and taxing. Some of the ascent involves climbing steeply inclined sandstone steps. Here you can see the foot and hand holds carved into the sandstone used by the ancients.

The exit also involves climbing a series of pitched ladders. The key is to not look back or down. Press forward. After finishing the climb, I admit that I was winded, even though I am acclimated to a high-altitude environment. Those not adjusted to the high altitude should take their time and rest as appropriate. On a side note, carry lots of water with you on the tour. While it lasts only an hour, water is essential during the warm summer months when the tours take place.

Have you been on the Cliff Palace Tour? What did you think? Please let us know your thoughts.

You Might Also Enjoy:

Family Well Traveled also took a memorable tour of Balcony House  at Mesa Verde .

Take a tour of Mesa Verde National Park with our guide .

All photos and content are by Family Well Traveled and use of photos or content without permission will result in legal action.

Share this:

• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
• Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)

5 thoughts on “Ultimate Guide to the Cliff Palace Tour at Mesa Verde”

I love visiting these types of sights. I find it amazing how well preserved it is. Good to know that the tour is worth it!

The U.S. has so many fantastic national parks. Mesa Verde seems to have so much history. I will have to add it to my list!

This is a spot we missed while we were RVing n Colorado, there were a few places we didn’t get to and now I know I need to go back. We have similar ruins in Arizona but on a smaller scale and I’ve been to a few places in New Mexico, it is always fascinating to see how these ancient peoples lived and how much is still around today!

This seems like a spot with so much history! I love learning about history behind a place. I would definitely love this place.

I visited the Manitou Cliff Dwellings in Colorado but I hadn’t heard of Cliff Palace. It looks much more expansive and I like that it takes a bit of a hike to get to it. Looks like a really cool experience!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

• Kale by LyraThemes.com.

What to Expect on a Premium Mesa Verde Cliff Palace Tour 

By Kim Cassels    •    July 26, 2022

After a long wait of moseying around the construction projects in Mesa Verde, the Cliff Palace tour is finally available for exploration! WOOHOO!!!!

Cliff Palace is the most significant cliff dwelling in Mesa Verde National Park, both for its impressive size and incredible design. At Cliff Palace, you’ll get an up close look into what life was like in these alcoves over 800 years ago. This high-rise city is a must visit if you’re looking to roam the park’s top architectural sites.

While this cliff dwelling is the largest of its kind on the continent, the tour is actually a bit brief. A Half Day tour with Mild to Wild allows you to see the other hot spots in the park with a personal guide. 

Read on for more details about what to expect on a Cliff Palace Tour, as well as the added bonus of joining an expert on Mesa Verde with Mild to Wild.   

The Palace 

Cliff Palace is the largest cliff dwelling in North America, and one of the most renowned archaeological sites in the world. It boasts 150 rooms and 23 kivas which makes it more than double the size of the other cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde.  

Cliff Palace tours last about 45 minutes, which includes the time it takes to get up and down from the cliff dwelling. 

The tour also starts with a brief safety orientation as you’ll be climbing four sets of ladders to and from the site, along with a century-old sandstone staircase. In total, you’ll walk ¼ of a mile. 

These tours are “ranger-assisted” meaning that the rangers will be available for questions and interpretations, but visitors are free to explore the ruin on their own to allow for social distancing. 

Tours leave every ½ hour, and Mild to Wild guides shoot to have you at your Cliff Palace adventure between 9:30 and 10 AM. 

Exploring the Rest of an Ancient Society 

If you choose to join a Mild to Wild guide for your Mesa Verde venture, after Cliff Palace your guide will take you to a variety of other archeological wonders, including: 

• The oldest structures and villages in the park. 
• Various overlooks of other impressive cliff dwellings. 
• Looming, panoramic views of the entire Four Corners region where you’ll see four states at once. 
• Ancient ceremonial spaces up to 1000 years old. 
• Mesa top ruins where ancient pottery still scatters the ground.

These tours last about 4 hours, and come with the added ease of being shuttled around the park. Your guide will provide interpretations on the drive between sites, and in-depth historical insights at each stop along the way.

After the tour is finished, your guide will drop you off at your original meet location in picturesque Mancos, CO.

Perks of Having a Mesa Verde Guide VS Going on Your Own

Mesa Verde is unlike other National Parks in that it is a massive outdoor museum. While there are placards at each site, these interpretive signs only provide general information rather than detailed knowledge about this ancient culture. 

Exploring Mesa Verde without someone to provide the interesting facts, hidden gems, backstories of the ruins, and their discovery means you’ll miss out on the majority of what this fascinating park has to offer.  

Mesa Verde Guides have  a wealth of research under their belts, and they are just as informed as the park rangers of Mesa Verde— who aren’t usually present at the majority of the sites. 

Having your own personal Mesa Verde guide means you’ll fully experience the rarity of American history before colonialism. This park is one of the last residing treasures of original American culture, and it’s something to be deeply cherished for generations. 

More Reading 

What the Cliff Dwellings of Mesa Verde Tell Us About the Ancient Ones 

Do You Really Need a Guide in Mesa Verde? 

• Share this post:

Get New Blog Posts in your Inbox

• Email This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

• Skip to global NPS navigation
• Skip to this park navigation
• Skip to the main content
• Skip to this park information section
• Skip to the footer section

Exiting nps.gov

Alerts in effect, cliff palace.

Last updated: December 20, 2023

Park footer

Contact info, mailing address:.

PO Box 8 Mesa Verde National Park, CO 81330

970-529-4465

Stay Connected

• Arizona (146)
• California (32)
• Colorado (1,011)
• Nevada (35)
• New Mexico (50)
• Ruins & Rock Art Sites
• Wildflowers

Cliff Palace

Cliff Palace – Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado

The Trek Details

The Trek in a snapshot

Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado

Managing Agency

Mesa Verde National Park

Not allowed

There are entrance fees and tour fees

Yes. At trailhead to Cliff Palace. There is no place to use the restroom while on tour. Go before you go!

Camping is allowed only at designated places in the park

Trail Condition

Lots of stairs and some ladder climbing on the Cliff Palace tour. The stairs can sometimes be very narrow and steep but there are handrails.

Cliff Palace, many dwellings and kivas

You can only bring water on the tour. There are water fountains in the parking area.

Best Season

Spring, Summer, Fall.

About 1/4 mile roundtrip

Time Required

The tour is about 2 hours long

Parking Elevation

Summit elevation, elevation difference.

100 ft. You will hike back up the 100 ft

Trek Planner Maps

Trail map .

GPS Coordinates

Cliff Palace Parking: 37.16766, -108.47295 Cliff Palace Overlook: 37.16694, -108.47369 Cliff Palace: 37.16672, -108.47311

Experience. Discover. Explore.

