|
|
|
Express to Russia » Tours to Russia » Trans-Siberian Express » Journey of a lifetime, 16 days/15 night
Journey of a lifetime, 16 days/15 nightMoscow – Yekaterinburg – Krasnoyarsk – 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, Krasnoyarsk, famous for Stolby Mountains 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 |
|
|
 |
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.
|
| Day 2 |
|
|
|
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 you will be transferred to the railway station at 15:00 to begin the journey of a lifetime. Departure to Yekaterinburg after midday.
|
| Day 3 |
|
|
|
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. 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.
|
Day 4
Yekaterinburg |
|
|
|
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 Krasnoyarsk by train.
|
| Day 5 |
|
|
|
The day you will spend in train enjoining surroundings.
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 pass Novosibirsk. 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. On the arrival in Krasnoyarsk you will be me by our representatives and transferred to the hotel by a comfortable car or mini-bus.
|
| Day 6 Krasnoyarsk |
|
|
|
After settling in, some rest and breakfast, our guide will be waiting for you for your first excursion – a panoramic city tour of Krasnoyarsk.
This city tour will bring together the past, present and future of Krasnoyarsk. You will learn about the origin of the city, visit the place of its foundation and places connected with its outstanding people. Highlights include: Peace square with a beautiful view onto the Yenisey river, the monument to Andreyu Dubenskomy, a trip up Guard Hill and a walk along the city’s old streets.
In the second part of the day, you will have the possibility to choose one of a number of different excursions around Krasnoyarsk. The first one is a trip for 6 hours to the famous Stolby Mountains (guests selecting this excursion must by vaccinated against tick-borne encephalitis) or visit to the Krasnoyarsk GES (hydroelectric power station) for 4 hours.
It is often said in Krasnoyarsk: “If you have been to the city but didn’t visit the Stolby Mountains you didn’t really see the heart of the city or its soul”. The area is a fascinating phenomenon, created by nature – it is a forest of vertical stone pillars. It is also an impressive nature reserve full of wild Siberian nature and great views. During the trip, you will get to know about the process of its creation and the names given to the Stolby (pillars) by people during different periods of time.
|
| Day 7 |
|
|
|
After breakfast and check out from the hotel and be ready to be transferred to the train station and to leave these beautiful places for other intriguing points on your trip.
Train leaves at noon.
After Krasnoyarsk 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.
|
| Day 8 Irkutsk |
|
|
|
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 from Irkutsk, we will make a stop at the Ethnographical museum “Taltsy” consisting of examples of Siberian wooden houses from the past centuries.
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. And we will visit a functioning St. Nicolas-The Miracle-Worker Orthodox Church.
|
| Day 9 |
|
|
|
After breakfast, free time and check out from hotel in noon.
After this, you will check-in at the hotel in Irkutsk. 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 see 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.
Before you will be taken to the train station to continue your journey you will visit hotel to take luggage from the lock of the hotel. Train leaves at the evening.
|
| Day 10 |
|
|
|
This day you will stay in the train. It will take just a few hours to reach Baikal by rail which runs along the lake’s shore. The views of the lake and the surrounding nature are breathtaking. Crossing Russian-Mongolian border.
|
| Day 11 Ulaanbaatar |
|
|
|
Morning 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.
|
| Day 12 |
|
|
|
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 Ulan-Bataar - 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.
|
| Day 13 |
|
|
|
After an early breakfast, you will transfer to the railway station to take train to Beijing at 08.05. The entire day will be spent on the train, admiring the scenery of valleys and mountains.
|
| Day 14 Beijing |
|
|
|
On arrival to Beijing 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.
|
| Day 15 |
|
|
|
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.
|
| Day 16 |
|
|
|
This morning is a breakfast, check out and transfer to airport.
|
|
|
