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Express to Russia » Tours to Russia » Trans-Siberian Express » Trans-Sib through Russia – Mongolia – China, 17 days/16 nights
Trans-Sib through Russia – Mongolia – China, 17 days/16 nightsMoscow - Yekaterinburg - Novosibirsk - Irkutsk - Ulaanbaatar - Beijing
The tour is a great possibility to visit three countries – Russia, Mongolia and China. You will be delighted with the capital of Russia, Gold-Domed Moscow with Red Square, the Kremlin and Novodeivchiy Convent – symbols of Russia. You will also visit the major Russian city of Yekaterinburg which is connected to the Fate of the last Tsar, Novosibirsk and Irkutsk including an excursion to Lake Baikal – the world’s largest and most beautiful lake. Mongolia will greet you with its endless steppes, the Goby desert, gers and nomadic families. China awaits with the Great Wall, the Forbidden city and the Ming Tombs.
| Day 1 Moscow |
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Moscow, the capital of Russian Federation, is the starting point of your great Tran Siberian journey.
In Moscow you will be met by our representatives at the airport and taken to your hotel or apartment. On the way to your hotel or apartment you will get your first glimpse of Moscow.
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| Day 2 |
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After breakfast at the hotel you will have some free time to become oriented.
In the afternoon, you will check out of the hotel and meet with your guide. 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.
Departure to Yekaterinburg at the afternoon
It takes only 26 hours to get to the city of Yekaterinburg in the heart of the Urals and the beginning of Siberia, about 1600 km from Moscow. Almost all the cities along the way date back to 11-13th centuries. The first city where the train will stop is Vladimir, one of the cities comprising the Golden Ring, famous for its history and beautiful gold-domed churches. The next city is Nizhny Novgorod, settled on the bank of the majestic Volga river. During the night you will cross the Vyatka River, the town Kotelnich, Vyatka (made immortal by the famous Vyatka washing machine!!!), Balyezino and arrive at the foot of the Ural Mountains. In the morning, the train will stop in the city of Perm, an old Russian city known as a city of ballet and literature. After another 6 hours you will arrive in Yekaterinburg.
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Day 3
Yekaterinburg |
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On arrival in the night in Yekaterinburg our friendly representatives will meet you at the train station and bring you by car or mini bus to your hotel.
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| Day 4 |
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After a good breakfast, you will start your first 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.
In the noon you will be taken to the railway station to continue your journey through Russia.
DEPARTURE TO NOVOSIBIRSK at the night
On this leg of the journey, you will spend about 19 hours on the train, moving through Siberia with its mighty taiga and rivers. The route to Novosibirsk will pass through many small and large towns including Tyumen, the oil capital of Russia and Omsk. You will cross the Irtysh river and continue on through the great forest. Having crossed the bridge across the Ob river, you will soon arrive in Novosibirsk.
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| Day 5 Novosibirsk |
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Your train arrives 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 6 |
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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 to Irkutsk.
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| Day 7 |
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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 including the Kam, Chuna, Lya, Oka, Yenisey and Angara. The most important being the Yenisey, with the city of Krasnoyarsk spread along its picturesque bank.
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| Day 8 Irkutsk |
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Your train arrives in Irkutsk where our representatives will meet and take you to Lake Baikal, the largest body of fresh water in the world. Departure for Listvyanka, a small settlement located on the shores of Lake Baikal. We will also stop by an obo (a sacred place for locals). We will then proceed to the headwaters of the Angara River to see the famous Shaman Rock (another sacred site for locals). You will visit a market where locals sell smoked fish from the lake as well as local crafts. After that, we will visit the Church of Saint Nicolas the Wonderworker - the guardian angel of travelers.
We then check in at the hotel and proceed to lunch in a wooden, waterfront restaurant \"Proshli Vek\" (fish and vegetarian menus available). After that you will have free time.
The day will end with a 2 hour boat cruise on the lake.
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| Day 9 Baikal |
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After breakfast, you will have free time to walk and admire beautiful nature. After that you will leave your hotel and our representatives will take you to Irkutsk. En route to Irkutsk we will also stop for a guided tour to the Baikal Ecology and Museum of Taltsy - an open air Museum of Russian/Siberian Wooden Architecture. Upon arrival in Irkutsk you will check in to hotel.