Follow along on our adventure then go out on your own!

Note: It takes one hour to get from the Mesa Verde National Park entrance to the Cliff Palace parking area.

The only way to experience Cliff Palace up close is through a ranger guided tour.  Purchase a tour ticket at the Visitor Center and select a time that you would like to go.  The tours cost $5 each and I selected the 12:30 pm tour.  The times vary by season so make sure you purchase your tickets in advance (up to two days in advance) and they can only be purchased in person!  The tours fill up fast I went as early as I could to the Visitor Center to purchase my ticket!

I asked the ranger who was selling tour tickets what was the number one thing to see at Mesa Verde and he said I should do the tours for both Cliff Palace and Balcony House – and so I did!  I got back in my car and headed through the park entrance (it’s $25 for passenger vehicles).  It then took me 1 hour to drive to Cliff Palace so make sure you plan accordingly and arrive a little early!

Once I got to the Cliff Palace Overlook, I found a nice parking spot in the shade and then went to the covered gazebo to wait or the tour to begin.  There were about 50 people on the 12:30 pm tour with lots of kids and older folks alike.  Just before our tour time began a park ranger came over and introduced himself.  He then explained how the tour would work, some of the things we would be seeing, and then took our tickets.

A few reminders: no food is allowed on the tour including gum.  Water is the only liquid allowed on the tour.  You are not allowed to touch, lean on, and sit on any of the structures. While on tour, the ranger made sure to publicly point out anyone who did touch the structures, and he did!

The first part of the tour is explained as to who these cliff dwellers were and why they chose to build and live here.  These ancient peoples, the Ancestral Pueblo, migrated here more than 800 years ago and began to build along the cliffs.  Others have lived here before that time but Mesa Verde seemed to get packed with people around 800 years ago.  It is hypothesized that these cliffs were places of safety and defense and that is why they built such large communities. But also, because of agriculture opportunities (corn, squash, and beans), the Pueblo Indians could stay here and no longer had to migrate to where the food/water sources was located.  They could then spend more time building bigger cities.

We made our way to the overlook of Cliff Palace and went down our first long stretch of stairs.  The were made by the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corp) in the 1930s so they aren’t OSHA approved, but the stairs aren’t that bad and we eventually all got down the first part (about 100 ft descent) to where we now were at about eye level with Cliff Palace.  We stopped here so we could view the entire community and imagine it busy with life.

At the highest reaches of the dwellings there are storage areas and granaries to house food.  The lower areas were for living, daily life, and religious activities.  The ranger said that Cliff Palace was the largest community in Mesa Verde with about 150-200 people living here.  He then said that the entire Mesa Verde had at its peak 4,500 to 5,000 people!  Someone in the group asked where the rest of the people lived.  The ranger said that there are so many cliff dwellings and other structures that everyone was just spread out all over the mesa!  This must have been an incredibly busy place to see back in the day!

Cliff Palace has about 150 rooms and 21 kivas!

You may be wondering where all the water is?  Water was (and still is of course) a very precious resource in Mesa Verde.  The Ancestral Pueblo would build dams on top of the mesa to catch as much water as they could.  There are few springs and seeps along the canyon walls too.  Incredible amounts of water were used to create a plaster type material for the building construction.  Think of how much water was used on just one of these structures!

As we moved along our guide had the whole group circle around one of the kivas.  He told us about how the kivas were not only used in religious activities but also in daily life.

Our last stop was looking up one of the towers. You can see that the people painted on the outside and inside of the structures.  The most visible of these paintings, or pictographs, was on the inside of one of the towers.  Bright red paint in different patterns is visible and it made me think what this place would have looked like before the paint faded.

The tour ended and we came up a different entrance that the Ancestral Pueblo people used.  You can see their old hand and foot holds that they carved into the rock walls.  Nowadays, there are plenty more steps and ladders to guide visitors back to the top.

Personal Thoughts

Visiting Cliff Palace was a highlight for me at Mesa Verde National Park. I would love to come back and take a night photography tour here (I think it was $20 per person) but sadly, all the spots were filled up.

Related Posts

Mushroom Top Ruins

Glen Canyon Dam Overlook Trail – Page, Arizona

Owl Panel – 9 Mile Canyon, Utah

The Moab Shield Pictograph – Moab, Utah

For Members Only

[gravityform id=”1″ title=”true” description=”true” ajax=”true”]

Hit enter to search or ESC to close

• United States
• Mesa Verde National Park

Hike the Cliff Palace Loop Trail

Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado

Elevation Gain

Description

Added by The Outbound Collective

The Cliff Palace Loop Trail is a .4 mile guided tour in Mesa Verde National Park. The tour is led by a ranger who takes you through the many cliff dwellings located in Mesa Werde. This tour is great for families and anyone looking for a hands on experience. You will climb lots of ladders, so make sure everyone in your party is of able capability!

Tickets for this tour are $4 per person and are available at the visitor center near the entrance of the park. This tour is best taken from April to November. This hike features The milky way is often visible from the top of Mesa Verde at night. 

This one-hour, ranger-guided tour involves climbing five, 8-10ft ladders, on a 100ft vertical climb. Total walking distance is 1/4-mile round-trip.

Download the Outbound mobile app

Find adventures and camping on the go, share photos, use GPX tracks, and download maps for offline use.

Hike the Cliff Palace Loop Trail Reviews

Crystal Sibson

Amazing Cliff Dwelling

This is a short hike to see the Cliff Palace Dwelling. The lookout can be crowded but the view of the dwellings is amazing. It's really impressive how something like this was built so long ago.

Jenna Mulligan

Christmas for the Family!

Have been multiple times, but to see the ruins covered in snow and lit up with hundreds of luminarias during the holidays was so special!!! Love.

Leave No Trace

Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

Explore Mesa Top Loop

Explore Balcony House

Hike the Petroglyph Point Trail

Hike the Spruce Canyon Trail

Hike to Long House and Step House at Mesa Verde National Park

Hike Nordenskiold Site No. 16 Trail

• Local Adventures
• Tours and trips
• Camping Nearby
• Outbound PRO Membership
• Add your property

Mobile Apps

© 2024 The Outbound Collective - Terms of Use - Privacy Policy

Cliff Palace

Plan your visit

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Also popular with travelers

Cliff Palace, Mesa Verde National Park

• (9.74 mi) Morefield Campground
• (6.42 mi) Far View Lodge
• (2.70 mi) Making The Best Memories Along The Way! Free Parking, Onsite Lounge, Restaurant
• (2.70 mi) Vacation Starts Here! Dining, Access to National Park Right Outside Property
• (6.42 mi) Everything You Need For The Perfect Vacation! Pets Allowed, Free Parking, Lounge
• (6.42 mi) Metate Room
• (6.39 mi) Far View Terrace Restaurant
• (9.93 mi) Spruce Tree Terrace Café
• (6.42 mi) Far View Lounge
• (9.81 mi) Knife Edge Cafe

My Points Life

Travel Smarter & Better

Your Guide to the Mesa Verde National Park Tours in 2022

Mesa Verde is a U.S. National Park known for its Cliff Dwellings and ancient architecture that goes back years ago. So history and cultures buff will surely appreciate the park, and the best way to do that is to join a tour or two with the park ranger. 

