11 of 20 largest cities of Russia, including Moscow, are located in the Volga's drainage basin... Take a lengthy Russian Volga River Cruise for a profound cultural experience! From $3,300
This is the grand Volga River Cruise that covers 90% of the superb Volga River. The cruise ship sails some of the Upper Volga, the Middle Volga, the Lower Volda and reaches the Volga River Delta most of the times - in case there is Astrakhan city in the itinerary. Our Russian river cruise ‘Great Mother Volga’ covers vast territories of the Central and the Southern Russia between Moscow and Rostov-on-Don. Some of these stunning Volga River cruises also stop at Russian ‘Caviar Capital’ Astrakhan, offering great opportunities to explore the Volga River Delta. The Volga is one of the greatest rivers in the world and is the longest one in Europe. The Volga River appears to be one of the fundamental cores of Russian culture: consciously and subconsciously this river is frequently perceived as a living being by Russians - that is why she is commonly addressed as ‘Great Mother Volga.’ Songs and legends personify Volga with the best human features an ideal Russian should match. She is identified with the Motherland, and she is a symbol of freedom, breadth and strength of the Russian Spirit. Nevertheless, the Volga Region is very multinational: Tatars, Bashkirs, Chuvashs, Mordovians, Udmurts, Mari, Ukrainians, Kazakhs, Armenians, Komi-Permyaks, Azerbaijanis, Germans, Cossacks and several other nationalities have their homeland there. Some of these people originate from the ancient states of the Golden Horde or the Volga Bulgaria. So, get ready to listen to exciting legends and informative stories while cruising the Great Mother Volga!
Russian cities that are normally visited on our 'Great Mother Volga' River Cruise: Moscow, Uglitch, Yaroslavl, Kostroma, Plyos, Gorodets, Nizhny Novgorod, Cheboksary, Kazan, Ulyanovsk, Samara, Saratov, Volgograd (Stalingrad), Astrakhan, Rostov-on-Don. City sightseeing tours are included in every port - enjoy great cultural experience! Please, contact our Russian River Cruise Experts for information on the prices and on the actual itinerary of a Volga River Cruise of your Deams.
4 Our Best Volga River Cruises | 3 Voyages are rated 'Black Caviar Cruises'
Cruises 2022
Rostov-on-Don—Moscow
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Astrakhan—Moscow
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Moscow—Astrakhan
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Cruises 2021
Rostov-on-Don—Moscow
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Astrakhan—Moscow
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Moscow—Rostov-on-Don
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Moscow—Astrakhan
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Sightseeing
Astrakhan
Astrakhan is the Caviar Capital of Russia. It is often called a “Venice on the Volga”, because a great part of it is located on 11 islands in the upper reaches of the Volga River Delta. Therefore the city has more than 50 bridges. Astrakhan is just 154 kilometers / 96 miles away from the Caspian Sea, a major sturgeon habitat. Entire Astrakhan Province is a very warm place that is famous all over Russia for its farm products, especially for watermelons. A very interesting fact is that in Sweden there is a brand of cider called "Astrakan". This drink is made out of apples, once imported to this country from Astrakhan Province. Also, local plant breeders have managed to cultivate a hybrid of watermelon and melon, which is called a “moon watermelon”. Originally Astrakhan had nothing to do with Russia: these lands belonged once to the Golden Horde, to Khazaria, and subsequently to the Khanate of Astrakhan that was an independent state. The Khanate was conquered by the Russian Tzar Ivan the Terrible and the entire area became part of the Tzardom of Russia shortly afterwards. Modern Astrakhan is a cosmopolitan city with a diverse population of more than half of a million people: nearly 200 ethnicities that belong to 19 religious denominations live there. Russian River Cruises, Astrakhan | © Imperial River Cruises - facts about the port city
Nizhny Novgorod
Some call Nizhny Novgorod a ‘third Russian capital’; but the city of Kazan claims this title as well. Nizhny Novgorod has a great picturesque location at the confluence of the Volga and the Oka Rivers. The local Kremlin is among its most fabulous sites. This impregnable fortress is now just a historical monument, but one of the surrounding streets still strongly resembles a fortification moat. A well-known fact is that the Kremlin of Nizhny Novgorod has never been taken by an enemy army. Indeed, city’s smart and favorable location at the confluence of two navigable rivers has turned it into a well-developed center of merchandize. Eventually at the beginning of the 19th century the city has become the main market place of the Russian Empire: the Emperor Alexander I has even postponed the reconstruction of the Winter Palace (now holds the Hermitage) in St. Petersburg in favor of building a huge structure due to moving the Makarievskaya Fair to Nizhny Novgorod. The Revolution of 1917 put an end to the reputation of Nizhny Novgorod as the commercial capital of the country, but gave impetus to its industrial development: the Soviet Era has brought automobile, shipping and aircraft industries into the city and its population grew far over a million.