We can email you a detailed version of this itinerary. Click here. Email your friend a detailed version of this itinerary. Click here. Click here to receive, by mail, R. Crusoe’s Travel Journal.

hat do you know about the Black Sea, set between Eastern Europe, Turkey, and the land formerly known as the U.S.S.R.? From Genghis Khan to Catherine the Great—and all manner of personalities in between—some of history’s most illustrious characters have come this way to leave their mark.

Won’t you join us to discover the who-what-where-why-and-how of the Black Sea?

Cruising, of course, is our mode of travel. Embark the Corinthian II, a 114-passenger, all-suite ship, in Istanbul, heart and soul of Turkey and a mesmerizing mix of Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman remains.

Along the Turkish coast to Amasra for its third-century B.C. tombs of Pontic kings, and to Amasya for its fourth-century A.D. Sumela Monastery. In Trabzon (ancient Trapezus), step inside a 13th-century church constructed on the site of a temple to Apollo.

Cruise into the port of Yalta, Ukraine, whose long history includes Genoese, Turkish sultans, a clutch of princes, and the Russians. Tour Alupka Palace and Livadia Palace, site of the Yalta Conference of 1945.

From Sevastopol’s port, we dig into the culture of Ukraine in Bakhchsaray and Chersonesos, then make our way to Odessa, once Russia’s version of Hong Kong—a thriving, cultured trade nexus. See the grand Opera House, the newly restored Archaeological Museum, and the Potemkin Steps. Before we leave, there’s time for a chat with local families in their homes.

Varna, Bulgaria, was founded in 580 B.C. Peruse interesting Chalcolithic (Copper Age) relics in the Archaeological Museum, and visit the Roman baths before we head back to Istanbul and home.

Want more of Istanbul? If so, join us for a two-night, pre-cruise stay in this magical city where East meets West (literally). Tour the Blue Mosque, Aya Sofya, the Hippodrome, the vast bazaar, and more. Speak to your R. Crusoe tour specialist for details.

The Black Sea. Crossroads of Ancient Culture. 11 Days.