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Imperial Russian Waterways: Moscow & St. Petersburg

Itinerary

Aboard  ms Tolstoy

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Please note: For those passengers making their own air arrangements, transfers between airport and ship on arrival/departure day are not included, and are at your own expense.

  • A = Moscow to St. Petersburg
  • B = St. Petersburg to Moscow

Moscow to St. Petersburg

Trip Pre-Extension: Kiev, Ukraine (*Available on select departures)

Don’t miss your chance to visit the culturally rich city of Kiev, Ukraine. Enjoy two included sightseeing tours during your stay. On Day 3, visit St. Sophia Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and take a stroll down Andreevsky Street and a guided walk through Bessarabsky Market. This afternoon, you can join our optional Open Air Museum of Folk Life tour. Dinner is included tonight at a local restaurant with folkloric entertainment. Then on Day 4, enjoy an included tour to the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra Monastery and the Golden Treasury Museum. In the evening, join an optional home-hosted dinner. Your last day in Kiev is free to enjoy on your own.

Your Price Includes:

  • Flight between Moscow & Kiev
  • 4 nights at the InterContinental Kiev
  • 7 meals: 4 breakfasts, 1 lunch, and 2 dinners
  • 2 sightseeing tours: City tour of Kiev including entrance to
    St. Sophia, with walk along Andreevsky Street (lunch included); visit the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra Monastery and the Golden Treasury Museum
    Cultural Connection: Guided walk through Bessarabsky Market
  • Dinner at a local restaurant with folkloric entertainment (included in meal count above)
  • Vantage Program Manager, transfers, and baggage handling (except in customs)
 details >

DAYS 1-2:

Depart home / Overnight flight to Moscow, Russia (or depart 5 days earlier for Kiev extension)

Or depart 5 days earlier for a Kiev optional extension. When you arrive in Moscow after your overnight flight, a Vantage representative will greet you and arrange your transfer to your hotel. Enjoy a Welcome Dinner at your hotel this evening.

Food icon Included meals: dinner

DAY 3 :

Moscow

Your introduction to Moscow begins with Red Square, New Maiden’s Convent, Lenin’s Mausoleum, the GUM shopping mall, the flame of the unknown soldier, and the swirling, brightly colored onion domes of St. Basil’s Cathedral. Afterward, you’ll ride a few stops on Moscow’s famously on-time and elegant metro, stopping at Arbat Street, one of the city’s best shopping districts, for browsing and souvenir-seeking.

Food icon Included meals: breakfast

DAY 4 :

Moscow

You’ll have today free to explore Moscow on your own. Your Vantage Program Manager will be happy to offer suggestions and give directions. Alternatively, you may join us to visit Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, Russia’s most important monastery, on an optional tour that includes lunch. In the evening, you’ll also want to consider the optional “Moscow by Night” optional tour. It’s an opportunity to see the city’s great squares and grand boulevard in their nighttime glory.

Food icon Included meals: breakfast

DAY 5 :

Moscow / Embark MS Tolstoy
Depart 5:30pm

After a morning at leisure, set off for a tour of the Kremlin, the symbol of Russian might and majesty, including the State Armory Chambers, repository of the exquisitely jeweled Fabergé eggs. Then, transfer to your intimate ship, the ms Tolstoy. You’ll enjoy an outside stateroom with a large picture window to view the passing landscape as you sail. Later, you’ll gather for the Captain’s Welcome Dinner on board before setting sail to Uglich.

Food icon Included meals: breakfast, dinner

DAY 6 :

Uglich
Arrive 4:30pm · Depart 11:00pm

Away from the cities, Russia is a land of villages, fields, forests, and lakes, all connected by the Volga River and other waterways. Cultural Connections: Learn about Russian life at an onboard lecture, and enjoy a Russian language lesson. This evening you’ll take a walking tour of Uglich. Established in 1148, the city became a favorite of Ivan the Terrible in the 16th century. Here, you’ll visit The Church of St.-Dimitry-on-the-Blood, which was erected on the spot where Prince Dimitry was murdered. Cultural Connection: Next, you’ll visit with a local family in their home for tea. You’ll enjoy traditional food, observe the average Russian lifestyle, and share stories.

