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Britain’s leading glasshouse complex sits proudly within the landscape of East Kent. These enormous glasshouses are estimated to produce around 400 million tomatoes, 30 million cucumbers and 24 million peppers each year.

Innovation, environmental concern and a focus on quality combine with cutting-edge technology, international expertise and the best growing conditions in the UK to produce unrivalled taste on a commercial scale.

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Thanet Earth

Source: Phil Bull

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Thanet Earth is a large industrial agriculture and plant factory project consortium on the Isle of Thanet in Kent, England. It is the largest greenhouse complex in the UK, covering 90 hectares, or 220 acres of land. The glasshouses produce approximately 400 million tomatoes, 24 million peppers and 30 million cucumbers a year, equal to roughly 12, 11 and 8 per cent respectively of Britain’s entire annual production of those salad ingredients. Thanet Earth's main customers are Asda, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, M&S and agency HRGO The complex began producing in October 2008. Cucumbers and peppers are picked continuously from February to October, and tomatoes are harvested every day of the week, 52 weeks a year.

Source: Wikipedia.org

Copyright: Creative Commons 3.0

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UK's Thanet Earth: the farm of the future

The four great ethereal edifices form the biggest and most technologically advanced glasshouse complex in Britain, and they produce tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers on a scale that Montgomery could never have dreamt of during most of his 64 years. 'I was growing about two and a half kilos per square metre against their 50 or 60 kilos per square metre,’ he says with something akin to awe. Put another way, the glasshouses produce approximately 225 million tomatoes, 16 million peppers and 13 million cucumbers a year, equal to roughly 12, 11 and eight per cent respectively of Britain’s entire annual production of those salad ingredients.

The complex is called Thanet Earth, and it arouses strong feelings. Its vocal detractors have labelled it a 'Frankenfarm’ and a 'super-sized plant factory’ that churns out the insipid fruit-and-vegetable equivalent of broiler chickens. It is exactly the sort of enterprise that is fuelling the grow-your-own movement, according to Liz Wright, the author of several books on smallholdings and self-sufficiency, who feels that most people dislike the increasing concentration of food production in a few hands, and really do have the view that vegetables should be coming out of gardens with mud on them.

Those who work at Thanet Earth strenuously object to such characterisations. They contend that they are simply harnessing technology to help nature to produce some of the best salad ingredients ever grown in Britain, albeit on an industrial scale. 'It’s the most exciting development in UK fresh produce in decades,’ Ian Craig, the managing director of Thanet Earth Marketing (TEM) and the deputy chief executive of Fresca, TEM’s largest shareholder, insists. 

Click here for the complete article at the Telegraph

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Welcome to Thanet Earth: The biggest greenhouse in Britain unveiled

You've heard of the factory chicken. Now meet the factory vegetable. Grown in their millions in trays of nutrient-enriched water inside a heated, artificially-lit greenhouse large enough to house ten football pitches, they are as far as you can get from 'natural' home-grown food.

But this week, workers are putting the finishing touches to Britain's largest hydroponic greenhouse - an astonishing construction in white steel and glass.

Massive: 'Thanet Earth' will cover 91 hectares of land in Kent.

By the time the site is complete in 2010, another six massive greenhouses will have been constructed, providing a home to more than 1.3million tomato, pepper and cucumber plants - grown hydroponically, without soil.

Kent is often called the Garden of England.  When this village of glass is complete, it will be more like England's factory.

At a time when people are increasingly concerned about industrial-scale farming, this latest, monumental step in the steady, insidious creep of factory farming is a controversial one.

Garden of England: The site will contain seven greenhouses, each the size of 10 football pitches

Fresca, the company building the complex on the Isle of Thanet with a consortium of Dutch growers, argues that the new site - called Thanet Earth - will help meet the demand for homegrown food all year round.

But real food campaigners say nothing can replace the taste of vegetables and fruit grown outside in proper soil.

The scale of the £80 million project is mind-boggling. When complete, its seven greenhouses will sprawl across 220 acres of Kent countryside, occupying the same area as six London Zoos.

