Ship Russ: St. Petersburg - Moscow, River Cruise 27 Jun 2010 - 06 Jul 2010
Route description: Itinerary| Day 1 | Arrival  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. | | Day 2 | St. Petersburg .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.
- We will show you the key landmarks and monuments in the
city including St. Basil Island, Nevskiy prospect, Isaac Cathedral,
The Building of Exchange,
- Then we will visit famous Hermitage
In the afternoon we are heading to the very heart of St.
Petersburg and its most important sight - the Winter Palace. On one
side, the palace is faced by the Palace Square with the Alexander
Column in the middle of it. The column was erected to celebrate the
victory over Napoleon (what is called in Russia, the First
Patriotic War).
| | Day 3 | St. Petersburg  Today you will have a free day. You can go on an optional tour
to Tsarskoe Selo - to the outskirts of St. Petersburg to the former
summer residence of Catherina the Great. The Palace was a gift by
Peter the Great to his wife Catherine and is known for its
legendary Amber Room that was looted during the World War II by
Germans and later recovered by the American troops. The Amber Room
was reconstructed in 2003.
Or you can vote to keep this day free and spend it at your
leisure in this amazing Russian city. At the evening you will
depart from St. Petersburg.
- Optional tour to Catherine Palace
| | Day 4 | Mandrogi  At first glance Mandrogi is just a small village deep in the northern woods. It has no architectural wonders, gigantic castles or ancient churches. Mandrogi, however, is the ideal place to explore and discover a very unique style and architecture. For centuries this region was occupied by the Northern Tribes which brought with them Scandinavian traditions.
Surrounded by the serenity of beautiful landscapes we will have a traditional Russian picnic called Shashlik. This succulent meal has Middle Eastern roots, but has been slightly modified; beef is replaced with pork and meat is marinated for one night.
Tip: bring a little bit of cash when you step ashore so you can buy a few hand-made souvenirs like authentic Russian matreshka dolls. | | Day 5 | Kizhi Island  Kizhi is a small and distant island on the Lake Onega. It can only be reached by water and is most famous for its amazing Transfiguration Cathedral. This wooden structure, is truly an architectural wonder, it has 22 domes and was built without a single nail!
Originally, the Cathedral was located elsewhere, but the Bolsheviks, who had little or no respect for religion, moved it as far away from people as possible. Luckily the Bolsheviks preserved the magnificent structure, because even they respected the artistic and architectural value of this remarkable Cathedral.
We will spend this entire day exploring the Kizhi Island and its amazing ensemble of wooden churches.
Tip: bring a sweater or a light jacket. It gets a bit chilly in the evening, especially if you sail in May or September. | | Day 6 | Goritsy  Goritsy stands on the banks of the Volga River where it falls into the White Lake. Goritsy is the home to the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery which was built in 1397. This quaint place is most famous for being a safe haven for many noble families during the “Times of Trouble” as they took refuge here from the Polish armies. The monastery continued to exist until early 20th century when the Bolsheviks shut it down and turned it into a museum.
In 1998 some of the buildings were returned to the Orthodox Church, while some buildings continue to function as a museum to this day. We will visit the monastery of St. Cyril-on-the-White-Lake and a museum of icons. | | Day 7 | Uglich  Uglich is a small town located on the banks of the Volga River. It’s tiny by modern standards, but back in the medieval times it was one of the best defended fortresses of the kingdom of Moscovy (the principality of Moscow). Uglich was attacked by many invaders who attempted to rule Moscow such as Mongols, Tatars, Lithuanians, Teutonic knights and Moscow’s neighboring principalities such as Tver.
This town, however, is the most known in Russian history as the place where the last heir to the ancient Rurik dynasty was murdered. Most historians agree that it was Boris Godunov who was behind the assassination of 10-year old prince Dimitry. Shortly after the tragedy, Godunov proclaimed himself the tsar of Russia, but he too was soon murdered. These events plunged Russia into three decades of chaos and wars known as the "The Time of Trouble," paving the way for the new dynasty of absolute rules of Russia – the Romanovs.
The death of prince Dimitry forever changed Russia’s fate and a small church of St. Dimitry-on-Blood commemorates this turn of events and reminds us about their significance.
Tip: You can be a witness to these events yourself by seeing the opera "Boris Godunov" in the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow. This classic opera reveals the extraordinary events and human perseverance of this distant but, ever-present epoch in Russian History.
| | Day 8 | Moscow  Moscow is Russia's largest city, its political and economic
capital. The town of Moscow was the center of Moscovy - a small
principality that unified the Russian lands against the Mongols in
the late 14th century and has ruled Russia ever since. As the
Mongols burnt major cities across Russia, refugees fled to smaller
principalities like Moscow, Tver and Nizhny Novgorod. Through
bribes, diplomacy and coercion, Moscow overcame its two rivals to
become "Russia's first city." Moscow's role was briefly challenged
when Tsar Peter the Great moved Russia's capital to his new city,
St Petersburg, on the shores of the Baltic Sea.
- This day is dedicated to exploring Red Square,
Leningradskaya and Tverskaya streets, Novodevichiy Convent
(exterior), KGB (exterior),GUM and Cathedral of Christ the
Savior.
- Optional excursion: Moscow by night
| | Day 9 | Moscow .jpg) The tour starts after breakfast and today we will head to the heart of Moscow - the Kremlin. This giant fortress was originally built in 1147. It expanded and enhanced overtime to repel the Mongol hordes eventually becoming one of the world's largest and most unique fortresses. The Kremlin was the center of political power across the Eurasian continent and to this day remains the symbol of Russia.
The Kremlin it is a living museum of Russian history. Today half of its territory is covered by government courts and it not accessible to the general public. The other half, however, contains museums and cathedrals. This structure, down to every tower, hallway, the interior of the Kremlin is a part of Russian, European and world history. You will explore this fascinating place with a professional guide as you follow the footsteps (literally) of some of the world's greatest leaders and its most terrible dictators.
Optional: tour of the Tretiakov Picture Gallery; folk show "Kostroma"; tour of the Moscow Subway, evening tour around Moscow.
Learn more: Moscow, The Red Square, The Kremlin | | Day 10 | Departure  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.
Your airport transfer is arranged.
Tip: want to spend few more days in Russia exploring Moscow or St. Petersburg at your own pace and with your own private guide? Check out our short private tours or ask your tour manager about them: Moscow tours, St. Petersburg tours.
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 Route: St. Petersburg - Moscow Interested in this cruise? Call us: 1-800-884-1721 Date: 27 Jun 2010 - 06 Jul 2010 Ship: Route: Duration: 10 days What's included:
For all May cruises Kizhi Island is not included due to accessibility.
- Russian visas*
- Two airport transfers (on arrival and departure)
- Port fees are also included
- Meals (B, L, D)*
- Professional English-speaking guides
- Sightseeing tours according to the itinerary with entrance fees
- Rich on-board entertainment program
- Daily aerobics, Russian language and history lessons
*Only US citizens and residents can have the full visa support, for other guests we will provide visa invitation
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1-800-884-1721
