| ISTANBUL TO ISTANBUL |
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Day 1 - ISTANBUL, TURKEY
Fly to Istanbul and transfer to hotel. |
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Day 2 - ISTANBUL
Byzantium, Constantinople, Istanbul – in this city you will find some of the greatest buildings and works of art in the world. Your first morning’s sightseeing will take in the Byzantine 6th-century cathedral of Hagia Sophia, the Topkapi Palace and the Sultan Ahmet Camii (Blue Mosque). In the afternoon you are free to relax at your hotel. |
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Day 3 - ISTANBUL
This morning’s tour includes the Süleymaniye Mosque, built for Süleyman the Magnificent, and a late Byzantine masterpiece, the Church of St Saviour in Chora. In the afternoon, transfer to the port to embark the Aegean Odyssey. Depart for a day at sea en route to Trabzon. |
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Day 4 - CRUISING THE SOUTHERN COAST OFTHE BLACK SEA
A chance to relax and enjoy the programme of talks as the ship makes her way to Trabzon. |
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Day 5 - TRABZON
A full-day in Trabzon. The morning tour will take you to the Sumela monastery: built high in the mountains in the 4th century, the monastery is a place of mouthwatering natural beauty. Return to the ship for lunch and in the afternoon you can explore the sites of Trabzon – including the 13th-century Church of Hagia Sophia – at leisure. Evening departure for Batumi. |
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Day 6 - BATUMI, GEORGIA
Founded as a Greek trading colony in the 2nd century BC, Batumi is situated in a charming natural harbour. In the morning you will visit the Botanic Gardens that cover 113 hectares and contain over 1,000 varieties of rose. In the afternoon you’re free to visit the vibrant market or Ethnographic Museum. Evening departure for Sochi. |
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Day 7 - SOCHI, RUSSIA
This morning you have the chance to stroll through the Riviera Park and discover the charms of this subtropical port at leisure. Lunchtime departure for Kerch. |
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Day 8 - FEODOSIYA, UKRAINE
A little less than two hours’ drive from Feodosiya is the remarkable Genoese fortress at Sudak and this is the destination of this morning’s tour. Built in the 14th and 15th centuries and perched high on a clifftop, this massive citadel is a truly remarkable monument. In the afternoon, you are free to explore the resort town of Feodosiya. A late evening departure for Yalta. |
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Day 9 - YALTA
There is much to enjoy in this elegant town that was once the summer residence of the Russian royal family. In the morning you will visit the Chekov House-Museum and then on to the Livadia Palace. Built as a summer residence for Tsar Nicholas II in 1911, the Livadia Palace was the site of the 1945 conference between Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin. |
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Day 10 - SEVASTOPOL
On the first morning, you will start your tour at the Panorama Museum where the circular painting is augmented by displays that tell the story of the 349-day siege of the city. Then drive out of the city to Balaklava visiting the “Valley of Death” site of the Charge of the Light Brigade en route. After lunch on board, you head for Balaklava where you will visit the Naval Museum which was once a Soviet nuclear submarine base. Known as the ‘fish’s nest’ this is housed in a natural underwater cave and harbour protected by massive nuclear-blast proof doors. |
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Day 11 - SEVASTOPOL
A chance to explore Sevastopol’s more ancient heritage. In the morning, you drive to Chersonesos, a city founded by the Greeks in 422 BC and later the site of the birth of the Russian Orthodox church. In the afternoon you are at leisure to enjoy Sevastopol or alternatively take an optional tour to Bakhchysaray, the Tartar stronghold from the 16th to the 18th centuries, including a visit to the imperial Khan’s Palace. Return to the ship for an evening departure to Odessa. |
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Day 12 - ODESSA
The morning’s tour will take in all the great sites of the city including the Opera House, designed in the 1880s by the same architects responsible for the Vienna State Opera, the Potemkin Steps and the Archaeological Museum. In the afternoon you are free to continue exploring this historic place (a visit to the Pryvoz market is recommended). Evening departure for Nessebur. |
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Day 13 - NESSEBUR, BULGARIA
A lunchtime arrival in Nessebur allows you an afternoon to explore the sites of this beautiful old town including the Byzantine-style Church of Christ Pantokrator, the 5th-century Old Metropolitan Church and the Archaeological Museum. Evening departure for Istanbul. |
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Day 14 - ISTANBUL
Disembark and transfer to Istanbul Airport for the flight home. |
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