Each greenhouse will be 1,240ft long, centrally heated and fed by its own private reservoir.

Conditions will be monitored and controlled by computers. Plants will be grown year round, suspended in vast rows from the 26ft-high ceiling.

A staggering 2.5 million tomatoes will be cropped every week of the year; 560,000 peppers and 700,000 cucumbers will be picked weekly during a shorter season between February and October.

This massive harvest will boost Britain's salad crop production by 15 per cent - reducing reliance on imports.

To enable production on this industrial scale, the science of hydroponics is utilised.

Similar techniques were used to create the ancient Hanging Gardens of Babylon and the floating gardens of the Aztecs in Mexico.

But the scale of these modern factories is unprecedented. Indeed, this is the closest that farming gets to assembly-line agriculture.

Steve McVickers, chief executive officer of Thanet Earth, said: 'Vegetables have been grown without soil in water before. What's new here is the scale. This is the biggest greenhouse site of its kind in Britain.

'The advantage is that it gives you a clean growing medium. You get no soil-borne diseases . . . and you can exactly control the nutrients, light and temperatures the plants get.'

'Thanet Earth' will cover 91 hectares of land in Kent. It the largest such project ever attempted in the UK

Given the right conditions, the produce grows two to four times faster than normal. The plants will be grown in beds, on mats of rock wool - a natural, absorbent fibre made by melting rock and blowing air through it, a process much like making candyfloss.

The beds will then be placed in a system of guttering suspended from the greenhouse ceiling on metal cables and hanging at waist height to allow easy harvesting.

A cable drip will feed each plant with water, and nitrogen, phosphate, potassium and magnesium.

In the greenhouse, every inch of metal is painted white to reflect as much light as possible. The floor is covered with white plastic to reflect sunlight.

The plants receive the same amount of light and are kept at 28C throughout the year.

In winter, the greenhouses are warmed and illuminated artificially. In summer, shades block out the sun if temperatures get too high.

Conditions inside are so bright that workers have to wear sunglasses. Despite being heated, the owners claim the greenhouses are not damaging to the environment.

Each building has its own combined heat and power plant. They use mains gas to generate electricity and the heat from the generators is channelled back into the greenhouses - as is the waste carbon dioxide.

Fifty million gallons of water will be stored at seven reservoirs. Incredibly, worker bees are also released into the greenhouses to pollinate the plants.

Natural predators such as wasps are also used to keep damaging aphids and mites down. 

'We also have to release some pests such as aphids and red spiders at the start of the season. That gives the predators something to eat and ensures that if there is a sudden outbreak of pests, there are enough predators to cope with it,' said Mr McVickers. 

He refutes the accusation that these factory-farmed salad vegetables are tasteless.

'When you have the right variety, the flavour is fantastic. Where you sometimes don't get great favour, it's often because you've not controlled the feeding or the shade or temperature. But we can do that.'

Locals have raised concerns about the blot on the landscape - although the prospect of 550 new jobs in a deprived area of Kent has appeased many.

Even so, the arrival of the first tomato factory has been greeted with dismay by real food campaigners.

The development will grow 1.3million plants in rows

Jeanette Longfield of the food campaign group Sustain, said: 'What are they going to taste like if they are grown in water rather than in soil? How is this going to reconnect people with the importance of seasonal food and of experiencing different varieties?

'This is about producing bland food. French farmers have a word for this - they call it the "terroir" - its the special characteristics of the local landscape on the grapes and food they produce. It means that the land - the soil and the local climate - leave their mark on food.

'But how can food produced like this have character?' 

The first greenhouse will be complete next month, and the first tomatoes will be in the shops at Christmas. Peppers and cucumbers will appear next year.

Fresca's project is expected to be the first of many and may not be Britain's biggest greenhouse complex for long.

Tellingly, the soaring price of fuel means that pressure is on growers to cut overheads and many are turning to economies of scale.

'These sites are very efficient and they are a very sustainable model,' said Mr McVickers. 'This is the model for the future.'

