Grand Trans-Siberian Express
Experience the legendary Trans-Siberian Railway and the Trans-Mongolian Railway on board a private charter train. Forget about any hassle of packing and unpacking every day. Your cabin is your “home on wheels” during the entire rail cruise journey.
Our train offers a choice of 4 accommodation categories from Economy to Deluxe as well as a restaurant, a bar and a conference area for lectures. Stops for land excursions at the most interesting places along the route are included every day. In selected cities like Ekaterinburg in the Ural Mountains, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk near Lake Baikal and Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, hotel nights in international managed 4/5 stars hotels are included, allowing you more time to explore these places and enjoy a relaxed journey.
The journey may be booked either eastbound, starting in Moscow, or westbound, starting in Ulaanbaator. Our rail cruises offer you the possibility to experience remote areas of the world like Siberia, Lake Baikal and Mongolia and at the same time enjoy the comfort which is possible only on board of a private charter train.
Our train offers a choice of 4 accommodation categories from Economy to Deluxe as well as a restaurant, a bar and a conference area for lectures. Stops for land excursions at the most interesting places along the route are included every day. In selected cities like Ekaterinburg in the Ural Mountains, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk near Lake Baikal and Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, hotel nights in international managed 4/5 stars hotels are included, allowing you more time to explore these places and enjoy a relaxed journey.
The journey may be booked either eastbound, starting in Moscow, or westbound, starting in Ulaanbaator. Our rail cruises offer you the possibility to experience remote areas of the world like Siberia, Lake Baikal and Mongolia and at the same time enjoy the comfort which is possible only on board of a private charter train.
Grand Trans-Siberian Express
Standard Economy: 4 persons per cabin
Standard Economy: 4 persons per cabin
This category is popular with those looking for the most economical way of travelling and is usually booked by families with children or friends travelling together. Standard Economy sleeping cars are equipped with 2 lower beds and 2 upper beds. Toilets and wash basins are situated at both ends of the cars for the common use. The cars are air conditioned (central control). The air condition operates only during the time the train is moving. Sockets for 220 V are available in the car, capable for razors and loading mobile phones, cameras and notebooks. The Standard Economy cars offer 9 cabins each and may be booked only by 3 or 4 passengers travelling together. In the hotels the 4 passengers are staying in 2 double rooms, 3 passengers are staying in 1 double and 1 single room. Daily shower facilities are guaranteed. If you travel eastbound Moscow – Beijing: Shower facilities are available in Moscow, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, Ulaanbaatar and Beijing in your hotel rooms where you stay overnight. In addition to that hotel day rooms for showers are at your disposal during stops in Krasnoyarsk and Ulan Ude (one day room per cabin). If you travel westbound Beijing – Moscow: Shower facilities are available in Beijing, Ulaanbaatar, Irkutsk, Yekaterinburg and Moscow in your hotel rooms where you stay overnight. In addition to that hotel day rooms for showers are at your disposal during stops in Ulan Ude, Krasnoyarsk and Novosibirsk (one day room per cabin). Therefore on both tours you have guaranteed access to showers in your hotel room every day during the entire journey.
Standard Economy cabin dimensions: Cabin 2,00 x 2,00 m = 4,0 sqm - Lower beds 65 x 185 cm- Upper beds 65 x 185 cm.
This category is popular with those looking for the most economical way of travelling and is usually booked by families with children or friends travelling together. Standard Economy sleeping cars are equipped with 2 lower beds and 2 upper beds. Toilets and wash basins are situated at both ends of the cars for the common use. The cars are air conditioned (central control). The air condition operates only during the time the train is moving. Sockets for 220 V are available in the car, capable for razors and loading mobile phones, cameras and notebooks. The Standard Economy cars offer 9 cabins each and may be booked only by 3 or 4 passengers travelling together. In the hotels the 4 passengers are staying in 2 double rooms, 3 passengers are staying in 1 double and 1 single room. Daily shower facilities are guaranteed. If you travel eastbound Moscow – Beijing: Shower facilities are available in Moscow, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, Ulaanbaatar and Beijing in your hotel rooms where you stay overnight. In addition to that hotel day rooms for showers are at your disposal during stops in Krasnoyarsk and Ulan Ude (one day room per cabin). If you travel westbound Beijing – Moscow: Shower facilities are available in Beijing, Ulaanbaatar, Irkutsk, Yekaterinburg and Moscow in your hotel rooms where you stay overnight. In addition to that hotel day rooms for showers are at your disposal during stops in Ulan Ude, Krasnoyarsk and Novosibirsk (one day room per cabin). Therefore on both tours you have guaranteed access to showers in your hotel room every day during the entire journey.
