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.
- Economy class flight ticket between Istanbul Airport - Moscow / St. Petersburg - Istanbul Airport with THY.
- Full board accommodation in a 5* Aleksandra ship (Full board service starts with dinner on the day of boarding and ends with breakfast on the day of disembarkation).
- 2 nights half board accommodation in a 4* hotel in Moscow.
- 1 night half board accommodation in a 4* hotel in St. Petersburg.
- Panoramic City Tour in Moscow (Half day).
- Panoramic City Tour in St. Petersburg (Half day).
- Excursions at ports along the river route.
- Airport transfers as specified in the program.
- Professional Turkish guiding service.
- Luggage handling service on the ship.
- Welcome cocktail on the ship and Captain's Gala Dinner.
- Tea and coffee service with all meals on the ship.
- Concerts, shows, cultural lessons, and activities on the ship (Russian language lessons, Russian song lessons, Russian dance lessons, Russian cuisine, Russian folk arts, history and making of costumes and wooden souvenirs).
- Cruise staff service fee (per person: 80 EURO) is collected at the airport.
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Tips for local guides and drivers (per person: 70 EURO) are collected at the airport.
- Alcoholic, non-alcoholic beverages, and bottled water on the ship.
- Tours not specified in the program.
- Travel Health and Cancellation insurance (We recommend that all our passengers take out travel health insurance to avoid any inconvenience in case of a health-related cancellation.)
- Visa Fee: Russia requires a visa for ordinary passport holders. An ONLINE ELECTRONIC VISA must be obtained to participate in the Volga Tour. Visa fee per person is (100 EURO) No visa is required for green passport holders. Regardless of the type of passport, a passport with at least 6 months validity from the end of the tour, which is undamaged in any way and has no tearing in the stitches, is required for entry into Russia.
- International exit fee.
- The cruise company will not be held responsible for changes in time, date, and route made by the airline company or train company.
- The cruise, airline, and train company reserves the right to make these changes.
- The working days and hours of the museums and archaeological sites specified in the program may vary.
- Documents related to the trip and flight tickets are sent to guests 48 hours before the trip. Participants are responsible for reading and checking these tickets and the information presented.
- Due to changes in river water levels, port conditions, weather, and unforeseen circumstances, the cruise company reserves the right to make changes to the program. Accordingly, the ports of call, arrival, and departure times may change according to river traffic.
- Passengers who are not present at the specified airport or the port where the cruise will dock at the times communicated by our agency, who do not complete their check-in and boarding procedures on time, or who complete these procedures on time but are unable to board the flight or cruise are not the responsibility of our agency. All expenses for new departure and return flight tickets or transfers to the port, as well as any transportation costs within the destination area, incurred by passengers who miss the flight or cruise are their own responsibility.
- Information regarding the departure times of the ships from the port is announced or displayed on information boards within the ship. Guests are responsible for following this information. In case of missing the ship's departure, all costs incurred for continuing the journey by boarding from a different port, or for returning after cutting the trip short, are the responsibility of the passenger. No refund for the tour fee will be made if the trip is cut short.
- For international trips, it is mandatory to have a legally valid passport with at least 6 months of validity from the end date of the trip. Passengers' passports must not be damaged/worn/torn and must have blank visa pages. Passengers are obliged to fulfill the legal requirements necessary for entry into the destination countries. Passengers are personally responsible for any damages resulting from non-compliance with these rules, which may lead to being denied boarding at airports.
- The personal belongings, bags, and suitcases of passengers participating in the tour are their own responsibility, and our agency is not responsible for forgotten/lost/stolen items. In the event that forgotten items are found, the costs incurred during their delivery to the country and/or person are the responsibility of the item owner.
- Accommodation on board is full board, starting with dinner on the first day and ending with breakfast on the last day.
- In Russia, museums, archaeological sites, and main squares and avenues of cities may be closed without prior notice by the government. In this case, changes and cancellation rights for planned tours (city tours, extra tours) are at the discretion of the cruise management and the guide. This situation cannot be foreseen.
- Extra tour buses are only for guests who have participated in the extra tour, and guests who do not participate in the tours cannot use these buses.
- The programs and days for tours and extra tours in Moscow and St. Petersburg may change depending on museums and archaeological sites. Some tours can be combined.
Cancellation Terms
Cancellation without penalty is allowed until 90 days before the tour departure date (This cancellation without penalty is only valid for the cruise portion; flight ticket deductions will be charged separately).
A 50% penalty will be applied for cancellations between 89 days and 60 days.
An 80% penalty will be applied for cancellations between 59 days and 45 days.
A 100% penalty will be applied for cancellations between 44 days and the tour departure day.