Moscow - St. Petersburg (13 Days and 12 Nights)

Day 1 - 3

Moscow: You will be met at the airport or train station by one of our drivers and taken by a comfortable car to the river port where you will board your cruise ship. Over the next few days you will have a chance to explore Moscow and learn about its riveting history. You will be taken on a city tour where you will see Moscow’s most interesting sights and learn about this amazing city’s past and present. You will also have a chance to do some light shopping and there will be time to relax aboard the ship in the evenings. One of the highlights of your time in Moscow is a visit to Red Square and the Kremlin. You will also visit one of the Kremlin’s famous cathedrals. The Kremlin as we know it today was rebuilt as a stone structure during the beginning of the 14th century but the actual site had been inhabited and used as a fortified city wall for centuries before this period. The Kremlin is truly a fascinating structure - at the same time it is an ancient tower, the city´s former military fortification, a palace and the workplace of the Russian President. The Kremlin is the center of Russia´s political life and State power and has been home to Tsars, General Secretaries of the Soviet Union and Russian Presidents. Red Square is within the Kremlin´s walls. Moscow is Russia’s political and financial capital as well as a major world class cultural center. The city includes many must see attractions from the Kremlin and Red Square to the Assumption Cathedral. Moscow is the largest city in Europe. It is unique in that it blends the ancient with the modern. See medieval structures among modern office buildings, walk down crooked old city streets opening up to wide busy boulevards. It is a fantastic city and truly a site that shouldn´t be missed.

Day 4

Arrival in Uglich. You will be taken to the walking city tour with visit to Kremlin, the Church of St. Demitrius on the Blood and the Transfiguration cathedral. Uglich was founded in 1148 as a small princedom bordering on Muscovy, Uglich is one of the most beloved towns in Old Russia. The view of the town as you approach it from the Volga River is breathtaking with the Cathedral of the Resurrection and St. John´s Church rising up on the horizon. The history of the town is fascinating; At the end of the 16th century, Maria Nagaya, seventh wife of Ivan the Terrible, lived in honorary exile at the Kremlin in Uglich. It was here in her garden that the 10 year old Prince Dmitry of the Rurik Dynasty, heir to the Russian throne was murdered by Boris Godunov who wanted to seize power for himself. On the spot of his death, the Church of St. Demitrius of the Blood was built and still stands today. The death of Prince Dmitri brought on the start of the Time of Troubles, a dynastic and political crises and one of the most tumultuous periods in Russian history which ended 15 years later after the election of a new Tsar Mikhail Romanov (the first Tsar of the Romanov Dynasty). Inside the Kremlin the oldest building in Uglich, the Palace of Tsarevich Dmitry also stands. During your time in Uglich you will learn more about the town’s past and walk along the paths of Russian history.

Day 5

Arrival in the old Russian town of Myshkin. Walking city tour with a visit to the Museum of Russian Valenki exposition Russian Linen, exposition Granary Mice, local history museum, Miller´s House with folklore. Myshkin literally means a Mouse´s town. The origin of the town´s name is very curious. It happened many centuries ago. An unknown prince stopped for the night in the woods and made camp on the grass and fell asleep. During the night, the prince was awakened by a mouse which had run across his face. This was not a very pleasant incident but it saved his life. As the prince pushed away the mouse he suddenly saw a venomous snake ready to strike right beside him and quickly killed the creature. The mouse had alerted him to the danger! To honor the mouse, the prince erected a chapel on the very spot, and in gratitude to his small rescuer he named this place Myshkin. In the XVIII century Myshkin achieved the status of a town according to Catherine II decree, and by the end of XIX century it became one of the richest and most prosperous small towns on the Volga river.

Day 6

Arrival in medieval city of Yaroslavl. You will be taken to the panoramic city tour with a visit to a local market (free time). You will also see the Church of Elijah the Prophet (exterior), Church of St Nicholas (interior) and enjoy an interactive tour of former Governor´s House (and visit to an Art Gallery). Yaroslavl: Stretching for 18 miles on both banks of the Volga, Yaroslavl is an important Volga port with a population of 600,000. It was founded in the 1010 by Prince Yaroslav the Wise and is one of the ancient Russian cities making up the Golden Ring. It was destroyed by the Tatars in the 13th and 14th centuries but then restored and rebuilt and by the 17th century it had become Russia’s second largest city after Moscow and an important cultural and political center. Today, Yaroslavl retains many noteworthy monuments of its colorful past. Of special interest is the magnificent 13th century Spassky Monastery ensemble, a group of majestic 17th century cathedrals, an elegant rotunda and remnants of an ancient trading center. The churches of St. Nicholas and Elijah the Prophet have some of the Golden Ring´s most impressive frescoes.

Day 7

Arrival in the ancient village of Goritsy . Tour of the St. Cyril on the White Lake Monastery and Museum of Icons. Goritsy is a tiny settlement 7 kilometers from the St. Cyril on the White Lake Monastery. The remains of the Nunnery of the Resurrection that sits on the banks of the Sheksna River can be visited and is within a quarter of a mile of where the ship stops. Goritsy is definitely a site to see for anyone with an interest in Russian history. St. Cyril on the White Lake was founded in 1397 by Kirill Belosersky on the shore of Lake Siverskoye. The monastery had wide trade in the 15th to 17th centuries and was used as a fortress to protect Russia’s nobility during the Times of Troubles. After lunch you will return to your ship and set sail in the direction of St. Petersburg along the Volga Baltic Canal. The Volga Baltic Canal is a series of canals and rivers that connect the Volga river to the Baltic Sea.