Standard Economy cabin dimensions: Cabin 2,00 x 2,00 m = 4,0 sqm - Lower beds 65 x 185 cm- Upper beds 65 x 185 cm.
Standard Plus: 1 or 2 persons per cabin
Standard Plus: 1 o 2 persone per cabina
Standard Plus as well as Deluxe Silver are the most popular type of accommodation on our private train. Standard Plus cabins are equipped with 2 lower beds and 2 upper beds. While only the two lower beds are used for sleeping, the two upper beds can be used as additional storage for luggage – or they simply can be folded away. Toilets and wash basins for common use are situated at both ends of each Standard Plus sleeping car. The sleeping cars are air conditioned (central control). The air condition operates only during the time the train is moving. Sockets for 220 V are available in each cabin, capable for razors, loading mobile phones, cameras and notebooks. Standard Plus cars offer 9 cabins each and may be booked for double or single use. Daily shower facilities are guaranteed. If you travel eastbound Moscow – Beijing: Shower facilities are available in Moscow, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, Ulaanbaatar and Beijing in your hotel rooms where you stay overnight. In addition to that hotel day rooms for showers are at your disposal during stops in Krasnoyarsk and Ulan Ude (one day room per cabin).
If you travel westbound Beijing – Moscow: Shower facilities are available in Beijing, Ulaanbaatar, Irkutsk, Yekaterinburg and Moscow in your hotel rooms where you stay overnight. In addition to that hotel day rooms for showers are at your disposal during stops in Ulan Ude, Krasnoyarsk and Novosibirsk (one day room per cabin). Therefore on both tours you have guaranteed access to showers in your hotel room every day during the entire journey.
Standard Plus cabin dimensions: Cabin 2,00 x 2,00 m = 4,0 sqm - Lower beds 65 x 185 cm- Upper beds 65 x 185 cm.
Standard Plus as well as Deluxe Silver are the most popular type of accommodation on our private train. Standard Plus cabins are equipped with 2 lower beds and 2 upper beds. While only the two lower beds are used for sleeping, the two upper beds can be used as additional storage for luggage – or they simply can be folded away. Toilets and wash basins for common use are situated at both ends of each Standard Plus sleeping car. The sleeping cars are air conditioned (central control). The air condition operates only during the time the train is moving. Sockets for 220 V are available in each cabin, capable for razors, loading mobile phones, cameras and notebooks. Standard Plus cars offer 9 cabins each and may be booked for double or single use. Daily shower facilities are guaranteed. If you travel eastbound Moscow – Beijing: Shower facilities are available in Moscow, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, Ulaanbaatar and Beijing in your hotel rooms where you stay overnight. In addition to that hotel day rooms for showers are at your disposal during stops in Krasnoyarsk and Ulan Ude (one day room per cabin).
If you travel westbound Beijing – Moscow: Shower facilities are available in Beijing, Ulaanbaatar, Irkutsk, Yekaterinburg and Moscow in your hotel rooms where you stay overnight. In addition to that hotel day rooms for showers are at your disposal during stops in Ulan Ude, Krasnoyarsk and Novosibirsk (one day room per cabin). Therefore on both tours you have guaranteed access to showers in your hotel room every day during the entire journey.
Standard Plus cabin dimensions: Cabin 2,00 x 2,00 m = 4,0 sqm - Lower beds 65 x 185 cm- Upper beds 65 x 185 cm.
Deluxe Silver: 1 or 2 persons per cabin, private shower, and toilet en suite
Deluxe Silver: 1 or 2 persons per cabin, private shower, and toilet en suite
Deluxe Silver sleeping cars offer slightly smaller cabins than on Deluxe Gold cars. Deluxe Silver cabins have a private toilet, wash basin and “wet-room” style shower en suite. Each cabin offers 1 lower and 1 upper bed, a table at the window, a chair opposite the beds, a small wardrobe and storage space. Euro-Sockets for 220 V are in each cabin, capable for razors, loading mobile phones, cameras and notebooks. The cars are air conditioned (individual control). The air condition operates only during the time the train is moving. Deluxe Silver sleeping cars have only 6 cabins each and may be booked for double or single use.
Deluxe Silver cabin dimensions: Cabin 2,00 x 2,70 m = 5,4 sqm - Lower bed 110 x 185 cm - Upper bed 80 x 185 cm.
Deluxe Silver sleeping cars offer slightly smaller cabins than on Deluxe Gold cars. Deluxe Silver cabins have a private toilet, wash basin and “wet-room” style shower en suite. Each cabin offers 1 lower and 1 upper bed, a table at the window, a chair opposite the beds, a small wardrobe and storage space. Euro-Sockets for 220 V are in each cabin, capable for razors, loading mobile phones, cameras and notebooks. The cars are air conditioned (individual control). The air condition operates only during the time the train is moving. Deluxe Silver sleeping cars have only 6 cabins each and may be booked for double or single use.