Table of Contents

Mesa Verde Self-Guided Tours: Can You Tour Mesa Verde On Your Own?

Mesa verde tours.

• Cliff Palace
• Balcony House

How Long Does Each Tour Take?

• The Cliff Palace tour takes approximately 30 minutes. 
• The Balcony House  tour takes approximately 60 minutes. 
• The Long House tour takes approximately 60 minutes.
• Driving time . Mesa Verde National Park is huge; believe me, most of your time will be spent driving.  
• You are required to show up 15 mins earlier before each tour to go over the safety information. 
• There may be delays or any unforeseen circumstances during your tour or after. 
• Sometimes, the tour can go longer than anticipated . 
• 2 hours between the time you book this Cliff Palace tour and a Balcony House tour (i.e., 9:00 AM CP and 11:00 PM BH).
• 3 hours between the time you book this Cliff Palace tour and a Long House tour (i.e., 10:00 AM CP and 1:00 PM or later LH).
• 4 hours between the time you book this Long House tour and a Cliff Palace tour (i.e., 10:00 AM LH and a 2:00 PM or later CP). This will allow you a little extra time to enjoy the sites at Wetherill Mesa and drive to Cliff Palace.

Mesa Verde Tour Cost

• General Admission: $8
• Infant (age 2 and under): $1
• Cancellation Fee: $1 per ticket

How Difficult Is Each Tour?

It’s not so much about hiking to do each cliff-dwelling tour at Mesa Verde National Park. However, each tour requires climbing up and down to go through a cliff dwelling, and the effort can be anywhere from easy and moderate to difficult , depending on your physical conditions. Therefore, the tour is not for you if you have mobility issues or concerning physical health. So plan accordingly before purchasing any tour tickets. 

Best Cliff Dwelling Tours at Mesa Verde

• The Cliff Palace  tour is the easiest and fastest tour, and it’s also the most popular cliff dwelling picture you see when you google Mesa Verde National Park. You go through the tour listening to the ranger’s narrative and move through the cliff dwelling without touching anything. 
• The Balcony House tour requires a better fitness level and takes an hour to complete. It’s also the hardest tour to get tickets because they only offer 3 tours per day with a limited amount of tickets sold. It is one of the most adventurous tours in the park as you move through the cliff dwelling by claiming tall ladders, squeezing your way through a narrow tunnel, etc. See the photo below. This tour lets you touch the dwelling (but not all) as you move through the site. 
• The Long House  tour also takes an hour and is a little further away to drive to it. It’s the least popular Mesa Verde National Park tour and can also be challenging to move through the cliff dwelling. 

How to Book Mesa Verde Tours?

• First and foremost, ensure the cliff dwelling or road is not closed for the date you will visit the park for your tour. 
• You can view the alerts from the official Mesa Verde National Park website .
• Go to the Recreative Gov website and create an account if you do not have one. 
• Sit down and figure out what dates and times you want to do the tour and how many tickets you will need. You can see each Mesa tour hours here:
• All tour reservations can be booked online 14 days in advance at 8 AM Colorado or Mountain Standard Time (MST) . Therefore, 14 days before your desired tour date, set a reminder before 8 AM Colorado time, and get your credit card ready. 
• I suggest you perform a “mock” reservation on a sample date without paying for the reservation to familiarize yourself with the booking process for the tour tickets and quantities you want.
• Simply go to the Recreation Gov Mesa Verde Tour website to book. 
• Remember that the  Balcony House  tour can be sold out in 2-3 minutes, so be strategic and ready to book in front of your computer if this tour is high on your list. 

Best Places to Stay Near Mesa Verde National Park

• I suggest you stay in Cortez to better use your time because Mesa Verde National Park is huge, and you will spend most of your time driving to the park entrance and each cliff dwelling site from the park entrance. 
• Durango is a more interesting town with more attractions, especially its scenic train ride between Durango and Silverton , but it can be far from Mesa Verde. Lodging is also more expensive. 
• If you want to stay in the National Park, there’s a Far View Lodge  inside the park, and they accept pets for $25 per night. 
• Holiday Inn Express Mesa Verde-Cortez – pets are not allowed.
• Hampton Inn Mesa Verde/Cortez – pet fee is $50 per stay, up to 2 pets allowed. 
• Best Western Turquoise Inn & Suites – pet fee is $20 per night, up to 2 pets allowed. However, when I called them, they said $20 per stay, so please double-check. 
• Baymont by Wyndham Cortez – pet fee is $15 per stay, up to 2 pets allowed. 
• Also, some more budgeted  Choice Hotels  are available too. Each hotel charges a pet fee per night instead of per stay, which can add up. 

Are Dogs Allowed In Mesa Verde National Park?

• Never leave your pets in the car unattended. 
• Take turns watching your pet and checking out the cliff dwelling overlook if there are two of you. The Cliff Palace overlook, for example, is not far from the parking lot, so one of you can watch your pet while the other snap a quick photo of the Cliff Palace. A few overlooks along the Cliff Palace loop are just a few steps away from the parking space. 
• Take turns doing each Mesa Verde tour by allowing ample time between switching. 
• Walk the Long House Loop with your pets. The loop is 5-mile long, but you don’t have to do it all. The path is well paved, and some archaeological sites, including the Long House overlook, are where you can enjoy the views with your pets.
• There are also dog kennels near Mesa Verde if you are comfortable. 

