Russia - Waterways of the Czars with Luxury & Style (14 Days): A Sample Itinerary

ID #: DT-R-14-3-9-10-BESI


 
Kremlin from the Moscow River
Church of the Transfiguration

DavidTravel Itinerary Highlights include:

• View the Kremlin's famous Armory collection of imperial era regalia, the ornate gems in the Diamond Fund and two of the Kremlin's cathedrals
• Visit historic Red Square and see the colorful onion-shaped domes of St. Basil's Cathedral
• Cruise to beloved 12th-century Uglich, known for its wooden houses and the blue cupolas of the Cathedral of the Resurrection
• Yaroslavl boasts an abundance of dazzling merchant homes and beautiful churches, as well as the walled fortress, the 13th-century Spassky Monastery and Church of Elijah
• Visit the historic B-440 submarine that participated in the Cuban missile crisis in 1962
• Visit tiny Kizhi Island to see the 22 onion-shaped domes of the Church of the Transfiguration
• Cruise along the Svir River to Mandrogi, renowned for its old wooden houses and handicrafts
• Explore Petrodvorets with its cascading fountains, bronze sculptures and sea channels. In St. Petersburg, visit St. Isaac's Cathedral and the Peter and Paul Fortress
• Explore Catherine's Palace and its famous Amber Room before lunch and folkloric entertainment
• Explore the incredible Hermitage Museum. Then visit the Yusupov Palace and the Church on Spilled Blood

Overview:

Russia, the world's largest and perhaps least understood country definitely deserves the visit of any inquisitive, adventurous person, whether it be for short history and museum-heavy trip through Moscow and St Petersburg's cultural treasures, or a more wide-ranging trip that could include an almost endless list of destinations: the mountains of the Caucasus, the beaches of the Black Sea, the vast Volga River, the endless tracts of Taiga in Siberia, magical Lake Baikal, or the volcanoes of Kamchatka.

While people often refer to the country simply as Russia, it's actually very much the Russian Federation - taking in over 100 different nationalities and languages, including Muslim, Jewish and Buddhist populations from Chechnya on the Georgian border to Arctic Chukotka, just a short distance from Alaska. Everything exists here on an inhuman scale, whether it's Moscow's vast eight-lane highways or the endless flat scenery of the Russian steppe. The vast distances involved mean that flying around is often the only reasonable way of getting around, although the country's famous Trans-Siberian railway is a great way to see more of the country if time allows.