Trans Siberian Railroad

Categories Escorted Tours Semi-escorted Tours Rail Trips Summer Tours

A journey on the legendary Trans-Siberian Railroad is one of the last great travel

adventures in our world. Set this dream of a lifetime on the tracks with the Golden

Tsar Train and experience Russia, Mongolia and China in the safest, most

comfortable and fascinating manner.

The historic route between Moscow, Lake Baikal and Beijing is the heart of all travel

variants: The exciting days of your journey are delivering three of the world’s largest

countries directly to your compartment. Lean back to enjoy the dramatic changes of

scenery and savour a choice of Europe's and Asia's most superb and splendid

landscapes!

Departures in opposite direction May 14, June 11, July 7, 30, August 25 and September 17, 2017

Itinerary

WELCOME TO MOSCOW

You are greeted at the airport by your friendly tour director and accompanied to your hotel. The “City of Lights” tour shows you around the exquisitely illuminated Russian capital. You stroll across the famous Red Square and take a short trip on the underground to view several of Moscow’s particularly beautiful metro stations. Overnight at Moscow Hotel Intercontinental Tverskaya***** (or similar).

SIGHTSEEING IN MOSCOW

In the morning you take an informative tour of Moscow including the imposing grounds the Kremlin and its magnificent cathedral from tsarist times. Toward evening, you are greeted aboard your private

train prior to departure. A relaxed get-together in the dining car offers the chance to meet your fellow travellers and learn more details about your private train. Overnight on board the train.

In the morning you arrive in Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan. You take a tour of the Kazan Kremlin (UNESCO World Cultural Heritage) with its wonderful panoramic view over the Volga where you learn

about the turbulent history of the relationship between the Tartars, the Cossacks and the Russians. The train resumes its journey eastwards in the evening. Overnight on board the train.

The train stops around noon in Yekaterinburg, the historical capital of the Urals. The city is remembered as the place where the Russian tsar Nicholas II and his family were murdered in 1918. During a brief tour you see the Cathedral of the Saviour on the Spilled Blood which was built in 2003 in commemoration of that tragic historic event and the city centre so attractively restored in 2009. Back on board, you continue on your journey through the vast steppes of western Siberia.

Overnight on board the train

You arrive in Novosibirsk, the heart of Siberia, where you are welcomed in the traditional Russian fashion with bread and salt. During a short city tour you experience the most Soviet of all cities during your journey. You see the enormous Trans-Siberian Monument and the mighty Ob River.

Overnight on board the train

The train crosses the wide Yenisei River and rolls on through Siberia. The train’s chefs once again demonstrate their skills as they serve the guests Russian specialties in a “tsar’s feast”. A vodka tasting accompanied by Russian snacks and clever toasts offers you a very enjoyable opportunity to combine pleasure and Russian hospitality. The train passes by villages with their typical wooden houses and through birch forests set against a background of impressive mountainscapes and, hopefully, ample sunshine. Overnight on board the train

Today the train reaches Irkutsk, the capital of Eastern Siberia in tsarist times. During the city tour you see, among other things, the picturesque Siberian wooden houses and a memorial to Tsar Alexander III (the initiator of the Tran-Siberian Railway) which was erected in 2003 where the Trans-Sib Obelisk previously stood. After lunch you take an excursion to an informative open-air museum with a focus on life and work in historical Siberia. In Irkutsk you spend the night at hotel Irkutsk*** (or similar).

Today you drive by bus to Listvyanka, a Siberian village on the shores of Lake Baikal, the largest reservoir of non-frozen freshwater in the world. From the village a boat brings you across the lake’s

deep waters to Port Baikal where your private train is waiting. Then you travel for several hours directly alongside Lake Baikal, on the original route of the Trans-Siberian Railway. Your train halts for

several hours at a particularly scenic spot for you to truly enjoy the majestic calm of this unique natural wonder. Dinner is served as a picnic on the shores of Lake Baikal if weather permitting.

Overnight on board the train

The journey continues along the banks of the seemingly endless Lake Baikal and then through the splendid Selenga Valley and the wild solitude of eastern Siberia’s mountainous steppes. You take a

tour of Ulan-Ude during an intermediate stop there. Border formalities at the Russian-Mongolian border are an easy matter carried out on board. Overnight on board the train

In the morning you arrive in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia. As always, you can leave your large luggage safely in your compartment. During your city tour you see the impressive Gandan Buddhist Monastery and the odd Choijin Lama Temple among other things. Beer gardens are very popular in Mongolia and your evening includes a visit to the city’s best. You spend the night in Ulaanbaatar at Hotel Ramada**** (or similar)

After breakfast a bus brings you to Terelj National Park, east of Ulaanbaatar. Here you will see the nomadic herdsmen’s exotic settlements of tradition tents, horse herds and scraggly yaks, a type of wild Tibetan cattle. A small Mongolian horse-riding demonstration is put on especially for you and you enjoy a picnic lunch served in these splendid surroundings. In the evening you continue on aboard

your train towards China. Overnight on board the train.

In the early morning your train halts in the middle of the Gobi Desert, some time ago one of the favourite settlements of dinosaurs. Around noon you arrive at the Mongolian-Chinese boarder where your chartered Chinese train is waiting. The Russian private train cannot continue towards Beijing because of the different track gauge in China. Your train reaches the Chinese capital in approximately

16 hours. The Chinese train does not include wagons in the Nostalgic Comfort or Bolshoi categories.

Overnight on board the train.

WELCOME TO BEIJING

You arrive in the hustle and bustle of Beijing in the morning. After transfer to the hotel the rest of the day is yours for leisure. Overnight in Beijing at Hotel Capital***** (or similar)

A tour lasting several hours takes you to Beijing’s most beautiful and important sights including the photogenic Temple of Heaven with its park, the huge Tiananmen Square and some of the city’s

contemporary architectural achievements such as the new “Bird’s Nest” Olympic stadium and several futuristic sky scrapers. In the afternoon you are able to enter the Forbidden City, the former imperial palace and view its numerous temples and halls. You spend the night in Beijing at Hotel Capital or similar.

Your tour today takes you to the Great Wall, the eighth wonder of the world. The giant wall extends for more than 6000 km through the countryside. On the way you visit a pearl cultivation farm and the Ming Tombs, the burial site of 13 Ming Dynasty emperors with its impressive Spirit Way. In the evening you enjoy a farewell dinner of world-renowned Peking Duck. You spend the night in Beijing at Hotel Capital or similar.

Today a wonderful trip filled with unique and unforgettable experiences comes to its end.

Notes