DAY 1 - ODESSA
Duke Richellieu Monument. Arrival transfer followed by orientation city tour, check in & dinner at a hotel. The site of Odessa, used as both port & fort, was controlled from 1526 to 1789 by the Ottoman Turks. During its expansionist campaign in the 18th century, Russia took this coastal region & constructed a new port at Odessa, rebuilding the town & naming it after the ancient Greek colony Odessos, thought to be nearby.

     DAY 2 - ODESSA
Breakfast at the hotel. Taking in the main highlights of Odessa this morning tour involves some walking. The city center was designed to a classical plan with wide tree-lined streets, stretching south from Prymorsky boulevard. Its beauty lies in the early 19th century buildings, the shady promenade, the park tumbling towards the sea & the sweep of the Potemkin Steps. The 193 steps, built between 1837 & 1841, descend from a statue of the Duc de Richelieu in a Roman Toga. At the eastern end a Pushkin statue & a British Tiger Gun, captured in 1854 during the Crimean campaign, stand before the pink-and-white colonnaded Odessa City Hall. At the western end of the boulevard is the Palace of Vorontsov - the residence of a former governor of the city built in 1826 in a classical style with surprising Arabic detailing on the interior. Another highlight of the city is Opera & Ballet Theater designed in the 1880s by Viennese architects Felner & Gelmer in the Habsburg Baroque of the day, with a number of Italian Renaissance features.
Odessa has an excellent collection of museums. After lunch at local restaurant you will visit Archeology museum. Established in 1875 it was the first museum of its kind in the former Russian Empire. The highlight is the Gold Room, which has jewellery & coins from early Black Sea civilizations, including the 1st Slavic coins of St. Volodymyr (10th century AD). Russian & Ukrainian art are well covered in the Art Museum. Its maze of over 15 rooms on 2 floors has treasures, which run from 15th century icons onwards & includes works by Levitsky, Ayvazovsky & Repin. Transfer back to the hotel or local restaurant for dinner.

     DAY 3 - ODESSA
Breakfast at the hotel; some free time for shopping & individual exploration of the city. Check out followed by departure transfer.