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| Day 10 |
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After breakfast, you will have a free time before our guide will take you to a City Tour. It is including a visit to the Cathedral of the Holy Sign. Apart from ornate and rich iconostasis, the cathedral is famous for its graveyard where you will see the graves of the Decembrists Mukhanov, Beschasnov, Trubetskaya and the Russian Columbus Shelekhov. We will then proceed to the Museum of the Decembrists. The museum is housed in a mansion belonging to one of the leaders of Decembrist revolutionaries - these were Russian aristocracy who were banished to Siberia after their ill-fated attempt in December 1825 to overthrow the Russian Tsar in favor of a Constitutional regime. The museum really gives off an aura of 18th century Russia. Transfer to the train station. Train to Ulan-Bataar leaves at night.
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| Day 11 |
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This day you will stay in the train.
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| Day 12 Ulaanbaatar |
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On arrival in Ulaanbaatar, you will be greeted by our representatives and the Mongolian part of your journey will begin.
After breakfast at the hotel, you will transfer to Dugana Had resort (110km) which is situated in a picturesque mountain valley. We will stop at Ovoo, a pile of stones built as a landmark for worship near the mountain pass.
On arrival, you will have lunch. The resort offers a wide range of optional activities (paid separately on the spot) including; archery, horse cart riding and trekking. Dinner will be served in a ger-café and you will spend the night in a ger (the traditional Mongolian nomadic house) in the middle of the endless step.
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| Day 13 |
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After breakfast, we will head back towards Ulaanbaatar, stopping to visit a nomadic family along the way.
Once back in the capital, you will start off on a city tour. We will visit the heart of Ulaanbaator - Sukhbaatar square with its statue of Sukhbaatar, the national hero in the center. We will then leave the square and drive to Gandan Monastery, which was destroyed during Stalin’s rule, but has since been rebuilt.
We will then have a nice lunch and then continue the tour program to the National history museum, the oldest public museum in Mongolia. The museum includes geological, geographical, biographical, pale ontological and anthropological sections. The most impressive exhibits are the huge skeletons of two dinosaurs found in the Gobi desert and also the nests of dinosaurs’ eggs. The museum also includes examples of the snow leopard, Gobi bear, red wolf and others species of Mongolia.
After the museum, you will have some free time to shop in a real, Mongolian Department store. Dinner is at a local restaurant. You will spend this night in a hotel.
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| Day 14 |
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After an early breakfast, you will transfer to the railway station to take train to Beijing at 08.10.
The entire day will be spent on the train, admiring the scenery of valleys and mountains.
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| Day 15 Beijing |
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On arrival to Beijing at noon you will be met at the railway station by our Chinese representatives and transfer to your hotel by car or minibus.
At the hotel you will have a good lunch and after some rest be ready for the sightseeing city tour. This tour is the best way to see the main highlights of Beijing which include the Forbidden City. It lies in the very heart of Beijing. Built between 1406 and 1420, this palace served as the home of China´s emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties for five centuries - from 1406 until 1908. The palace consists of 9000 halls and rooms, containing many precious relics. The palace is considered to be the largest palace in the world and one of mankind’s major cultural heritage sites. After your tour, you will have dinner at a local restaurant.
In the evening you will have free time for walking along the city streets and admiring the surroundings. If you would like recommendations on good places to eat or other activities, don’t hesitate to ask your guide.
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| Day 16 |
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After breakfast at the hotel, we will head off to one of the most powerful symbols of ancient Chinese civilization – the Great Wall, stretching 6,350 km. The Great Wall was built as a defensive structure. Construction began during a very unstable time of Chinese history, the warring period of 476 - 221 B.C. In the beginning, walls were built at strategic points by different kingdoms to protect their own territories. After the first Emperor Qin Shihuang of the Qin Dynasty unified China in 221 B.C., he decided to have the individual walls joined together in order to create one Great Wall. It took more than 1 million people and more than 10 years to finish the work. In 1987, the Great Wall was add to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
After time at the wall, we will stop for lunch at a local restaurant.
The second part of the excursion will take you to the Ming Tombs. The Ming Tombs are a group of mausoleums built for 13 Ming emperors, their empresses and their concubines. The tombs are located about 31 miles north of Beijing over an area of 25 square miles. Two of the tombs, Changling and the most famous, Dingling, an underground palace, are open to the public. In the evening you will have a good Chinese dinner.
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| Day 17 |
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This morning is a breakfast, check out and transfer to airport.
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