Saint Petersburg – Mandrogi – Kizhi – Goritsy – Yaroslavl – Uglich – Moscow

Myshkin is a city on the Volga River, which has recently become a tourist center.

Population: ~ 6,000 (as of 2017).

Time: Moscow time.

Myshkin became a city in 1991 and a few years later began to attract tourists with its unusual sights. About 150,000 travelers come here every year. Most of the attractions are located near the river. For example, to walk to the only Mouse Museum in the world, you need to walk only a few minutes. Under the roof of the museum, there are many symbols of the city: large mice and very small ones, clay, porcelain, wood and fabric. Young travelers will enjoy the Mouse Palace. The guards at the door will ask you for the password to get inside, the hay girls will take you through all the rooms and show you a small local zoo, and the king and queen will tell you about their lives.

Kostroma is a part of the Golden Ring of Russian towns; it is located at the confluence of the rivers Volga and Kostroma.

Population: ~ 277,000 people (2018 Census).

Time: Moscow time.

The city was first recorded in the chronicles for the year 1213, but some historians believe it could have been founded by Yury Dolgoruky more than half a century earlier, in 1152. Since many scholars believe that early Eastern Slavs tribes arrived in modern-day Belarus, Ukraine and western Russia AD 400 to 600, Kostroma could be much older than previously thought. The city shares the same name as the East Slavic goddess Kostroma.

Like other towns of the Eastern Rus, Kostroma was sacked by the Mongols in 1238. It then constituted a small principality, under leadership of Prince Vasily the Drunkard, a younger brother of the famous Alexander Nevsky. Upon inheriting the grand ducal title in 1271, Vasily didn't leave the town for Vladimir, and his descendants ruled Kostroma for another half a century, until the town was bought by Ivan I of Moscow.

Nizhny Novgorod is an ancient city on the Volga River.

Population: ~ 1,259,000 people (2018 Census).

Time: Moscow time.

Nizhny Novgorod was founded on Volga and Oka rivers in 1221. Nowadays, it is a popular cruise stop.This is one of the few cities in Russia where the Kremlin has been preserved. Moreover, Nizhny Novgorod is included in the list of one hundred UNESCO cities of historical and cultural value. In total, there are about 600 attractions in the city: both ancient architectural monuments and modern ones are among them. Originally the name was just Novgorod (“Newtown”), but to distinguish it from the other, older and well-known Novgorod (Veliky Novgorod) to the west, the city was commonly called “Novgorod of the Lower lands”, or “Lower Newtown”. This land was named "lower” (nizhniy) even though it is actually higher in altitude than Veliky Novgorod, because it is situated downstream of other Russian cities such as Moscow, Vladimir and Murom.

Nizhny Novgorod is an ancient city on the Volga River.

Population: ~ 1,259,000 people (2018 Census).

Time: Moscow time.

Nizhny Novgorod was founded on Volga and Oka rivers in 1221. Nowadays, it is a popular cruise stop.This is one of the few cities in Russia where the Kremlin has been preserved. Moreover, Nizhny Novgorod is included in the list of one hundred UNESCO cities of historical and cultural value. In total, there are about 600 attractions in the city: both ancient architectural monuments and modern ones are among them. Originally the name was just Novgorod (“Newtown”), but to distinguish it from the other, older and well-known Novgorod (Veliky Novgorod) to the west, the city was commonly called “Novgorod of the Lower lands”, or “Lower Newtown”. This land was named "lower” (nizhniy) even though it is actually higher in altitude than Veliky Novgorod, because it is situated downstream of other Russian cities such as Moscow, Vladimir and Murom.

Gorodets is one of the oldest Russian cities on the Volga River.

Population: ~ 30,000 people (2017 Census).

Time: Moscow time.

Every year Gorodets is visited by more than 500 thousand tourists. Most of them arrive on cruise ships.The town was founded in 1152 by Prince Yury Dolgoruky (also the founder of Moscow) as a large fortress on the Volga River, the first Russian fortress in today's Nizhny Novgorod Oblast. It was a starting point for numerous campaigns of the princes of Vladimir and Suzdal against Volga Bulgaria. In 1216, Yury II of Vladimir was dethroned by his brother and exiled here. In 1239, the town was burned to the ground by Batu Khan's army. In 1263, Alexander Nevsky died in Gorodets on his way back to Novgorod from the Golden Horde. His son, Andrey, made the town his chief residence. A famous medieval icon-painter, Prokhor, was born there. In the mid-14th century, the town was overshadowed by the neighboring Nizhny Novgorod but continued as the third largest town of Nizhny Novgorod Principality until 1408, when Edigu razed it to the ground. For two following centuries the town was known as Gorodets Pustoy (i. e., "Gorodets the Empty"). Some chronicles state that its entire population moved slightly downstream and resettled at Salt-on-Gorodets (today's Balakhna). By the 19th century, Gorodets was revived as a prosperous village settled by Old Believer merchants and reputed for its decorative handicrafts, such as wood carving and painting. In 1875, the Nizhny Novgorod writer A. S. Gatsisky described Gorodets as a major center of trade in grain and wooden kitchenware. In 1922, Gorodets becomes a town again, as well the administrative center of Gorodetsky Uyezd (later, Gorodetsky District). Between 1948 and 1959, the dam of Gorky Hydroelectric Station (now Nizhny Novgorod Hydroelectric Station) was built a few kilometers upstream from Gorodets, and along with the station a new industrial town, Zavolzhye, was built on the right side of the Volga.

Yaroslavl is one of the oldest Russian cities, the unofficial capital of the Golden Ring of Russia.

Population: ~ 609,000 (as of 2018).

Time: Moscow time.

