Mongolia to Moscow

Day 1 Welcome to Ulan Bator
Arrival in Ulan Bator and transfer to your hotel. Overnight: Ramada Hotel (or similar)

Day 2 Ulan Bator: A Lama Temple and the Buddhist Realms of Hell
After breakfast you will meet the main group. During your city tour you see the impressive Gandan Buddhist Monastery and the odd Choijin Lama Temple, among other things. In the evening you have the unique change to attend a performance of traditional Mongolian folk arts, including throat singing, horse-headed fiddle playing, national costumes, and dances. Overnight: Ramada Hotel (or similar). (BLD) On request, we can organise alternative lodging in a local yurt in the beautiful landscape of the Mongolian Alps. This is a rare experience and a dream come true for nature lovers.

Day 3 The Gandan Monastery and Mongolian Alps
After breakfast you visit the Gandan Monastery, where it is possible to observe a Buddhist religious ceremony. Your bus then takes you to the Mongolian Alps, located some 90 minutes east of Ulan Bator, with their majestic scenery and bizarre rock formations. After a picnic lunch in a yurt camp, you watch a small Mongolian horse-riding demonstration and a traditional wrestling match. Overnight on board. (BLD)

Day 4 Ulan Ude
You take your leave of the Mongolian steppes today. You travel through the valley of Mongolia’s largest river, the Selenga. You are on the way to Ulan Ude, where your train reaches the main route of the Trans-Siberian Railway. Here you take an informative city tour. Overnight on board. (BLD)

Day 5 Lake Baikal
Today is spent exploring the remarkable natural phenomenon of Lake Baikal, the largest reservoir of freshwater in the world. In the morning your train travels directly alongside Lake Baikal, on the old route of the Trans-Siberian Railway. During two extended photo-stops, you have a chance to explore and record the scenic beauty of the lake and its setting. A short boat excursion from Port Baikal takes you out onto the lake. Take a swim in the lake, if you wish, and visit a picturesque Baikal village. Dinner is a Baikal-style picnic on the lakeshore with a view of the incredible natural surroundings (weather permitting). Overnight on board. (BLD)

Day 6 Irkutsk
In the morning, you arrive in Irkutsk, the capital of Eastern Siberia in tsarist times. Here you move into your hotel, which is centrally located. You can safely leave your large baggage on the private train. During your city tour you see the Okhlopkov Drama Theatre, the new memorial to Tsar Alexander III, and the photogenic market hall. Around noon you pay a worthwhile visit to an open-air museum with a focus on life and work in historical Siberia. Overnight: Hotel Irkutsk (or similar). (BLD)

Day 7 Trans-Siberia
After breakfast your train passes through the diverse landscapes of eastern Siberia. Talks on board inform you about the region and a vodka tasting with typical Russian snacks and red caviar is an opportunity to experience first-hand the Russian festive customs of hospitality and clever toasts. Overnight on board. (BLD)

Day 8 Novosibirsk
Around noon, your train arrives in Novosibirsk, the largest city in Siberia. You are greeted with bread and salt in the customary Russian manner and taken on a tour of this most Soviet of cities along your entire route, including the chance to see the mighty Ob River. Small City tour, with possibility to see the market and the opera house. Overnight on board. (BLD)

Day 9 Yekaterinburg
Your train stops in the afternoon in Yekaterinburg, the capital of the Ural Federal District. The city is known as the place where the Russian tsar Nicholas II and his family were murdered in 1918. During a tour you see the Cathedral of the Saviour on the Spilled Blood, which was built in 2003 to commemorate that tragic historic event, and the city centre attractively restored in 2009. Also, Yekaterinburg is the frontier between the European and the Asian continent, we visit the obelisque monument which serves as a reminder of this fact. Back on board, you enjoy views of the Urals landscape and indulge yourself in the dining car. Your private train is already rolling across the European continent. Overnight on board. (BLD)

Day 10 Kazan
After breakfast you reach Kazan, the Tartar capital on the banks of the Volga. On your city tour you see Tatar mosques and the most famous Russian Orthodox cathedral. You also take a tour of Kazan’s Kremlin, where you learn about the turbulent history of the relationship between the Tatars, the Cossacks, and the Russians. Afterwards you enjoy lunch in a city restaurant. Overnight on board. (BLD)

Day 11 Welcome to Moscow
Around noon, you arrive in the Russian capital of Moscow, now a thriving, prosperous city, and are accompanied to your 4-star hotel. At noon you visit the Kremlin grounds with its magnificent cathedral. Several of the building interiors can also be viewed. After dinner, discover the city’s magic during an hour-long “City of Lights” tour, including a stop at Red Square, and a ride on the underground to view two of Moscow’s particularly beautiful metro stations. Overnight: InterContinental Tverskaya (or similar). (BLD)

Day 12 Tour of Moscow and Flight Home
After breakfast, you see the Tretyakov Gallery, one of Russia’s most important art collections, featuring about 150 thousand works of art by Russian painters and sculptors. The afternoon is yours to enjoy the city. In the evening, you can visit the Bolshoi Theater, depending on the schedule. (B) (B) = Breakfast, (L) = Lunch, (D) = Dinner

Day 13 Moscow – St. Petersburg
In the morning, you transfer to the train station and board the famous Sapsan high-speed train for St. Petersburg, where you are transferred to your hotel. On a guided tour, you see the city’s most important sights: the lively Nevsky Avenue, the magnificent Palace Square, the stock exchange, the old port, and much more. (BL)

Day 14 St. Petersburg
Today you can visit the Peter and Paul Fortress and Cathedral, home of the imperial tombs, where you can see the remains of almost all Russia’s tsars and tsarinas. In a tour of the world-renowned Hermitage Museum, situated in the Winter Palace, a former imperial residence, you see Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael paintings, among others. In the evening, you have time for a long stroll, a visit to the theater, or an atmospheric boat ride on the Neva River. (BL)

Day 15 Return Home
After breakfast, you take a transfer to the airport and daydream about the unforgettable Trans-Siberian Railroad journey you just completed. (B)