Trans-Sib - four cities

14 days and 13 nights

  • Schedule
    Tour can be started on any day
  • Route
    Moscow - Yekaterinburg - Irkutsk - Vladivostok
  • Languages
    English-speaking guide is guaranteed. Other languages are on request.
  • Accommodation
    The following hotel options are available:
    3 stars
  • PRIVATE TOUR
    This is a private tour, there won't be other people in your group
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Itinerary

Moscow - Yekaterinburg - Irkutsk - Vladivostok

On this great Eurasian journey from West to East you will cover the entire route of the Trans-Siberian Railway, visiting four major cities along the way. The trip begins in Moscow, the capital of Russia with its Gold-Domed cathedrals, Kremlin, Red Square and other sites. You will continue on to Yekaterinburg, located in the Ural Mountains and at the Western edge of Siberia There you will visit sites connected to the tragic fate of the last Russian Tsar. You then travel to Irkutsk and onward to the shores of Lake Baikal. The tour ends in Vladivostok "the Lord of the East" on the Pacific Ocean and at the very edge of Russia.

Day 1 Moscow

Novodevichy convent, Moscow, Russia
Moscow city view, Russia

Moscow, the capital of the Russian Federation, is the starting point of your great Trans Siberian journey.

On arrival in Moscow, you will be met by our friendly representative who will escort you by car or mini bus to your hotel. On the way to the hotel, you will have the opportunity to get your first glimpse of this truly unique city.

Moscow is the capital and the largest city in Russia as well as the largest metropolitan area in Europe with a population well over 10 million. This amazing city has served as the capital of the Soviet Union, the Russian Empire and the Grand Duchy of Moscow. Moscow has had a tumultuous history dating back to medieval times when it was founded by Prince Yuri Dolgoruki (Yuri of the Long Arms, known for the length of his arms!) in the early 12th century. It has seen numerous invasions and sieges from the Mongols to the Poles and Lithuanians to the Crimean Tatars to Napoleon and finally the Nazi’s but it has persevered and today is a thriving metropolis. The city is filled with unique architecture from the Kremlin and Red Square to giant Stalin skyscrapers to new office blocks built during the economic boom of recent years and it contains a strikingly beautiful metro system. The city is the center of political as well as economic power in Russia and visitors can feel the energy in the streets. There is always something going on in Moscow and there is so much to see.

Day 2

Vorobyevi Hills, Moscow, Russis
Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia

After breakfast you will be taken on a city tour.

On Panoramic City Tour, 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 and one of Russia’s leading schools of higher education, then on to Novodevichy Convent, Victory Park, the Triumphal Arch and Kutuzovsky Prospect.  You will get a chance to see from the outside, the Russian seat of power - the Kremlin and Red Square and continue on to see much more of this storied city.

Return to the hotel.

Day 3

Moscow metro station, Russia
Russian railway station

Breakfast and free time. Check out from the hotel by 12:00. You will be transferred to the railway station to begin the journey of a lifetime.

Departure to Yekaterinburg in the afternoon.

It takes 26 hours to get to the city of Yekaterinburg in the heart of the Ural Mountains 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 with its stunning Kremlin set on the banks of the majestic Volga river.

Day 4

Ural Mountains, Russia
River Vyatka, Russia

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 representatives will meet you at the train station and bring you by car or mini bus to your hotel.

Yekaterinburg was founded in 1723 and named after Saint Catherine, the namesake of Tsar Peter the Great’s wife Empress Catherine I (Yekaterina). Soon after the Russian Revolution, on 17 July, 1918, Tsar Nicolas II, his wife, Alexandra, and their children Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia and Tsarevich Alexei were executed by the Bolsheviks at the Ipatiev House where they were being held prisoner. Yekaterinburg is also famous for being located directly on the border between the Europe and Asia. It is also the hometown of Russia’s first president Boris Yeltsin.

