Itinerary

On arrival at the airport your driver will be waiting for you to transfer you to the river port. Board the MS Mustai Karim in St Petersburg and settle in. This evening, a welcome cocktail party has been laid on, a chance for you to meet those you will be traveling with over a glass of sparkling wine and one of Russia’s favorite treats – red caviar. Afterwards, a sumptuous dinner awaits in the main deck restaurant.

We can extend your stay in St. Petersburg, you can arrive earlier and spend a few nights in a hotel. There are plenty of sightseeing options to choose from.

Begin your St Petersburg sightseeing in earnest this morning with a city tour by bus. This will show you many of the canals and historic buildings that make this northerly city such a pleasure to explore. Tonight a sojourn along the river onboard MS Mustai Karim affords the opportunity to see St Petersburg’s drawbridges open.

Today we reach Valaam, the largest island in Lake Ladoga, the largest lake in Europe. We enjoy a guided walking tour of the Central Manor of Holy Transfiguration Monastery.

On the north shore of Lake Ladoga, Europe’s largest lake, you’ll come across a small village called Mandrogi. Originally a lumber and fishing center, after World War Two its traditional buildings were restored. A stop here has been arranged; Mangrogi’s cobbled streets reveal a plethora of arts and crafts inside gingerbread houses adorned with elaborate fretwork. You’ll have the chance to try your hand at an included masterclass. Many visitors enjoy a visit to the Museum of Vodka (optional), which has 2800 different types of the spirit under its roof. A picnic lunch with shashlik (Russian kebab) will be arranged for you.

Downsizing the lake today – Onega is the second largest – we take you to charming Kizhi Island. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site and you’ll have the chance to get to know this unique historical, cultural and natural complex. At its heart is the magnificent Transfiguration Cathedral built without a single nail. Surrounding it are traditional wooden houses and an octagonal clock tower, also built from wood and dating from 1862.

Today the itinerary includes a stop at Goritsy, the place where Ivan the Terrible once planned to retire. The focus of our visit will be the UNESCO-listed Monastery of Resurrection, and in particular the Cathedral of Nativity of the Virgin, whose walls are covered with well-preserved frescoes painted by Dionisius in the Middle Ages. The monastery has had a checkered but fascinating history, particularly in modern times. In the 1920s, the monastery was transformed by the Bolsheviks into an agricultural cooperative, though nuns were allowed to work and pray here; a decade later, it was shut and most of the nuns were executed. Since the 1990s, a small community of nuns have lived in the convent.

There are so many attractive towns in the Golden Ring it would be remiss of us to limit the sightseeing to just one of them, so today a visit to Uglich is in order. This ancient town is heaving with historic buildings – begin with the Kremlin of Uglich and the beautiful Church of St. Dmitry on the Spilled Blood, where Ivan the Terrible’s son lost his life in mysterious circumstances. The Kovcheg choir will perform for MS Mustai Karim guests. Afterwards, we’ll take you to the home of a local family where you can enjoy some traditional Russian hospitality.

Thank you for spending your holiday on board the MS Mustai Karim. After breakfast a transfer to the airport is arranged for you and we wish you a pleasant onward journey.

You can add a few days in Moscow to your cruise. We can arrange hotel accommodation and optional tours.