Food icon Included meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

DAY 7 :

Yaroslavl
Arrive 12:00pm · Depart 12:00pm

Cultural Connection: Enjoy a lecture on Russian history aboard ship this morning as we cruise to the city of Yaroslavl. After arriving, set off for a half-day excursion to Rostov the Great, one of the oldest towns in Russia, where you’ll visit one of the most highly regarded kremlins outside of Moscow. Rostov is well known for another reason, which you’ll discover during a tour of the Enamel Museum. Afterward, you’ll depart for Lake Nero and visit St. Jacob Monastery.

Food icon Included meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

DAY 8 :

Yaroslavl

Today you'll explore the handsome, tree-lined boulevards and fascinating old city center of Yaroslavl on a bus tour. Then, visit the art museum housed in the 18th-century Governor's mansion, which features an impressive collection by Russian masters. Your museum tour will be led by costumed guides and concludes with a concert and champagne toast. Later, you’ll see the lovely Church of Elijah the Prophet, famed for its fine frescoes, and visit the Church of St. Nicholas the Miracle Worker. Cultural Connections: During your tour of Yaroslavl, you’ll also visit a food market to observe how the Russians bargain, and what they eat. Later, you’ll gain insight into Russia’s future during a shipboard roundtable discussion with Russian students.

Food icon Included meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

DAY 9 :

Goritsy
Arrive 11:00am · Depart 2:00pm

Cultural Connection: As you cruise, enjoy a lecture on the tradition of Russian vodka. You’ll arrive in the village of Goritsy this afternoon, located on the banks of the Volga. Cultural Connection: After a walking tour of Goritsy, continue your education on Russian life with a visit to a local school facility, then meet with local families in their homes. Before returning to the ship, visit the town's famed Resurrection Monastery. Cultural Connections: This afternoon attend a blini cooking lesson followed by blini and vodka tasting on board.

Food icon Included meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

DAY 10 :

Cruising Lake Onega / Kizhi Island
Arrive 3:00pm · Depart 7:00pm

Enjoy the view as your ship glides through scenic Lake Onega. Then stop to visit Kizhi Island, home of the famed open-air Museum of Russian Architecture. Cultural Connections: Before you disembark in Kizhi, you’ll enjoy a lecture on Russian fairy tales. On shore, admire wonderful Russian architecture, including the Church of the Transfiguration, an ornate structure of wooden “ribbons” and 22 domes in three tiers built entirely without nails! Both the church and the adjacent clock tower are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. This evening, you’ll enjoy entertainment on board.

Food icon Included meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

DAY 11 :

Mandrogi
Arrive 11:00am · Depart 2:30pm

This morning you’ll arrive in the village of Mandrogi, where we’ll visit a wooden home and a local handicraft market, followed by a shashlyk (Russian barbecue) lunch. Cultural Connection: Back on board, try your hand at painting traditional nested matryoshka dolls. Later, toast your cruise at the Captain’s Farewell Dinner.

Food icon Included meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

DAY 12 :

Disembark Ship / St. Petersburg / Transfer to Corinthia Hotel St. Petersburg
Arrive 8:00am

Today discover St. Petersburg, Peter the Great’s “Window on the West,” a dazzling baroque city of white, gold, and pastel. Your city tour includes a visit to Peter and Paul Fortress, once a political prison. After your tour, you’ll transfer to your centrally located hotel. Your evening is at leisure, or you may join an optional tour to the Hermitage Theater for a ballet performance.

