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12 days from $3,599 per person
Your 12-day Small Ship Cruise & Tour featuring a luxury Volga cruise, 5-star hotels in Moscow & St. Petersburg, 23 meals including wine with lunch and dinner onboard, all sightseeing, luggage handling, port charges and all on-tour transportation.
A Journey through the Russian Heartland… Explore Moscow and St. Petersburg with our fine resident staff and voyage down the Volga aboard Russia’s finest river ship. The 5-star MS Volga Dream captures the casual elegance of an ocean-going yacht and promises the finest accommodations on the river, superb dining and expertly-guided shore excursions
Moscow, Yaroslavl, Uglich, Goritzy, Vytegra, Kizhi Island, Mondraga and St. Petersburg, Russia
Engaging Discoveries
- Experience the intimacy and luxury of Russia’s finest river ship... the 58-cabin MS Volga Dream!
- Enrich your appreciation of Russia’s rich musical heritage... The award-winning Quartet Vis a Vis performs onboard for your listening pleasure.
- Thrill to a moving Choral Concert at the five-domed Church of the Transfiguration in the 10th-century Golden Ring town of Uglich.
- Step into the colorful pages of history in Mondraga, a riverside village reconstructed to showcase the life, culture and traditions of Russia’s long-ago past.
Day 1 - Welcome to Moscow
Check in to the 5-star Hilton Leningradskaya Moscow, a celebrated and historic landmark wonderfully located next to the city’s Garden Ring.
Day 2 - Explore Moscow
Our resident expert awaits this morning to lead you on a full-day exploration of the Russian capital! Stand in Red Square, admire the boisterous domes of St. Basil’s Cathedral and enter within the Kremlin Walls to gaze upon the Imperial treasures of the Armory Museum.
Meals B
Day 3 - Welcome Aboard!
Your luxury vessel, the MS Volga Dream, sets sail from the heart of Moscow to begin your journey. Enjoy lovely views of the city as you cruise the Moscow Canal to the Volga River. This evening, join your fellow guests for dinner in the ship’s elegant dining room.
Meals D
Day 4 - Uglich
Enjoy a traditional bread and salt welcome when you alight in the Golden Ring town of Uglich, founded in the 10th century. Your walking tour includes the Church of St. Demitrius of the Blood, built on the site where Ivan the Terrible’s son Dimitry was assassinated. Thrill to a Choral Concert in the lovely Church of the Transfiguration before returning to ship.
Meals B,L,D
Day 5 - Churches and markets in Yaroslavl
This picturesque city is the oldest along the Volga. Your touring includes the Savior Transfiguration Monastery and the Church of St. Elijah, graced with frescoes by some of ancient Russia’s most revered artists. Browse a colorful farmers’ market, sample the product, and gain insight into daily life on the river.
Meals B,L,D
Day 6 - Step ashore in Goritzy
Sail across White Lake, once an exclusive fishing ground for the Czars. Alight in Goritzy and visit the Cathedral of the Assumption and the 14th century Kirill-Belozersky Monastery founded by the hermit Saint Cyril.
Meals B,L,D
Day 7 - History and culture in Vytegra
Set on the shores of Lake Onega, your visit in this remote river port includes an historic B-440 submarine from the Cuban Missle Crisis of 1962. The local museum offers a fascinating look into the region’s rich culture and traditions.
Meals B,L,D
Day 8 - The Open Air Museum on Kizhi Island
Cruise across Lake Onega, Europe’s second largest lake, to Kizhi Island. Step ashore and visit the Open Air Museum of Architecture to see stellar examples of traditional Russian wooden structures, including windmills, houses, and the 300-year-old Church of the Transfiguration, an onion-domed fantasy with 22 cupolas hand-built with chisels and axes. Meals B,L,D
Day 9 - Up the Svir to Mondraga
View the rugged and majestic landscape of the Svir River with timber rafts and log piles dotting the river banks. Step ashore in Mondraga, a reconstructed village built on the shore of the Svir to illustrate the traditions and lifestyle of Russia's past. This delightful stop allows you to visit the wooden homes and see many craftsmen making local ceramics, lace and popular matrioshkas (nesting dolls), and to enjoy a traditional Russian barbecue lunch.
Meals B,L,D
Day 10 - Welcome to St. Petersburg
Arrive today in the city of Peter the Great, founded over 300 years ago in a lovely region of islands and waterways along the shores of the Gulf of Finland.
Upon disembarking, join your experienced St. Petersburg-based guide to discover the glorious architecture of the city, including the enormous gold-domed St. Isaac’s Cathedral and the Church of the Spilled Blood, set on one of the city’s many charming canals. Continue on to the 5-star Sokos Hotel Palace Bridge for check-in.
Meals B
Day 11 - Out and About in St. Petersburg
Travel to Pushkin to tour the resplendent Catherine Palace, renowned for its Amber Room lovingly restored following World War II. Back in the city, your in-depth visit through the world-famous Hermitage Museum explores one of the world’s greatest art collections.
Meals B
Day 12 - Farewell to Russia!
Your journey ends this morning after breakfast.
Meals B
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