Highlights of the Volga

Day 1: UK/St.Petersburg
You will depart on your flight to St Petersburg today, and on arrival transfer to the MV Chernishevsky.

Day 2: St Petersburg
This morning join our included tour of St Petersburg, introducing you to the sights of this wonderful city. Founded by Peter the Great at the turn of the 18th century as the new Russian capital, St Petersburg is a city of rivers and canals, broad avenues, ornate baroque palaces and magnificent cathedrals.

Your sightseeing begins with a visit to the Peter and Paul Fortress, which was the first major building in the new city, designed to be a defence against advances from the Neva River. You will also see the magnificent Winter Palace, the main residence of the Tsars from Catherine the Great and her successors. The palace and four adjacent buildings lining the river bank house the vast art collections of the Hermitage Museum. In the afternoon, you have the chance to visit the Hermitage, reputed to be the largest museum in the world, where some two million superb works of art are on display, including those by great painters such as Picasso, Rembrandt and Matisse.

Day 3: St Petersburg
You will be able to spend today at leisure, or you can choose to join our optional excursion to Peterhof – Peter the Great’s favourite residence with its collection of magnificent palaces, mansions, fountains, statues and landscaped gardens designed to rival Versailles. You will also visit one of the Royal family’s summer palaces, the flamboyant Catherine Palace with its magnificent baroque façade at Pushkin.

Tonight the ship’s captain invites you for a welcome cocktail, before you set sail for Moscow.

Day 4: Mandrogui
On reaching the picturesque village of Mandrogui head ashore and enjoy some free time. You’ll find the Museum of Vodka here where you can enjoy a tasting of Russia’s favourite tipple before indulging in an included traditional shashlik kebab picnic.

Day 5: Kizhi
The cruise reaches Lake Onega, Europe’s second largest lake, where you will visit the island of Kizhi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You can walk up to the remarkable wooden Transfiguration Church and bell tower, constructed in 1714 without the use of a single nail. You will also have the opportunity to explore the open-air museum and view the inspiring collection of wooden structures rebuilt here.

Day 6: Goritsy
Your cruise continues along the Volga-Baltic waterway, which links the Volga River and the Baltic Sea. On reaching the traditional Russian village of Goritsy, we have arranged an included excursion by coach to see the famous Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, founded by Saint Cyril in 1397. Once the largest monastery in Russia, this incredible site is home to a vast array of icons, many donated by visiting tsars.

Day 7: Yaroslavl
Today you will enjoy a panoramic tour of the city of Yaroslavl , which includes a visit to the market where there will be free time to explore the Church of St Nicholas and a tour of the former Governor’s house, now an art gallery.

Day 8: Uglich
As your cruise continues, you will cross the Rybinsk reservoir and cruise the Upper Volga, to Uglich, one of the oldest cities in Russia. A walking tour around the city will enable you to visit the church of St Dmitry-on-the-Blood, built on the spot where Dmitry, son of Ivan the Terrible, was murdered, and see the former Kremlin of Uglich and its blue-domed cupolas decorated with gold stars. This evening, you are invited to the Captain’s dinner on board your ship..

Day 9: Moscow
Today you will arrive in Moscow, founded in 1147 as a wooden fortress which developed into what is known today as the Kremlin. Moscow has grown into a city of immense contrasts with historical buildings on the one hand and a lively modern metropolis of over 8 million people on the other. You will take a tour of the major sights of this incredible city, including the red-brick Kremlin surrounded by huge battlements, Red Square, the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour and St Basil’s Cathedral with its eight colourful onion domes.

Later today, you will have the opportunity to join an optional excursion.

Day 10: The Kremlin
A visit to the Kremlin has been arranged this morning. Your afternoon is free so you can explore more of this fascinating city at your own pace. You may choose to visit Moscow’s famous GUM department store, take a ride on the Metro taking in the beautifully decorated stations, or join one of the optional excursions that will be available on board.

Day 11: Moscow/UK
Today you disembark the ship and transfer to the airport for your return flight to the UK.

Please note
This holiday includes walking in areas of rough ground, gradients and steps.

MV Chernishevsky
Your cruise will be aboard the comfortable, recently refurbished 3-star MV Chernishevsky, on a full-board basis.

On board you will find a restaurant and two bars, as well as a sun deck, lecture theatre, sauna and shop. Cabins are 2-berth outside cabins with large opening panoramic windows (those on the lower deck have a non-opening porthole). Cabins have heating and ventilation, en suite facilities, fridge and wardrobe.

This cruise is operated by Vodohod Russian river cruises.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Included excursions and visits

St Petersburg city tour
The Hermitage visit
Kizhi guided tour, Open Air Museum, Wooden Transfiguration Church and Bell Tower
Goritsy Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery visit
Uglich tour and church of St. Dmitry-on-the-Blood
Moscow city tour

Optional excursions

Peterhof & Catherine Palace
Moscow by night

Your holiday includes

Scheduled flights
Overseas transfers & other transportation
10 nights on board MV Chernishevsky with all meals
Captain’s Farewell dinner and entertainment programme on board
The services of a Travelsphere Tour Manager
All airport taxes and security charges
UK Airline Passenger Duty
All state and local taxes

With 50 years’ experience in arranging escorted tours to exciting destinations across the globe, Travelsphere have built an excellent reputation founded on quality and value.

By choosing a Travelsphere escorted holiday you can travel with confidence, knowing that every aspect of your holiday has been carefully planned and arranged from start to finish. Further to this they are ATOL bonded and members of ABTA.

Travelsphere’s thorough planning of travel arrangements, itineraries and accommodation combined with the unique insight of their knowledgeable Tour Managers and Local Guides will enable you to experience the culture, traditions and hidden away places less accessible to other travellers.

Our Opinion
“Travelsphere are one of the biggest names in the Escorted Tour market. Finely tuned over the last 50 years their tours have been tried, tested and refined by thousands of customers.”