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Express to Russia » Tours to Russia » Trans-Siberian Express » The Great journey – East to West 15 days/ 14 nights
The Great journey – East to West 15 days/ 14 nightsVladivostok – Ulan-Ude – Irkutsk – Novosibirsk – Yekaterinburg – Moscow
This great journey from East to West will leave you with unforgettable memories. The journey lasts for 2 weeks and passes through 6 fascinating cities. Starting in Vladivostok with its harbor of the Golden Horn and Amursky bay and passing through the Buddhist city of Ulan-Ude with the Ivolginskiy Datsan (Buddhist Temple), then to Irkutsk – the heart of Siberia and home to Lake Baikal and onto Novosibirsk – a very dynamic city with the world famous scientific town Akademgorodok. You will visit Yekaterinburg, the first Siberian city, associated with the tragic Fate of the last Tsar and finally end your journey in golden domed Moscow.
| Day 1 Vladivostok |
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On arrival in Vladivostok, you will be met at the airport by our representative and will be taken by car or mini bus to your hotel. The expedition to discover the \"Lord of the East\" now begins.
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| Day 2 |
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After the breakfast, get ready for the city tour. During the panoramic tour of Vladivostok, you will see all the main attractions and highlights of the city: the Vladivostok Railway Station – terminus of the Trans-Siberian railroad, the S-56 submarine on the harbor embankment and the area on which the city was founded 142 years ago.
You will also visit the highly regarded Arseniev Museum to view exhibits of the region’s rich treasures of flora and fauna as well as the culture and history of the Vladivostok area (3 hours). This excursion will give you the opportunity to have a close up view of the world renowned and beautiful harbor of the Golden Horn, Russia’s largest seaport on the Pacific Ocean. You actually get three harbors in one tour; the fishing harbor, the naval base and the commercial harbor. You will see numerous ships waiting to their unload cargo and then travel out into Amursky Bay for panoramic views of Vladivostok.
Train leaves Vladivostok at noon.
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| Day 3-4 |
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The train journey from Vladivostok to Ulan-Ude is two days and a half. But the comfortable compartment will make you feel at home. The landscape along the way is typically Siberian, the endless taiga and rivers and lakes. The intenseness of the nature will surprise you and you will definitely feel that you have left civilization far behind. During the 20-25 minute stops, you can walk near your wagon and replenish your provisions.
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| Day 5 Ulan-Ude |
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Your train arrives in Ulan-Ude where our representatives will meet you. Before checking into your hotel, you will see the city for the first time. Buryatia is a small, mainly Buddhist republic. Here you will finally feel that you are in Asia! After rest we will have a short walking tour of the city, visiting the History museum of Buryatia. The conclusion of the day will taste traditional Buryat cuisine at the Yurta kochevnika. You will then return to your hotel.
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| Day 6 |
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After breakfast you will leave the hotel. We will then visit a Buddhist service at the Ivolginskiy Datsan, the center of Buddhism in Russia. On the bank of the picturesque Selenga river, we will have a picnic at a local place of pilgrimage, the monument to Stavka Geser, a hero of local legends. Our next destination is an open-air Ethnographical Museum with old Siberian houses and Buryat yurts (nomadic houses). The museum also displays objects of culture and family life of the nations of Transbaikalya (East side of Baikal lake). This museum will help you to feel and to better understand the life of Siberian nomads. Than you will be transferred to the railway station. The train leaves in the evening.
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| Day 7 Irkutsk |
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Your train arrives in the morning in Irkutsk where our representatives will meet and take you to Lake Baikal, the largest body of fresh water in the world. On the way to Baikal we will make a stop to see the Lake from an observation point “Pick of Cherskiy”. On arrival to a hotel we will have lunch (optional). This is not the end of the day; we will also visit the Limnological museum, where exhibits of the unique fauna and flora that surround the lake are displayed. There is also an aquarium where you can see different species of local fish and the Baikal nerpa – the earth’s only fresh water seal. Then return to the hotel.
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| Day 8 |
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After breakfast, you will leave your hotel and continue to admire Baikal by boat headed to see the CircumBaikal railroad, Primorskiy mountains, the beginning of Angara river. You will have a picnic on a shore of the lake or on the boat. Coming back to Irkutsk, we will make a stop at the Ethnographical museum “Taltsy” consisting of examples of Siberian wooden houses from the past centuries. After this, you will check-in at the hotel and have a free time to walk around the city.