If you found this article useful, please share it:

• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
• Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

• Park History
• Archaeological Sites
• Balcony House

Cliff Palace

• Spruce Tree House
• United Nations World Heritage
• Travel Tips
• Current Weather
• Getting Here
• Nature & Wildlife
• Photos & Videos
• Green Travel Tips
• Mesa Verde Lodging Experience
• Far View Lodge
• Morefield Campground
• Mesa Verde Dining Experience
• Metate Room Restaurant
• Far View Terrace Cafe
• Far View Lounge
• Spruce Tree Terrace Cafe
• Mesa Verde Tour Experience
• 700 Years Tour
• Group Tours
• Private Tours
• Request for Proposal
• Sample Itineraries
• Cliff Dwellings
• Morefield Explorer Scavenger Hunt
• Upcoming Events
• Lodging Specials
• Member Programs
• Email Sign Up
• Retrieve Reservations

Preserved for 700 Years

A - Cliff Palace

Mailing Address:

P.O. Box 8 Mesa Verde National Park, CO 81330 970.529.4465

B - Far View Lodge

Mesa Verde Cliff Palace, the largest and most famous cliff dwelling in Mesa Verde National Park, has over 150 individual rooms and more than 20 kivas (rooms for religious rituals). Crafted of sandstone, wooden beams and mortar, Mesa Verde Cliff Palace has been remarkably well preserved from the elements for the past 700 years.

A visit to Mesa Verde Cliff Palace is included in the 700 Years Tour. Tickets to the National Park Service one-hour Cliff Palace Tour may be purchased at the Mesa Verde National Park Visitor and Research Center prior to entering the park.

Cliff Palace Overview

Take a look at the alcove in which Mesa Verde Cliff Palace is built. The rock you see is Cliffhouse sandstone, geologically deposited during the Cretaceous Period some 78 million years ago. Since sandstone is a very porous material, moisture seeps right down through it. Beneath the layer of sandstone, however, is a layer of shale through which the moisture cannot penetrate. In the winter months, when the moisture freezes and expands, chunks of sandstone are cracked and loosened. Later these pieces collapse, forming alcoves such as the one here.

The majority of alcoves within Mesa Verde National Park are small crevices or ledges able to accommodate only a few small rooms. Very few are large enough to house a dwelling the size of Mesa Verde Cliff Palace. Recent studies reveal that Mesa Verde Cliff Palace contained 150 rooms and 23 kivas and had a population of approximately 100 people. Out of the nearly 600 cliff dwellings concentrated within the boundaries of the park, 75% contain only 1-5 rooms each, and many are single room storage units. When you visit Mesa Verde Cliff Palace you will enter an exceptionally large dwelling, which may have had special significance to the original occupants. It is thought that Mesa Verde Cliff Palace was a social, administrative site with high ceremonial usage.

Many visitors look at the size of the doorways in Mesa Verde Cliff Palace and other cliff dwellings and wonder about the size of the people who once lived here. An average man was about 5'4" to 5'5" (163cm) tall, while an average woman was 5' to 5'1" (152cm). If you compare them with European people of the same time period, they would have been about the same size. Compared with today, the Ancestral Puebloan's average life span was relatively short, due, in part, to the high infant mortality rate. Most people lived an average of 32-34 years, however some people did live into their 50s and 60s. Approximately 50% of the children died before they reached the age of five.

Sandstone, mortar and wooden beams were the three primary construction materials for the cliff dwellings. The Ancestral Puebloans shaped each sandstone block using harder stones collected from nearby riverbeds. The mortar between the blocks is a mixture of local soil, water and ash. Fitted in the mortar are tiny pieces of stone called "chinking." Chinking stones filled the gaps within the mortar and added structural stability to the walls. Over the surface of many walls, the people decorated with earthen plasters of pink, brown, red, yellow, or white -- the first things to erode with time.

Mesa Verde National Park Tours

Mesa Verde National Park

Mesa Verde National Park was established in 1906 to preserve and interpret the archeological heritage of the Ancestral Pueblo people who made it their home from 600 to 1300 CE. Today, the park protects nearly 5,000 known archaeological sites, including 600 cliff dwellings. These sites are some of the most notable and best preserved in the United States.

Need to Know

Daily tours of Cliff Palace and Balcony House are scheduled to start May 6 and Square Tower House May 24. NOTE: In 2024, all Ranger-Led tours will require reservations through the Recreation.gov website or toll free number 1-877-444-6777. For more information on the variety of tours offered next season, please visit the Mesa Verde National Park Cliff Dwelling Tours page .

• During the ticket season which typically runs from May to October, tickets will go on sale 14 days in advance at 8:00 a.m MST, on a rolling daily window. For example, tickets would go on sale April 22 for tours on May 6. 
• PLAN AHEAD! All 2024 tours will require reservations. Tours are limited and sell out daily, especially on holiday and weekend dates. Cliff Palace is limited to 50, Balcony House to 35, and Square Tower House to 10 participants per tour.
• If booking more than one tour on the same day, please ensure you allow enough time to drive from one site to another and allow adequate time between tours. Please follow the suggested tour times listed on each tour page.

Important! Please either print your reservation confirmation email or save a screenshot on your mobile device before arriving at the park. You will present this to the ranger before your tour. No other ticket will be provided. Cell service is extremely limited in the park and rangers cannot access tour reservation lists.  

• All tours are appropriate for well-prepared hikers, but are strenuous, so please consider your physical health before choosing a tour/hike, espicially if you have heart or respiratory problems, or other physical difficulties.Elevations ranges between 7,000 and 7,500 feet (2134 , and 2286 m) above sea level.
• We suggest wearing sturdy shoes or boots and bring plenty of water.Your safety depends on your good judgement, adequate preperation, and constant attention.
• Children must be able to walk the extent of the trails and climb all ladders on their own without diffculty. All infants must be carried in backpacks while on tours and adults carrying children in backpacks must be able to maintain mobility and balance.
• All visitors to Mesa Verde National Park must present a pass (Interagency Annual Pass, Interagency Senior Pass, Interagency Military Pass, Interagency Access Pass, or an annual 4th Grade Pass) or pay an entrance fee upon arrival (or purchase a digital site pass in advance ).
• Please be prepared to present your hard copy pass or digital pass on your mobile device. Please also have your photo I.D. available to present to the ranger with your pass. Photo copies or digital pass images will not be accepted if you left your hard copy pass at home.
• Do you already own a pass? Mesa Verde National Park honors the Interagency Annual and lifetime Passes that are valid at multiple national park and federal sites. If you already have a valid Interagency Annual Pass, you will not be required to pay the 7-Day entrance fee. Pass holders must provide their Interagency Annual or Lifetime pass for validation or will be required to pay the entrance fee.
• Are you visiting multiple parks? Upon arrival at Mesa Verde National Park you may purchase Interagency Annual and lifetime passes that allow entry at multiple national parks and federal lands.For information about other pass options, please visit Recreation.gov " Buy a Pass" page or compare the passes at the USGS Pass Store 
• The park no longer accepts cash or checks for any entrance fees, Interagency Passes, or ticket reservations. All purchases must be made by credit card only (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, or Diners Club). NO CASH ON PREMISE.
• Although the park is open year-round, overnight accommodations and some areas (including Wetherill Mesa) are closed during the winter months. Be sure to check the park's Operating Hours page or pick up a Visitor Guide upon arrival for details on services available during your visit.
• The Mesa Verde Visitor and Research Center is open from 8:30 am -4:00 pm, daily. The Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum open from 10:00 am- 3:00 pm daily.

