Russian River Cruise

We are proud to offer our popular Volga River sailings between the two major cities of Russia, St. Petersburg and Moscow. Explore Russia's two great cities from the comfort and security of a specially adapted river cruiser and sail between them along a network of canals, rivers and lakes. Enjoy a program of cultural events on board ship as well as a full range of shore excursions, including visits to Red Square, the Kremlin, the fairytale island of Kizhi, the Czar's Winter Palace and many more. The ideal way to discover Russia.

FOOD: As for your meals, you will be most satisfied. While menus are set and we do not offer a la carte dining or midnight lobster snacks, we do have a full self service breakfast buffet, early morning coffee, 3 course lunches and 4 course dinners including coffee and tea and special highlights such as riverside barbecues, champagne and caviar tasting, piroshki and tea parties, Russian theme dinners and much more!

ENTERTAINMENT: You will be most surprised in is the quality of on board entertainment! Following the mantra to give you a truly original Russian experience, we use the only cruise operator that employs a full onboard team of 16 professional musicians and artists to entertain you during the sailing! They include the 9 member Samovar folklore group, the extraordinary violinist Mr. Boris Gamus, the wonderful pianist Mr. Alexander Kolesnikov and our live 3 piece band, the Volga Trio, who will entertain you with dance music each evening in the bar!

ACTIVITIES: Along with the violin/piano concerts and folklore performances, you will also have the opportunity to enjoy other on board Russian style activities arranged by the cruise directors including; Russian champagne and caviar tasting, Russian language lessons, lectures on modern Russian life, bingo, talent shows and much more! (subject to passenger participation). And if that is not enough, optional activities such as a ballet or a circus performance will be offered on board during your sailing!

Only aboard these cruises will you enjoy ALL of these activities already included in the price of your tour:

PARTIES:

-Welcome cocktail and information meeting

-Riverside shashlik barbecue with wine & entertainment

-Russian themed dinner with champagne and folklore!

-Piroshki & tea party hosted by a local Russian family in Goritza!

-Caviar, blini & champagne party!

-Captain's farewell dinner with vodka & champagne

CONCERTS:

-Violin concert performed by the "Deserved Artist of the RussianFederation" Mr. Boris Gamus, recipient of Russia's highest artistic award

-Piano concert (jazz/classical) performed by renown pianist Mr.Alexander Kolesnikov

-Concert of Russian folklore & dances performed by the exquisite 9 member Samovar folklore group from Yekatarinburg

-Nightly piano easy listening music in the Neva Bar

-Nightly live dance music performed in the Volga Bar

LECTURES: (subject to passenger interest)

-Lecture on Russian history

-Introduction to Russian art and souvenirs

-Russian language lessons

-Round table discussion on Russia today

-Aerobics, dance lessons, bingo, scavenger hunts

-The all popular crew & passenger talent show

Please note: Itinerary is reversed on other sailing dates.. See Russian Waterways Cruise - Moscow to St. Petersburg.

"DOBRO POZHALOVATS"! (WELCOME ABOARD!)

Upon your arrival in St Petersburg transfer on your own to the port, where the MS Konstantin Korotkov is docked. Settle into your cabins and enjoy you first dinner on board.

St. Petersburg, one of the most beautiful cities in the world is situated on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, in the delta of the river Neva. There are 65 rivers and canals flowing through St. Petersburg, as well as 42 islands. Peter the Great founded the city in 1703, and from 1712-1918 it was the capital of the Russian Empire. With its five million inhabitants, it is the second largest city in Russia. Because of its many canals, bridges and architectural beauty, St. Petersburg is often referred to as the "Venice of the North".

-City sightseeing tour by coach: Get to know this truly magnificent city during our morning city tour which leads you past Nevsky Prospect, St. Isaac's Cathedral, Kazan's Assembly Church, the Admiralty Building, Palace Square with the residence of Russian Czars known as the "Winter Palace", the "Bronze Horseman" monument of Peter the Great, built by Empress Katarina II, the cruiser Aurora, and the fascinating bridges on the river Neva which are raised every night in order to enable the passage of ships sailing to the Baltic.

-Tour of the Hermitage: The afternoon is reserved for a tour of the Hermitage, one of the greatest museums of the world! Located within the 1,000+ room Winter Palace, the Hermitage boasts of over 3 million artifacts spread out to 365 rooms and featuring an amazing collection of art dating from the early Greek to modern times! Pay special attention to the original paintings by famous artists such as Da Vinci, Van Gogh, Gauguin and Monet.

