Svirstroy, Russia - Russian Waterways Cruise Port of Call on the Svir River

Svirstroy is a small village of about 1000 residents located on the Svir River about 150 miles east of St. Petersburg. The Svir connects the two largest lakes in Europe--Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega. Svirstroy is a port of call on Russian Waterways cruises between St. Petersburg and Moscow, and we stopped over for a half-day while on the Grand Circle M/S Rossia.

The highlight of our day in Svirstroy was a walk through the small village and a visit to the home of Julia, a retired widow who served us tea and piroshkies while we queried her about life in Svirstroy over the past 75 years. We also loved the shopping in Svistroy, which was much cheaper than in the cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg. The residents of this small village have built wooden kiosk-sized shops and sell all sorts of Russian handicrafts and artwork. Needless to say, the passengers on the M/S Rossia loaded up on souvenirs and gifts. Fortunately, it was a short walk back to the river ship!