'Thanet Earth' is being created by the Fresca Group, the UK's largest fresh produce supplier alongside three independent Dutch salad crop growers.

"What will this mean for the consumer? – great tasting British tomatoes in February and March, and in abundant supply," managing director of Thanet Earth, Steve McVickers said.

Vegetables will be grown exclusively using hydroponics - a method that uses nutrient rich water rather than soil.

The crop will be suspended from the eight-metre-high ceiling in rows, which will make picking far easier. Crucially, the computer-controlled greenhouses will be able to produce crops all year round.

Fresca claims the Research and Visitor Complex will become the UK's leading centre for developing new salad varieties.

Seven power stations will use Combined Heat and Power (CHP) to heat the greenhouses and provide enough electricity to supply over 50,000 homes - offsetting significant costs from the site.  Some of the carbon dioxide produced will be absorbed by the plants.

The developers said Thanet Earth will get most of its water from seven on-site reservoirs, which can hold up to 50 million gallons of rain water.

The project has been criticised for glassing over 91 hectares of good farming land, which will also prevent historical digs.

While preparing the site, the developers funded a survey which made a number of archaeological finds including the remains of a bronze age 'barrow' cemetery, an Iron Age hut, a medieval farmstead and even twentieth-century military trenches.

The site will contain seven greenhouses, each the size of 10 football pitches

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The Largest Greenhouse in the World

The largest greenhouses in the world are more than just vast edifices of glass and steel. They are invaluable in helping to secure a future where humanity - with a growing population - can sustainably coexist with the bounty of nature. Read on to find out which is the world’s largest greenhouse.

The world’s biggest greenhouses serve as a monumental stage where the future of agriculture is shaped. These colossal structures encapsulate an era of precision, efficiency, and prodigious yield – enabling the magic of growing food using only a sliver of the water, land, and resources that traditional farming methods demand. Alongside the largest commercial greenhouse in the world, the sheer scale of the world’s largest greenhouses take this purpose to stratospheric levels.

Beyond their capacity to facilitate sustainable farming, these horticultural havens serve as living laboratories, teaching us about ecology, botany, and environmentally responsible technology. They’re quickly becoming integral to our pursuit of a carbon-neutral future. The scientists within their glass walls are developing future-proof farming techniques, accelerating plant breeding programs, and pioneering novel ways to conserve water and energy. And our understanding of how to cultivate plants for maximum yield and minimal environmental impact is expanding.

The contenders for the title of largest glass greenhouse in the world are physical manifestations of the adage ‘think globally, act locally’. A testament to a vision where sustainability and productivity can walk hand in hand. In this article, the biggest greenhouses in the world are measured in square metres, and includes greenhouse complexes as well as single entities.

Botanical Society Conservatory

Botanical Society Conservatory, Kirstenbosch (Photo by: Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Location : Cape Town, South Africa | Opened : 1996 | Size : Approx. 1,600 m2

On the eastern slope of Table Mountain is the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden. Opened in 1913, it was the first botanical garden in the world to focus on preserving native flora. The conservatory is divided into areas by climate and location, and contains plants from South Africa’s diverse landscape including savannah, natural shrubland known as fynbos, and semi-desert regions called karoo.

Temperate House

Inside the Temperate House, Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew (Photo by Peter Dazeley via Getty Images)

Location : Kew, UK | Opened : 1863 | Size : Approx. 4,900 m2

One of the UK’s most iconic structures, the Temperate House at the Kew Royal Botanical Gardens may not be the world’s largest greenhouse but is arguably one of the most beautiful. It’s filled with over 10,000 plants from over 1,500 species native to Africa, the Americas, Australia and New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. Much of the work done in the Temperate House is to rescue and revitalise plants that are rare or even extinct in the wild, and to find solutions to some of the world’s most pressing issues, including climate change, biodiversity loss and food security.