Food icon Included meals: breakfast, lunch

DAY 13 :

St. Petersburg

This morning, visit the Hermitage Museum, one of the preeminent art museums in the world, where an expert guide will lead you on a private tour. Your afternoon is at leisure. Or, enjoy an optional canal cruise.

Food icon Included meals: breakfast

DAY 14 :

St. Petersburg

This morning you’ll tour Catherine I’s Palace, yet another landmark of the czarist era. Built for the wife of Peter the Great, the palace is surrounded by magnificent gardens. The afternoon and evening are yours to spend as you wish, or join an optional tour to Pavlovsk, where you’ll see the Grand Palace of Pavel I and the surrounding park. In the evening, enjoy an optional folkloric show.

Food icon Included meals: breakfast

DAY 15 :

St. Petersburg

Spend a final day in St. Petersburg at leisure or enjoy an optional tour to Peterhof. Tonight, savor a Farewell Dinner at the hotel.

Food icon Included meals: breakfast, dinner

DAY 16 :

Return Home (or begin 7-day optional Baltic Capitals extension)

Or, begin your seven-day optional Baltic Capitals extension.

Food icon Included meals: breakfast

Trip Post-Extension: The Baltic Capitals (*Not available for all departures)

Enhance your explorations with this fascinating extension that takes you to three beautiful and historic cities along the Baltic Sea. You’ll begin with a full-day transfer from St. Petersburg to Tallinn, with a stop in Navra for an included lunch. Then enjoy a city tour of Tallinn, Estonia’s capital, whose medieval “Old Town” is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You'll continue on to Riga, Latvia's grand capital. You'll visit the city's opulent 19th-century Opera House, walk through the Riga Market, and the Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For your final Baltic capital, you'll visit Vilnius, Lithuania, stopping at the Holocaust Memorial at Kaunas. You'll also admire the Baroque architecture of Vilnius on a walking tour, plus, enjoy an optional excursion to the town of Trakai, with a visit to its medieval castle.

Your Price Includes:

  • Motorcoach transfer from St. Petersburg to Tallinn
  • 6 nights accommodations, including 2 nights at the Radisson Blu, Tallinn; 2 nights at the Radisson Blu Daugava, Riga (or similar); and 2 nights at the Radisson Blu Astorija, Vilnius
  • 10 meals: 6 breakfasts, 1 lunch, and 3 dinners
  • 5 sightseeing tours
  • Vantage Program Manager, transfers, and baggage handling (except in customs)
 details >

Trip Post-Extension: London 30th Anniversary Jubilee (*Not available for all departures)

For full details on this extension, click here. Dates & prices may vary based on your departure date.

 details >

St. Petersburg to Moscow

Trip Pre-Extension: The Baltic Capitals (*Available on select departures)

Enhance your explorations with this fascinating extension that takes you to three beautiful and historic cities along the Baltic Sea. You’ll begin with a full-day transfer from St. Petersburg to Tallinn, with a stop in Navra for an included lunch. Then enjoy a city tour of Tallinn, Estonia’s capital, whose medieval “Old Town” is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You'll continue on to Riga, Latvia's grand capital. You'll visit the city's opulent 19th-century Opera House, walk through the Riga Market, and the Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For your final Baltic capital, you'll visit Vilnius, Lithuania, stopping at the Holocaust Memorial at Kaunas. You'll also admire the Baroque architecture of Vilnius on a walking tour, plus, enjoy an optional excursion to the town of Trakai, with a visit to its medieval castle.

Your Price Includes:

  • Motorcoach transfer from St. Petersburg to Tallinn
  • 6 nights accommodations, including 2 nights at the Radisson Blu, Tallinn; 2 nights at the Radisson Blu Daugava, Riga (or similar); and 2 nights at the Radisson Blu Astorija, Vilnius
  • 10 meals: 6 breakfasts, 1 lunch, and 3 dinners
  • 5 sightseeing tours
  • Vantage Program Manager, transfers, and baggage handling (except in customs)
 details >

DAYS 1-2:

Depart home / Overnight flight to St. Petersburg, Russia (or depart 7 days earlier for Baltic Capitals extension)

Or depart 7 days earlier for Baltic Capitals optional extension. When you arrive in St. Petersburg after your overnight flight, a Vantage representative will greet you and arrange your transfer to your centrally located hotel, a modern facility housed in a 1730 facade. Tonight, gather with your fellow travelers for a Welcome Dinner at the hotel.