Day 5 Yekaterinburg

Sevastyanov house, Yekaterinburg, Russia
The Yekateriburg Church on the Blood, Russia

After a good breakfast, you will start your first excursion which explores the last days of the Romanovs 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 afternoon you will be taken to the railway station to continue your journey through Russia.

Departure to Irkutsk.

Day 6

Russian railways
Russian nature

This day you will spend on the train enjoying the picturesque surroundings.

On this leg of the journey, you will see 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.

Day 7

Yenisey river, Russia
Irkutsk railway station

Your train arrives at night in Irkutsk where our representatives will meet at the train station and take you to hotel. Finally, your feet will be back on the ground!

Day 8 Irkutsk

The Cathedral of the Epiphany Irkutsk, Russia
Irkutsk, Russia

After breakfast you will be taken on a city tour. The tour includes a visit to the Cathedral of the Holy Sign (Znamensky Cathedral). 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 Revolt. The Decembrists 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 evokes the period of 18th century Russia.

Irkutsk began as a small settlement in the mid 17th century for gold-trading and for the collection of the fur tax from the Buryats (the local inhabitants of the area). The settlement officially became a town in 1686 and the first road between Moscow and the new city was built in 1760. With the road construction, many new products, often imported from China, were widely available in Irkutsk for the first time including gold, diamonds, furs, wood, silk and tea. In 1821, Irkutsk became the seat of the Governor-General of East Siberia. In the early 19th century, many Russian officers and nobles were sent into exile in Irkutsk for their part in the Decembrist revolt against Tsar Nicholas I. Due to this influx of individuals from St. Petersburg, Irkutsk became the Siberian center of intellectual and cultural life. By 1900, the city had earned the nickname “The Paris of Siberia.” Today Irkutsk has become a college town with many young people studying at the university and other institutes of higher education in the city.

Day 9

Lake Baikal in winter, Russia
Lake Baikal view, Russia

After breakfast and hotel check out our representatives will meet and take you to Lake Baikal, the largest body of fresh water on earth. 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.

We will also make a stop to see the lake from the “Cherskiy Peak” observation point. 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 the functioning St. Nicolas the Miracle-Worker Orthodox Church.

Lake Baikal is the largest freshwater lake in the world with an average depth of 744.4 m (2,442 ft) and contains roughly 20 percent of the world´s surface fresh water. The body of water is also known as the “Baikal Sea” and the "Pearl of Siberia". At 1,642 meters (5,390 ft) Lake Baikal is the deepest, and among the clearest lakes in the world. At more than 25 million years old, Baikal is also the world´s oldest lake. Baikal is home to more than 1,700 species of plants and animals, two thirds of which can be found nowhere else in the world and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. It is also home to the Buryat people who follow the Tibetan Buddhist religion and reside on the eastern side of the lake rearing goat, camel, cattle and sheep.

Day 10-12

Russian forests
Russian train

Breakfast and check out. You will be transferred to the train station. Morning departure by train to Vladivostok.

The train journey from Irkutsk to Vladivostok will be longer than the other stretches of journey that you have traveled up until now – 3 days. But the comfortable compartment will make you feel at home. The landscape along the way is typically Siberian, with 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.

Day 13 Vladivostok

Vladivostok Golden Bridge, Russia
Vladivostok harbour, Russia

On arrival at the Pacific Coast city of Vladivostok, you will be met at the train station 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. 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 a city tour

During this 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.

Vladivostok Russia’s largest port city on the Pacific Ocean is situated at the head of the Golden Horn Bay and near the border of China and North Korea. The city is home to the Russian Pacific Fleet. The territory on which modern Vladivostok is located has been part of many nations, including the Mongol Empire and China and in the past was populated by Chinese, Manchu and Koreans. Russia acquired the region in 1858 at the end of China’s Opium War with Britain. The naval outpost was founded in 1859 by Count Nikolay MuravyovAmursky who named it Vladivostok, translated as “Lord of the East.” An elaborate system of fortifications was erected between the 1870s and 1890s and a telegraph line from Vladivostok to Shanghai and Nagasaki was opened in 1871. The city´s economy was given a boost in 1903, with the completion of the Trans-Siberian Railway. The city was fiercely fought over during the Russian Civil War but finally taken by the Red Army in October 1922. This battle marked the end of the Russian Civil War and consolidation of power by the Soviets. Since that time, Vladivostok has been Russia’s main cultural, trade and militarily important city on the Pacific Coast.

