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Express to Russia » Tours to Russia » Trans-Siberian Express » Great Russia by train, 12 days/ 11 nights
Great Russia by train, 12 days/ 11 nightsMoscow – Irkutsk - Vladivostok
This tour will take you along the full route of the Trans-Siberian railway to 3 of Russia’s most interesting cities – Moscow with its Kremlin and Cathedrals, Irkutsk located in the heart of Siberia and home to the great Lake Baikal and Vladivostok – the King of the East with its harbor of the Golden Horm and Amursky Bay.
| 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. In evening you will be transferred to a railway station to continue your pleasant journey around Russia by rail.
Departure by rail to Irkutsk.
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| Day 3-5 |
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Most of the cities along the way date back to the 11-13th century. The train’s first stop will be Vladimir, one of the cities of the famous “Golden Ring”, known for its history and beautiful gold-domed churches.
The train then heads towards Nizhny Novgorod - settled on the bank of the majestic Volga River. At night you will also pass the Vyatka River, the towns of Kotelnich, Vyatka and Balyezino and then arrive at the foot of the Ural Mountains. In the morning, the train will stop in Perm, an old, Russian city known as a center of ballet and literature. It will then take about 6 hours to travel to Yekaterinburg. Stops is 40 minutes.
On this part of your journey, you will pass through Siberia with its mighty taiga and rivers. The route to Novosibirsk is rich in many stops in small and large towns. Tyumen, Russia’s oil capital, is the first. The next large city is Omsk – another major industrial center. Leaving behind the river Irtysh, you will continue passing through amazing natural surroundings. After crossing the bridge across the Ob River, you will soon arrive in Novosibirsk. Stop is 22 minutes.
This part of Trans Siberian route is considered by many to be the most beautiful. You will understand why just by looking at a map of the region. You will spend almost a whole day on the train, passing the Kam, Chuna, Lya, Oka, Angara rivers. You will also pass the famous Yenisey river with the city of Krasnoyarsk settled on its picturesque banks. Stop is 20 minutes.
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| Day 6 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.
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.
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| Day 7 |
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After breakfast, free time and check out from hotel in noon. After this, you will check-in at the hotel.
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. (4 hours)
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| Day 8-10 |
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After breakfast you will be taken to the train station to continue your journey. Train leaves at 02:56 (+5 hours).
The journey from Irkutsk to Khabarovsk will be longer than the other legs of your trip, more than 2 days. So, make yourself at home in your compartment. The scenery outside your window is quite repetitive - the endless Siberian taiga, rivers and lakes but this intense nature is now very close – you honestly will really begin to feel it. The 20-25 minute station stops are a good time to replenish your supplies.
This is the last leg of your journey and lasts approximately 13 hours as you head towards Vladivostok - the Lord of the East. The route will take you very near the Chinese border and the Ussuri River. On the left side of the train, you can admire the Pacific as it appears from time to time and feel the fresh and salty wind as you get closer to Vladivostok.
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| Day 11 Vladivostok |
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On arrival in Vladivostok in morning, you will be met at the railway station by our representative. Your expedition to discover the Lord of the East now begins. First, you will be taken by car or mini bus to your hotel.
After settling in, you can have breakfast (optional), and/or a short rest after the train and 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 (1,5 hour). In the evening you will have free time to walk along the city streets and to dine at a restaurant of your choice. If you would like recommendations on good places to eat, rest, tickets to the theater, just ask our representatives.
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| Day 12 |
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After the breakfast you will have free time to admire your surroundings and then start on your journey home.
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