Ultimate Odessa
Duration: 7 hours
Tour Code: ods-001
Wonderful vistas, architecture and photo opportunities are yours to discover during this scenic tour of historic Odessa.
Depart the pier for the drive to Odessa's famous Primorsky Boulevard. Upon arrival, you will understand why its beauty embodies the spirit of Odessa. Primorsky Boulevard features stunning 19th-century buildings, a shady promenade, a lovely park tumbling towards the sea and the sweeping Potemkin Steps. The 193 steps, built between 1837 and 1841, descend from a statue of the Duke de Richelieu donning a Roman toga. At the eastern end of Primorsky Boulevard, you will pass the Pushkin Monument. Here, the British Tiger Gun, captured in 1854 during the Crimean campaign, stands before the pink and white colored colonnade of Odessa's City Hall.
Adjacent to City Hall is the Archaeology Museum, where you will take a guided walking tour. The Archaeology Museum was established in 1875, and was the first museum of its kind in the former Russian Empire. While it houses archaeological finds predominantly from the region, the museum's collection includes artifacts of different cultures, including ancient Greek, Scythian and early Slavic. You will then proceed for an outside visit to the Odessa Opera and Ballet Theater, designed by Viennese architects Felner and Gelmer in the 1880's. This magnificent structure depicts the Hapsburg Baroque style of the day, and is adorned with a number of Italian Renaissance features.
Afterward, you will continue on to the main temple of Odessa, the Transfiguration Cathedral, to marvel at its picturesque architecture and wonderful interiors. From the Cathedral, you will ride to Deribasovskaya Street, the heart of Odessa, and best place in the city for souvenirs and handicrafts. Enjoy a simple late-afternoon, Ukrainian-style lunch at a local restaurant, then proceed for a ride along the tree-lined Odessa streets to the Palace of Count Pototsky, home of the Odessa Fine Arts Museum. During your visit to the 15-room, 2-story palace, you will view the historic treasures from the 15th-century onward, and works by Levitsky, Ayvazovsky and Repin.
Concluding your tour of the Palace of Count Pototsky, you will re-board your coach for the return drive to the pier.
Please note: Guests are encouraged to wear comfortable shoes for this tour which involves 3 hours of extensive walking and standing, and approximately 100 steps to climb and descend. This tour is not recommended for guests with limited mobility or for guests who utilize a wheelchair. Guests are also encouraged to wear conservative attire covering the knees and shoulders in anticipation of interior visits to the Transfiguration Cathedral. Please keep in mind that guides, though knowledgeable and the best available, are not as skilled as those found in the larger tourist centers of the Mediterranean, or other parts of Europe.