Cruise - Along the Volga: Rostov - Volgograd - Nyzhny Novgorod - Moscow 15 days (CR-08)

Arival in Rostov-on-Don. Our driver will meet you in the arrival sector with a Go Russia sign board. Transfer to the ship.

The modern Rostov-on-Don was founded on December 15, 1749, as a customs house was set up to control the trade with Turkey. The After the construction of the Volga-Don Shipping Canal in 1952 Rostov became a port of five seas: the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov, the Caspian Sea, the White Sea and the Baltic Sea.

City tour around Rostov-on-Don.

Today we arrive into former Cossack stronghold and main area on River Don. Founded in 1593 Starocherkassk was Don Cossacks capital for two centuries. In its heyday in 18th century, Cherkassk was a busy city with a strong fortress. Since the 14th century the vast steppe of the Don region was populated by those people who were not satisfied with the existing social order, by those who did not recognize the power of the land-owners, by those who longed for freedom. The runaway serfs, paupers and other society’s lower class united community and were called "the Cossacks".

Walking tour around Starocherkassk.

Visit to the Cossack Museum.

We sail along the Volga.

We arrive to the hero city Volgograd - a Soviet honorary title awarded for outstanding heroism during World War II. Formerly called Tsaritsyn and Stalingrad it was renamed to Volgograd to honor the largest Russian river Volga.

During World War II, Stalingrad became the centre of the Battle of Stalingrad as well as a pivotal turning point in the war against Germany. The intensity and sheer scale of the battle of Stalingrad illustrate the ferocity of the Great Patriotic War. Heavy German bombardment, killing thousands of civilians, had turned the city into a landscape of ruins. The battle lasted 200 days with total casualties on both sides are estimated at between 1 and 2 million Stalingrad was awarded the title Hero City in 1945.

City tour around Volgograd.

Guided visit to Mamaev Kurgan and the statue of The Motherland Calls.

Today we arrive to another big and important Russian city on Volga bank. The name Saratov may be originated from "Sary Tau" (Сары Тау) meaning Yellow Mountain in Tatar language as the city is surrounded by a few sandy hills.

Saratov was also the home of the Volga Germans. They settled here in 18 – 19th century and even got status of autonomic republic in SSSR. At the outbreak of World War II, half of the Volga Germans were exiled to Siberia and Kazakhstan, and few ever returned to the region.

From Soviet times until 1991, Saratov was a "closed city", strictly off limits to all foreigners. Situated on the Volga River, this was a major military aircraft manufacturing site, the home of the first man in space, Yuri Gagarin, and a vital part of the Soviet space programme.

City tour around Saratov.

We arrive to Samara – one of the largest cities in Russia. It was founded in 14th century, soon becoming an important center for diplomatic and economic links between Russia and the East. Samara was renamed Kuybyshev in the honour of the Bolshevik leader Valerian Kuybyshev in 1935. During the Second World War, Kuybyshev was chosen to be the capital of the USSR should Moscow fall to the invading Germans. Kuybyshev remained the alternative capital of the Soviet Union until the summer of 1943, when everything was moved back to Moscow. After the war the defense industry developed rapidly in Kuybyshev; existing facilities changed their profile and new factories were built, leading to Kuybyshev becoming a closed city.

City tour around Samara.

Formerly called Simbirsk In 1924, this small Russian town was renamed Ulyanovsk in honor of Vladimir Ulyanov, better known as Lenin, who was born in Simbirsk in 1870. During the Soviet period, Ulyanovsk lost much of its historical heritage. All traces of the original wooden fort are gone, as are all the churches of old Simbirsk; only a few 19th century buildings remain in the city, most notably the houses where Lenin lived between 1870–1887.

Visit to the Lenin Museum.

We arrive in Kazan - the capital city of the Republic of Tatarstan which remains the most important centre of Tatar culture. This charming city is often called the “Pearl of the Central Volga Region”. It was founded in the 13th century by the Mongols, who at that time occupied Russia, and it served as the seat of the mighty Golden Horde or “Tatar” Empire. After the destruction of the Golden Horde, Kazan became the capital of the powerful Khanate of Kazan. Ivan the Terrible has conquered Kazan in 16th century and since then city fell to Russians. Presently, it is the city of million inhabitants (half Russian, half Tatar) and absolutely charming with a unique blend of the Muslim and Christian cultures.

We will enjoy a guided visit to the Kazan Kremlin which was declared the World Heritage Site in 2000. Also of interest are the towers and walls, erected in the 16th and 17th centuries but later reconstructed; the Qol-Şarif mosque, which is already rebuilt inside the citadel.

We arrive in Nizhny Novgorod, colloquially shortened as Nizhny, the fifth largest city in Russia, ranking after Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk and Yekaterinburg. It is of course less cosmopolitan than Moscow or St. Petersburg but its geographical position, magnificent views of Volga and Oka rivers, its ancient Kremlin and pleasant pedestrian promenade “Pokrovka” make it an appealing place for tourists.

We will enjoy a guided visit to the Kremlin of Nizhny Novgorod.

Kostroma is an old historic city in central Russia located at the confluence of the Volga and Kostroma Rivers. It is a part of the Golden ring of the Russian provincial towns near Moscow.

Guided visit to Ipatievskiy Monastery. The Monastery was founded at the confluence of the Kostroma and Volga Rivers in the latter half of the XIII century to protect the approaches to the town from the upper reaches of the Volga. In 1958, a unique open-air museum of wooden architecture was set up at the walls of the Monastery. Churches, old houses, water- and windmills, and small bathhouses were brought from various villages in the Kostroma Region.

Arrival in the charming Russian city of Yaroslavl. This is an important port with a population of 600,000, stretching for 18 miles on both banks of the Volga. Yaroslavl was founded in the 11th century by Prince Yaroslav the Wise, and still has many interesting architectural and historical treasures. Of special interest is 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 will start our city tour in the early morning and will visit the the Church of the Prophet Elijah and many other cultural highlights.

Today we arrive in one of the best loved towns of provincial Russia, Uglich, founded in 1148. The view of the town as approached from the Volga River is especially beautiful, with the Cathedral of the Resurrection and St. John's Church towering on the horizon. At the end of the 16th century, the seventh wife of the Tsar Ivan the Terrible lived in honorary exile in the Kremlin at Uglich. We will visit the Cathedral of the Resurrection and the Kremlin, which are among the oldest buildings in Uglich.

Moscow combines the best of old and modern architecture. It is a city of long avenues and majestic squares, leafy boulevards, parks and gardens, new luxury housing, bridges, the granite embankments of Moscow River, and the unique cultural and historical sites.

Start your discovery of Moscow with a guided bus city tour. Enjoy a panoramic view of the city from the Sparrow Hills observation platform, visit Poklonnaya Hills a monument in honour of a Russian victory in the Great War (World War II), see the famous Red Square and the Bolshoi (Big) theatre or explore modern Moscow’s busy streets and discover the rich history of this magnificent city.

Today we explore Moscow as a great city of Russian history and culture. We will visit the Kremlin (the former residence of the Tsars and Russian Orthodox Patriarchs) and its uniquely beautiful Orthodox cathedrals. You will also see the Byzantine splendour of St. Basil's multi-coloured onion-domed cathedral, in Red Square. You can take an optional tour to the Pushkin Museum, as well as the Kremlin Armoury Museum, where you'll admire many of the treasures of the Tsars, including famous and spectacular jewels, crowns, thrones and royal armour.

Transfer to the airport. Our driver will meet you with a Go Russia sign board at the ship entrance.