Day 1 - ISTANBUL - MOSCOW
Meeting at Istanbul Airport, International Terminal, at the Turkish Airlines counter at 06:00. After check-in and passport procedures, we will depart for Moscow at 09:10 on Turkish Airlines flight TK417. Arrival in Moscow at 13:00 local time, followed by a panoramic city tour. During the city tour, the following places will be seen: Leningrad Avenue, Tverskaya Avenue, Parliament Building, Bolshoi Theatre, Lubyanka Square, KGB Headquarters, St. Basil's Cathedral, Red Square, Gum Shopping Centre, Christ the Savior Cathedral, and the Parliament Building. At the end of the tour, we will transfer to our hotel for dinner. Overnight at our hotel.
Day 2 - MOSCOW
After breakfast at our hotel, we will have an optional tour to NOVODEVICHY Cemetery, where NAZIM HIKMET and many state leaders and artists who shaped Russian history are buried, as well as a METRO + ARBAT tour. After the tour, we will transfer back to our hotel for dinner. After dinner, those who wish can join an optional tour “MOSCOW UNDER LIGHTS.” Overnight at our hotel.
Day 3 - MOSCOW
After breakfast, those who wish can participate in an optional “KREMLIN” tour. After the tour, we will head to the port to board our ship. After completing the boarding procedures and settling into our cabins, the ship will set sail. During the scheduled informational meeting, we will provide information about the ports of call, waterways traversed, and the working system 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 join onboard activities or enjoy the beauty of the Volga River from the upper deck. After lunch, our ship will arrive in Uglich. In this charming town located on the banks of the Volga, we will participate in a free walking tour, where we will see the Transfiguration Cathedral in the Old Kremlin Square and the Church of Dmitry on the Blood, built at the place where Ivan the Terrible’s son died at the age of 9. The ship will set sail again at 18:00. Dinner and overnight on our ship.
Day 5 - GORETSI / KIRILOV
After breakfast, you can participate in various activities on the ship and enjoy the views of the Volga River from the deck. After lunch, we will arrive in Goritsi. Known as a picturesque and quiet village in Russia, Goritsi has a small harbor by the river. You will explore the simplicity of this small and charming village, which also reflects the spiritual life of monks with many monasteries in the area, an important center for early Christianity in Russia. Upon arrival, we will take a bus to Kirilov, which is located 10 km away, to visit the monastery. After exploring the village and having free time for shopping, we will return to the ship at the appointed time. You can enjoy coffee on the upper deck and admire the scenic views along the riverbank. Dinner and overnight on our ship.
Day 6 - KIZHI
After breakfast, you can participate in onboard activities and admire the beauty of Lake Onega. After lunch, we will arrive in Kizhi at 17:00. This island, located above the 60th parallel in Lake Onega, is an open-air museum and a UNESCO World Heritage site. During our free walking tour in Kizhi, we will see the wooden Church of the Transfiguration with 22 domes, which was built without using any nails, and learn about life in the past in this village and island. After the tour, there will be free time on the island. Later, we will return to our ship, and it will set sail at 20:30. Dinner and overnight on our ship.
Day 7 - MANDROGI
After breakfast on the ship, we will arrive in Mandrogi at 10:30. In this green village filled with colorful Russian wooden houses, you will have free time to walk in the open air, visit the mini zoo, and the souvenir shops and workshops located in beautiful wooden buildings. There is also a small vodka museum here (entrance fee is required). After lunch, the ship will set sail. While our ship sails through the northern forests of Russia, you can enjoy the beautiful scenery. Tonight, you will be hosted at the Captain's Gala Dinner. Overnight on our ship.
Day 8 - St. PETERSBURG
After breakfast, we will arrive in St. Petersburg at 09:00. After disembarkation procedures, we will embark on a free panoramic city tour in our private vehicle, where we will see the Alexander Nevsky Monastery, Nevsky Prospekt, Count Strogonov Palace, Palace Square, Winter Palace, St. Isaac's Cathedral, Smolny Convent, Anichkov Palace and Bridge, and the Church of the Savior on the Spilled Blood. For those interested, there will be optional tours to the “Hermitage Museum” and an optional “Canal Tour.” Afterwards, we will transfer to our hotel and check into our rooms. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.