Day 14

Vladivostok view, Russia
Vladivostok, Russia

Breakfast at the hotel and transfer to the airport. This ends your Trans-Siberian journey. We hope that you had a wonderful time and we look forward to welcoming you back to Russia sometime in the future!

Included Sightseeing

These sights are included into the standard package:

Vladivostok
Vladivostok Railway Station
Vladivostok Railway Station

The foundation stone of the station was laid by the architect Bazilevsky in 1891 in the presence of Crown Prince Nicholas, future Emperor Nicholas II. In 1893, the station was officially opened and trains on Vladivostok - Ussuriysk route were launched. In 1910-12 Yaroslavsky Railway Station in Moscow was built, and it was decided to rebuild Vladivostok station in similar style so as to created architecturally completed stations on both ends of Trans-Siberian Railway. There were several more changes in the ensemble in the course of the 20th century, and finally in 1994-1996 the station was restored to the original pre-Revolutionary look.

Arseniev Museum
Arseniev Museum

Arseniev Museum was founded in 1884 and opened to the public in 1890. It belonged to the Society of Study of the Amur region. Major part of the collection was formed in the XIX century and it consists of ethnographic and archaeological exhibits. Today the museum is a large-scale exhibition space where traditional and new museum technologies co-exist. The museum building is located in the heart of the city and is a monument of town-planning architecture of the early XX century.

Irkutsk
Taltsy Ethnographic Museum
Taltsy Ethnographic Museum

This architectural and ethnographic museum opened its doors to the public in 1980. On the territory of 67 hectares there are over 40 architectural monuments (fortress wall, churches, barns, water mills, parish school, peasant houses) and over 8,000 exhibits that tell about life in the Siberian villages XVII-XIX centuries. The museum often hosts folk festivals, and is also often used by filmmakers because of its authentic look.

Museum of the Decembrists
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 is truly evocative of 19th century Russia.

Cathedral of the Holy Sign
Cathedral of the Holy Sign

Apart from ornate and rich iconostasis, the cathedral is famous for its graveyard containing the graves of the Decembrists Mukhanov, Beschasnov, Trubetskaya and the Russian Columbus Shelekhov.

Moscow
Major Moscow City Highlights
Major Moscow City Highlights

Major Moscow highlights include: Vorobyevi Hills with an incredible view of the city from an observation point; Moscow State University which is an example of architecture from the time of Stalin; Novodevichiy Convent, the Diplomatic Village, Victory Park, the Triumphal Arch, Kutuzovsky Prospect, the Arbat and much more.

Lake Baikal
Listvyanka
Listvyanka

Listvyanka is a small settlement located on the shore of Lake Baikal. On the way from Irkutsk to Listvyanka there are 3 places of interest. The first is the obo - a sacred place for the local Buryat people. The second is Taltsy - an open air Museum of Russian Wooden Architecture. The third is the famous Shaman Rock (another sacred site) located on the headwaters of the Angara river. Listvyanka is also home to the Church of Saint Nicolas the Wonderworker - the guardian angel of travelers, and the Baikal Ecology Museum with exhibits of the unique fauna and flora that surround the lake. There is also an aquarium which contains different species of local fish and the Baikal nerpa - the earth's only fresh water seal.

