Arrive in Kiev, capital of Ukraine and transfer to your ship.* After boarding, take free time to relax before dinner—or join our “welcome walk” to stretch your legs and start getting oriented. (D)
Day 2 - Kiev
Tour Kiev, one of Europe’s oldest cities, with a heritage of Viking, Cossack and Ukrainian peoples. Explore its historic buildings and monuments, and take a guided tour of the lovely domed St. Sophia Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. After lunch aboard, tour the Monastery of Caves, an extensive complex of churches and museums founded by monks in 1051. Dinner aboard is followed by evening sailing along the peaceful Dnieper River. (B, L, D)
Day 3 - Dnieper River Scenic Cruising
Enjoy a full day of scenic cruising, taking in the Dnieper’s landscape of rolling hills, ancient forest groves, historic villages and wide lakes. A series of onboard activities are available to help you familiarize yourself with the history and culture of Ukraine. (B, L, D)
Day 4 - Zaporozhye
After breakfast, tour Zaporozhye, ancestral home of the Cossacks. Drive along Lenin Street; see the Lenin Monument, dam and the city’s massive hydroelectric plant. Then visit the Cossack Museum of Khortitsa. Enjoy a special Cossack horsemanship show including folkloric music and dance. Depart during lunch; this afternoon, enjoy scenic cruising and onboard activities, including a Ukrainian tea party. Cruise through the night. (B, L, D)
Day 5 - Kherson
After a morning of scenic cruising and a Ukraine language lesson, arrive in Kherson midafternoon. Disembark for a tour of this small city, founded in 1778 by order of Catherine the Great and named after the nearby ancient Greek colony of Chersonesos Taurica. Walk along the river embankment, see the monument to Prince Potjomkin and visit St. Catherine’s Cathedral, decidedly Mediterranean in design. Dinner is served as we depart. (B, L, D)
Day 6 - Sevastopol
After lunch, arrive in Sevastopol, base of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. Tour the city center and see St. Vladimir Cathedral and Admiral Nakhimov Square. The rest of the afternoon is free, or join an optional archeological tour of the ancient Greek city of Chersonese, founded in the 6th century B.C. near today’s Quarantine Bay and designated one of the Seven Wonders of Ukraine. Dine aboard and remain docked overnight; this evening you can attend an optional Black Sea Choir concert. (B, L, D)
Day 7 - Sevastopol
This morning’s tour goes to the Tatar city of Bakhchisarai. Tour the Khan Palace, built in 1519, and see the many different architectural styles within the complex. Visit the courthouse, harem and mosques, then stroll the beautifully landscaped grounds. After lunch, enjoy free time to further explore Sevastopol, site of the famed “Charge of the Light Brigade” during the Crimean War, or take an optional tour to Balaklava to visit the Panorama Museum and the submarine tunnels. (B, L, D)
Day 8 - Yalta
Enjoy a morning tour of Yalta. Travel along Lenin Embankment to Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and Livadia. Visit the White Palace, site of the 1945 Yalta Conference between Roosevelt, Stalin and Churchill, and take a guided tour through official halls and private apartments of the czar’s family.
Lunch aboard; this afternoon, explore at your leisure or choose an optional tour either to the Nikita Botanical Garden featuring 20,000 plant species, or to one of Anton Chekhov’s homes in Yalta, now a museum about the famous playwright. Dine aboard; dock overnight. (B, L, D)
Day 9 - Yalta
Spend the morning further exploring Yalta, or join one of the optional tours including the beautiful mid-19th-century Aloupka Palace and gardens or a wine-tasting excursion to Massandra. Depart this afternoon. (B, L, D)
Day 10 - Odessa
After breakfast, enjoy a half-day city tour of Odessa, an elegant city of terraced hills and landscaped parks. Travel along Primorski Boulevard to the Opera House and Potemkin Steps. Lunch and dinner are served aboard; take the afternoon and evening at leisure to explore this fascinating city. (B, L, D)
Day 11 - Odessa
Today is yours to explore enchanting Odessa on your own. The city’s stately 19th-century architecture is a blend of its Russian heritage and more Mediterranean sensibilities, and there are miles of sandy beaches to stroll along. Or, you may opt for an art museum and/or Jewish Odessa tour. This evening we will attend a musical or ballet performance. (B, L, D)
Day 12 - Odessa
After breakfast, disembark and proceed to the airport for your return flight.* Or, extend your journey to include 3 nights in fabulous, historic Istanbul. (B)
*Transfers are not included. Let us know if you would like help arranging your airport transfers.
The following meals are included:
B = Breakfast; L = Lunch; D = Dinner
Cruise ship operating this itinerary:
Viking Lomonosov
* Ports of call may vary based on itinerary and departure dates selected
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Kiev (Kyiv) is the capital of Ukraine with population of about 3 million citizens. It is situated on the Dnepr River and boasts architectural monuments that are recognized world treasures. Kiev is the largest cultural, scientific and industrial center of Ukraine, the place of religious pilgrimage and a very attractive tourist destination. Its beautiful landscapes, parks and gardens charm and captivate. Hospitable Ukrainians will be delighted to introduce Slavic culture to their foreign guests.