Food icon Included meals: dinner

DAY 3 :

St. Petersburg

Today, discover St. Petersburg, Peter the Great's “Window on the West,” a dazzling baroque city of white, gold, and pastel. Your city tour includes a visit to Peter & Paul Fortress, once a political prison. Your evening is at leisure.

Food icon Included meals: breakfast

DAY 4 :

St. Petersburg

This morning you’ll tour Catherine I’s Palace, yet another opulent landmark of the czarist era. Built for the wife of Peter the Great, the palace is surrounded by magnificent gardens. The afternoon and evening are yours to spend as you wish, or join an optional tour to Pavlovsk, where you'll see the Grand Palace of Pavel I and the surrounding park. In the evening, enjoy an optional folkloric show.

Food icon Included meals: breakfast

DAY 5 :

St. Petersburg

After breakfast at the hotel, you’ll visit the Hermitage Museum, one of the preeminent art museums in the world. An expert guide will show you the highlights on your private tour. Enjoy the rest of the day as you wish, with lunch and dinner on your own, or join on optional boat tour of St. Petersburg’s rivers and canals.

Food icon Included meals: breakfast

DAY 6 :

St. Petersburg / Embark MS Tolstoy
Depart 7:00pm

Spend your morning at leisure before transferring to your intimate river ship, or join an optional Peterhof tour. The MS Tolstoy is one of the better ships sailing Russia’s waterways. You’ll relax in an outside stateroom with a large picture window to view the passing scenery. This evening, gather for the Captain’s Welcome Dinner as we cast off for Mandrogi.

Food icon Included meals: breakfast, dinner

DAY 7 :

River Svyr / Ladoga Lake / Mandrogi
Arrive 12:30am · Depart 4:00pm

Cultural Connection: Morning lecture on Russian culture. Away from the cities, we cruise the Volga River past villages, fields, forests, and lakes. This morning, you’ll arrive in the village of Mandrogi, where we’ll visit a wooden home and a local handicraft market, followed by a shashlyk (Russian barbecue) lunch. Cultural Connection: Russian language lesson.

Food icon Included meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

DAY 8 :

Cruising Lake Onega / Kizhi Island
Arrive 8:00am · Depart 12:00pm

Today, you’ll visit Kizhi Island, home of the famed open-air Museum of Wooden Architecture. On shore, see medieval wooden buildings, including the Church of the Transfiguration, an ornate wooden structure with 22 domes built entirely without nails. Then, enjoy the view as your ship glides through scenic Lake Onega. Cultural Connections: Join in a workshop to paint traditional Matryoshka nested dolls, followed by a Russian tea party.

Food icon Included meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

DAY 9 :

Goritsy
Arrive 1:00pm · Depart 4:00pm

Cultural Connections: Learn about Russian history and fairy tales during an onboard lecture. Arrive in the village of Goritsy this afternoon, located on the banks of the Volga. Learn more about Goritsy on a walking tour and a visit to the Resurrection Monastery. Later, visit a school facility and private homes for a fuller understanding of the local lifestyle. Cultural Connection: This afternoon attend a blini cooking lesson followed by blini and vodka tasting on board.

