Discovering local sightseeing

Russian shipping companies are now developing a new business niche in modern Russian history - small cruises to local attractions, which include shore excursions. And the society’s interest to the cruises is growing more and more. The first river cruise St. Petersburg – Orechek Fortress with a tour inside the fortress, organized by Astra Marine, is a good example.

The first river sightseeing cruise to Oreshek Fortress in St. Petersburg was on August 25, 2012. The cruise onboard the Voskhod class ship includes a three-hour tour on the Neva River and a two-hour shore excursion in the fortress. The organizer of the cruise is a shipping company Astra Marine, which also owns brands "Neva Vocation Line" and “Peterhof Express.”

The route passes through the Neva River - from the Admiralty and Petropavlovskaya (Peter and Paul) Fortress to the Neva source in Lake Ladoga to Shlisselburg. A competent guide will tell stories about the Neva River, about the fortress, the St. Petersburg and Okhta history with its ancient settlements and the Swedish fortresses and the tragic events of the World War II.

Tourists will enjoy an interesting excursion in Oreshek Fortress and on this unique island, which has long controlled the famous trade route "from the Varangians to the Greeks" and therefore was a "stumbling block" to neighboring states - the Novgorod Republic (after the capture of Novgorod by Moscow - Muscovy-Russia) and Sweden. This island, with an area of a few hectares, is a historical treasure - archaeologists, for example, discovered medieval walls of a Novgorod fortress dating back to the era before the advent of firearms, which are buried under a three-meter cultural layer. There are also the walls and towers that are typical for the Russian fortification tradition of the late Middle Ages, as well as a Swedish tower, built according to Western technology, and a lot more.

Vitaly Chernov, Ph.D.