Imperial Waterways of Russia - Luxury River Cruise

DAY 1: Moscow (Embark)

Arrive at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport. If your cruise package includes a group arrival transfer or if you have purchased a private arrival transfer, you will be greeted by a Uniworld representative and transferred to the ship.

DAY 2: Moscow

If Russia is “a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma” as Churchill famously said, then Moscow presents an intriguing starting point for cultural discovery. See the city’s most iconic sights (as well as some under-the-radar secrets) with a savvy local expert, both above ground and below. Glamorous, grand, gorgeous and sometimes maddening, Moscow is Russia’s principal city. Founded in 1156, it was the capital of the medieval nation. Moscow lost its status as capital to St. Petersburg under Peter the Great, but it never lost its significance to Russia, and it has reestablished its dominance over the nation’s culture, politics and economy during the past century.

Choice of Panoramic City Tour or Moscow "Do as the Locals Do"

A special Captain’s Welcome Reception and Dinner will be prepared for you this evening. Note: Throughout your visit to Moscow, the order of sightseeing is subject to change. Venues may be closed unexpectedly for unannounced government functions, holidays or religious observances, necessitating changes in our program.

DAY 3: Moscow

Adventures await with a whole day in Moscow to explore on your own. Spend the day in Moscow exploring on your own. Return to yesterday’s favorite sites or discover new treasures in this world-class city. You could visit the Pushkin Literary Museum to learn more about Russia’s most famous poet or tour one of the houses in which Leo Tolstoy lived. Perhaps you’d like to take a stroll along Kuznetsky Most, which for centuries has hosted Moscow’s most fashionable shops. Shuttles will run from the ship to the city center for your convenience.

DAY 4: Cruising the Moscow Canal and Volga River, Uglich

On today’s excursion to a beautiful Golden Ring city deep in the Russian countryside, you’ll encounter the scene of a centuries-old murder mystery that has become the stuff of legend. While cruising through the 80-mile (128-kilometer) Moscow Canal, you’ll get your first glimpse of rural Russia on your way to Uglich. The canal links the Moskva with the Volga, and its banks near Moscow are lined with bucolic recreation areas that locals enjoy in the summer months. Heading north on the Volga, you’ll come to one of the loveliest cities of the Golden Ring, as the group of towns that played significant roles in Russian history are known. As you approach the delightful and picturesque town of Uglich in the afternoon, be prepared for a panorama of magnificent architectural monuments.

Choice of Uglich "Do as the Locals Do" tour or Walking discovery tour with Church of St. Dmitry on the Blood

DAY 5: Yaroslavl, Cruising Lake Rybinsk

Credit for Yaroslavl’s well-designed, UNESCO-protected city center goes to none other than Catherine the Great, who was even more than a mighty Russian ruler—she was a forward-thinking urban planner as well. Visit an Orthodox church and a lively market, then kick back aboard a scenic lake cruise. Often called the “Russian Florence” and considered one of Russia’s most beautiful cities of the Golden Ring, Yaroslavl stretches for miles along the confluence of the Volga and Kotorosi rivers.

Featured Excursion:

Yaroslavl city tour

DAY 6: Goritsy (Kirillov), Cruising Lake Onega

Beyond Russia’s major cities lies a completely different world—the fabled land of Mother Russia, celebrated for centuries in art, songs and great works of literature. Explore two rural villages today for an authentic and unforgettable glimpse of everyday life in a Russian provence. Two tiny villages are your destination today. Goritsy, a farming settlement on the Sheksna River, and Kirillov, which may be small but has extraordinary churches linked to the tsars.

Choice of A visit to Saint Cyrill on the White Lake Monastery or Goritsy "Village Day"

Later, relax onboard as your ship cruises through the second-largest lake in Europe. Fed by 58 rivers, Lake Onega has 1,369 islands and is bordered by the Republic of Karelia on the west, north and east, and by Leningrad Oblast and Vologda Oblast on the south. A great inland sea that creates its own weather, just as the Great Lakes in the United States do, its shores are lined with birch forests. You may think this wild and beautiful country is uninhabitable—and indeed it has few inhabitants—but people have lived along these shores for thousands of years, as petroglyphs carved into the granite on the eastern shore attest.

