3 scenic routes for boat trips in Russia

To see unique locations and city panoramas from unusual angles, to get a new travel experience and catch zen – only a part of the bonuses that boat trips around Russia offer. Passenger navigation on our seas and rivers opens around mid-May and ends in September, so it’s time to leave your worries and problems behind, throw your backpack on your shoulder and go on a boat trip along the best routes of the country.

author of the travel community Vinogradov.story and president of Pro-Vision

Don’t deny yourself the pleasure and take a speedboat ride at least once.

Kazan – Sviyazhsk and Kazan – Bolgar

To combine a peaceful vacation on the picturesque Volga River and to explore must-see places of Tatarstan you can take a speedboat ride from Kazan River Port. From here you can reach the colorful village of Sviyazhsk, the scenery of which will spread before tourists in an hour and a half. The village is separated from the mainland by a dam and is famous for its churches and temples, including the Assumption Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Our hero managed to appreciate the mix of modern Tatar architecture and ancient buildings during the river trip to the city of Bolgar. The journey takes about 2 hours and 20 minutes. When you spend just an hour here, it becomes clear why the place is called “the cradle of Tatar history” – just look at the mausoleums, the tomb of the Khan of the XIV century and, finally, the cathedral White Mosque.

Sortavala – Ladoga and Priozersk – Ladoga

Traveling from Sortavala on Lake Ladoga by boat will take about three hours. Another option to enjoy Ladoga landscapes is to board a boat from Priozersk and in two hours you will be there. Both routes make you feel how harsh and at the same time mesmerizing the world around you is. A boat trip on Ladoga – the largest freshwater lake in Europe – allows nature lovers to get acquainted with both northern and southern parts of the huge lake. They are not inferior to each other in the slightest.

The north of the lake is the edge of Ladoga skerries, i.e. small rocky islets covered with moss and cut by bays. And in the south travelers will find the town of Shlisselburg with the fortress Oreshek, from where you can enjoy the view of the Neva River flowing out of Ladoga.

Sevastopol – Yalta” route

For those who are planning to visit the “pearl of the Black Sea” this season, we recommend not to deny yourself the pleasure and take a ride on the new modern ship “Kometa 120M”, running from Sevastopol to Yalta and back. The first thought when boarding: “Everything is like in an airplane, only on water”, due to powerful hydrofoils and aviation seats.

During the two-hour flight travelers get impressive views of warships, the legendary Konstantinovsky battery with casemates in the shape of a horseshoe. And closer to the port of Yalta, the ridge of the Ai-Petri Mountains catches the eye.