Russia’s Royal Riverways from Moscow to St Petersburg

Day 1 London – Moscow
Titan’s VIP Home Departure Service® transports you from your front door to London Heathrow Airport and your early morning scheduled British Airways flight or Swiss International Airlines to Moscow. On arrival, we transfer to MS Litvinov, with time to settle in before dinner onboard.

Day 2 – 3 Moscow
Moscow, the capital of the Russia, was founded in 1156 by Prince Yuri Dolgoruky as a fortress on the banks of the Moskva River. During its 850-year history, it has come through times of both glory and darkness to grow into a centre of Russian political, cultural and economical life. An orientation tour will include the famous historical sites of this grand capital of Russia with a visit to Red Square; see the fairytale St Basil’s Cathedral in its colourful Byzantine splendour set against the backdrop of the famous GUM department store and the Kremlin Walls, now the seat of Russian government. We will also pass the Bolshoi Theatre, Tverskaya Street and the Moscow State University. During our stay here we will also take a tour of the Kremlin, the oldest, most characteristic part of the Russian capital and the symbol of Russian power. As an optional excursion, you may like to visit the Armoury Museum, located inside the Kremlin. Built in 1851 as a factory for making weapons and armour, the Armoury today houses a museum with an enormous collection of national treasures, including the famous Faberge Eggs, as well as spectacular jewels. Or perhaps visit the unique Moscow Metro, often been called ‘the people’s palaces’, for their incredible elegant designs and lavish use of natural stone materials, mosaics and chandeliers. We sail from Moscow late tonight.

Day 4 Uglich
We sail the 128 km long Moscow Canal that links the city of Moscow to the River Volga. It has many locks, dams, hydroelectric stations, bridges, tunnels and reservoirs and was opened in 1937. Early this afternoon we stop in Uglich for a guided walk through the city. Founded in 1148, it is one of the oldest on the Volga and here that Ivan the Terrible’s son, Tsarevich Dmitry was murdered. The city’s old Kremlin, including the Church of St Dmitry, was built in 1692 to mark the site. We sail overnight.

Day 5 Goritsy
Today we sail to Goritsy, a peaceful farming community, where the ship stops for a few hours. Whilst here, we will vist the vast Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, built in 1397 on the banks of the Sheksna River and once the largest monastery in Northern Russia.

Day 6 Kizhi Island
This morning finds us cruising Lake Onega, the second largest lake in Europe fed by 58 rivers. We recommend that you be on the sun deck this afternoon as the tiny island of Kizhi at the northern end of Lake Onega rises up like a mirage from the huge expanse of water. Kizhi is one of the most ancient inhabited sites in Russia, formerly an early pagan centre and now an open-air architectural museum and reserve. A guided walk introduces you to the collection of 18th century wooden churches, built without a nail, and a wooden octagonal clock tower. The buildings have been brought from all over Northern Russia, one of the most splendid being the Church of the Transfi guration with its 22 timbered onion domes.

Day 7 Mandrogi
Today we visit Mandrogi, a reconstructed village, built on the shore of the Svir River to illustrate the traditions and lifestyle of Russia’s past. Inside the wooden houses you will see craftsmen working to make matrushkas, lace, ceramics and other souvenirs. Later today you cruise the scenic Svir River and Lake Ladoga, Europe’s largest lake.

Day 8 – 9 St Petersburg
St Petersburg is a city of haunting magnificence; an imperial capital that seems to have been built as a monument to its own passing. Founded in 1703 to be the most European city of Russia, it remains Russia’s ‘Window to the West’ — just like Peter the Great envisioned it to be. During your stay you will have an orientation tour of the famous sites including Palace Square, the historic heart of St Petersburg, you will cross the Nevsky Prospect, the city’s main boulevard, lined with smart shops and restaurants as well as observing the Winter Palace, the Admiralty, St Isaac’s Cathedral and Monument to Peter the Great. There will also be a visit to the Hermitage Museum, formerly the Winter Palace of the last six Tsars, now housing one of the richest art collections in the world. An optional excursion to the Peterhof Gardens, built by Peter the Great to impress European royalty will also be available. Here, over 175 fountains dominate the gardens, including the Great Cascade, in front of the palace that commemorates the Russian victory over the Swedes in 1709.

Day 10 St Petersburg – London
The morning is at leisure, before we transfer to the airport for our direct British Airways or Swiss International Airlines return flight to London Heathrow Airport. On arrival, our staff will greet you and transfer you to Titan transport for your journey home to your own front door.

Titan Travel have a reputation for innovative and enthralling escorted holiday itineraries, and through the guidance of their founding principles, “quality, service and value” which have remained unchanged since the 1970′s, their expertise and experience are second to none.

Titan Travel strive to ensure that aspect of their holidays whispers quality, before you fly, you get to appreciate a comfortable, chauffeur-driven transfer from your front door to the airport with our peerless VIP Home Departure Service, check-in assistance and complimentary porterage. All international flights are with world-renowned scheduled airlines and cruises with acclaimed operators. Touring holidays are expertly designed by the product team to present a comprehensive, imaginative introduction to the destination of choice yet still offer plenty of time for relaxation. The services of a tour manager or cruise manager are included throughout. When you return to the UK, you are met in the arrivals hall of the airport and shown to your VIP Home Departure Service vehicle, waiting to return you to your front door.

Our Opinion
“Titan Travel’s guiding principles of customer service, quality of product and value for money are undoubtedly a contributing factor to them being voted, on many occasions, the UK’s best tour operator.”