Flower Dome

The Flower Dome, Garden by the Bay, Singapore (Photo by Sanka Vidanagama/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Location : Gardens By The Bay, Singapore | Opened : 2012 | Size : Approx. 12,000 m2

The largest glass greenhouse in the world is covered with 3,332 glass panels and features a stunning and ever-changing flower field. It has eight further gardens including the Mediterranean Garden, Olive Grove, Australian Garden and the Baobabs, which are some of the most fascinating trees in the world. The roof is fitted with a very particular type of glass which allows for maximum light yet minimal heat, so the dome can be cooled more efficiently.

Operations At Lufa Farms Rooftop Greenhouse. (Credit: Bloomberg / Contributor via Getty Images)

Location : Montreal, Canada | Opened : 2011 | Size : Approx. 15,200 m2

Husband and wife team Mohamed Hage and Lauren Rathmell built the world’s first rooftop greenhouse on top of an old warehouse, a contender for the largest commercial greenhouse in the world. They sustainably grow about 11,000 kg of fruits and vegetables every week including salads, celery, watermelon, peaches, tomatoes, aubergines and brussel sprouts. They sell 20,000 mixed baskets per week for around $30 (approximately £18).

Eden Project

Location : Cornwall, UK | Opened : 2001 | Size : Approx. 16,000 m2

Located in a reclaimed clay pit close to the town of St Austell, the Eden Project is home to two greenhouses, known as biomes. The larger of the two, the Rainforest Biome, is believed to be the world’s largest greenhouse as well as the largest indoor rainforest in the world. It’s home to over 1,000 plant varieties from Southeast Asia, Africa and tropical South America including rubber, cacao and banana trees, cacao groves and the rare Titan arum – which flowers for just two days a year and is famous for its foul smell!

Royal Greenhouses of Laeken

The orangerieis at the Palace of Laeken, Brussels, Belgium.(Credit: Thierry Monasse via Getty Images)

Location : Brussels, Belgium | Opened : 1880 | Complex Size : Approx. 25,100 m2

Located in the private gardens of Belgium’s royal family, the Royal Greenhouses of Laeken are a complex of tropical, subtropical and cold greenhouses built for King Leopold II in the late nineteenth century. Designed by Belgian architect Alphonse Balat, the round-domed Winter Garden is a contender for the largest greenhouse in the world. The other Balat-designed structures include the Palm, Congo, and Diana greenhouses. The opulent Embarcadère Greenhouse is supported by Corinthian columns and decorated with Oriental vases and statues by famous Belgian sculptor Charles Van der Stappen.

Thanet Earth

Drone view onto a row of greenhouses. (Credit: Justin Paget via Getty Images)

Location : Kent, UK | Opened : 2008 | Size : Approx. 890,300 m2

Thanet Earth is the UK’s largest consortium of greenhouse complexes with a total size of almost 900,000 square metres. It’s also home to what is possibly the largest commercial greenhouse in the world at approximately 60,000 square metres. Annually, the complex is said to produce somewhere in the region of 400 million tomatoes, 24 million peppers and 30 million cucumbers.

A view of greenhouses in rural landscape. (Credit: Tom Merton via Getty Images)

Location : Cote d’Opale, France | Opening : Approx. 2024 | Size : Approx. 20,000 m2

When it opens, Tropicalia in northeastern France will be the world’s largest single-domed greenhouse and a contender for the title of largest greenhouse in the world. Said to be costing over $60 million, the mission of the ambitious project is to raise awareness about respect for nature in a unique and sustainable tropical environment. The immersive experience will lead visitors on a 1,000 metre path through orchid valleys, bamboo forests and through the Forest of Mist where they’ll meet a microfauna of tree frogs, lizards, birds and many other creatures.

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During the annual Tour de Trash, members of the public got an inside look at where Oahu’s garbage ends up. Civil Beat tagged along.

‘It Smells Like Earth’: Honolulu Shows Off Its Alternatives To Landfills

An end-of-year deadline looms for Honolulu officials to name a location for a new municipal landfill. Meanwhile, the city is working to divert waste from needing to go to the disposal site in the first place.

Those efforts were on display during the recent Tour de Trash for members of the public who want to see where their trash ends up.

