4-Star Russian River Cruise - St. Petersburg - Golden Ring - Moscow - 11 Days (CR-46)

On arrival at St Petersburg airport, look out for our driver who will be carrying a Go Russia sign. He’ll transfer you to the boat where a welcome cocktail reception awaits.

We begin our sightseeing in the Venice of the North, so called as it sits on 101 islands linked by 350 bridges. This watery location gives the city an elegance and calmness not always found in Russian cities. Our in-depth sightseeing programme today takes us to the Peter and Paul fortress, built in the early eighteenth century to keep out the Swedes and later a political prison. We’ll also explore the Church of Christ’s Resurrection (The Saviour of the Blood), built on the site where Emperor Alexander II was fatally wounded in March 1881. The church was built between 1883 and 1907, its construction funded by the Imperial family.

The Hermitage is our focus today, a world-class art museum containing over three million works of art from masters such as Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt, Picasso and many others. It commands an impressive location on the banks of the River Neva, its prime location hardly a surprise when you learn that it was built as the Tsar’s Winter Palace.

A small village settled since the 18th century, Mandrogi was once a mill town and fishing village. After the war, craftsmen restored the place and it’s become a popular stop for cruise ship passengers. The villagers will welcome us with a cultural show, after which we can explore the cobbled streets with their traditional wooden cottages. Don’t miss the Museum of Russian Vodka (optional) in Remeslennaya Sloboda with its collection of 2800 different types of vodka. Our stop will include a traditional lunch of shashlik (shish kebab) before we reboard the ship in the afternoon to continue our voyage.

We disembark on Kizhi Island today, a UNESCO World Heritage Site as a consequence of its wonderful wooden buildings. Its architectural ensemble comprises two 18th-century wooden churches, the 37 metre high Church of the Transfiguration, constructed without the use of nails, and the Church of the Intercession, and an octagonal wooden bell tower built in 1862.

Today we stop at Goritsy to visit the Monastery of Resurrection, the place where Ivan the Terrible once planned to retire. The Kirillo-Belozerksy museum of History, Art and Architecture is located there. A convent was founded there in 1544 by the wife of one of Ivan the Great’s sons; as a result of war with Lithuania, Poland and Sweden she was forced to become a nun and live there under house arrest. We continue our river journey in the afternoon.

Yaroslavl, the largest town on the Volga until you get to Nizhniy Novgorod, is our destination today. Founded in the 11th century by Prince Yaroslav the Wise, it retains many of its historic buildings, including the 13th century Spassky Monastery complex, a group 17th century cathedrals, an elegant rotunda and the remains of an ancient trading centre. We will start our city tour in the early morning and will visit the the Church of the Prophet Elijah and many other cultural highlights including the city’s Museum of Russian Art.

Today’s port of call is Uglich, a historic town on the banks of the River Volga whose city centre features some delightful old Russian architecture. The Cathedral of the Resurrection dominates the skyline but the Church of the Assumption, dating from 1628, also wows visitors. Opposite the monastery is the graceful Church of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, built in the 17th century by a local merchant to commemorate the spot where his son had drowned.

Today we reach our destination - the Russian capital. This grand city has much to delight the visitor and we’ll begin by driving up to the Sparrow Hills Observation Platform from where we’ll have an impressive panoramic view of the city. Moscow is known for its majestic squares and leafy boulevards, so we’ll head into the centre of the city to explore further, stopping to admire the Bolshoi Theatre and finishing up in famous Red Square.

Today we explore Moscow’s history and culture, beginning at the Kremlin which was once the residence of the Tsars and Russian Orthodox Patriarchs. It’s located at the edge of Red Square, giving us the opportunity to take a closer look at the multi-coloured domes of St Basil’s Cathedral as well as other landmarks such as GUM department store and Lenin’s Mausoleum. You can take an optional tour to the Pushkin Museum, as well as the Kremlin Armoury Museum, where you'll find the Tsars’ jewels and armour.

We’ll disembark from our ship to allow our driver to transfer us to the airport for our flight home.