Itineraries and excursions 2016

“Princess Anabella”

Moscow- Nizhniy Novgorod – Moscow, 10 days

Day / Port of call / Program
1 / Moscow / Embarkation
2 / Moscow / City Tour. Moscow is the capital of Russia; the most dynamically developing megalopolis. Our professional guides will lead you through this thrilling city and tell you some interesting facts about its foundation and present-day life. You will see the main square of the country, parade and concert grounds, Red Square, the GUM department store, Lenin’s Tomb, the restored building of the Bolshoy Theater, Lubyanka Square with the former KGB (now FSB) building, the rebuilt Manezh square, and the golden cupolas of the Cathedral of Our Savior. The New Maiden Convent is picturesquely spread out in the Moscow River bend and the building of MGU (the Moscow State University) on the Sparrow Hills has a breathtaking panoramic view of the city. At the end of the tour, you may choose to stay downtown or come back on board the ship.
3 / Uglich / Uglich, the town of rare beauty and tragic fate, was founded in 1148 and is situated in the place where the Volga river makes a sharp bend or “ugol” in Russian; which, according to legend, is how the town received its name. During the walking tour, you will visit the Uglich Kremlin Architectural Complex, which consists of 2 cathedrals, the Prince’s Chamber, the Cathedral of the Transfiguration of our Savior, and, of course, the church of the Tsarevich Dmitry on the Blood. At the end of the 16 century, Maria Nagaya, the seventh and the last wife of Ivan the Terrible, lived in Uglich Kremlin while in exile with her son, Prince Dmitry, and there in the garden he faced his death. Later, at the end of the 17 century, the church of Tsarevich Dmitry on the Blood was built to commemorate that tragic event. Only here you can taste delicious Uglich cheese, drink pure Uglich water out of the local water spring, and purchase the world-famous Uglich watch, the “Chaika.”
4 / Yaroslavl / During the city tour of Yaroslavl, you will see and visit a lot of monuments and museums. It is really worth seeing, as it is the largest city of the so-called “Golden Ring of Russia,” founded even before Moscow (mentioned in chronicles from 1071). The city was named after Prince Yaroslav the Wise, who, according to the legend, killed a sacred wild bear (the pagan deity of local tribes) with his axe. Since those times a bear with an axe is Yaroslavl’s coat of arms. During the city tour, you will visit the church of Elijah the Prophet, decorated with frescos and icons dated back to the 17thcentury (a UNESCO World Heritage Site). Other points of interest include the magnificent Savior Monastery ensemble dating from the 13thcentury, majestic churches of the 17thcentury, and the newly rebuilt golden-domed Assumption Cathedral, which had been demolished after the revolution of 1917. You will stroll along the embankment to the place where two rivers, the Volga and the Kotorosl, converge and see an elegant rotunda.
5 / Gorodets / Walking city tour.
6 / Nizhniy Novgorod / Walking city tour with a visit to the Kremlin
7 / Plyos / Free time. Optional tour to Suzdal
8 / Myshkin / Walking city tour. Visiting Myshkin museum
9 / Moscow / Kremlin, and Cathedrals. Today you will have a unique chance to visit “the heart of Russia” – the territory of the Moscow Kremlin. It is one of the largest architectural ensembles in the world, including monuments built over the time from the late 15thto the 20thcenturies. Historically, the Moscow Kremlin has been the residence of power and today it is the residence of the Russian President. The monumental walls and towers of the fortress capture the look of ancient Moscow with the Kremlin’s golden-domed cathedrals, old chambers, magnificent palaces, and beautiful office blocks. The unique museum complex includes several cathedrals: the Assumption Cathedral, (the coronation place of all Russian tsars), the Archangel Cathedral (the burial place of Russian tsars before Peter the Great), the Annunciation Cathedral, the Tsar Bell, the Tsar Cannon, and Ivan the Great Bell Tower.
10 / Moscow / Disembarkation