Our voyage can truly be described as a passage through history, from the great city of Kiev which saw the dawn of Christianity in the 10th century, to the shores of the Black Sea where Greek settlers met with Scythian nomads and so began a colonisation and a turbulent history without parallel.

Starting in Kiev, we will cruise along the Dnieper. This will be a leisurely interlude, sailing past the rolling, wheat-growing Ukrainian countryside. We will sail across the delta of the Dnieper for a mooring in the Crimean port of Sevastopol, a city closed to the West until recently and home to the vast Black Sea Fleet. We will also visit nearby Yalta with its grand palaces, gardens and lovely views before cruising across to the elegant city of Odessa where we will visit the Potemkin Steps. Learn about the country’s maritime history in Sevastopol, tour the Monastery of the Caves in Kiev, and immerse yourself in Cossack traditions in Zaporozhye. See how differing societies from the Vikings to the Tatars and the Cossacks have influenced the architecture and people of today’s Ukraine.