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Ship Litvinov: St. Petersburg - Rostov on Don, River Cruise 01 Oct 2010 - 20 Oct 2010Route description:Cross Russia from its northern shores to its southern beaches. Travel from St. Petersburg to Rostov-on-Don via an intricate network of canals and explore its unique history and culture both past and present. Itinerary
Cruise details  Interested in this cruise? Call us: 1-800-884-1721 Suite: $6,039 Main Deck Twin: $3,088 Upper Deck Twin: $3,290 Boat Deck Twin: $3,530 Junior Suite: $5,276 Preferred currency: Date: 01 Oct 2010 - 20 Oct 2010 Ship: Route: Duration: 20 days |
Welcome to Russia! Your driver will be waiting for you at the airport arrivals gate, you will see him holding a sign with your name. He will take you to the port for ship embarkation. There is no special program for this evening. You will have a chance to relax after your flight, to enjoy the dinner on board and to meet your fellow travelers for this extraordinary adventure across Russia..jpg)
St. Petersburg is Russia's cultural and historical treasure, one of
the world's most beautiful cities, and one of its top ten tourist
destinations according to "The Forbes Traveler." It is known as the
Venice of North thanks to its numerous canals and hundreds of
bridges. It is sometimes called Russia's Versailles thanks to
dozens of opulent palaces and royal estates. It can be rightly
called a living museum - so many of its buildings are part of
Russia's history.
Mandrogi is the name of a small village that has no architectural wonders, giant castles or churches. You will, however, discover the unique style and architecture of the northern tribes that have occupied these lands for centuries.
The Volga is often mentioned in Russian literature. In ancient times this river was used as a trade route by the Vikings who travelled to Greece. It was along this route that the first Russian settlements appeared. Today, more than half the population of Russia lives along this ancient trade route..jpg)
Goritsy stands on the banks of the Volga River where it falls into the White Lake. 
Everyone has heard of Kiev and Novgorod, these cities are still famous today. Historically these cities were the largest in Eastern Europe. 
The small town is 63 km southeast of Kostroma on the Volga. It was
founded in 1409 by Great Prince Vasilii I Dimitriovich as a
fortress to help protect the approaches to Kostroma from the
Tatars. On the right bank of the Volga atop an already high bluff
they built the usual earthen ramparts behind deepened ditches and
topped with wooden stockade and towers.
Nizhny Novgorod was one of the newly founded towns that escaped
Mongol devastation on account of its insignificance. The city,
similarly to Moscow and Tver, attracted refugees from other cities
pillaged by the Mongols and expanded rapidly during the period of
the "Mongol yoke" that lasted for a little over 100 years. Moscovy
incorporated the city in 1392 and soon thereafter the Tatars of
Kazan burnt it down (1408). It took over one century to construct
an enormous redbrick castle here which was soon of use when the
Tatars tried to burn it again in 1520 and 1536. Today, just like
500 years ago, Nizhniy is one of the main commercial centers of
Russia.
Kazan was the capital of Tatars, the allies of Mongols. Ivan the
Terrible conquered Kazan in 1552 and forced its Muslim ruler to
convert to Christianity. Ivan remodeled Kazan's castle to the
Russian style and built St. Basil's Cathedral on the Red Square of
Moscow in the celebration of his victory. It is interesting that
St. Basil's domes, all nine of them, correspond to the number of
days that the siege of Kazan lasted.
In 1924, the city of Simbirsk was renamed Ulyanovsk in honor of
Vladimir Ulyanov, better known as Lenin, who was born in Simbirsk
in 1870.
Samara has long been Russia's diplomatic and economic link to the
East. The growing bread trade in 19th-20th centuries turned this
city into an important economic center in Russia. In World War II
many of military factories were moved to Samara. The soviet leaders
were even planning to move Russia's capital here had Moscow fallen
to the German hands. Today, Samara is the third largest
metropolitan area in Russia after Moscow and St. Petersburg and an
important industrial center.
Saratov was the northernmost colony of Greek Empire. In 512 BC it
was completely annihilated by Persia. One millennium later, Ivan
the Terrible established a colony on the ruins of the ancient city.
Saratov used to have a large population of Germans, who migrated
here during 19th century. When World War II erupted, they were
relocated to Siberia and Kazakhstan. During the Cold War Saratov
became the center of military aircraft production and not
surprisingly, Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space, trained
here.
Volgograd (former Stalingrad) is famous for the battle that
unfolded here during the World War II. German forces attempted to
cut off the Russian armies and their industrial production from
their fuel supplies. To that end, they needed to take Stalingrad,
situated on the western bank of the Volga River. Hitler sent his
best armies and generals, including famous marshal Von Paulus to
command the siege. The Battle of Stalingrad lasted for almost one
year. The heroic defense of the city enabled the Russian army to
prepare a counter attack and to surround the invading forces. This
was a serious loss from which Hitler forces were never able to
fully recover. This was not the victory for the allies yet, but it
was in Stalingrad that the tide of war turned against the Germans.
Volgograd has a giant memorial Rodina Mat (Motherland)
commemorating those who fought and died here.
You will have a free day while sailing with a great choice of entertainment programs on the ship.
Astrakhan is located where the mighty the Volga meets the Caspian
Sea, on the trade route from India to Persia. Astrakhan was the
capital of Khazaria and then of the Golden Horde (the Mongols).
Moscow took Astrakhan in 1556 and has ruled it ever since. As
Russia's gate to the Orient, this city features a unique mixture of
East and West.
Enjoy a free day on the ship with a variety of programs prepared for you by the crew.
Today you will return to Volgograd. It is your free day.
The Volga is often mentioned in Russian literature. In ancient times this river was used as a trade route by the Vikings who travelled to Greece. It was along this route that the first Russian settlements appeared. Today, more than half the population of Russia lives along this ancient trade route.
Rostov-on-Don was founded on December 15, 1749, as a customs house
was set up on the Temerik (a tributary of the Don) to control the
trade with Turkey.
Your voyage is coming to an end. It is time to say goodbye to this beautiful country, the crew and your fellow passengers. It is time to pack up and to go home bringing unforgettable memories with you. 
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