Day 1Kiev
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 2Kiev
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, and the Monastery of Caves, an extensive complex of churches and museums founded by monks in 1051. After lunch spend some time exploring Kiev on your own or you may take an optional Jewish Kiev tour. Dinner aboard is followed by evening sailing along the peaceful Dnieper River. (B, L, D)
Day 3Dnieper 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 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. 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 5Kherson
After a morning of scenic cruising and a Ukraine history lecture, 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 6Sevastopol
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 7Sevastopol
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 8Yalta
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 take an optional tour to the Massandra Winery. Dine aboard; dock overnight. (B, L, D)
Day 9Yalta
This morning, take a tour of the 19th-century Aloupka Palace and gardens, commissioned as a summer residence by Russian prince Mikhail Vorontsov. Designed in the Tudor style, the building also incorporates Scottish, Moorish and Gothic elements, creating a surprisingly harmonious impression. See the spectacular interior rooms and stroll in the park, which incorporates native vegetation of the Crimean coast. Lunch is served aboard; spend the afternoon further exploring Yalta on your own. Depart late afternoon; this evening, enjoy the festive Captain’s Dinner. (B, L, D)
Day 10Odessa
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 or you may choose to join an optional Jewish Odessa tour. After dinner, you may choose to attend an optional performance at the Odessa Opera House. (B, L, D)
Day 11Odessa
This morning spend more time exploring Odessa’s stately 19th-century architecture—a blend of its Russian heritage and more Mediterranean sensibilities—or stroll along its miles of sandy beaches. Or, you may choose an optional excursion to Akkerman Fortress of Bilgorod–Dnistrovsky. After lunch aboard, tour the fascinating Odessa Catacombs. This maze of underground tunnels began as a sandstone mining operation but the abandoned mines were later used for smuggling, and for Soviet partisans fighting fascist invaders during the Second World War. Relax this evening or explore the city’s nightlife on your own; we remain docked overnight. (B, L, D)
Day 12Odessa
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)