Day 1: Embarkation
Today is the beginning of your exciting cruise! Your driver meets you at the airport or hotel and takes you to the port to board the spectacular ship Mustai Karim!
After stepping on board this beautiful liner, you go through a short registration.
Today you have a wonderful opportunity to visit the Hermitage, walk around Saint Petersburg on your own or go on one of the offered optional tours.
Day 2: St. Petersburg City Tour with a Boat ride, Departure
After breakfast onboard, you meet your private guide and go on an amazing panoramic city tour around the most cherished gems of St. Petersburg, including Nevsky Prospekt, St. Isaak's Cathedral, Peter and Paul Fortress.
One of the places you enter today is St. Isaac's Cathedral, which dominates the St. Petersburg skyline and opens outstanding city views. Its lush interiors and golden dome are awe-inspiring.
You have a photo stop at the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, which stands where Russia's great emperor Alexander II was mortally wounded.
You also visit the Peter and Paul Fortress - a burial place of almost all the Russian emperors and empresses from Peter the Great to Nicholas II and his family.
You end the tour on a high note, having a private boat ride on the city's romantic canals.
After the tour you return to the ship. In the evening, MS Mustai Karim departs for Valaam.
Day 3: Exploring Valaam
Today we visit the largest island of Valaam archipelago – Valaam, known as the "land of the monks.” In addition to the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery, one of the island's main attractions is the Voskresensky Skete - the place of monks' residence. The preserved monuments of church architecture perfectly reflect the monastic life. Be ready to view some inspiring Orthodox heritage!
Day 4: Exploring Mandrogi
Look out of the cabin window - you'll be captured by a picturesque view of the fabulous fields, wooden houses, and craft shops! Are we in medieval Russia? You're almost right - we moored in Mandrogi! Located on the sprawling banks of the Svir River, the village of Mandrogi gives the impression of a medieval settlement. However, it was built relatively not long ago – at the end of the last century. The village was created with potential travelers in mind, offering many interactive experiences in craft houses, with the most popular being the visit to the Museum of Vodka. Here you can find out more about Russian drinking culture and feel close to the authentic peasant culture.
The highlight of the day is a picnic under the open sky.
Day 5: Exploring Kizhi
Good morning on another day of cruising on the Volga river. We're getting close to the halfway point! Today as you take the first steps on the Karelian island – Kizhi, you begin to feel the spirit of bright antiquity and boundless freedom of the Russian land. From time immemorial, Kizhi has been famous for its craft. Once there lived artists and poets who passed their skills down through the generations. Therefore, it is not surprising that the Architectural ensemble of the Kizhi Pogost was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Day 6: Exploring Goritsy
Today, after crossing the Volga-Baltic Canal, you head to Goritsy-a village in the Kirillovsky district of the Vologda region. The village of Goritsy was first mentioned in written sources of the XVI century under the name "Maiden Mountain." Goritsy is famous for its' rich Russian cultural heritage: an incredible number of religious architecture monuments and medieval monasteries amaze the imagination! By the way, you have an excellent opportunity to visit one of them after disembarkation.
Day 7: Exploring Uglich
Our next berth is located in the ancient Russian town – Uglich. The most famous page of its' chronicle is the murder of Tsarevich Dmitry – Ivan the Terrible's son: the walls of the local Kremlin still guard the secrets of this tragedy. During your tour around Uglich, you step inside the Church of Tsarevich Dmitry, where you enjoy the subtleties of the tsarist epoche architecture, and admire the age-old Orthodox culture.
Day 8: Arrival in Moscow
You spend this day on board the ship on the way to the capital of Russia - Moscow (breakfast and lunch onboard).
Early in the evening you disembark the ship. Your driver meets you at the port and takes you to the centrally-located hotel for check-in.
The rest of the evening is free to spend at leisure. You can dine in one of the nearby restaurants and start exploring the amazing city center on your own. We recommend taking a walk around the Kremlin, finding a table at the "Bratya Karavaevy" coffee shop, and enjoying a cup of tea with the traditional cabbage pie.
Day 9: Moscow City Tour & Visit to the Tretyakov Gallery
Following breakfast, you meet your guide in the hotel lobby and have a transfer to the world-famous treasure trove of Russian fine art, the Tretyakov Gallery, where you have an amazing time viewing the gems of its collection, including the famous masterpieces of Ivan Aivazovsky, Mikhail Vrubel, and Viktor Vasnetsov.
You then see the spectacular Cathedral of Christ the Savior and learn the story of its destruction and reconstruction.
After lunch break, your guide takes you to the breathtaking Red Square, where you discover the colorful St. Basil's Cathedral from the outside as well as the inside.
After the tour, you are taken back to your hotel and have the rest of the day at your leisure.
Day 10: Departure
This is the final day of your amazing Moscow - St. Petersburg cruise. After breakfast, you check out from your hotel, and your private driver takes you to the airport for your flight back home.
We hope you've enjoyed exploring magnificent Russian capitals, charming villages, and islands located alongside the Volga River. We wish you a safe flight and hope to work on your future trips!
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