Yekaterinburg
Ganina Yama Monastery
Ganina Yama Monastery

Ganina Yama Monastery was built on the site of an abandoned mine, where in 1918 the remains of the Imperial Family were burned. Even back in the Soviet Era, there were people who came to this quiet secluded place to pay their respect to the Romanovs. Only in 1991 memorial cross was put here, and in 2000 construction of the Church of Holy Royal Martyrs was started. Today the monastery numbers seven churches, all of which are located in a picturesque pine forest.

Church on the Blood
Church on the Blood

Church on the Blood was erected in 2000-2003 to commemorate the place where the last Imperial Family of Russia – the Romanovs – was executed. Next to the church is a memorial to the Romanov family. It includes the composition of the seven sculptures illustrating the moment when the family descended to the basement of Ipatiev House, and the execution room where an altar is set on the site of the murder. There is also an exhibition here devoted to the last days of the Romanovs

Prices and Terms

Low Nov 1st - Apr 30th
  1st class 2nd class
1 $6115 $5218
2 $4318 $3421
3 - 4 $4082 $3185
5 - 6 $3875 $2978
single supplement $572 $572
High May 1st - Oct 30th
  1st class 2nd class
1 $6588 $5487
2 $4791 $3690
3 - 4 $4555 $3455
5 - 6 $4348 $3247
single supplement $572 $572

Prices are per person based on double occupancy in a specific hotel. If you travel in a group but decide to stay in a single room, please add the single supplement to the price. We offer discounts for groups of 7 or more. To inquire about group rates, please contact us.

Please note:

Train fares and schedules are subject to change without notice and the program may be slightly changed in this event. However, this will not influence the quality of the services and we will do our best to make your trip unforgettable!

Regular trains are used for these tours. On these trains, there is no WC your individual cabins and no shower on board. A different train is used for each leg of your journey. There is no guide accompanying you during your time on the train. A new guide will meet you by the train on arrival in each city and they will  accompany you back to the train station on the last day in that particular city.

Every effort will be made to adhere to tour pricing, however, currency fluctuation is beyond our control and may affect final costs.

Prices include:

  • Transfers airport to hotel / hotel to airport or train station to hotel / hotel to train station;
  • Train tickets 1st (2-berth compartment*) or 2nd class (4-berth compartment);**
  • Russian visa invitation (single entry).
  • Bilingual guide for all programs (Russian/English);
  • Accommodation in 3 star hotesl, DBL, B&B;
  • Excursions according to programs;
  • Entrance tickets to museums.;
  • Free visa invitation - the document necessary for obtaining a Russian visa when applying for one at the local Russian Consulate in your country. PLEASE NOTE: your passport should be valid for no less than 6 months after the planned departure from Russia and it should have at least 2 blank pages. The process of applying for a visa may take a long time and we recommend that you start the process 3 months before your trip. In case you are booking the trip last minute, we recommend that you check with the Russian Consulate in your country to determine if you have enough time for the visa application process. In case you have to cancel your trip because of visa issues, our standard cancellation policy will be applied.

Single compartment in the train is available on request

Not included:

  • Meals and snacks not listed in the program or listed as “optional”;
  • Visa fees levied by the Russian, Mongolian and/or Chinese Embassies. For US, UK and Canadian citizens, our company offers Full Visa Support. With Full Visa Support, you send your passport and other documentation to us or our visa agent and we obtain the Russian visa for you.
  • International airfare. Our Russian tours are offered as land only.  Please arrange your own airfare and we will meet you at the airport and handle everything else on the ground in Russia.
  • Fee for oversized and overweight luggage;
  • Travel insurance. We highly recommend to purchase travel insurance before embarking on your trip to Russia. It’s always good to have extra protection while traveling far from home. Click here to learn more.
  • Tips.

Payment policy:

To book a tour, a 30% deposit is required at the time of booking. The trip must be fully paid 61 days before departure.

Cancellation policy:

  • 61 or more days before departure - a fee equal to 15% of the entire package will be charged.
  • 60-15 days before departure - a fee equal to 30% of the entire package will be charged.
  • 14 days or less before departure or no-show - a fee equal to 100% of the package will be charged.

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