A river cruise with Russia is the best way to see this beautiful country up close and in depth. Explore the best destinations in the country 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, Russiana offers you fine food, great service and scenic cruising along some of the world’s great rivers.

Welcome on board Russiana River Cruises, the UK's only travel company dedicated to offering you the very best in river cruising between Russia's two greatest cities. River cruising is the best way to see Russia, Moscow & St.Petersburg in all their splendour and the Russian countryside in all its rustic beauty.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: What are meals like onboard?
A: In Russia, all meals aboard are prepared by European chefs and consist of European-style food and some Russian specialities of course. We ensure your meals onboard and ashore meet our high standards of quality and choice. Generally, breakfast is a substantial American-style buffet. Lunch offerings are generally lighter and may include soup, salad, sandwich bar and/or a pasta dish, choice of entrée and dessert. Dinner is a multi-course meal with a selection of entrées.

Q: Can I sit wherever I want in the ship restaurant? 
A: All of our ships' restaurants, are open-seating. No table reservations are accepted, so that you may sit wherever you like to meet new people.

Q: What is the dress code onboard? 
A: Dress aboard and ashore is casual, and we suggest you dress comfortably. You should bring sturdy walking shoes for sightseeing excursions. Dinner attire is “evening casual”: open-neck shirts, slacks, dresses and sport outfits. Captain’s Welcome and Farewell Nights are dressy, but not formal.

Q: What if I have special dietary needs? 
A: Passengers requiring special diets such as vegetarian, low salt and low cholesterol meals should alert us prior to departure as well as informing the Maitre d’Hôtel when onboard. The chefs will make every effort to accommodate special dietary requests.

Q: What amenities will I find in my cabin? 
A: All of our rooms include private bathrooms with showers and air conditioning/heat. Our ships have a public colour television and a supply of movie videos. Hairdryers and in-room safes are also provided on most ships.

Q: What is the electrical current onboard? 
A: Onboard electricity is 220v. You will need an adapter or converter to use any small personal items such as a razor, curling iron or alarm clock. A normal European 2 pin adaptor is fine

Q: What kind of entertainment is onboard? 
A: Russiana offers programs to further enhance your understanding and knowledge of Russia. These include, lectures, demonstrations and theme dinners. With highlights featured both ashore and onboard the ship, it’s a wonderful way to enrich your adventure with an offering of cultural and historical experiences you won’t find anywhere else.

Q: Is smoking allowed on the ships? 
A: Smoking is not permitted anywhere inside our European and Russian ships. It is only permitted on the walk-around Promenade Deck outside the lounge and on the Sun Deck.

Q: Is there medical service onboard? 
A: There is a small clinic and a doctor on all of our cruises.

Q: What is the policy regarding tipping and gratuity? 
A: Gratuities onboard and on land are not included in your cruise price. Tipping is a personal way to show satisfaction for good service and is always appreciated. You may tip in cash, and all tips for shipboard staff may be charged to a credit card. In Russia, the suggested amount is about 5 Euros per passenger per day, which will be distributed among the ship’s staff, including your Cruise Manager. Additional tipping is at the passengers' discretion.

Q: Are your ships wheelchair accessible? 
A: Please contact us for a copy of our official policy statement. There are no lifts on board and many of the places we visit are not wheelchair friendly.

Q: Are pets allowed onboard? 
A: We regret that pets are not allowed onboard.

Q: Is there laundry service? 
A: Laundry and pressing services are available aboard for a fee; price lists are in your cabin. We regret that clothes cannot be dry cleaned onboard. For safety reasons, we ask that passengers do not iron their clothes in the cabins.

Q: Is childcare available? 
A: Due to the nature of our cruise itineraries, Russiana does not maintain facilities or services for children aboard our vessels. Minors under the age of 18 must be accompanied and share a cabin with a parent, legal guardian or other responsible adult over the age of 21. We regret that we cannot accommodate children under 12 years of age, and we reserve the right to limit the number of minors on board under the age of 18 years.

Q: Can I get married onboard? 
A: We regret that marriage services are not available. However what could be a better anniversary or honeymoon than sailing down the Volga watching the fabulous sunsets with a cocktail on deck !!!!.

Q: What about shore excursions? Do they cost extra? Are they mandatory? 
A: All sightseeing tours and shore excursions are included in your cruise price unless noted as “optional” and sold aboard. TYPICAL EXCURSIONS: Some of your excursions are designed as panoramic tours or are shorter walking tours to give you an overview of a town or site. Other excursions may be more in-depth or concentrate on one particular site or attraction. Included meals, including lunch, are generally served onboard ship or in a local restaurant. Depending on the day's schedule, you may be able to choose to remain behind in a city centre or at an attraction for more in-depth independent exploration while the rest of the group returns to the ship or hotel. Your Tour Escort will make clear where you have this option. On some tours, coaches will let passengers off for the walking portion of the tour, returning later to collect them; passengers may not be able to remain on the coach. You are always free to forego a tour and explore on your own; ask your Russiana River Cruises Escort for suggestions. There are no refunds for unused tours, meals or other portions of the program that you choose to forego.

Q: How physically demanding are the sightseeing tours? 
A: Sightseeing programs are walking tours, panoramic coach tours or a combination of both. Many include a fair amount of walking, since many of Russia's areas of interest are best accessed on foot. Some tours may require that you be on your feet for an extended period of time. In order to enjoy all of the excursions, you should be in good physical condition and able to walk easily over uneven pavement, cobblestone streets and up and down stairs and inclines. Again, you may choose to forgo a tour at any time. 

Q: What is a typical day onboard? 
A: Day-to-Day Itinerary: when you arrive on board you will be given a specific itinerary - It will describe each day’s activities in depth, including cruising time, excursion logistics and free time. Typical Cruise Day: All of our cruise itineraries have been designed to give you the best possible balance of shore excursions and time cruising past riverside scenery. Depending on your cruise itinerary, you may have a tour in the morning, return to the ship for lunch, and have another tour in the afternoon. On some days, you have only one tour in the morning or afternoon and cruise for the other portion of the day. Some cruising is done during the night. Some itineraries contain one or more full days of cruising due to the exceptional quality of the river scenery and restrictions of local river authorities.

Itinerary Subject to Change: In all cases, your day-to-day itinerary may be subject to change due to local circumstances such as moveable holidays, museum/site closing days, safety considerations, river and weather conditions, local river authorities and border entry/exit formalities. Our brochure is printed many months before your departure. Occasionally, circumstances subsequently change—for reasons ranging from a hotel being closed for renovations to an unscheduled conference in a certain city. We make the best possible alternate arrangements based on the circumstances. When possible, we notify you of these changes as we learn of them.

Q: What is a shipboard account? 
A: For your convenience, all purchases and paid services aboard are billed with a guest check and added to your personal shipboard account. At the end of the cruise, you will receive a total which can be paid with cash or charged to a credit card.

Q: What time is disembarkation? 
A: All passengers are requested to vacate cabins by 10:00 a.m. If we are providing your transfer to the airport on disembarkation, we will transfer you at the appropriate time to catch your flight (normally this is 4 hours before your flight departure time if flying from Moscow and 3 hours if your return flight is from St.Petersburg)