DAY 1 ISTANBUL - MOSCOW
Meeting at Istanbul New Airport, International Terminal, Turkish Airlines counter at 06:00. After check-in and passport procedures, we will depart for Moscow at 09:10 with Turkish Airlines flight TK417. We will arrive in Moscow at 13:00 local time and then perform a panoramic city tour. During the city tour, the places we will see include: Leningrad Avenue, Tverskaya Avenue, Parliament Building, Bolshoi Theater, Lubyanka Square, KGB Headquarters, St. Basil's Cathedral, Red Square, Gum Shopping Center, Christ the Savior Cathedral, and the Assembly Building. At the end of our tour, transfer to our hotel and dinner. Overnight at our hotel.
DAY 2 - MOSCOW
After breakfast at our hotel, we will carry out optional tours with guests who wish to, including the NOVODEVICHY Cemetery where NAZIM HIKMET and many statesmen and artists who shaped Russian history are buried, as well as a METRO + ARBAT tour. After the tour, transfer back to the hotel for dinner. After dinner, guests who wish can join the optional tour “MOSCOW UNDER LIGHTS.” Overnight at our hotel.
DAY 3 - MOSCOW
After breakfast, we will have an optional tour of the “KREMLIN.” After our tour, we will head to the ship waiting for us at the dock. After check-in for boarding and settling into our cabins, our ship will set sail. At the specified time, there will be an information meeting about the ports we will visit, the waterways we will navigate, and the operation of the level pools. In the evening, we will attend the captain's welcome cocktail. Dinner and overnight on our ship.
DAY 4 - UGLICH
After breakfast, you can participate in on-board activities or enjoy the beauty of the Volga River on the upper deck. After lunch, our ship arrives in Uglich. During our free Uglich walking tour in this charming town on the banks of the Volga, we will see the Transfiguration Cathedral in the Old Kremlin Square and the Church of Dmitry on the Blood, built at the site where Ivan the Terrible’s son, Dmitry, died at the age of 9. The ship will depart at 18:00. Dinner and overnight on our ship.
DAY 5 - KUZINO
After breakfast on the ship, we reach Kuzino, located at the confluence of the Sukhona and Yug rivers, accompanied by beautiful views of Northern Russia. This small settlement, opposite the historical Veliky Ustyug, stands out for its tranquility and natural beauty and is also one of the important stops of Viking River Cruises. We will take a break here and then travel by bus with guests who wish to visit one of the region's most impressive structures, the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery. This monastery, which is one of the finest examples of medieval Russian architecture, possesses unique value both religiously and culturally. After our visit to the monastery, we return to the ship, and after lunch, you can enjoy the scenery or take part in various activities on board.
Dinner and overnight on board.
DAY 6 - KIZHI
After breakfast, you can participate in on-board activities and enjoy the beauty of Lake Onega. After lunch, we arrive at Kizhi at 17:00. This island, located above the 60th parallel in Lake Onega, is an open-air museum and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. During our free walking tour of Kizhi, we will see the wooden Church of the Transfiguration, known for its 22 domes and built without the use of nails, as well as the old wooden houses that depict village life from past eras. After the tour, you will have free time on the island. Later, we return to the ship, and at 20:30, the ship will set sail. Dinner and overnight on board.
DAY 7 - SVIRSTROY
We have breakfast on board. Until lunch, you can enjoy the pastoral views of the forests, villages, and towns along the shores of the Svir River and participate in various activities on board. After lunch, we dock in the town of Svirstroy, located in the heart of the Volga-Baltic Waterway. This small settlement, born in the 1930s with the construction of a hydroelectric power station on the Svir River, carries the traces of Soviet engineering while also offering peace and tranquility. While our ship is docked here, guests who wish can explore the surroundings to get a deeper understanding of the local culture. Others can take a short walk and enjoy the natural beauty while resting by the riverside. After the tour, we return to the ship, and it will set sail. Dinner and overnight on board.
DAY 8 - ST. PETERSBURG
After breakfast, we arrive in St. Petersburg. After check-out procedures, we will disembark with our luggage and start our city tour. During our tour, we will see Alexandr Nevsky Monastery, Nevsky Prospect, Count Stroganov Palace, Palace Square, Winter Palace, St. Isaac's Cathedral, Smolny Monastery, Anichkov Palace and Bridge, and the Church of Alexander II. After the tour, for those who wish, there will be optional tours to the “HERMITAGE MUSEUM” and also an optional “CANAL” tour. Afterwards, transfer to our hotel. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.
DAY 9 - ST. PETERSBURG
After breakfast at the hotel, check-out procedures and transfer to the airport. Following the return flight, the end of our tour.