Only plain water is allowed on any tour. Candy, tobacco or gum are NOT permitted into any cliff dwelling.

Morefield Campground at Mesa Verde National Park is operated by Aramark . You may book online at Aramark's Mesa Verde website or call 1-800-449-2288. The campground will re-open April 26.

Mesa Verde National Park does not require a Timed Ticket Entry to enter the park.

Booking Windows

In 2024 tour reservations will be available 14 days in advance, 8:00 am MST, on a rolling daily window. (For example, reservations for May 6 will be available starting Apr 22 at 8:00 am MDT.  All Ranger-Led tours require a tour reservation.

Booking a reservation in advance is strongly encouraged. All tour reservations will be sold online or by calling 877-444-6777. No reservations are reserved in person. The park does not have a waiting list available. We recommend to check recration.gov for any cancellations.

Changes and Cancellations

Cancellations must be completed at least 24-hours before your scheduled tour start time for a full refund minus the non-refundable per-ticket reservation fee. Refunds will not be given for tours cancelled or modified less than 24-hours before the scheduled tour time. All reservations are NON-TRANSFERABLE AND NON-REFUNDABLE unless the tour is cancelled by the National Park Service.

Contact Information

Mailing address.

PO Box 8 Mesa Verde CO 81330

Phone Number

970-529-4465

Available Tours and Tickets

• Square Tower House
• Balcony House
• Cliff Palace

Photo Gallery

Camp, RV, and Explore Outdoors

Recreation.gov is your gateway to explore America's outdoor and cultural destinations in your zip code and across the country. We provide tools and tips to discover new adventures through a one-stop shop for inspiration and ideation, trip planning, information sharing, and reservations. Find incredible places and experiences that help you bring home a story through Recreation.gov!

Get to Know Us

• Rules & Reservation Policies
• Accessibility
• Media Center

Plan with Us

• Find Trip Inspiration
• Build a Trip
• Enter a Lottery
• Checkout our Mobile App
• Get Involved
• Use Our Data
• Add Your Facility

Let Us Help You

• Help Center
• Submit Feedback
• Responsible Disclosure

Sign Up or Log In

Share on hiking project.

Taking other people's content (text, photos, etc) without permission is a copyright violation and NOT OKAY!

Flag Inappropriate Post

Spam? Being a jerk / offensive? This is about an injury or accident Something else? Please explain.

If it's not super-obvious, tell us why:

Cliff Palace Overlook Trail

“ a great trail to a spectacular cliff palace site. ”.

Point to Point

6,819' 2,078  m, 6,705' 2,044  m, 115' 35  m, 128' 39  m, know this trail, dogs no dogs, features views, description.

Land Manager: National Park Service - Mesa Verde National Park

Trail Ratings

Comment Type:

Current trail conditions, conditions history, add check-in, nearby recommended routes.

Petroglyph Point Trail

2.2 mi 3.6 km • 428' Up 130.47 m Up • 169' Down 51.48 m Down

Long House Tour

2.2 mi 3.6 km • 236' Up 71.86 m Up • 241' Down 73.43 m Down

Prater Ridge Trail

7.5 mi 12.1 km • 979' Up 298.47 m Up • 976' Down 297.61 m Down

Deadwood Mountain and Silver Mountain Extravaganza

9.6 mi 15.4 km • 3,977' Up 1212.07 m Up • 3,982' Down 1213.6 m Down

Highline Loop Trail

17.7 mi 28.5 km • 3,961' Up 1207.22 m Up • 3,950' Down 1204.08 m Down

Colorado Trail (CT)

487.3 mi 784.3 km • 83,178' Up 25352.6 m Up • 81,864' Down 24952.2 m Down

Rating Details

Difficulty ratings, difficulty rating, average from 10 votes:, your rating, virtual tour of cliff palace overlook trail, join the community.

Create your FREE account today! Already have an account? Login to close this notice.

Get Started

• onX products are built by adventurers, for adventurers. We believe that every adventurer needs to know where to go, to know where they stand, and to be able to share their experiences.
• Top Contributors
• Share Your Adventures & Photos
• Mountain Project
• MTB Project
• Hiking Project
• Trail Run Project
• Powder Project
• National Parks

Please Confirm

• Regent Seven Seas Cruises

Best of Moscow by high speed train

By shuguley , February 15, 2014 in Regent Seven Seas Cruises

Recommended Posts

Sure would appreciate someone who has taken "Best of Moscow by high speed train" from St. Petersburg could please share their impressions of this shore excursion. From the description this sounds like a very long day.

Wondering how the 4 hour train trip was in terms of accommodations, etc. Also what time did you leave the ship and what time at night did you return? Were both legs of the trip on the high speed rail (I read that slower trains also travel the same tracks)?

My wife and I are considering this excursion. We thought that if we are making all the effort to go to Russia then how could we pass up going to Moscow, walking in Red Square, seeing St. Basil, etc.

Link to comment

Share on other sites.

If you are considering this on the 2015 June Baltic cruise on Voyager; my suggestion is don't. There is so much to do in St. Petersburg and although a train is one of my favorite ways to travel the time would be far better spent in St. P.

Thanks for the advice. Yes, this would be on the Voyager during the 2015 season but not yet sure exactly which cruise.

We did the Moscow excursion "on a different luxury line", but from your brief description it sounds very much like the same trip, so I will operate on that assumption. It is a VERY long day! We left the ship at 5:30 AM and returned at 12:30 AM. The highspeed train trip is comfortable, and while they call it "Business Class" it does not compare well to the equivalent class on say Rail Europe. When we did it in 2011, we did have highspeed both ways, and the trip back seemed much longer as the adrenaline and excitement had worn off!:D

Moscow itself is not that terribly different from any other big city in the world, but this Cold War kid never thought he would ever stand in Red Square, never mind walk the grounds of The Kremlin, or tour The Kremlin Palace, or see (but not visit) Lenin's Tomb, or visit The Armoury. But he did, and he loved every minute of it! Yes, it is a long day, and you barely scratch a scratch on the surface, but it is worth it. There is a tremendous amount to see in St. Petersburg, but every Baltic cruise goes to St. Petersburg, so you can go back if you choose to. Not every cruiseline offers you the chance to see Moscow.