Country - Ukraine Distance from port to City - 0kms Distance from Port to Airport - 34kms Currency - Hryvnia (UAH)
Places of Interest Chernobyl Museum, St. Sophia's Cathedral, National Opera House, Mihajlivsky Sobor, Khreshchatyk Street
Zaporozhye
Site of the first Cossack state in the 15th Century, this city beyond the rapids is a place of pilgrimage for thousands of tourists seeking to learn the history of the Cossack warriors. The city was built simultaneously with the Alexander fortress on the left bank of the river Dnieper across the island of Khortitsa.
Country - Ukraine Distance from port to City - 0kms Distance to from Port Airport - 60kms Currency - Hryvnia (UAH)
Places of Interest Zaporozhye Cossack Show, Alexander Fortress
Kherson
There are beautiful tree lined parksin Kherson including Lenin Park where there is still a statue of Lenin. The theatre has plays and ballet and there is the Museum of Fine Arts with Ukrainian and Russian paintings from last three centuries.
Country - Ukraine Distance from port to City - 0kms Distance from Port to Airport - 150kms Currency - Hryvnia (UAH)
Places of Interest Museum of Fine Arts
Sevastopol
The historic city of Sevastopol built on the tip of the Crimean peninsula with a vast natural harbour, has long been of great strategic importance. Discover more about the Charge of the Light Brigade on a full-day "Crimean War Highlights" tour; alternatively, visit the Museum of the Black Sea fleet and the Panorama, an evocative circular painting depicting the 349-day siege of Sevastopol. There will also be visits to the ancient Greek city of Chersonesus founded in 422 BC and Bakhchisaray, home to the ruling Khans in the fifteenth century.
Country - Ukraine Distance from port to City - 0kms Distance from port to Airport - 10kms Currency - Hryvnia (UAH)
Places of Interest Museum of the Black Sea
Yalta
Center of the Ukraine Riviera, Yalta is the home of Livadia Palace, where Churchhill, Roosevelt and Stalin decided the future of Europe in 1945; and the Swallow's Nest, a fairy tale castle all in white.
Country - Ukraine Distance from port to City - 0kms Distance from port to Airport - 90kms Currency - Hryvnia (UAH)
Places of Interest Livadia Palace, Roosevelt St, Nikita Botanical Garden
Odessa
"Pearl of the Black Sea." From the seafront, it is 192 monumental Potemkin Steps to bustling Primorsky Boulevard. Your reward: museums, shops, and delightful open-air cafes with views of the Gulf of Odessa.
Country - Ukraine Distance from port to City - 0kms Distance from port to Airport - 27kms Currency - Hryvnia (UAH)
Places of Interest Old Town, Opera House
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Viking River Cruises
Viking River Cruises itineraries journey along the rivers of Europe and Russia, allowing you to explore fascinating destinations up close and in comfort.
Better than an ocean cruise or bus tour, our river cruises show you the best of Europe from the large cosmopolitan cities to small quaint villages.
So come aboard, unpack just once, and see it all. Spend your time exploring Europe, not getting to it, and enjoy the best of Europe with Viking River Cruises.
A river cruise with Viking River Cruises is the best way to see the real Europe up close and in depth. Explore the best of Europe from an intimate perspective, spending your time being there, not getting there.
Unlike a bus tour where you spend more time on the bus than actually seeing the country, or a hotel-hopping trip where you constantly pack and unpack, Viking River Cruises offers you fine food, great service and scenic cruising along Europe's great rivers.
Viking River Cruises visits at least one port a day on virtually every itinerary and you can explore small villages off the beaten path that are inaccessible via an ocean cruise. Docking in the heart of town, you'll have more to time to see the cities, not just travel to the cities. You'll experience ever-changing riverside scenery as well as local nightlife when your ship overnights in port.
Ship info
Viking - Russia River Cruises
In 1939, Winston Churchill called Russia “a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.” For centuries, journeys in Russia were fraught with difficulties, regardless of the method of travel. Vikings explored on their long ships, and Napoleon’s army invaded on foot and horseback. Lewis Carroll traveled by rail, sleeping on the railcar floor with his head cushioned by his bag and coat. Lenin traveled by train too, arriving in St. Petersburg from Sweden in time to spark the October Revolution. Under Communist rule, travel in the Soviet Union was particularly problematic, with visits regulated and requiring government sanction. With the fall of Communism, travel in Russia has become significantly less difficult, and the tourism infrastructure continues to improve dramatically as more Westerners visit.
Today, a Viking River Cruises journey provides the perfect way to experience Russia’s countryside, culture and two great cities, Moscow and St. Petersburg. Moscow, Russia’s capital, boasts some 2,500 historical and architectural monuments, 70 museums, 50 theaters, 4,500 libraries and 540 colleges and research institutions. There is so much to see and experience there—Red Square, with the colorful onion domes of St. Basil’s Cathedral, the tomb of Vladimir Lenin and the massive 120-year-old GUM department store, the nearby Kremlin, and of course the city’s world-famous Metro system. St. Petersburg provides gentler and more graceful pleasures with its romantic canals, baroque palaces and lovely avenues and squares designed along European lines. You will want to visit the Hermitage, both the historic Winter Palace and a world-class art museum with an extensive collection of works ranging from da Vinci and Michelangelo to Cézanne and Picasso; you will gaze in wonder upon the Peter and Paul Fortress with its baroque cathedral inside; and you will enjoy strolling and shopping along Nevsky Prospekt, the city’s main promenade, with its lively culture of street artists and performers.
Viking River Cruises ships cruising the waterways of Russia are listed below. Click on the ship name for details about each specific ship.
