The Itinerary
 
 DAY BY DAY SCHEDULE

 

About your Floating Hotel

The Peter the Great, built in Gennany and registered in Russia, offers its passengers the greatest possible comfort and safety. Each cabin is outside with a large picture window and private facilities. The cabin is also equipped with individual climate control and airconditioning. The ship has a boutique, well-appointed bar, music salon, theatre, hairdresser and solarium. There is a crew of 110, a satellite communications system and multiple meeting facilities. Ample deck space allows for unobstructed views. The cuisine is Russian and Continental. Russian language courses are offered. There is a physician on board. Dress is casual and comfortable. Voltage: 220 Volt / AC outlets. An adapter and converter is required. Laundry service is available.

Points of Interest

Peterhof (Petrodvorets): The summer residence of Peter the Great, famous for its collection of fountains. During this time there is an opportunity to visit the Great Palace that crowns the hill. It is under Elizabeth that Rastrelli accomplished another blend of medieval Russian architecture and Baroque.

St. Petersburg: The city on the Neva River, St. Petersburg is the second largest industrial, scientific and cultural center in Russia. It is also one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Created by Peter the Great in the 19th century to rival Venice, St. Petersburg has 101 islands, 66 canals, and many hundreds of bridges. Among its sights are the Peter and Paul Fortress, the Hermitage Museum (formerly the winter Palace) with its unparalleled art collection, the shops, theatres, and cafes along Nevsky Prospect, Kazan Cathedral, Count Stroganoff's Palace and the Smolny and Mariinsky (Kirov) Theatre.

Neva River: From the southern end of Lake Ladoga, the great Neva River flows 46 miles west through the heart of St. Petersburg where you will spend three nights aboard ship.

Lake Ladoga: Sandy and rocky beaches indent the lower end of Europe's largest lake, Lake Ladoga. Its shores are overgrown with graceful willows, tall alder trees and stately pines.

Lake Onega and Svir River: After cruising Lake Onega, Europe's second largest and one of the world's purest, we'll continue along the 139 mile-long Svir River which connects Lake Onega with Lake Ladoga.

Kizhi Island: Our cruise takes us by the way of the Volga-Baltic Waterway to the tiny island of Kizhi, located at the northern end of Lake Onega. Of principal interest is the open-air Museum of Architecture showing finished buildings from various regions of the country. The Transfiguration church with its 22 domes is especially notable.

Along The Volga-Baltic Waterway: The Volga-Baltic Waterway was completed in the summer of 1964. It replaced the old Mariinskaya system. The new waterway stretching from Lake Onega to the Rybinsk reservoir, was the last link in the integral deepwater system of the European part of Russia. The waterway includes the rivers Vytegra, Kovzha, Beloye Lake and Sheksna River. The Volga-Baltic Waterway connects the Baltic Sea with the Volga River through the rivers, lakes and canals.

Yaroslavl: Stretching for 18 miles on both banks of the Volga, Yaroslavl is an important Volga port with a population of 600,000. Founded in the 11th century by Prince Yaroslavl the Wise, the city retains many monuments to its colorful past. Of particular interest are the 13th-century Spassky Monastery, several cathedrals dating from the 17th century, an elegant rotunda in classical style, and remnants of an ancient trading center. Loveliest of all perhaps is the Church of Elijah the Prophet in Yaroslavl's central square.

Kostroma: Kostroma is undoubtedly one of the loveliest cities of the Golden Rjng. The pride of the city is the museum at the former Ipatyevsky Monastery. Founded in the 14th century by the Zemov family, the ancestors of the Godunovs, the monastery's crypt eventually became the Godunov burial vault. Kostroma is also the only city to have retained its originallSth- century design. The outdoor museum village, Berengeevka, will also please.

Uglich: Founded in 1148, Ug1ich is one of the most beloved towns in old Russia. The view of the town as it is approached from the Volga River is especially lovely with the Cathedral of the Resurrection and St. John's Church looming on the horizon. At the end of the 16th century, Maria Nagaya, seventh wife of Ivan the Terrible, lived in voluntary exile in the Kremlin at U glich. It was in her garden here that the Tsarevich Dmitry met his death and where the Church of St. Dmitrius on the Blood was built to memorialize it. Within the Kremlin is the oldest building in Uglich -the palace ofTsarevich Dmitry.

 

Kolomenskoye: Former royal estate, a favorite country retreat of Russian rulers from the 17th century on. It was here that Peter I was born and lived in early childhood. Kolomenskoye has been preserved as an architectural museum.

Sergiev Pasad (Zagorsk): Nestled in the central Russian plain north of Moscow, Sergiev Pasad is a small town noted for the beauty of its many gardens. It is justly famous as well for its handicrafts-gold embroidery, wood carving, and jewelry. Also of interest is the 600-year old white-stoned Trinity Monastery of St. Sergius, founded at a time when the Russians were fighting back the Tartar hordes. Among its many treasures is the splendid Holy Trinity icon by the Russian artist Andrei Rublyov. Wonderful examples of matrioshka nesting dolls can also be seen at the Museum of Russian Toys.

Kuskovo: Located just 10 kilometers from Moscow, Kuskovo was the summer residence of Count Sheremetyev. Built in 1770, this country park was known as the "Versailles of Moscow," with a richly decorated wooden palace surrounded by 79 acres of ornamental gardens. This lovely estate is a marvelous example of 18th century architecture. Nearby, the Lakeside Grotto, decorated with shells from the Mediterranean was opened with a banquet for Catherine the Great. The estate now houses the State Museum of Ceramics.

Tretyakov Gallery-Moscow: The Tretyakov Gallery was the first museum of painting entirely dedicated to Russian works of art. Founded in 1856 by Pavel Tretyakov, a wealthy Muscovite merchant, the collection contains the works of such Russian masters as Poluenov, Serov, Repin, Levitan, and the noted Russian Icon painter-Andrei Rublyov. The Tretyakov Gallery recently reopened after a l0-year remodeling project. It contains over 100,000 works of art. The collection of Russian Icons is indisputably the finest in the world.

The Moscow-Volga Waterway: The construction of the Moscow Canal took nearly five years to complete and was put into operation in 1937 on the occasion of the 800th anniversary of the founding of Moscow. The Moscow Canal is of great importance for the national economy. The pure water of the Volga coming through the canal helped to solve Moscow's water-supply problems for decades to come. The later construction of the Volga-Don Canal and the Volga-Baltic Waterway created a deepwater waterway system that connected the White Sea, Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Caspian Sea and the Sea of Azov. The picturesque banks of the Moscow canal and its water reservoirs, bays and beaches are a favorite place of resort for Muscovites and their guests.

Moscow: White-stoned, gold-domed, ancient but forever young: these vivid images instantly evoke Moscow, the capital of Russia. Moscow will keep any visitor busy and enthralled. Tour the Kremlin, grand and imposing Red Square, the site of the Lenin Mausoleum, and the Byzantine splendor of St. Basil's Cathedral with its many-colored onion domes, the Armory museum with its fabulous collection of Faberge eggs, royal jewels and thrones. No trip to Moscow would be complete without a visit to its celebrated metro (subway) with its marble statuary, intricate mosaics, and crystal chandeliers.

* Itinerary subject to change.

 

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