The Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation "on the line". Excursion for 175 people by bus and around Red Square

On Friday evening, a call came from the Academy of the Ministry of Education. The client, Elena, asked if we could organize a city tour for… 180 students, schoolchildren and their chaperones.

He said they were ready. I talked to Anton. We decided that we would do it, especially since the organizer provides the buses, which is very good. We were also asked that our guides not only receive tourists on Red Square, but also accompany them on buses from the hotel, telling them about the history of the surrounding area. 

We have a TZ, we have a CP. With the following gist:

Task. 12/22/21 organize an excursion in accordance with the technical specifications in the Red Square area for schoolchildren, students, winners of the All-Russian essay competition, and their accompanying persons with a total number of 180-200 people, lasting 2.5 hours.

Solution. We offer our existing excursion route around Red Square and the adjacent historical district called “Heart of the Capital” with adaptation, as well as a short excursion program from the guests’ hotel to the venue with a total duration of 2.5 hours. We suggest dividing the excursionists into 6 groups (approximately 30 participants), each of which is led by a personal tour guide with the appropriate experience, qualifications and equipment (microphone).

We calculated the price by taking it from the price list excursions "Heart of the capital" for groups of 20-30 people, multiply by 6 (according to the number of guides involved) and add 6% (the tax we will pay). Along the way, he told us about our guides.

Communicating by phone and WhatsApp, we received additional instructions and information for organizing the excursion. Anton began preparing a team of guides.

The original plan was this:

Get off at Manezhnaya Square, put the children back on Vasilievsky Spusk. In the interval of 1.5-2 hours, walk around the "Heart of the Capital" and absorb all the beauty and new knowledge.

We have also provided additional information about parking:

It is necessary to keep in mind that parking on Vasilievsky descent is expensive (1000 rubles per hour), it is advisable to take this into account. You can wait there, or 10 minutes before boarding the guide calls the driver and says that "we are going", and then the driver drives up from Bolotnaya, let's say - there 300 rubles per hour.

The day before we received the bus seating chart:

1 bus - grades 4, 5 and 6; 2 bus - grades 6, 7 and a little bit 8; 3 bus - grades 8, 9, 10; 4 bus - grade 11 and SPO.

Our team of guides included two girls who love working with children, so they were entrusted with the youngest excursionists - primary school children. In addition, the organizer logically suggested that two of the six guides wait for the excursionists already in the area of Red Square, since there are four buses.

They sent us the bus route.

It has become even clearer what exactly to talk about on the route, which means you can prepare in more detail.

Generally speaking, the time before the New Year is the period of the biggest traffic jams. Anton predicted that on the day of the excursion our buses would move for 2 hours, which I conveyed to the organizers, who, in turn, were most worried about the severe cold predicted for that day.

In the end, that’s how it turned out. The shortest day of the year turned out to be very cold, and Moscow was barely moving in a traffic jam. It was decided to start a walking route approximately from Kotelnicheskaya Embankment through Zaryadye Park.

But there was a plus in this situation: schoolchildren from all over Russia (some were from villages, some from the Caucasus) first spent two hours admiring the Moscow views, accompanied by a fascinating story from a guide from a warm bus, and then walked for an hour in the invigorating frost along Red Square and its surroundings.

In the report it looked like this:

December 22, 2021 from 16 to 19:00 Bureau “Radius” represented by IP Kolmakova E.A. carried out a tour of Moscow from the Izmailovo Beta hotel to Red Square and its important cultural and historical surroundings on customer buses for students 4-11 grades, students (winners of the All-Russian Composition Olympiad), and their accompanying people.

Along the route, participants got acquainted with the history of Moscow and the observed places: the summer residence of the Russian tsars Izmailovo, Peter's places in Semenovsky, Preobrazhensky and the floodplain of the Yauza River, amusing regiments, the oldest Moscow park - Lefortovo. The former palaces of these historical districts were shown. The excursionists learned about Bauman University (and about the history of Bauman himself), saw the creative quarters “Art Play” and “Winzavod”, “Spaso-Andronikov Monastery, on the territory of which Andrei Rublev is buried and the oldest stone building in Moscow is located. In the Garden Ring area, participants continued to get acquainted with history - the formation of Moscow rings throughout its history, the buildings of the center, and then heard about the modern development of Moscow. On Kotelnicheskaya Embankment, the guides introduced the children and accompanying people to the legends of Stalin’s high-rise buildings, from the architectural features to the details of the life of their privileged and famous residents of the Soviet period. The listeners were also told about the ancient princes Ivan Kalita and Dmitry Donskoy (while viewing the latter’s monument).

And at the end, the participants were treated to the pearl of the program - a walking tour in six organized groups along the main symbols of the capital with a detailed story about their past, present and future: the ultra-modern Zaryadye Park, New Year's Red Square, the memorial Alexander Garden, Varvarka Street, Vasilyevsky Spusk, St. Basil's Cathedral, The Mausoleum, the Historical Museum, and, of course, the legendary GUM.

The total duration of the excursion was 3 hours. 

Number of participants: 175 people.

Number of guides: 6

On Friday, the documents were handed over to the Academy of the Ministry of Education, and the reviews were handed over to us. We hope to see you again.

PS The photos were taken by the guides during the excursion, at dusk, so the photo quality is not very good.