Most trash on Oahu is sent to the city’s waste-to-energy facility, H-Power, which incinerates it and uses the steam to power a generator that supplies up to 10% of the island’s electricity.

But workers touted initiatives like a new project for handling food waste, which is expected to slash the amount of waste going to H-Power, and the recycling of ash that H-Power generates.

More than 30 people who had signed up for the tour late last month were shuttled by bus for about six hours between the city’s green waste site, its recycling site, its waste-to-energy site and its landfill. 

“Our primary function is to get stuff out of the landfill,” said Pieter Mathews, a consultant for H-Power.

The tour’s first stop was Hawaiian Earth Recycling in Wahiawa . From the front of the bus, senior vice president Marvin Min explained how green waste like grass trimmings, leaves and branches is broken down by his team and an array of big machines.

They sort out plastic and metal from the green waste, grind it into mulch, stack it in piles the shape of triangular prisms called windrows , overturn the windrows so that airflow fuels decomposition and months later grind the windrows into new piles of dark and damp dirt.

“I’m not going to say it smells delicious, but it smells like earth,” Min said. Another employee returned with a sample for attendees to scent.

The plan is to add food waste to the mix, making the final product better for farming and reducing the amount of food waste that goes to H-Power.

Min’s company will build a large facility that will bring the process indoors, per standards from the state Department of Health, he said. In April, the city awarded Hawaiian Earth a contract to process green waste and food waste that lasts until 2045.

For now, food waste encapsulates about 20% of the city’s overall waste production, city recycling program chief Henry Gabriel said. That all goes to H-Power – along with almost everything else that can’t be recycled or composted, like plastic bags, mattresses and furniture. About 90% of trash that would otherwise go to the landfill goes to H-Power instead.

H-Power, the tour’s third stop after watching workers at city contractor RRR Recycling sort recyclable cardboard, plastic, glass and paper for sale to off-island processors, supplies about 10% of the island’s electricity. It generates this electricity by burning trash, and the goal is to make the trash burn evenly.

Monitors in the plant display how even these burns are, and a worker operating a gigantic crane moves the trash where it needs to go. On a drizzly day, less energy can be extracted than normal from the damp trash.

One recent challenge is that fires start about twice per day from stray lithium ion batteries, which are supposed to go to city convenience centers or transfer stations rather than into the normal waste stream. H-Power has fire hoses and extinguishers all around because of the danger these fires could cause.

“You’re in a building technically full of fuel,” Mathews said.

Attendees on the tour – which involved checking in at Kapolei Hale by 7:30 a.m. to bus between different garbage sites for hours – said that they signed up out of a desire to understand the city’s waste processing system. 

Dana Miller, who works in advocacy at Patagonia Honolulu, said she and her three employees joined so they could better understand where their store’s waste goes. 

Carlos Navarro, who was interested to learn how much of H-Power’s infrastructure is dedicated to cleaning its own air emissions, said that he heard about the tour while attending FestPAC a couple months ago.

Raymond Trinh, who teaches agriculture at Pearl City High School and is the sustainability coordinator at Waimea Valley, Hiʻipaka LLC, said that his boss at Waimea Valley told him about the tour.

Trinh got into composting by trying to sell worm bins to gardeners. Worms multiply quickly, he said, which he thought would be good business. But he decided to keep the worms for his own garden space, which got him interested in sustainable food systems. 

He worries about how easy it is to throw away waste without caring where it goes. 

“We just don’t manage our own things anymore, you know? We just give them to other people and lack awareness of what happens to it,” he said.

Waimanalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill, the last stop for much of Oahu’s trash, was also the last leg of the tour. It takes everything else that isn’t recycled, composted or burned, as well as ash from H-Power. About 80% of its intake is ash, Gabriel said. 

The landfill’s waste is buried under the surface of a mountainside that climbs high above Ko Olina and Nanakuli. Landfill manager Tina Alder said that the waste at the bottom, now covered by two protective layers and dry grass, is from the early 1990s when the landfill opened. The waste at the top, near the back of the property, arrived more recently. 