I have not personally done this tour, but our last time in St Petersburg, the private guide that we hired for a day was leading the regent tour to Moscow on the high speed train the next day. He said it was way better than the previous alternative, which was flying to Moscow and back. He said that you actually got to Moscow faster because you didn't have to deal with airline checkin etc. it did seem like a very long day to me, and there is so much to see and do in st. Petersburg that I didn't consider doing it.

countflorida

We toured to Moscow from St. Petersburg via the hi-speed SAPSAN train last September, from a Baltic cruise on the Oceania Marina. You need to have a two-night, three day port call in St. Petersburg to take this tour because the tour typically leaves the ship around 5:00 - 5:30 AM and doesn't return until after midnight the next day. We didn't take the ship's tour; we made private arrangements with TravelAllRussia for three days of touring, the first and third days in St. Petersburg and the second day the tour to Moscow by train. Our cost for the private tour for three days was about the same as what the ship charged for the excursion to Moscow alone. There are a number of private tour agencies that operate in St. Petersburg and offer the Moscow train tours; we would strongly recommend them over the ship's tours.

All three days had private guides with car and driver. The second day, the driver picked us up at the ship and took us to the train, but we were alone on the train, and met in Moscow by the guide on the station platform. After our tour and dinner, we were brought back to the train and after the return train trip met by the driver and taken back to the ship. Because you are alone on the train you must have your own Russian visas.

If this is your first visit to St. Petersburg, I would agree there is much more to see there. We found Moscow somewhat a disappointment, particularly Red Square. The Kremlin and the cathedral in Red Square were also worth seeing. But the best thing we saw was the Moscow subway! I worked for the Washington Metro system back in the 1980s as it grew from 40 to 80 miles and although I was in the computer area, I learned a lot about the challenges of running a subway system. We used the Moscow system to get across the city from where we had dinner to the train station, and I was amazed at the cleanliness', speed of operation, the short headways maintained, and the courtesy of everyone involved. A very impressive experience!

We had been to St. Petersburg before, and so had the time to take a day and go to Moscow. Also, I really like trains, and the SAPSAN is a German train set running on Russian rails. Seats are like first class domestic air, spacious but not too plush or comfortable, but with enough room. Not too much recline, and almost 8 hours on the train in two shots is a lot for an old man. They come through and sell drinks, candy, etc. but the sellers don't speak English and no one around us helped, so we had just poor coffee once coming, and brought stuff with us for the trip back. Not too much to see from the train either, particularly on the return when it is night the whole way.

If you decide to go, take a private tour and avoid the overly expensive ship's tour. I'm glad we did it, but wouldn't bother to repeat the tour; we've seen Moscow.

Thanks so much to all of you for the thorough and thought insight. Yhe information you have provided is most helpful.

countflorida: Your detailed post is very helpful. We are not quite ready for a Baltic cruise but should do so within a year. Time enough to do our pre travel research, bookings and visa gathering.:) Thank you!

Emperor Norton

Sure would appreciate someone who has taken "Best of Moscow by high speed train" from St. Petersburg could please share their impressions of this shore excursion. From the description this sounds like a very long day.   Wondering how the 4 hour train trip was in terms of accommodations, etc. Also what time did you leave the ship and what time at night did you return? Were both legs of the trip on the high speed rail (I read that slower trains also travel the same tracks)?   My wife and I are considering this excursion. We thought that if we are making all the effort to go to Russia then how could we pass up going to Moscow, walking in Red Square, seeing St. Basil, etc.

I did this on Seabourn. IMO DONT. Take Aeroflop (er Aeroflot). The train has non folding seats where you are literally knee to knee with your fellow passenger (facing each other). Further they don't believe in air conditioning. It's also the worlds slowed bullet train. I think I would have found more enjoyment wandering around the St. Petersburg and Moscow airports.

Countflorida,

This is a little off topic,, however we had planned a river cruise in Russia but decided we would rather stay on land and have booked about two weeks with Travel-All-Russia using the private guide and driver. I'm curious as to how you found them as a tour company.

The guides they provided were fine. We had a different guide each of the days in St. Petersburg, but both were flexible, pleasant, knowledgeable and spoke English very well, as did the guide in Moscow, incidentally. She was a bit aloof, distant, not too friendly, but otherwise fine. In fact, she was the one who suggested taking the Metro, which unexpectedly became one of the highlights of the Moscow excursion. If I have a complaint with AllTravelRussia, it is with their plan and its execution (more later).

I had requested emphasis on World War II (in Russia, the Great Patriotic War) sites and info. In scheduling us, they weren't careful about dates and a couple of the sites we wanted to see were scheduled on the third day, after we'd been to Moscow. But both sites were closed that day of the week, and that info was readily available, right on web sites describing them. Also, the included meals (lunches in St. Pete, dinner in Moscow) were not what we asked for: light meals with some choices, so we could avoid things we didn't like and choose things we did like. My request was ignored; we were given full Russian meals with a fixed menu, no choice. On the first day, a fish dish was the entre, but I am allergic to fish. Fortunately, I had the e-mail I'd sent with me and showed it to the guide, and she was able to change my entre to chicken, which was very good actually. But we didn't want a 3-4 course lunches or dinner (in Moscow). We had the guide drop the lunch the third day, although we never got any credit or refund. But, particularly in contrast to the ship's tours, the prices were so reasonable we didn't worry too much about it.

The people who were on the ship's tour to Moscow saw us boarding the same train for which they were forced to queue up and wait on the way back, and asked us what we had done. I was candid and open so they were not happy when I explained what we had arranged and particularly what it had cost. Also, when we returned to the ship, we found they had laid on a late supper for those who had gone to Moscow, so up we went and had something. Well, it turns out the late supper was supposed to be just for those on the ship's tour, but we and others on 'independent' tours, there were a dozen or more of us, crashed the party, actually got there first, and they didn't realize it until the larger group arrived and there weren't enough tables/places set. By that time, the 'independents' had all gotten served and were eating; what could they do?

A couple from the larger group sat down with us and asked us about our tour, and they were the ones I told about our arrangement and its cost. They turned to others who’d been with them and announced the details, loudly enough so the whole room heard, which started a lot of bitching and complaining. I gathered they weren't very happy with the ship's tour to begin with, and this was the straw that broke the camel's back. We finished up and beat it out of there, but overheard later that one of the excursion staff came to check on something and ran into a real mess. I caught a cold on the trip, which forced me to bed the second day following in Tallinn, so by the time we reappeared we heard about the contretemps' but apparently no one recalled who started it, thankfully.