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| Day 9 |
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After breakfast, free time and check out from hotel in noon. Our guide will come and take you on a city tour to the historical center and Znamenskiy monastery where the leaders of the Decembrists and G. Shelikhov – the Russian Columbus are buried. You will pass along Karl Max Prospect with its many buildings dating from the 19th century. You will walk along the Angara river embankment and see a monument to Alexander III, and continue onto the immense GES (hydro-electro station) and the ice-breaker ANGARA. After you will be taken to the train station to continue your journey.
Train to Novosibirsk leaves in the evening.
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| Day 10 Novosibirsk |
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This part of Transsiberian route is considered to be the most beautiful. You will understand why just looking at a map of the region. The trip will take you almost the whole day. The train will cross over many rivers.
Your train arrives at night to the largest train station along the Trans-Siberian Railroad, our representative will meet you with a car or minibus and help you get to your hotel. On the way to the hotel, you will have the opportunity to get your first look at this mighty Russian city.
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| Day 11 |
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Be ready for a long and exciting tour to the scientific town of Akademgorodok and around Novosibirsk. Right after breakfast, you will leave for your tour. Akademgorodok is a city built entirely for scientists and their families and is well known throughout the International scientific community. The tour will take you to the Geology Museum at the Geology Research Institute, the Open-Air Train Museum exhibiting a collection of old Trans-Siberian trains. (30km outside of Novosibirsk). You will then continue into Novosibirsk again and be taken on a panoramic city tour. Our guide will show you Krasny Prospect, Alexander Cathedral, Lenin Square which features the vast Opera House. You will also visit the oldest part of the city, Gorkogo Street with its old wooden houses, the tiny St. Nicolas Chapel marking the very center of Russia and the Ob river embankment.
After your excursion, you will have free time before going to the station. Our representatives can help you find a good local restaurant (optional) where you can sample genuine Siberian cuisine. Then, on to the train station to continue your journey.
Train to Yekaterinburg leaves in the evening.
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Day 12
Yekaterinburg |
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On arrival at noon in Yekaterinburg our friendly representatives will meet you at the train station and bring you by car or mini bus to your hotel. After setting into the hotel you will start your excursion which explores the Last days of the Romanov’s and is combined with a city tour.
The excursion will acquaint you with the history of the Romanov family in Yekaterinburg and detail their tragic death. You will visit the Monastery dedicated to the family of the last Tsar. The Monastery is located on the spot where the Bolsheviks tried to hide the Romanov’s corpses in a secret grave. Today, this area is a well-known Russian Orthodox pilgrimage site. After viewing the Monastery and the neighboring wooden churches, you will go on to see the main historical sites of Yekaterinburg: The Historical skver (park), the wooden dam of the city’s first plant, the old city embankment and a monument of Lenin, leader of Soviet Russia. The tour will also take you to places connected to the first President of Russia – Boris Yeltsin who originates from Yekaterinburg. After the excursion, you will be taken back to the hotel and have free time to walk around the city.
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| Day 13 |
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After a breakfast, you will be taken to the railway station. Train departs in the morning.
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| Day 14 Moscow |
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Moscow, the capital of Russian Federation, is the ending point of your great Tran Siberian journey. You will be met by our representatives at the train station in the morning and taken to your hotel. On the way to your hotel or apartment you will get your first glimpse of Moscow. After short rest your excursion program starts with a city tour by car or minibus.
City tour is the best way to get acquainted with many of the city’s major highlights. Our professional guide will escort you on a route that includes Vorobyevi Hills where you will get an incredible view of the city from an observation point, you will proceed to Moscow State University which is an example of architecture from the time of Stalin, then on to Novodevichiy Convent, the Diplomatic Village, Victory Park, the Triumphal Arch, Kutuzovsky Prospect. You will proceed to Red Square, meaning “beautiful”, “best” with the famous St. Basil´s Cathedral and visit Kremlin the former ancient tower, military fortification, a palace, an armory, the sovereign treasury and now the workplace of Russian President. Among the sights you will see are the Mausoleum of Lenin, the Upper Trading Rows (including the State Department Store (GUM), the clock at the Savior (Spasskaya) Tower – showing the most correct Moscow time. After the tour you will be transferred to the railway station to begin the journey of a lifetime.
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| Day 15 |
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After breakfast at the hotel you will have some free time to become oriented. In the noon, you will check out of the hotel and transferred to airport.
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