4-Star Russian River Cruise - Moscow - Golden Ring - St. Petersburg - 12 Days (CR-45)

Once you’ve cleared customs and immigration, our driver will transfer you from the airport to the ship. The crew will welcome you on board with a cocktail reception.

We begin our voyage on land in Russia’s fascinating capital city. There’s much to see so we begin with an orientation tour. You’ll see the city laid out beneath you from the Sparrow Hills observation platform. We will also get sight of the Novodevichy convent (exterior). Down in the city, we’ll drive along leafy boulevards to reach iconic Red Square and the surrounding area in what’s the heart of tourist Moscow - Tverskaya street, KGB building (exterior), GUM department store and the Cathedral of Christ the Savior (exterior view).

Today we’ll delve a little into Moscow’s rich history and culture by paying a visit to the famous Kremlin. It was once the home of the Tsars and now it is the residence of the Russian president. The Orthodox cathedrals inside its walls will wow you as much as the colorful domes of St Basil’s in Red Square will delight. There’ll be the chance for an optional tour of the Pushkin Museum as well as a visit to the Kremlin Armoury Museum.

It’s time to get moving so we take a leisurely trip to one of provincial Russia’s best loved towns: Uglich. It was founded in 1148 and has one of the most impressive approaches of any of the Volga settlements. We’ll admire the Cathedral of the Resurrection and St John’s Church which dominate the cityscape before disembarking for a closer look.

Yaroslavl is a delight, an important port on the Volga which has been there since its founding in the 11th century. Since then, many interesting buildings have been constructed which we’ll explore on a guided tour: the magnificent 13th century Spassky Monastery complex, a group of several majestic 17th century cathedrals, an elegant rotunda and the remains of an ancient trading center. We’ll also pay a visit to the Yaroslavl Museum of Russian.

Our focus today is on the Kirillo-Belozersky monastery, the largest Russian Orthodox monastery in this part of the country. Tiny Goritsy houses this interesting landmark. Later, we’ll continue to cruise along the river.

Transiting the Volga-Baltic Canal, we arrive at the tiny island of Kizhi where we’ll encounter the Museum of Wooden Architecture. This open air museum has an extensive collection of wooden structures from all over Russia including the fairytale Church of the Transfiguration, with its twenty two domes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Reaching Mandrogi gives us the opportunity to stretch our legs and enjoy the fresh air. We’ll receive a warm welcome from the villagers giving us an insight into the locals’ culture and traditions. There’ll be the chance to learn more about vodka in a museum dedicated to its production (optional) and also to take a stroll in the forest surrounding the village. Lunch will be a picnic of shashlik, Russian shish kebabs.

Many people view St Petersburg as the most elegant and most European of the Russian cities and we’re sure you’ll enjoy this, our final stop. Our bus tour enables us to visit many of its 101 islands and 350 bridges as we call in at the city’s most important landmarks. We’ll pay a visit to the Peter and Paul Fortress, founded to keep the city safe from the threat of attack by the Swedes, and the Church of Christ’s Resurrection (The Saviour of the Blood), which revives the traditions of 17th century Russian church building.

We can’t squeeze everything in if we limit ourselves to one day so we pay a visit to the Hermitage today. This world-class art museum is housed in what was the Tsar’s Winter Palace and now exhibits over three million priceless works of art. It commands a prime location on the bank of the river Neva, this Baroque-style palace surely the major attraction of St. Petersburg.

It’s time to explore the suburbs of St Petersburg with this guided excursion to one of the city’s splendid summer palaces. Founded by Peter the Great at the start of the 18th century, this palace set in exquisitely landscaped grounds dotted with fountains was once an official Royal residence showcasing the best of the era’s Russian artistry and architecture.

We’ll leave the ship today and our driver will transfer you to the airport.