Soon, the city will need a new landfill, and time is running out to pick a location. It has been almost two years since the mayor requested a two-year extension for naming the city’s new landfill location, which was scheduled to be announced by the end of December 2022.

Finding a new location has been hard . Discussions are ongoing, and Gabriel said his team has an idea of where to put the new landfill but declined to elaborate.

City deputy communications director Ian Scheuring said there were no updates.

The city’s permit for the current site expires in 2028, and though capacity is projected to remain until the mid-2030s, the impending closure of a nearby private landfill for industrial waste means that timeline will shrink as Waimanalo Gulch is saddled with more trash. 

One long-term solution is to stop waste from entering the landfill in the first place. 

A dedicated stream for food waste, expanding recycling eligibility and promoting deconstruction rather than demolition are some of the ways that the city is thinking about accomplishing this. 

But these steps will take years to implement and in the meantime, city energy recovery administrator Ahmad Sadri said, the waste keeps rolling in.

“Trash never sleeps,” he said.

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Moscow Tours

The glorious capital of mother Russia

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Moscow Tours overview

Our private Moscow city tours allow travellers the benefit of an expert tour guide with you in every step. All you have to do is take it all in and enjoy. Explore a city born from an imperial past, yet an enduring symbol of Soviet Russia. This is a city between two worlds. When you visit Moscow , you will see how its art and architecture reflects a crossroad between Europe and Asia. Moscow revels in the centuries of comings and goings of great minds that have called this world-renowned metropolis home.

Moscow Travel Highlights:

• Rich in history and culture, reveals some amazing stories. Our captivating Moscow tours have a way of bringing the past to life as you follow a Soviet trail through the city
• Explore numerous world-class historical and contemporary art galleries and museums in Moscow , including the Tretyakov State Gallery, the Pushkin Museum, the Moscow Museum of Modern Art, and many more

Moscow holds the World's Best of Jaw-dropping Art

• Be enthralled by the monumental architecture of famous churches and iconic buildings, such as the Kremlin, the Red Square, and Saint Basil’s Cathedral
• Experience the magnificent Moscow Metro, whose grandiose architecture, intricate mosaics, and dramatic sculptures have made it a must-see attraction when travelling Russia
• Indulge yourself in one of their many famous theatre art performances, whether it be an opera or ballet performance in the glamorous Bolshoi Theatre or a post-drama or comedy production in the Gogol Centre

Captivating Adventures to Experience in Moscow

• Take a Moscow river cruise along the mighty Volga River for a unique perspective into exploring Russia’s hidden gems and treasures
• Feast on exotic Russian cuisines while strolling through the street markets or at a fine dining restaurant, and enjoy countless specialty stores sampling vodka, caviar, and chocolate
• Shop to your heart’s desire in Moscow’s two most lavished shopping centres, GUM and TSUM, where items range from the most glamorous high-end fashion brands, art, and jewellery to antiques and traditional handicrafts

Must-Visit Moscow Landmarks

The Red Square, Saint Basil’s Cathedral, and The Kremlin top every visitor’s list. These iconic buildings have defined Russia for centuries, but Moscow’s culture doesn’t stop there. Visit Izmailovsky Park, one of the largest urban parks in the world (six times larger than New York’s Central Park) or marvel at the Ostankino Tower, once the tallest structure on earth. Chase down real adventure and ride the Moscow Metro for a true taste of Russia in what visitors call part bomb shelter, part art gallery.

Moscow is an elite paradise with the highest concentration of billionaires on the planet, so nothing is off-limits. Moscow is full of history and possibility – both a political hub and billionaire playground. Visit Moscow and decide for yourself what this dynamic city means to you. Explore the expertly designed Moscow tour packages below for some more inspiration.

Explore Moscow Tours

Moscow Vibes – Three Day City Escape

This handcrafted Moscow tour is perfectly planned weekend exploration of Russia capital's most famous tourist attractions. You will enjoy a panoramic tour of this magnificent city, will explore mighty Kremlin and Red Square and indulge in world-famed Moscow metro and Arbat street.