DAY 7: Kizhi Island, Cruising the Svir River

To approach the wooden Church of Transfiguration from the water, with its multitude of shingled onion domes and unmistakable silhouette, can be, well, a transformative experience. Step ashore for an up-close view of this incredible church—built without a single nail—and explore the island’s famous open-air museum and its 89 traditional wooden structures. Kizhi Island, which seemingly floats between sky and water in the midst of Lake Onega, is home to one of Russia’s iconic sights, the all-wood Church of Transfiguration.

Choice of Open-air Museum of Wooden Architecture or "Let's Go" village and island nature hike

DAY 8: Cruising the Svir River, Mandrogi, Cruising Lake Ladoga

Travel back in time to the 19th century at a reconstructed Russian village populated by talented artisans who make handmade items using old-world materials and techniques. Other highlights today include a rustic shashlik picnic lunch onshore and a cruise on a pristine freshwater lake. A reconstructed village on the shore of the Svir River, Mandrogi illustrates the traditions and lifestyles of Russia’s past.

Choice of Mandrogi “Village Day” walking tour with shashlik picnic lunch ashore or "Let's Go" village hike or Exploring crafts stores and watching artisans at work

Later, your ship cruises along the southern shores of Lake Ladoga, a vast freshwater inland sea that was once connected to the Baltic Sea. Islands dot the water while forested nature preserves and beaches line the shores. Relax and enjoy the scenery.

DAY 9: St. Petersburg

With its grand Italian architectures and austere Nordic setting, St. Petersburg is a city of canals, palaces and cathedrals that presents a glorious juxtaposition of East and West. See the sights by land as well as water, then experience an art form that is quintessentially Russian—an evening at the ballet. The brainchild of Peter the Great, St. Petersburg was built on 42 islands on the Neva delta, in what was essentially a swamp. The tsar lavished on it all the might, ambition and money at his disposal, importing the finest architects from Italy, the greatest decorative artists and the most celebrated painters: The result is an extraordinarily beautiful city.

Featured Excursion:

Russian ballet performance

Choice of Glorious Saint Petersburg: panoramic highlights tour & canal cruise or St. Petersburg "Do as the Locals Do" tour with canal cruise and Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood visit

Note: Throughout your visit to St. Petersburg, the order of sightseeing is subject to change. Venues may be closed unexpectedly for unannounced government functions, holidays or religious observances, necessitating changes in our program.

DAY 10: St. Petersburg

Cross the threshold of the summer residence of the tsars—the lavishly decorated Catherine Palace—where you’ll see opulent staterooms and the near mythic Amber Room, meticulously restored to its former glory. Dine on traditional Russian fare at a local restaurant, then spend the rest of the day exploring on your own. On your second day in St. Petersburg, you’ll enjoy a guided tour through splendid Catherine Palace and Park. Once the summer residence of the tsars, it is a masterwork of rococo architecture. Then, spend the rest of your day on your own exploring more of this beautiful city or join a tour to Peterhof Gardens—a treat for anyone interested in landscape design.

Featured Excursion:

Catherine Palace and Park in Pushkin

DAY 11: St. Petersburg

Spend your last day in St. Petersburg at what many experts consider the finest art museum in the world, the legendary Hermitage, a former residence of the tsars that’s now home to a massive and mind-boggling collection of priceless works of art. Your final day in St. Petersburg finds you with an appropriately imperial excursion: a guided tour through the world-famous Hermitage Museum. It is the crown jewel of the city and is located in the former home of the tsars, the Winter Palace.

Featured Excursion:

Hermitage Museum

A special Captain’s Farewell Reception and Dinner will be prepared for you this evening.

DAY 12: St. Petersburg (Disembark)

You have sampled culinary delights, explored history and experienced the best of life along the Volga River. Now the journey comes to a close and it’s time to disembark the ship. If your cruise package includes a group departure transfer or if you have purchased a private departure transfer, you will be transferred to Pulkovo International Airport for your flight home. Your Uniworld adventure may be over, but we know you’ll enjoy the memories you’ve made for years to come.

• May 31 Moscow to St Petersburg
• June 11 St Petersburg to Moscow
• June 22 Moscow to St Petersburg
• July 3 St Petersburg to Moscow
• July 14 Moscow to St Petersburg
• July 25 St Petersburg to Moscow

Classic stateroom

• Beautiful appointed riverview stateroom (135 sq ft - 12.5 sq m)
• Hotel bed draped in fine linens with choice of pillows, hair dryer, safe, individual thermostat, telephone, flat-screen TV with infotainment center and satellite, and bottled water
• Bathroom features L'Occitane en Provence bath and body products, plush towels, soft bathrobes, and slippers