Yaroslavl, which recently celebrated its millennium, is one of the most popular tourist cities. According to the legends, at the confluence of the Volga and the Kotorosl, Russian Tsar Yaroslav the Wise killed a bear and ordered to found the city. During its long history, Yaroslavl was both an inconspicuous city on the border of the principalities, and one of the cultural and commercial centers, and even (for a short time) the capital of our state. In memory of its former greatness, Yaroslavl has preserved a huge number of architectural monuments that are included in the UNESCO Heritage List. There are more than 800 of them — it is not surprising that the city is called an open-air museum. During a visit to Yaroslavl, you should pay attention to the Church of St. John the Baptist in Tolchkov, depicted on a bill of 1,000 rubles. And also visit the Volkov Drama Theater — the oldest in our country. Young travelers may be interested in the Yaroslavl zoo.

Dubna is a town in Moscow Oblast, Russia. It has a status of naukograd (i.e. town of science), being home to the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, an international nuclear physics research center and one of the largest scientific foundations in the country.

Population: 70,663 (2010 Census)

Time: Moscow Time.

Fortress Dubna belonging to Rostov-Suzdal Principality was built in the area in 1132 by the order of Yuri Dolgoruki and existed until 1216. The fortress was destroyed during the feudal war between the sons of Vsevolod the Big Nest. The village of Gorodishche was located on the right bank of the Volga River and was a part of the Kashin Principality. Dubna customs post was located in the area and was a part of the Principality of Tver. Before the October Revolution, few villages were in the area: Podberezye was on the left bank of the Volga, and Gorodishche, Alexandrovka, Ivankovo, Yurkino, and Kozlaki were on the right bank. Right after the Revolution one of the first collective farms was organized in Dubna area. In 1931, the Orgburo of the Communist Party made a decision to build the Volga-Moscow Canal. Genrikh Yagoda, then the leader of the State Political Directorate, was put in charge of construction. The Canal was completed in 1937. Ivankovo Reservoir and Ivankovo hydroelectrical plant were also created as a part of the project. Many villages and the town Korcheva were submerged under water. Dubna is mentioned in Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's book The Gulag Archipelago as the town built by Gulag prisoners. Since 2007 Dubna is a headquarters and primary location of international jazz festival MuzEnergo with free for public one-day open air festival in summer and one-week events in local venues in spring and autumn.

There are several museums in Dubna, including:

• Museum of Archeology and Local History of Dubna
• The JINRMuseum of the History of Science and Technology
• Museum of Natural History at Dubna International University
• Museum of Locks

Kalyazin is a town and the administrative center of Kalyazinsky District in Tver Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Volga River, 175 kilometers (109 mi) northeast of Tver.

Population: 13, 867 people (2010 Census)

Time: Moscow time.

A sloboda (a settlement for people relieved from paying taxes) appeared on the site of modern Kalyazin in the 12th century. Its importance grew significantly with the foundation of the Makaryevsky Monastery on the opposite bank of the Volga in the 15th century. This abbey used to be the most conspicuous landmark of Kalyazin and comprised numerous buildings of historic interest, including a refectory from 1525. The name of the town originates from certain Kolyaga, a land proprietor in the 15th century. In the 18th century, the area was included into Moscow Governorate. In 1775, Kalyazin was granted town rights and Kalyazinsky Uyezd was established. It was a part of newly established Tver Viceroyalty. In 1796, the Viceroyalty was abolished and transformed into Tver Governorate. Kalyazinsky Uyezd was abolished, but in 1803, it was re-established. On May 30, 1922, Kalyazinsky Uyezd was abolished and merged into Kashinsky Uyezd. On October 3, 1927, Kashinsky Uyezd itself was abolished and split between Bezhetsky and Kimrsky Uyezds. On August 12, 1929, Tver Governorate was abolished, with its territory transferred to Moscow Oblast.  Uyezds were abolished as well, and Kalyazinsky District, with the administrative center in Kalyazin, was established within Kimry Okrug of Moscow Oblast. On July 23, 1930, the okrugs were abolished and the districts were directly subordinated to the oblast.  On January 29, 1935, Kalinin Oblast was established, and Kalyazinsky District was transferred to it.

Population: 312,310 (2010 Census).

Time: Moscow Time.

The origin of the word «Cherepovets» is a subject of much debate among the local historians. According to one version, the city supposedly received its name from the word "skull". In antiquity, a pagan sanctuary was there in honor of the god Veles on the hill at the confluence of the Sheksna and Yagorba Rivers. The top of the hill was called the skull. Another version suggests that the word «Cherepovets» originates from the name of the tribe «Ves», who inhabited the Sheksna's banks. According to this version, "Cherepovets" in the language of local indigenous Veps means «Veps' fish hill».

Goritsy is one of the campsites on the bank of the Sheksna River, near the town of Kirillov.

Population: ~ 500 (as of 2010).

Time: Moscow time.

Goritsy is a very small settlement where cruise ships stop on their way to St. Petersburg, Karelia, to the Solovetsky Islands and back. Goritsy got its unusual name because of the many low mountains located in the surrounding area. The most famous of them is Maura, which is covered with a dense forest. During the construction of the Sheksninsky reservoir, the coastal part of Gorits fell into a flood zone. In present time, you can see small islands that have turned into hills that have gone under the water. The main attraction of Gorits is the Resurrection Monastery, which looks beautiful from the side of the ship: snow-white walls rise at the water's edge.

Kuzino is an urban locality (an urban-type settlement) under the administrative jurisdiction of the town of oblast significance of Veliky Ustyug, Vologda Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Northern Dvina River at the confluence of the Sukhona and the Yug Rivers, opposite to Veliky Ustyug. Municipally, it is incorporated as Kuzino Urban Settlement, one of the three urban settlements in Velikoustyugsky Municipal District.

Population: ~ 1,131 (2010 Census).

Time: Moscow time.