Day 9 - St. PETERSBURG
After breakfast, those who wish can participate in optional tours to “Peterhof Park, Pushkin Town, and Catherine Palace.” After the tour, we will return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day 10 - St. PETERSBURG
After breakfast, we will depart from the hotel and head to St. Petersburg Airport. After check-in and passport procedures, we will have our return flight, marking the end of our tour.
- Economy class flight ticket between Istanbul Airport – Moscow / St. Petersburg – Istanbul Airport with THY
- Full board cabin accommodation on the 5* General Lavrinenkov cruise ship (Full board service starts with dinner on the boarding day and ends with breakfast on the disembarkation day)
- 2 nights accommodation in Moscow at a 4* star hotel with half board.
- 2 nights accommodation in St. Petersburg at a 4* star hotel with half board.
- Moscow Panoramic City Tour (Half day)
- St. Petersburg Panoramic City Tour (Half day)
- Tours at the ports visited along the river route
- Airport transfers specified in the program
- Professional Turkish guiding service
- Luggage handling service on the ship
- Welcome cocktail and Captain's Gala Dinner on the ship
- Tea and coffee service during all meals on the ship
- Concerts, shows, cultural lessons, and activities on the ship (Russian language lessons, Russian songs lessons, Russian dance lessons, Russian cuisine, Russian folk arts, information about the history and making of costumes and wooden souvenirs)
- Cruise staff service fee (Per person: 80 Euro) is collected at the airport
- Tips for local guides and drivers (Per person: 70 Euro) are collected at the airport
- Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and bottled water on the ship
- Tours not specified in the program
- Travel Health and Cancellation insurance (We recommend all our passengers to obtain travel health insurance to avoid any inconvenience in case of a health-related cancellation.)
- Visa Fee: Russia applies a visa to ordinary (normal) passports. For participation in the Volga Tour, it is necessary to obtain an ONLINE ELECTRONIC VISA. The visa fee per person is (100 Euro) No visa is required for green passport holders. Regardless of the type of passport, it is necessary to have a passport that is valid for at least 6 months from the end of the tour, which is undamaged in any way and has no seams that are torn.
- Overseas exit fee
The cruise company will not be responsible for any changes in schedule, date, and route that the airline and train company may make.
The cruise, airline, and train companies reserve the right to make these changes.
Travel documents and plane tickets will be sent to guests 48 hours before the trip. Participants are required to read and check these tickets and the information provided.
Due to changing river water levels, port conditions, weather, and unforeseen circumstances, the cruise company has the right to make changes in the schedule. Accordingly, the ports to be visited, arrival and departure times at the ports may vary according to river traffic.
Passengers who are not present at the specified airport or the port where the ship will dock at the times indicated by our agency, who do not complete check-in and boarding procedures on time, or who complete these procedures on time but miss the flight or ship will not be compensated by our agency for not being able to complete the trip. All expenses for new round-trip plane tickets or transportation to the port where they can board the ship and transfers in the destination region for passengers who miss their flight or ship are their responsibility.
Information regarding the departure times of the ships is announced or communicated via information boards on the ship. Guests are responsible for following this information. In the event of missing the ship's departure, all expenses incurred in order to continue the trip by boarding from a different port or returning home are the responsibility of the passenger. No refunds will be made for trips interrupted.
For international trips, it is mandatory to have a legally valid passport that is valid for at least 6 months from the end date of the trip. Passenger passports must not be damaged/worn/torn and must have blank visa pages. Passengers are required to fulfill any legal obligations necessary for entry into the destination countries. Passengers are personally responsible for any damages resulting from not complying with these rules, which may lead to being denied boarding at the airports.
Passengers participating in the tour are responsible for their personal belongings, bags, and suitcases, and our agency is not responsible for forgotten/lost/stolen items. In the case that forgotten items are found, the costs incurred during delivery to the country and/or person will be borne by the owner of the items.
Full board accommodation on the ship starts with dinner on the first day and ends with breakfast on the last day.
In Russia, museums, historical sites, and main squares and arteries of cities can be closed by the government without prior notice. In this case, changes and cancellations in planned tours (city tours, optional tours) are at the discretion of the cruise management and the guide. This situation cannot be predicted in advance.
Optional tour buses are only for guests who have joined the optional tour, and guests who do not participate in the tours cannot use these buses.
The programs and days of tours and optional tours in Moscow and St. Petersburg may vary depending on museums and historical sites. Some tours can be combined.