Because of what happened to us, I would probably not use AllTravelRussia if I were to go again, or if I did, I would be sure to get confirmation of every detail of the tour. They do have good reviews generally, and we were certainly helped by their visa department and liked the guides and drivers. Their weakness, I say now with full 20:20 hindsight, is that once the sales person who plans the tour, sells it to you and collects your money, he (or she) transfers the plan to their Russia office for implementation; there is no follow-up to make sure it gets done right. And that is where our problems arose; we paid for a custom tour but got a standard package with a few destinations switched, and no one checked them out, even to see when they were open the day we were scheduled to go. If you check every detail that’s important to you, it should be OK, but that’s a hell of a way to have to do business, in my opinion.

Thank you for the 20/20 hindsight observation on your Russian tour operator, and better priced than the ship's excursion cost.

Thanks very much for the feedback.

We had the same experience as you so far as price. We originally booked a Viking Cruise but, hearing some things about the river cruises that made us unhappy, looked into other options. T-A-R cost the same or less than a cruise and had us in hotels for 11 days. We opted for the private tour. They have three tour levels, based on hotels. We originally opted for the four star as it did not cost much more than the three star hotels. Finally we decided to throw it all in and upgraded to five star. In Moscow we will be at the newly opened Kempinsky which is two blocks from Red Square. In St. Petersburg it is the Grand Hotel Europe, one of the most vaunted luxury hotels in Russia. Location is important for us as the tours use up only part of the day so being in the center of everything for our independent touring is important. As with many other cities, the less you pay, the farther out of the center of town you are.

We have been working with our salesman in D.C. and he seems to get back to us with the changes we want. He recently returned from Russia so is up on everything. When I asked they said they paid the full TA commission if I wanted so I got my usual TA on board so he is watching our back and giving us that extra level of comfort. He also set up our air, which I know pays him little or nothing, and got us business class for much less than T-A-R wanted for economy, though it took working for a while with a consolidator. He's happy to get his 10 percent on this trip without having booked it. He also took care of the trip insurance. We've been doing a lot of research on the CC sister site Trip Advisor and will write a report there. We will, I guess, become a source of info for CC members after having spent 5 days in Moscow and 6 in SP.

• 4 months later...

scubacruiserx2

Anybody considering a day trip to Moscow from St. Petersburg on the Sapsan may want to look at our travelogue filled with pictures.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1927687

Very informative. Thanks dor sharing. Jeff

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in

• Welcome to Cruise Critic
• ANNOUNCEMENT: Set Sail Beyond the Ordinary with Oceania Cruises
• ANNOUNCEMENT: The Widest View in the Whole Wide World
• New Cruisers
• Cruise Lines “A – O”
• Cruise Lines “P – Z”
• River Cruising
• Cruise Critic News & Features
• Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
• Special Interest Cruising
• Cruise Discussion Topics
• UK Cruising
• Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
• Canadian Cruisers
• North American Homeports
• Ports of Call
• Cruise Conversations

Announcements

• New to Cruise Critic? Join our Community!

Write Your Own Amazing Review !

Click this gorgeous photo by member SUPERstar777 to share your review!

Features & News

LauraS · Started 11 hours ago

LauraS · Started 12 hours ago

LauraS · Started 16 hours ago

LauraS · Started Wednesday at 08:38 PM

• Existing user? Sign in OR Create an Account
• Find Your Roll Call
• Meet & Mingle
• Community Help Center
• All Activity
• Member Photo Albums
• Meet & Mingle Photos
• Favorite Cruise Memories
• Cruise Food Photos
• Cruise Ship Photos
• Ports of Call Photos
• Towel Animal Photos
• Amazing, Funny & Totally Awesome Cruise Photos
• Write a Review
• Live Cruise Reports
• Member Cruise Reviews
• Create New...

4-Day Tour in Moscow

• Page active

Description

This 7 Realms Ultimate tour of Moscow can be 3-Day tour, with 7 hours each day, or 4-Day tour, with 5 hours each day. 

This bespoke history-culture-art itinerary is the ultimate guide of Moscow with authentic Russian, Ukranian and Georgian cuisines along the way. 

Ready for adventure?

Highlights of  7 Realms tour of Moscow

• Explore Kremlin , the oldest and the largest fortress in Russia, a UNESCO World Natural and Cultural Heritage;
• Learn the stories of two Russian paradoxes –  Tsar Bell and Tsar Cannon , both the largest in the world;
• Walk the oldest streets in Moscow  and observe the ancient architecture of Moskovy;
• Discover Kitay Gorod , which used to be home to the first skyscraper and the first typography in Moscow, as well as the biggest pharmacy in Europe;
• Dive into off the beaten path of Moscow – Zamoskvorechye  and get impressed with a dazzling mix of hidden architectural gems and art masterpieces of Russia;
• Visit Tretyakov gallery  that reflects 1000 year-old history, art and culture of Russia;
• Explore the iconic sights of legendary Kolomenskoe  including the Palace of Tsar Alexey Mikhailovich, which is considered the eighth wonder of the world;
• Get scenic panoramic views of Tsaritsino park , the most romantic park of Moscow;
• Admire “Russian Gothic” of the Grand Palace in Tsaritsino , and enjoy the picturesque landscape with fairy-tale bridges;
• Have fun in Gorky Park , which is even the #1 park of Russia;
• Meet locals and catch up with local art trends in Winzavod Art Center , the oldest and most respectable art gallery in Moscow;
• And, of course,  try Russian pelemeni, Soviet vareniki or bliny, Ukranian borsch, Georgian Khachapuri , as well traditional hospitality, coziest and amazingly beautiful interior of the best local restaurants.

12-14 th  centuries

Red Square, the Kremlin, Kitay Gorod + Russian traditional lunch

We are going to see the cradle of Russian history and track the development of Moscow.

The residence of Dukes, Tsars, Emperors, Supreme rulers, Presidents will surprise you with its cathedrals, largest in the world Tsar Cannon and Tsar Bell, as long as the Armory with personal belongings of Great Tsars.

Highlights:

Red square tour.

• Walk-through  the Resurrection Gate  and don’t forget to flip a coin so you’ll be sure to come back one day!
• Visit the world’s famous  Kazan Cathedral ;
• See the  State Department Store  (GUM), once the Upper Trading Stalls, which were built over a century ago and still operating!
• Admire the lovely  St. Basil’s Cathedral , built to commemorate the capture of the cities Kazan and Astrakhan. After construction of the cathedral, the poor architect, Postnik Yakovlev, was blinded by Ivan the Terrible, forbidding him from replicating such a beauty ever again;
• Walk by  Lobnoye Mesto  (literally meaning the “forehead place”, or “Place of the Skulls”), once Ivan the Terrible’s stage for religious ceremonies, speeches, and important events;
• As well as  Lenin’s Mausoleum, GUM,  Manege Square, the Monument after Marshal Zhukov, Alexander Garden, Grotto monument, The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Obelisk to Romanov royal dynasty.

