5-Star Russian River Cruise - St. Petersburg - Golden Ring - Moscow - 8 Days (CR-44)

On arrival at St Petersburg’s airport, you’ll be met by our driver who will be carrying a Go Russia sign. He’ll transfer you to the ship for a welcome cocktail reception.

Today we’ll leave the ship to explore this most elegant of Russian cities. Its legacy of history and the arts has delighted many a visitor and we’re sure you’ll be blown away by its striking beauty. Our guided tour will ensure you don’t miss any of the city’s must-sees. The fortress complex of the Cathedral of Peter and Paul, which before the revolution housed political prisoners, features a splendid cathedral inside which you’ll find the tombs of the Romanovs. Along the banks of the River Neva you’ll see the magnificent Hermitage museum. This world class museum was once the Winter Palace of the Tsars and now houses over three million priceless works of art.

We cruise to Mandrogi today. This pretty village sits amidst tranquil forest, perfect for a wander. We’ll be met by the villagers who will introduce us to the local culture and traditions and then you can learn more about the production of vodka at Remeslennaya Sloboda (optional). A buffet lunch of shashlik (shish kebab) is provided. There’ll be free time to explore on your own before we reboard the ship.

The tiny island of Kizhi is our stop today, accessed via the Volga-Baltic Canal which will take us to the northern end of Lake Onega. There, we will visit the renowned open-air Museum of Wooden Architecture, its exhibits collected from various areas of the country and restored to their former glory. The Church of the Transfiguration, with its 22 domes, is the ultimate in Russian fairy-tale church architecture.

Goritsy is our port of call today, a tiny settlement where the largest Russian Orthodox monastery of the Russian North, the Kirillo-Belozersky monastery, is located. After exploring the monastery, we’ll continue our river journey in the afternoon.

Uglich, founded in 1148, is today’s destination and the approach by river is surely one of the highlights of this cruise. You’ll see the fantastic skyline dominated by the Cathedral of the Resurrection and St. John's Church which tower on the horizon. At the end of the 16th century, this is the place where the seventh wife of the Tsar Ivan the Terrible lived in honorary exile in the Kremlin, one of the stops on our guided tour today.

Our boat reaches the end of its voyage at Moscow but we still have plenty of time to explore before we fly home tomorrow. Combining the best of old and new architecture, the Russian capital boasts many a majestic square and leafy boulevard. We’ll enjoy a panoramic view from Sparrow Hills’ observation platform as well as a close up look at some of the city’s most iconic sights in Red Square. There, we’ll find the colorful domes of St Basil’s Cathedral, GUM department store, Lenin’s Mausoleum and of course, just a stone’s throw away, the Kremlin. Today you can also enjoy an optional visit to the Armoury Museum, where you'll admire many of the treasures of the Tsars.

Disembarking the ship, you’ll be met by our driver who will transfer you to the airport for your flight home.