I recently canceled a three-day booze-cruise to Uglich, fearing that more than a day on what is essentially a floating bar would quickly result in premature sclerosis of my young liver.
However, as I was to learn from the helpful but uncheerful staff at Rechnoi Vokzal, Moscow's main port for passenger ships, the trips are supposedly just as healthy as they are a drunken party down European Russia's waterways. Some even include morning exercise routines and dance classes, in addition to a restaurant and a bar.
It seems that my opinion of what a boat trip would entail was tainted by the hordes of drunken Muscovites that cram onto the decks of the city's river taxi that chugs from the Kievskaya metro station to Proletarskaya every day over the summer.
To help potential boozers, or just those looking for a quiet and healthy way to spend the weekend, LifeStyle has compiled a brief list of the river-cruising options available in and around Moscow and greater Russia.

Where to catch a boat around Moscow:

Kolomenskoi Historical Park and Museum
Boats run daily from noon to 7 p.m. every day at Kolomenskoi Park, near Kolomenskaya metro station. You can pick up the boat on the pier, down the hill from the park's central cathedral.
There are two routes. One leads to the Nikolo-Perervinsky Cathedral in the south of Moscow. The other goes from the park to Maryino pier. Both take about 40 to 50 minutes and cost 80 rubles for adults on weekdays, 120 rubles on weekends and 40 rubles for children (six to 12 years old) on weekends and 60 rubles for children on weekdays.
The company operating the tours also offers the opportunity to rent a boat for a group of people for one hour to up to a week for cruises along the Moscow River, the Oka and beyond.

Kievskaya metro to Proletarskaya metro
Moscow's most famous cruise is on the river taxis that run every summer from Kievskaya to Proletarskaya metro stations. A short trip along the Moscow River lasts about an hour and a half, and it's probably one of the nicest ways for tourists to see the city. The crew doesn't even mind if you get raging drunk, as passengers are prone to do. You can load up on vodka before you reach the ship, or on board. They have also stopped playing the painfully loud techno-pop that used to make the trip difficult on your eardrums. The journey costs 70 rubles for adults on weekdays and 140 for adults on weekends, 30 rubles for children on weekdays and 70 for children on weekends.

Rechnoi Vokzal
The Stolichnaya Sukhodnaya Kompaniya operates ships from this port, along with several other companies. From here, you can take day trips outside of Moscow for as long as one hour to six hours, or you can hop on a ship and take a cruise as far as St. Petersburg, Rostov-on-Don or Astrakhan. You can also rent out a boat for a day or an hour and book trips on the floating restaurant Prince Yury.
Short trips around Moscow include a one-hour journey on boat 30, which goes to the Khimki region in northern Moscow, starting at noon and costing 100 rubles for adults on weekends and 50 rubles for adults on weekdays. Children's prices are 40 rubles on weekends and 20 rubles on weekdays.
There are three day-long trips, lasting four to six hours, that leave the station at noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. One trip goes to Gorky, a beach 20 minutes outside of Moscow, and includes excursions on land, allowing passengers to play in the water and grill shashlik. The other ships head for Radosty Polyana, a forest without much of a beach, and Bukhta Radosty, a beach on the Klyazminskoye Reservoir, where Moscow gets its drinking water.
Long-distance cruises can also be booked at Rechnoi Vokzal. Booking tours via a travel agency is easier, but the cost can be significantly higher, and the staff at Rechnoi Vokzal is helpful. Ticket prices vary widely, depending on the type of cabin travelers want, the distance they want to go and the ship, since some boats are nicer than others. Most prices include three meals a day and excursions, but it's best to check when purchasing the ticket. The shortest cruises outside of Moscow are a three-day and two-night journey to Uglich, a historic city founded in 1148 A.D. The journey costs 9,490 rubles for a luxury cabin and 4,670 rubles for a compartment on the lower decks on the ship Dzherzhinsky. There is a similarly priced three-day and two-night journey to Tver on other ships.
Those who want to go further south may want to consider trips to Samara, Volgograd, Astrakhan or Rostov-on-Don. The boat Estonia offers a 12-day journey to Samara and includes excursions in towns along the way. The trip costs 24,955 rubles for a luxury cabin and 14,100 for a three-bunk cabin (prices include meals).
Those in search of culture will probably prefer a 13-day journey to St. Petersburg, including stops at historic cities along the way and the island of Valaam, a picturesque location on Lake Ladoga. Tickets for children are cheaper, but adult prices are 27,370 rubles for a luxury cabin and 8,650 rubles for a three-bunk berth below (prices include meals). The journey includes two days in St. Petersburg, including excursions.
For a look at the monasteries and churches around Russia, consider the Golden Cupola tour, including trips to historic cities around Moscow. The trip lasts 10 days and costs 16,065 rubles for a single-bed in a middle-class cabin and 6,247 rubles for a two-bunk cabin on the lower decks (prices include meals and excursions).