Viking River Cruises has a deep affinity for the beauty of the Russian land and people. 15 years of river cruising experience there has earned Viking the contacts and unique access that allow them to share the Russian culture with guests in personally enriching ways. Viking takes travelers behind closed doors to experience the real Russia, including home visits and home-style cooking, as well as exclusive entrée to the world’s leading art collections and ballet venues.

 

Visit St. Petersburg, the cultural heart of Russia, also called the Venice of the North because of its network of canals and 320 bridges that connect about 60 islands. Czar Peter the Great founded the city in 1703 and made it the country’s capital. He insisted that nobles from Moscow relocate, so magnificent baroque palaces and extravagant architecture naturally followed. Today the old city is declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A visit to St. Petersburg is essential to understanding Russian history and culture.

 

Discover Moscow’s equally famous landmarks of the Kremlin and Red Square, the colorful onion domes of St. Basil’s Cathedral and exquisite Faberge eggs in the Kremlin Amory. Sightseeing by night, as massive Stalin-era architecture is illuminated by millions of lights and the city comes alive, is a dazzling experience.

Visit Golden Ring cities – ancient towns that preserve the memeory of Russia’s historical events. Explore the UNESCO listed Open Air Museum of Architecture and dock at typical Russian villages along the intricate and scenic waterways of Russia.

 

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Viking River Cruises Knows the Real Russia

Many tours take travelers to the major city sights of Russia, but Viking River Cruises has developed relationships that allow guests to truly engage and mingle with local Russian people and gain insight into their everyday lives.

• Ballet is synonymous with Russia. Watch dancers practice graceful pirouettes and athletic leaps to get a backstage view of the tremendous dedication required for this inspiring art form.
• Meet babushka Nadya and her family in their picturesque wooden house along the Volga River. Enjoy homemade Russian treats and warm laughs of everyday Russian life.
• Visit a “Kommunalka,” a multi-family, communal home and share a meal in this Soviet style of living that has survived Communism.

 

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  Get a privileged access tour of the incomparable Hermitage Museum and see the hidden collections in the state-of-the-art storage facilities. Maybe even meet some of the 100 cats that “protect” the museum!

• Experience a core part of Russian culture that dates back 1,000 years with a visit to a Russian banya. In a sauna-like hot room detox and purify with steam and exfoliating massage, get tapped from head to toe with wet, leafy branches to improve circulation, and then finish off the session with a cold water plunge!
• Sample the produce, cheeses and honey at a local market as you interact with the vendors.
• Enjoy top Russian musical artistry in an intimate venue as musicians from the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg perform onboard the Viking ships.

Viking River Cruises’ Russian Roots

Viking River Cruises was begun in 1997 with the purchase of four vessels in Russia. They are the only western owned and operated ships in Russia and have all just received dramatic bow-to-stern renovations. They offer state of the art technology and Viking’s signature Scandinavian décor, providing an intimate elegance to only 200 guests. The Viking Rurik, Viking Helgi, Viking Ingvar and Viking Truvor were named after Rurik, a 9th century Viking leader, and his family whose dynasty ruled Russia for centuries.

Viking River Cruises’ familiarity with and passion for the real Russia comes through in the wonderfully personal cultural experiences they provide. If you’d like to experience the real Russia with Viking River Cruises, please contact Covington’s cruise specialists for itineraries and pricing.

All photo credit: Viking River Cruises