-Optional Evening Cultural Performance: (Tickets to be purchased on board)

When available, an optional cultural performance (ballet or folklore) will be offered.

A full free day for you to explore the sights and sounds of St. Petersburg on your own, or to take advantage of one of our optional tours offered by our friendly cruise managers.

Optional full day Palace Excursion: The morning features an excursion to Pushkin, the former village of the Russian royalty. Here you will tour the impressive Catherine's Palace, followed by a visit to Petrodvorets and its famous gardens, the summer palace of Peter the Great. Built to rival Versailles in France, it is a magnificent display of grand statues, splendid gardens and fountains powered only by the force of gravity.

Optional Cossack Show: If time permits, you can purchase a ticket to the exciting folklore show of the St. Petersburg Cossacks in the evening

Set sail at 8:00 PM

Now underway on this 1140 mile cruise via the Neva river: We will travel through Lake Lodoga, Svir River, Lake Onega, the Volgabaltic canal, the White Lake, Vitrega: Kavdga, Seksna, the Volga Rivers and finally the Moscow Volga Canal.

After breakfast, the morning will be free to participate in our on board activities and entertainment.

Enjoy a picnic lunch in a village setting! Taste a Russian shashlik BBQ accompanied by red wine and entertainment by our onboard musicians. Be sure to visit the Vodka Museum in Mondraga before continuing to Kizhi.

Morning spent at the tiny fairytale island of Kizhi on Lake Onega (Europe's second largest); the open-air museum of architecture contains examples from various regions of Russia and the Transfiguration Church is a pure delight, with its 22 domes and erected without a single nail or piece of metal by Nester; explore the island, and lunch on board. Evening folklore concert.

Afternoon arrival at Goritza, a typical Russian village. Browse around, possibly visit the homes of local farmers and have a taste of home made piroggis, tea and a chat! Caviar and champagne tasting onboard.

Yaroslavl is an important port along both banks of the Volga, founded in the 11th century by Prince Yaroslavl the Wise. Sightseeing will include many of the splendid monuments, as the St Elija the Prophet church in the central square with its famous fresco paintings. The tour will end with an optional acapello concert performed by a 30 member Choir.

In the evening a traditional Russian dinner with entertainment by the staff dressed in national costumes accompanied by our lively folklore mus

Walking city tour of Uglich. The city is famous for the more troubled and violent side of Russian history. It was here that the Russian crown prince Dimitri was assassinated, which eventually led to Boris Godunov ascending the Russian throne. Here on the banks of the Volga, you can also find a rich collection of Russian Orthodox architecture which you will get to see as well as the Church of St. Demitrius of the Blood and the Palace of Tsarevich Dmitri.

In the afternoon enjoy a classical music concert.

Captain's Farewell Dinner. Time to dress up and enjoy the festivities as you continue sailing to your final destination: Moscow!

Moscow, the capital of Russia, is situated between the banks of the rivers Oka and Volga. A metropolis of 8 million people, Moscow today is not only the seat of the Russian government but also home to many world renowned attractions

A city sightseeing by bus: A genuine introduction to this exciting city is our guided sightseeing tour by bus, featuring Moscow’s major sights such as the humongous Red Square, famous St. Basil’s Cathedral and the impressive Kremlin. Your afternoon is free for you to explore some more on your own or to join one of the optional excursions offered by our cruise managers, such as an excursion to the Sergiev Posad Complex, the heart of the Russian Orthodox Church, or take a tour of the famous Moscow Metro and pedestrian Arbat Street.

Optional Circus performance: (Tickets to be purchased on board). The evening is reserved for a performance of the Moscow Circus, one of the greatest circus acts in the world. Be mesmerized, be entertained, laugh and enjoy!

Another exciting day lies ahead for you to immerse yourself into this bustling city.

This morning is reserved for a Kremlin Tour: We get an inside look at the Kremlin and its fascinating Cathedrals, giant Tzar Bells and Cannons.

The afternoon is free to partake in the optional tour of the Armory Museum, the world renowned depository of Royal Russian riches including samples of weapons, carriages, thrones and the famous Faberge eggs.

Tonight, discover a unique sight of the illuminated city by joining our optional Moscow by night tour.

Disembark after breakfast at 9:00 am.

Notes