Day 1Kiev
Welcome to Kiev, capital of Ukraine. We will meet you at the airport and transfer you to your ship.* After boarding, take free time to relax before dinner. (D)
Day 2Kiev
Tour Kiev, one of Europe’s oldest cities, with a heritage of Viking, Cossack and Ukrainian peoples. Explore its historic buildings and monuments, including a guided tour of the lovely domed St. Sophia Cathedral. After lunch aboard, tour the Monastery of Caves, an incredible complex of churches and museums founded by monks in 1051. Enjoy dinner aboard followed by evening sailing along the peaceful Dnieper River. (B, L, D)
Day 3Dnieper River
During today’s full day of scenic cruising, take in the Dnieper’s landscape of rolling hills, ancient forest groves, historic villages and wide lakes.
Day 4Zaporozhye
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. After lunch aboard, you are treated to a special Cossack horsemanship show including folkloric music and dance. An early evening departure is followed by dinner aboard. (B, L, D)
Day 5Kherson
After a morning of scenic cruising, arrive in Kherson at midday. Here, you board a small boat and cruise the narrow canals to Fishermen’s Island with the beautiful landscape of the Dnieper Delta as your backdrop. (B, L, D)
Day 6Sevastopol
During breakfast, arrive in Sevastopol, base of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. Tour the city center and see St. Vladimir Cathedral and Admiral Nakhimov Square. After lunch aboard you have free time or you can attend the optional Black Sea Choir concert. Dine aboard. Dock overnight. (B, L, D)
Day 7Sevastopol
This morning, take a tour via motorcoach to the Tatar city of Bakhchisarai to visit the Khan Palace, built in 1519. During your tour, see many different architectural styles within the complex. Visit the courthouse, harem and mosques. Witness the Turkish influence on its various interiors. Later, stroll the beautifully landscaped grounds. After lunch, enjoy free time to further explore Sevastopol, site of the famed “Charge of the Light Brigade,” or take an optional tour to Balaklava with a visit to the Panorama Museum. (B, L, D)
Day 8Yalta
Today, 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. Return to your ship for lunch aboard. This afternoon, explore at your leisure or choose an optional tour to the Nikita Botanical Garden featuring 50,000 species of plant life. Dine aboard; dock overnight. (B, L, D)
Day 9Yalta
Spend your full day of free time exploring Yalta. Or join one of the optional tours including a wine-tasting excursion to Massandra or the beautiful mid-19th-century Aloupka Palace and gardens. Lunch aboard; evening sailing. (B, L, D)
Day 10Odessa
Cruise through lunch, then enjoy a half-day city tour of Odessa. Tour the elegant city filled with terraced hills and landscaped parks. Travel along Primorski Boulevard to the Opera House and Potemkin Steps. You have the rest of the afternoon at leisure to further explore Odessa on your own. Tonight, you can attend an optional evening opera performance. Dinner aboard. (B, L, D)
Day 11Odessa
After breakfast, disembark and we will take you to the airport for your return flight.* (B)