Kremlin Tour

• The Cathedral of Twelve Apostles  forms the grand entrance to the luxurious Grand Kremlin Palace.
• The Tsar Bell , the largest bell in the world, and  Cannon , the largest bombard by caliber in the world.
• The Ivan the Great Bell Tower  marks the exact centre of Moscow and resembles a burning candle.
• The Cathedral of the Assumption , place of coronation of the grand princes and tsars as well as the burial place of metropolitans and patriarchs.
• The Cathedral of the Annunciation , the private church of Russian grand princes and tsars for domestic and family ceremonies.
• The Cathedral of the Archangel , the necropolis of the Moscow dynasty of Ruriks and first Romanov tsars. The history of the necropolis started in 1340 with Ivan I, the great grandfather of Ivan the Terrible.
• The Armory  originated as the royal arsenal in 1508 and boasting the richest collection of the works of Russian and foreign decorative and applied art of 4th-20th centuries.
• +  The procession of the equestrian and pedestrian guards of the President’s regiment  (April to October).

Kitay Gorod Tour

Kitay Gorod is the oldest part of Moscow after the Kremlin, emerged in the 14th century due to the expansion of the boundaries of the Kremlin.:

Experience Kitay Gorod with its it’s charming one-of-a-kind places, many with great historical significance.

There are 4 monasteries, 24 churches, cathedrals, and 8 chapels in the area of Kitay gorod. We’ll see some of them.

You will also see:

• First typography in Russia , founded in 1553;
• First “skyscraper” of Moscow , 5-storeyed building built in 1876;
• English Old Court on Varvarka street , the former home of the first foreign representation in Moscow (1553);

The Trinity monastery on Ilyinka  – Apartment house-monastery of the Holy Trinity St. Sergius Lavra (“Trinity Compound”) which is nowadays an object of cultural heritage of regional significance (1630s).

+ Traditional Russian food with a great buffet bar. 

Eat as much as you like! :) Hearty lunch in Russian traditional restaurant, with old Russian traditions, bright decor and amazing authentic food in historical Tverskaya street, the main street of Moscow.

14 th -17 th  centuries

Zamoskvorechye & Kolomenskoe Museum-Reserve

Highlights :, zamoskvorechye tour.

• Explore vibrant Zamoskvorechye neighborhood full of life and character, which locals consider an epicenter of architectural masterpieces and ancient cathedrals, modern street art and best coffee in the town – Ultimate Russian Culture Experience!
• Soak in the beauty of the  greatest Russian masterpieces;
• Explore the  treasures of Russian art and architecture , ancient and modern;
• Get immersed into  Russian history ;
• Track the  origins of Moscow ;
• Experience Moscow’s premier art gallery –  Tretyakov Gallery;
• Admire the impressive architectural styles of  Russian cathedrals and temples.

Kolomenskoe Tour

Discover the oldest settlement of Moscow belonging to the Stone Age!

Kolomenskoye is a Natural Landscape Museum-Reserve in the open air: Ethnographic art, historical and architectural complex with the existing facilities of the medieval farm, stables, a forge, an apiary, a watermill.

You will see:

• Palace of Tsar Alexey Mikhailovich , initially built in 17th century and consisted of 270 rooms Nowadays considered the 8th wonder of the world by Russians;
• The Church of the Ascension  – a UNESCO monument and a masterpiece of Russian and world architecture.
• Palace Pavillion  that served as a tea house or home theater, the main façade is decorated with Doric portico and two lioness sculptures;
• Front Gate Complex  that was the main entrance to the summer residence of the Tsar for distinguished guests;
• Church of Beheading of St. John the Forerunner  that Ivan the Terrible for holiday worships and his birthday feasts;
• As well as royal  Food Yard, Peter I’s House, Household structure (Mead Brewery), The Streltsy Guard-houses, Moss Tower and the Memorial Pole.

+  Lunch in Korchma, Ukranian traditional restaurant.  

Dynamic interior with authentic decorations and festive ethnic Russian & Ukranian traditions in one place! Your lunch will include:

• Lean sorrel borsch
• Podolsky Salad,  incredibly juicy and crispy salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, radishes, cauliflower, carrots and greens;
• Zrazy with mushrooms and spinach
• Chicken soup with noodles
• Spring salad with cucumbers, radish, eggs, green onions, lettuce and mayonnaise
• Chicken schnitzel with stewed cabbage

18 th -21 st  centuries

Tsaritsino, Gorky Park, Winzavod Art Center

Tsaritsino tour.

Tsaritsyno is the monument of the so-called “Russian Gothic”, unique in its style.

Enjoy the picturesque nature of the architectural ensemble, fairy bridges and castle, vintage terraces, statues, ponds and historical atmosphere! You will see:

• Palace of Catherine II , full of mysteries, gossips, intrigues and scandals;
• Famous Bazhenov’s  Bridges  that are distinguished by unique artistic features that fully represented the architect’s “theater architecture”;
• The cascade of  Tsaritsynsky ponds  formed during 16th-18th centuries;
• Magic  Slopes  with beautiful landscapes that became a natural backdrop for open-air theater during Catherine II reign;
• The Ruined Tower of Tsaritsyno  offers amazing panoramic views from its observation deck;
• Temple of Ceres  where the Empress rested and watched holiday hay celebrations;
• Tsaritsyno Fountain  with 3000 lights dancing polonaises and minuets in the evenings.

Gorky Park Tour

Gorky Park is Russia’s most popular park. It also features Europe’s largest skating rink with artificial ice in winter.

Discover Gorky Park from its early Soviet Communist history and hear the stories behind how it evolved to become the trendiest and hottest spot of Moscow.

Founded in 1923, the park has a lot to impress with:

• Rich Soviet past;
• Authentic local vibe;
• Garage Art Center,  founded by Dasha Zhukova, the wife of Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich;
• Gorgeous nature landscape; 
• Yoga and dance classes;
• A myriad of local cozy cafes , street food kiosks, posh restaurants and coffee places with hot pastry.

What you get:

• + A friend in Moscow.
• + Private & customized Moscow tour.
• + An exciting pastime, not just boring history lessons.
• + An authentic experience of local life.
• + Flexibility during the walking tour: changes can be made at any time to suit individual preferences.
• + Amazing deals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the very best cafes & restaurants. Discounts on weekdays (Mon-Fri).
• + A photo session amongst spectacular Moscow scenery that can be treasured for a lifetime.
• + Good value for souvenirs, taxis, and hotels.
• + Expert advice on what to do, where to go, and how to make the most of your time in Moscow.

Write your review