Classic Moscow - Art, History and Culture

Breathe in the history of Moscow, explore its Imperial and soviet past, dynamic contemporary culture and lifestyle. On this 5-day tour of Moscow, you'll visit the must-see sights with your private guide and explore the city at your own pace.

Highlights of Moscow & St Petersburg

Immerse yourself in the art, history and culture of Russia and explore the contrasting styles of Moscow and St Petersburg in just one week. Experience the iconic landmarks of Moscow, then, take a fast train to Saint Petersburg, one of the most beautiful cities in Europe.

Moscow and St Petersburg in Style

This carefully crafted 9-day itinerary tells the tale of two cities – Moscow, the source of Eastern political, economic and spiritual influence, and St Petersburg – Russia’s cultural epicentre and window to Western Europe.

Moscow, St Petersburg and Golden Ring Rendezvous

This tour of Moscow, St. Petersburg and the Golden Ring explores the places that shaped Russia’s history – past, present and future. Uncover Moscow’s ongoing revolutionary spirit, before journeying back in time to rural, medieval Russia. End in St Petersburg, a city of royal splendour and undeniable romance.

Moscow & St Petersburg Winter Escapade

Experience the romantic, winter wonderland atmosphere and festive city lights of Russia’s two biggest cities and celebrate the New Year! You’ll discover some of the cities' most iconic attractions and lesser-known gems.

Northern Lights in Russia: Arctic Winter Magic

Explore main sights of mighty Moscow and cultural capital of Russia - Saint Petersburg. Head to Karelia, where we’ll stop to admire the Ruskeala Mountain Park and historic Kizhi Island. Discover the customs of the indigenous Saami in Kola Peninsula and observe Aurora Borealis dancing in the sky.

A custom tour made to order

We understand sometimes our set departure dates do not align with your ability to travel at that time, or you just want to travel bespoke. We got you covered.

Go custom — gives you the choice & flexibility of creating your own bespoke itinerary, using our tours for inspiration.

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Put-in tours

Original tour agency in moscow and st petersburg..

Onboard a Soviet van!

Welcome to Russia!

We are Sergey and Simon, a Russian and a Frenchman, both  passionate about Moscow, Saint-Petersburg and classic cars. Together, we have created Put-in tours. Our goal is to help you experience Russian culture off the beaten path. Join us onboard our classic Soviet van and let’s get rolling!

In Moscow we offer you a city tour to discover most of the city in an original way as well as a night tour to admire the lights. Our pubcrawl is ideal to explore Moscow’s night-life and have fun. If you are craving to discover Russian culture, come impress your senses during our monastery diner or join our 100% Russian Banya Excursion . The latest will also bring you to Sergiyev Posad and it’s famous monastery!

For the most extreme travellers, our shooting tour will deliver your daily dose of adrenaline whereas our tank excursion will let you ride a real tank and shoot a bazooka.

We also offer help to receive your visa , safe and multilingual airport transfers , as well as organisation services for team-building events or bachelor parties .

All our excursions (but the monastery diner) happen onboard our Soviet military vans and can be covered by our  professionnal photographer or videographer.

In Saint Petersburg

We welcome you in Saint Petersburg onboard our Soviet van to discover the imperial city with our city tour and night tour .

Continue your discovery in style! The adrenaline lovers will like our shooting tour  which brings 3 Russian weapons to the tip of your trigger finger.

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At Put-in tours, we put you in our classic Soviet vans to go explore Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Russian culture off the beaten path. Discover our Moscow city guided tour, visit Moscow by night, join our banya & Sergiyev Posad excursion, visit and dine in one of Moscow's oldest monastery or even Luzhniki stadium, before you party on our famous pubcrawl! Original and atypical tours : Shoot AK47 and a bazooka after riding on a tank with our tank & bazooka excursion ! Extreme tours: Fly a fighter jet in Moscow onboard a L-29 or L-39 aircraft!

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