Private tours in Ukraine, Odessa, port of call, cruise tours

Enjoy Odessa’s architectural highlights on this walking tour through Old Town.

Exterior of Vorontsov Palace – former residence of Count Vorontsov, the Governor-General of the region in the 1-st half of the XIX century - one of the first buildings - which were built in the style of Russian classicism in 1826.

Gogol Street, named in honour of the well-known Russian writer of the XIX century, the author of the comedy “The Inspector”. Gogol was living in Odessa for some time on this street. Gogol Street is also one of the oldest streets in the city. It is very interesting with its variety of architecture.

Deribasovskaya Street is the favourite place of our citizens and foreign guests. All day and all night this street is bustling with activity. It was named in honour of one of the founders of the city, Spanish General, De Ribas. It is a main trading street of Odessa with the great deal of cafes, restaurants, shops and luxury boutiques. Among them there is a beautiful building, “The Passage”, built in the style of eclecticism at the end of the XIX century. There is a city park, in Russian called “The City Garden”, decorated with sculptures of two huge lions and with the fountain in the center. Numerous souvenirs and ornaments are sold in the park.. The city park is the place where the masters usually exhibit their pictures.

Exterior of the Opera House. Completed in 1887, this elaborate building was designed by the same architects who created the Vienna Opera House and the Dresden Court Theatre, and if you have seen either you will note the resemblances.

Odessa is truly yours to discover and the choices are all yours!
Note: This tour includes shopping at the City Garden (City Park) and a cup of tea or coffee at one of the cafeterias. Bus transfers are not included.

Your exploration of Odessa would not be complete without a visit to the labyrinth of catacombs that lace their way under the city and its surroundings.

After a brief journey through the city, you will pass small villages, farms, beautiful orchards and vineyards in the countryside. Soon you will reach the village of Nerubaiskoye, originally built as a southern Cossack military settlement at the end of the 18-th century.

Here, your guide will escort you on a fascinating underground walk of approximately 500 yards. During your walk, you will stop at the command post of the brave members of the World War II resistance effort. A recreation of the resistance head-quarters will be visited in the local museum after you leave the catacombs.

After a look at this fascinating underground network, on the way to the pier, you will visit the monument of “Holocaust”.

Note: Flat, comfortable shoes are recommended. This excursion is not suitable for guests with physical disabilities.

Odessa is a city of architecture and art, a combination which makes it unforgettable. You will see vestiges of the old aristocracy in the palaces that house many of the city’s museums. This half-day program will provide you with an opportunity to witness the real art and music of “The Pearl of the black Sea”.

Tour includes: visit to Fine Arts Gallery, Merchant Abaza Palace (Museum of Western & Oriental Art) and the chamber classical concert at the Gagarin’s Palace.

Your excursion begins with a short drive to the Picture Gallery in the former palace of the Count Pototsky. Displaying Russian and Ukrainian art from the last half of the 19-th century, the museum is rich with pictures of such regional artists as Repin, Aivazovsky and Serov among others.

Opened in 1920, the Museum of the Western and Oriental Art is situated in the former summer palace of a successful Bessarabian merchant. The building was constructed after the design of the famous architect Otton in 1856. Works of art, proudly on display, range from the Renaissance period through the end of the 20 century. The museum has a rich collection of pictorial art and handicrafts of the ancient Orient as well as impressive collections by Italian and Dutch artists.

Your excursion continues to Count Gagarin’s Palace (Literary Museum) where you will enjoy the hypnotic tunes of a classical performance, before returning to the ship.

Greek pilgrims from Miletus founded the ancient city of Tira, now known as Belgorod-Dnestrovsky, in the 4^th century B. C. At the cross roads of a major east-west and north-south trade routes, many historical influences were brought here during the centuries. Your full-day excursion affords the opportunity for an in-depth exploration of this fascinating place.

Leaving the pier, your excursion begins with a drive through Odessa. As you head out of the city, you will see some of its major landmarks. Soon, you will be in the countryside, passing some of the rich farmlands for which Ukraine is so well known.

During your 90-minute journey, your guide will explain the region’s rich history. Arriving in Belgorod-Dnestrovsky, your first stop is the town’s medieval style fortress. Moldavian and Ukrainian engineers built the walls in the first part of the 15^th century to protect against impending invasion from the expanding Ottoman Empire. The ramparts, with a circumference of about a mile and a half, were remarkably well preserved.

Leaving the fort, continue to the ancient site of Tira. Kimmeranian, Scythian, Sarmat and Cossack burial mounds have been found here along with ancient temples. Excavations continue to unearth the ancient city. After viewing of the Tira excavations you will proceed to the local restaurant. Taste 5 samples of the best local wines and enjoy your luncheon.

You will have an opportunity to value Shabo winery. Shabo is a Swiss settlement and a large-scale vineyard. Shabo wine-making process is unique. Besides the sorts of grape using in wine-making process are good for health. The lunch will be accompanied by the folk performance.

"The former Soviet republics are world renowned for their achievements in the performing arts. By special arrangement, a light classical performance by the Odessa Philharmonic Orchestra will be staged for your enjoyment at the gracious Philharmonic Society Concert Hall.

The Odessa Philharmonic Orchestra is one of Ukraine's most dynamic performing arts institutions and the first symphony orchestra from Ukraine to cross both the Atlantic Ocean and the Equator, performing in the 1990s to wide acclaim in such places as Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center, the Barbican Hall in London and the Great Hall of the Musikverein in Vienna.

Their principal conductor since 1992 is Hobart Earle, the first U.S. citizen to become music director of an orchestra from the former Soviet Union. In 1994, Maestro Earle became the first (and is still the only) foreigner in the history of Ukraine to be awarded the title "Distinguished Artist of Ukraine".

Note: A glass of champagne is served during the intermission. Bus transfer is included.

Jews were in the Odessa area long before Russia built the city. Odessa sits in a region once held by the Khazars, whose elite converted to Judaism in the 8^th century. The Jewish influence is strong and pervades this cosmopolitan city, uniquely described in the dark tales of Isaac Babel.

Until World War II, Jews played a dominant role in the city’s development. Indeed, in 1939 they constituted over 30 % of the city’s population. Today Odessa is home to a large Jewish community. We’ll begin our tour by visiting the majestic, tree-shaded New Synagogue and the tall, grey gothic Brodsky Synagogue, where such composers as Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov came to draw inspiration. Then our tour will continue to the Jewish school and the Jewish Cultural Society of Odessa.

After a Kosher lunch we’ll head to Odessa sights that have particular meaning to Jewish history. Our tour visits the Holocaust Monument in the city park and the city’s Jewish cemetery. At the cemetery, we’ll see the memorial plaque to one of the city’s famous Yiddish writers: Shalom Aleyhem, who created Tevye, of Fiddler on the Roof fame. After stops at the music school and conservatory, we’ll visit memorial places of Jewish poets and writers who enriched Odessa’s cultural life.

Note: As there are some steps at the Old Synagogue, this tour may not be suitable for passengers with physical limitations or for those in wheelchairs.

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