Food icon Included meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

DAY 10 :

Yaroslavl
Arrive 3:00pm · Depart 3:00pm

Cultural Connection: Before you arrive in Yaroslavl, enjoy an onboard lecture about Russian Fairy Tales. In Yaroslavl, set out to explore its handsome, tree-lined boulevards and fascinating old city center. On your tour you’ll visit the heavily fortified 12th-century Transfiguration Monastery. Cultural Connections: During your tour of Yaroslavl, you’ll also visit a food market to observe how the Russians bargain, and what they eat. Later, you’ll gain insight into Russia’s future during a shipboard roundtable discussion with Russian students.

Food icon Included meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

DAY 11 :

Yaroslavl

Set off for a half day excursion to Rostov the Great, one of the oldest towns in Russia, where you’ll visit on of the most highly regarded kremlins outside of Moscow. Rostov is well known for another reason, and you’ll see why during a tour of the Enamel Museum. Afterward, you’ll depart for Lake Nero and visit St. Jacob Monastery. This afternoon, return to the ship in Yaroslavl. Enjoy both lunch and dinner on board.

Food icon Included meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

DAY 12 :

Uglich
Arrive 9:00am · Depart 12:00pm

Cultural Connection: Arriving in Uglich, you’ll visit a local family in their home, where you can try traditional tea and pies, observe the lifestyle of an average family, and share stories. Next, you’ll take a walking tour of Uglich, which was established in 1148. You’ll visit ornate Church of St. Dimitry on the Blood, which was erected on the spot where Prince Dimitry was murdered. This evening, enjoy the Captain’s Farewell Dinner aboard ship.

Food icon Included meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

DAY 13 :

Arrive Moscow / Disembark / Transfer to Moscow Marriott Grand Hotel
Arrive 1:00pm

Savor your last morning onboard the ms Tolstoy before disembarking in Moscow. Your introduction to Moscow begins with Red Square, New Maiden’s Convent, Lenin’s Mausoleum, the GUM shopping mall, the flame for the unknown soldier, and the swirling, brightly colored onion domes of St. Basil’s Cathedral. Afterward, you’ll ride a few stops on Moscow’s famed metro, stopping off in one of Moscow’s best shopping districts, where you’ll have time for browsing and souvenir-seeking plus travel along the famous Arbat Street.

Food icon Included meals: breakfast, lunch

DAY 14 :

Moscow

Today, you’ll set off on a tour highlighting a visit to the Kremlin, the symbol of Russian might, and the State Armory Chambers, repository of some of Russia’s most fabled treasures, including the Fabergé eggs. Lunch and the rest of the afternoon are on your own. This evening you may choose to join an optional Moscow by Night tour or optional visit to the Tretyakov Gallery.

Food icon Included meals: breakfast

DAY 15 :

Moscow

Your last full day in Moscow is at leisure. Or join our fascinating optional tour to Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, Russia’s most significant monastery (with lunch). Savor a Farewell Dinner at the hotel.

Food icon Included meals: breakfast, dinner

DAY 16 :

Return Home (or begin 5-day optional Kiev extension)

After breakfast, disembark ship and transfer to the airport for your flight home. Or, begin 5-day optional Kiev extension.

Food icon Included meals: breakfast

Due to the unique circumstances of traveling in Russia, these itineraries have been designed to point out the highlights of your tour. However, the itinerary and its order of included features may change due to circumstances beyond our control.

During your tour, you will enjoy onboard entertainment, lectures, and demonstrations. Final information regarding these performances and lectures will be found in your onboard Daily Program.

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner included daily during your river cruise, either aboard ship, at restaurants ashore, or as a boxed lunch where indicated. Meals may vary from buffet to sit down service based on the ship’s itinerary and included sightseeing tours.

Some ports of call may be altered due to weather conditions. Ship has right to alter itinerary at any time.

Please note: Fluctuating water levels may affect itinerary and duration in ports of call at any time.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: The above day-by-day itineraries and port times are preliminary and therefore subject to change. If any major changes occur in advance of your departure, you will be notified in writing by Vantage Deluxe World Travel. If changes occur while on tour, you will be notified by your Vantage Program Manager.