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Fly to Moscow
Travel to Russia on an overnight flight.
Arrive in the capital
If you purchased your airfare from Vantage, a Vantage representative will greet you in the airport in Moscow after your flight and arrange transfer to your hotel. Enjoy a Welcome Dinner and Briefing at your hotel this evening.
Included meals:
Embark the MS Crucelake in Moscow
After breakfast, you'll have time to explore a bit of Moscow before embarking your ship this afternoon. Your Russia travel itinerary begins with a grand city tour of Moscow, including the KGB building, Kremlin Towers, and the Arbat, a massive pedestrian thoroughfare filled with many shops that put any Cold War-era memories of bare shelves, well, on the shelf! Plus, you'll have free time to explore iconic Red Square, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where colorful St. Basil's Cathedral and Lenin's Mausoleum beckons. On today’s tour, you’ll also visit Moscow’s Metro, which serves as a sort of art gallery, a public-works remnant from the 1950s. Some stations even have massive chandeliers! After embarking your ship, you'll take part in an onboard bread and salt ceremony - a traditional Slavic greeting. Gather for an informational briefing and then enjoy dinner on board. After dinner, join us this evening to admire even more views during an included Moscow by Night tour. You’ll witness New Maidens' Convent, Victory Hill, and have several photo stops including Red Square with its twinkling lights. Vantage Exclusive:
Immerse yourself in the arts in Moscow
Today you'll visit the Tretyakov Gallery — a fascinating introduction to Russian art and culture — with more than 100,000 works charting the development of Russian painting from the 10th to 20th centuries. This afternoon, after a late lunch onboard your ship, you'll have the afternoon to explore at leisure. Dinner will be onboard. Included Feature:
The mighty Kremlin
Visit Russia's symbol of might and majesty, the Kremlin, on a guided tour that includes the Assumption Cathedral and State Armory Chambers, the repository of the bejeweled Fabergé eggs. Today, feast on local specialties during an included lunch at a local restaurant. In the evening, enjoy the Captain's Welcome Dinner and Reception. Scenic Sailing: As your ship departs, prepare yourself for some cruise highlights. You’ll cover more than 1,000 kilometers on Russian waterways, including two canals (Moscow Canal and the Volga-Baltic Canal), 15 locks, artificial reservoirs, natural lakes, and rivers. Included Features:
Life on the Volga
Away from the cities, Russia is a land of villages, fields, forests, and lakes, all threaded by rivers such as the mighty Volga, Europe's longest. Enjoy a lively "Russian language for travelers" lesson and a lecture on Russian History. After a port talk this afternoon, discover Uglich, one of the motherland’s oldest towns that is part of the storied Golden Ring along the picturesque Volga. A favorite location of Ivan the Terrible, you’ll learn more about its fascinating history on a walking tour. Immerse yourself in local life here when you visit a local family, where home-hosted tea and tasty pies await. Later this evening, enjoy live music in the bar.
Included Features:
Cultural Connection:
Toast Goritsky discoveries
Before arriving at your next port of call, enjoy lunch onboard, along with a lecture on Russian history. This afternoon, you’ll arrive in Goritsy for a walking tour, and enjoy the tranquil village’s fascinating history as a former home to several monasteries. Visit a local school to learn about day-to-day life, as well as a local home. The Resurrection Monastery awaits you next, and its storied history (founded by one of Ivan the Terrible’s daughters-in-law) is as fascinating as the architecture. Back on board, try your hand at Russian specialties during a cooking lesson, followed by vodka and tea with pie and a blini tasting. These traditional pancakes are usually made with buckwheat flour and garnished with sour cream, butter, or caviar. Later, enjoy a cocktail reception before dinner on board. Included Features:
Lake Onega & Kizhi Island
After a leisurely breakfast on board and a port talk on the imperial capital of St. Petersburg, you’ll learn more about Russian history during an onboard lecture. Visit the Captain’s Bridge to marvel at views of Lake Onega before arriving at Kizhi Island, whose church and the adjacent clock tower are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This Open-Air Museum of Wooden Architecture is a true site to behold, and you’ll admire fascinating examples of traditional wooden buildings collected from around Russia. Among the notable structures is the Church of the Transfiguration, an ornate structure with 22 domes, built entirely without nails. Vantage Exclusive:
Marvelous Mandrogi
This afternoon takes you on an excursion to the village of Mandrogi, where you’ll visit a wooden home and a local handicrafts market, followed by a shashlik (Russian barbecue) lunch. Back on board, learn the art of painting matryoshka (nesting dolls), followed by an on board lecture on Russian fairytales. Toast your Russian river cruise at the Captain’s Farewell Reception and Farewell Dinner this evening. Afterwards, enjoy a talent show and live music at the bar. Included Features:
Welcome to St. Petersburg
Today you'll begin your discovery of St. Petersburg, Peter the Great’s “Window on the West,” a dazzling baroque city of white, gold, and pastels — and one of the best reasons to travel to Russia. Enjoy a panoramic tour of the city that's been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You’ll also admire the Church on Spilled Blood, where Emperor Alexander II was assassinated in March 1881, and Nevsky Prospect, the city’s main thoroughfare that is the focal point of shopping, dining, and nightlife. Its myriad bridges make it a lovely walking path to admire the glistening canals — the reason why this metropolis is often called the “Venice of the North.”
Marvel at Peterhof, the “Russian Versailles”
This morning you'll travel a short distance outside of St. Petersburg to visit Peterhof, a UNESCO site often called the "Russian Versailles." Peter the Great built the splendid palace and elaborate gardens on the shore of the Gulf of Finland. You’ll admire the spray of fountains set to music and the marvelous art collection, including a stunning room filled to the brim with historic portraits.
Follow in the steps of the tsars
You'll disembark the ship this morning and visit Catherine's Palace, yet another magnificent landmark of the tsarist era and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Built for the wife of Peter the Great, the palace is surrounded by serene gardens and once served as the summer residence of the Russian tsars. St. Petersburg is also lovely for strolling — perhaps you’ll choose to spend the afternoon walking through any number of public parks, taking an independent hop-on, hop-off canal cruise, or visiting the Fabergé museum and marvel at the works of master jeweler Carl Fabergé, who created his famous artisanal eggs and more for the last two Russian tsars. Included Feature:
Landmarks of the "Window on the West"
Your included tour today features St. Petersburg’s rivers and canals, which are part of the historic group of monuments known collectively as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. And besides a storied history, what connects these banks? Beautiful bridges, of course. Adornments include statues, horses, griffins, and sphinxes, and the spans all come in a plethora of hues. See them and Yusupov Palace, legendary site of Rasputin’s slaying. This afternoon will be at your leisure. This evening, join us for a Farewell Briefing and Farewell Dinner. Vantage Exclusive:
Return home or continue on to Helsinki, Finland
After breakfast at the hotel, transfer to the airport for your return flight home, or begin your optional Helsinki, Finland extension.
Important Notice: The above day-by-day itineraries are preliminary and are therefore subject to change. If changes occur while on tour, you will be notified by your Vantage Cruise Director or regional expert.