Day 8

Cruise along Europe’s second largest lake, Lake Onega and arrive on the island of Kizhi. Here you will visit a fascinating open air museum containing numerous examples of elaborate Russian, wooden architecture. Kizhi Island: Via the Volga Baltic Canal, our cruise takes us to the tiny island of Kizhi, located at the northern end of Lake Onega. The island is renowned for its open-air Museum of Architecture , which is assembled from over 80 monuments of wooden architecture from various areas of the country and restored to form a glimpse of the past. The most impressive site on the island is the Church of the Transfiguration or Preobrazhenskaya (the church of twenty-two wooden domes). This masterpiece of architecture, featuring five tiers of 22 domes, was built in 1714 without the use of a single nail, only an axe and pine trees. The church magically changes color as the day grows old, it is certainly one of the most interesting things you will see during your time in Russia.

Day 9

A stop in the village of Mandrogui. Enjoy walking around this traditional Russian village in its beautiful setting and spending a day of rest, relaxation and fun. We will have a fantastic barbeque picnic on the banks of the river featuring one of Russia’s favorite specialties – shashlik (meat shish kebab prepared on an outdoor fire). You will love it! Mandrogui is really more of a living museum than a live-in village. It features a collection of old wooden houses and is geared towards showing visitors what a traditional Russian village resembled in the past. One of the features here is the Vodka Museum, which contains thousands of different brands and types of Russia´s favorite pastime.

Day 10 - 13

Arrival in the imperial capital of Russia - St. Petersburg. Your time in St. Petersburg will begin with a Panoramic City Tour . This tour is the best way to get acquainted with all of the city´s major highlights. Our professional guide will take you down Nevsky Prospect, St. Petersburg´s most famous and vibrant thoroughfare. There you will see some of the city´s most interesting architectural monuments including the Kazan Cathedral (exterior) and the Winter Palace. You will see the Peter and Paul Fortress (exterior) - a symbol of St. Petersburg and also the oldest building in the city. One of the highlights of your entire cruise will be a visit to the Hermitage, Russia’ premier museum containing one of the largest art collections in the world. The museum consists of five historical buildings including the Winter Palace - the residence of the Russian Tsars. The museum contains over 3 million pieces of art with dates ranging from high antiquity to the present day. Among the Hermitage´s treasures are artworks by Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Titian, Rembrandt, Rubens and a large collection of impressionists and post impressionists including Matisse and Picasso as well as many others. During your time in St. Petersburg you will also visit the town of Pushkin (formerly Tsarskoye Selo). The Palace and Park of Tsarskoye Selo is a former country residence of the Russian emperors. It is a fascinating monument of the world´s architectural and gardening arts of the XVIII-XIX centuries. Its 3 parks occupy an area of 600 hectares on which are located over 100 architectural monuments: from magnificent palaces and grand monuments to intimate pavilions and park sculptures designed by masters of the Venetian school such as P. Baratta, A. Tarsia and D. Bonazza. The center of Tsarskoye Selo is Catherine´s Palace, containing exquisite decorative objects, furniture, Russian and Western-European paintings, unique collections of porcelain, amber, arms and decorative bronze sculptures. The Palace also contains the Amber Room - a truly unique work of craftsmanship. On the last day of your cruise you will say goodbye to Russia, your ship’s crew and the many new friends we are sure you will have met during your time with us. We are sure that your memories of the trip will last a lifetime and we look forward to welcoming you to Russia sometime in the future. Our driver will meet you at the ship and take you to the airport to see you off. St. Petersburg: is Russia´s second largest and second most important city - the Northern capital of the country, Russia´s cultural center, and considered the world´s "Northern Venice" due to its extensive system of canals and islands. Walk along Nevsky Prospect and experience the grandeur of pre-revolutionary imperial Russia. Pass palaces from the past and gaze at the famous embankment of the Neva River with its numerous bridges and striking architecture. St. Petersburg is also home to Russia´s largest and busiest port and with its many world class theaters and museums has a very high level of cultural life.

• Accommodations in all cabins, each with a private bathroom, individual temperature controls, and windows
• Three meals daily including dinner upon arrival and breakfast on the departure day
• Captain´s welcome cocktail reception
• Traditional bread and salt welcome ceremony
• Full sightseeing programs in each port
• On board entertainment including Russian language course, Russian song lessons, live music concerts, dancing music in bars nightly, Captain’s bridge tour, etc.
• English/French/German/Spanish/Italian speaking guides onboard; services of guides speaking other foreign languages can be provided at additional cost
• Souvenir shop onboard
• Medical center onboard
• Sauna onboard
• Discos and bars onboard
• Special holiday meals and celebrations
• Captain´s Farewell Dinner (special menu)
• Two airport or train station transfers on arrival and departure days
• Russian visa invitations for all travelers

• International airfare. However, we can offer you extremely inexpensive flights to Russia through our discount airfare booking engine. Please click here to learn more.
• Additional drinks and water in ship restaurant and drinks from the onboard bars
• Option tours
• Tips for the crew and ship staff
• Forwarding of baggage/souvenirs
• Accident, baggage and trip cancellation insurance (we recommend you purchase insurance).
• Visas (However we will issue a free visa invitation and help you with the visa application process. By doing it this way you will save a substantial sum of money)
• Items of a personal nature (laundry services, bar charges, beauty salon services, telephone and cable charges and medical services).
• Room service offered at an additional price.