Volga River Cruise
Programme Overview
Duration: 11 days
An 11-day itinerary including an 8-day Volga cruise and the highlights of Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Highlights: Moscow, Uglich, Plyos, Yaroslavl, Goritsi, Kizhi, Mandrogi, St Petersburg, Pushkin
Arrive Moscow
You are met at Moscow Airport and assisted with Customs formalities after which you will be privately transferred to your hotel in Moscow city centre.
After checking in and having time to freshen up, you will meet in a private bar for welcome cocktails before enjoying dinner together at Turandot Restaurant.
Overnight: Ritz Carlton Hotel
Meal Plan: D
Moscow - M/S Volga Dream
This morning, early entry to the State Armoury in the Kremlin ensures a private visit before the crowds. The State Armoury is the oldest museum in Russia and home to a collection of precious stones, 18th and 19th century jewelry, an impressive collection of carriages from the best Russian and European masters, precious fabrics and royal gala clothes. The Armoury is also famous for its fine collection of Fabergé eggs.
Afterwards see the dazzling exhibition of the State Diamond Fund, containing the "pride and glory" of Russia, including the crown jewels, used for centuries in coronations right up to that of Tsar Nicolas II at the end of 19th century.
Take lunch at the nearby Café Pushkin before continuing to join the MS Volga Dream in preparation for your Volga River cruise. Your luggage will have been transferred separately to the boat.
This evening enjoy the Captain's Welcome Reception followed by dinner.
Overnight: M/S Volga Dream
Meal Plan: B,L,D
Uglich
Depart for a walking tour of this Golden Ring city including The Church of St. Dimitry on Spilled Blood, a 17th-century architectural treasure built on the site where Ivan the Terrible's son met his death. Enjoy a visit to the five-domed Church of Transfiguration, noted for its beautiful iconostasis and enjoy a concert of choral music by a local choir.
Overnight: M/S Volga Dream
Meal Plan: B,L,D
Plyos
Plyos is a lovely quaint Russian town climbing up a high hill with a 17th century church overlooking the surrounding area. Plyos is a well established spa with a couple of interesting museums, including the Museum of Isaac Levitan, a famous Russian 19th century artist, "a genius of Russian landscape".
You may enjoy a very pleasant walk along the river promenade which is usually bustling with local people, artisans and vendors. Artists bring their works to the embankment to display and sell.
Overnight: M/S Volga Dream
Meal Plan: B,L,D
Yaroslavl
Visit Yaroslavl, the oldest city on the Volga River. Enjoy a visit to churches of the 13th to 17th centuries which remain intact despite the area seeing action in World War II. See the Saviour Transfiguration Monastery and also visit the newly opened 'Treasures of Yaroslavl' exhibition within the monastery grounds which features precious objects of applied art of the 15th – 18th centuries. Visit the 17th century Church of Elijah the Prophet with its most prized asset – frescoes painted by renowned artists of ancient Russia.
Overnight: M/S Volga Dream
Meal Plan: B,L,D
Goritsi
Arrive in Goritsi and tour the Kirillo Belozersky Monastery which contains an excellent museum of icons and frescoes. Afterwards you may also visit the Ferapontov Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with magnificent wall paintings by the great artist, Dionisy.
Overnight: M/S Volga Dream
Meal Plan: B,L,D
Kizhi
Enjoy a walking tour of the island including the magnificent wooden homes and churches that make up the open-air museum. One of the highlights of the tour is the sight of the magnificent onion-domed Church of the Transfiguration.
Overnight: M/S Volga Dream
Meal Plan: B,L,D
Mandrogi
Enjoy the cruise through the scenic Svir River, connecting Lake Onega and Lake Ladoga. Disembark in Mandrogi to experience daily life in this quaint wooden village on your own. You have the possibility to visit the local crafts center to see how famous 'matryoshka' dolls are hand painted.
Overnight: M/S Volga Dream
Meal Plan: B,L,D
St Petersburg
Say goodbye to the M/S Volga Dream and hello to St Petersburg. After breakfast, disembark and meet your local guide for a welcome orientation of the city whilst your luggage is taken to your hotel and checked in to your rooms for you.
This is a city of infinite charm, with its majestic palaces, churches and cathedrals, river embankments, beautiful parks and numerous bridges – a city of imperial proportions and romantic vistas which has been a source of inspiration for generations of artists. Visit the Peter and Paul Fortress, the historical nucleus of the city as well as one of the most interesting and beautiful architectural landmarks. The Peter & Paul Cathedral with its long gilded spire is the burial place of all Russian emperors from Peter the Great to the last of the Romanovs – Tsar Nicholas II. Designed to protect newly acquired lands in the mouth of the Neva River, the fortress lost its military significance before it was completed. It was turned into the most dismal political prison of Russia for almost 200 years.
After lunch at a local restaurant, rejoin your private guide for a visit to St Isaac’s Cathedral. Boasting the fourth highest cupola cathedral in the world St. Isaac’s is awe-inspiring for its size and decoration. The cathedral can accommodate 13,000 worshippers in a time. The monolithic columns of the portico cut from red granite are seventeen meters high and weigh 114 tons each. The mosaic inside has twelve thousand shades and colours, the walls are five meters thick and the main cupola is coated with one hundred kilos of gold.
After your tour of the Cathedral, transfer to your hotel and check in. Dinner this evening will be at leisure.
Overnight: Astoria Hotel
Meal Plan: B,L
St Petersburg - Pushkin - St Petersburg
This morning, join your driver and guide for a visit to Pushkin, home of the magnificent Catherine Palace, once the official summer residence of Russian Tsars. A pearl of Russian Baroque architecture, the palace was built in 1752 for the Empress Catherine.
The most famous room here is the Amber Room, looted by the Nazis during World War II and completely restored in 2003. Surrounding the palace is a park covering more than 570 hectares with bridges, terraces, fountains and small galleries.
Following a tour of the Palace, drive to neighbouring little town of Pavlovsk to take a horse ride through the park to the traditional Russian restaurant "Podvorie". The restaurant is a typical wooden log-house resembling a fortress. Taste genuine Russian cuisine with delicious appetizers and famous "borscht" (beetroot soup) accompanied by Cossack's folklore singing and, of course, Russian vodka! You will then return to St Petersburg for time at leisure.
Farewell dinner this evening will be at The Gourmet Club.
Overnight: Astoria Hotel
Meal Plan: B,L,D
Depart St Petersburg
This morning, check out of your hotel and transfer by private vehicle to the airport for your return journey home.
Meal Plan: B