Deluxe Silver cabin dimensions: Cabin 2,00 x 2,70 m = 5,4 sqm - Lower bed 110 x 185 cm - Upper bed 80 x 185 cm.
Deluxe Gold: 1 or 2 persons per cabin, private shower, and toilet en suite
Deluxe Gold: 1 or 2 persons per cabin, private shower, and toilet en suite
Deluxe Gold sleeping cars offer the most spacious and comfortable type of accommodation on our private train. Deluxe Gold cabins have a private toilet, wash basin and a spacious shower cabin en suite. Each cabin offers 1 lower and 1 upper bed, a table at the window, a chair opposite the beds, a small wardrobe and storage space. Euro-Sockets for 220 V are in each cabin, capable for razors, loading mobile phones, cameras, and notebooks. The cars are air conditioned (individual control). The air condition operates only during the time the train is moving. Deluxe Gold sleeping cars have only 5 cabins each and may be booked for double or single use.
Deluxe Gold cabin dimensions: Cabin 2,00 x 3,50 m = 7,0 sqm - Lower bed 120 x 185 cm - Upper bed 80 x 185 cm
Deluxe Gold sleeping cars offer the most spacious and comfortable type of accommodation on our private train. Deluxe Gold cabins have a private toilet, wash basin and a spacious shower cabin en suite. Each cabin offers 1 lower and 1 upper bed, a table at the window, a chair opposite the beds, a small wardrobe and storage space. Euro-Sockets for 220 V are in each cabin, capable for razors, loading mobile phones, cameras, and notebooks. The cars are air conditioned (individual control). The air condition operates only during the time the train is moving. Deluxe Gold sleeping cars have only 5 cabins each and may be booked for double or single use.
Deluxe Gold cabin dimensions: Cabin 2,00 x 3,50 m = 7,0 sqm - Lower bed 120 x 185 cm - Upper bed 80 x 185 cm
Grand Trans-Siberian Express
On the train are also available:
- Restaurant Cars: There are restaurant cars on the train which serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner as part of the full board service to all passengers of the Grand Trans-Siberian Express. Local cuisine is part of the menu: Russian cuisine in Russia and Mongolia, Chinese cuisine in China. During sightseeing tours in the cities local meals are served in the specially selected restaurants.
- Lounge: This is the most popular place of the train and open to all passengers until late. Come, sit down, enjoy the scenery passing by the window and relax while having a drink and listening to the piano entertainment after dinner.
- Lecture Area: In the lecture area, part of the lounge or a restaurant car, your tour escorts hold lectures about the history, geography, economy, and daily life of the regions visited. On some evenings we show films about Russia, Mongolia, and China. Also, your tour escorts offer a language course introducing the Russian language.
- Restaurant Cars: There are restaurant cars on the train which serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner as part of the full board service to all passengers of the Grand Trans-Siberian Express. Local cuisine is part of the menu: Russian cuisine in Russia and Mongolia, Chinese cuisine in China. During sightseeing tours in the cities local meals are served in the specially selected restaurants.
- Lounge: This is the most popular place of the train and open to all passengers until late. Come, sit down, enjoy the scenery passing by the window and relax while having a drink and listening to the piano entertainment after dinner.
- Lecture Area: In the lecture area, part of the lounge or a restaurant car, your tour escorts hold lectures about the history, geography, economy, and daily life of the regions visited. On some evenings we show films about Russia, Mongolia, and China. Also, your tour escorts offer a language course introducing the Russian language.
Grand Trans-Siberian Express travel program
Russia – Mongolia – China (Eastbound): Moscow – Yekaterinburg – Novosibirsk – Krasnoyarsk – Irkutsk – Lake Baikal – Ulan Ude – Ulaanbaatar – Beijing
Day 1 Arrival Moscow
Arrival in Moscow. You will be met at Moscow airport and transferred to your hotel. Accommodation in Moscow.
Day 2 Moscow
A full day sightseeing tour shows you the magnificent Red Square, the Kremlin grounds and other highlights of Moscow. You will forget old stories about Moscow being grey and dark. It has become a vibrant city, full of life, comparable to Paris or Rome. In the afternoon transfer to the railway station where your private train Grand Trans-Siberian Express is ready for you to board for the first leg of the almost 8000 km long journey to Beijing. Welcome dinner and accommodation on board the Grand Trans-Siberian Express.
Day 3 Full day on the train
Today you enjoy a typical day on the Trans-Siberian Railway. Your private train passes through endless scenery of forests, lakes and small settlements, followed by the Ural Mountains. A day to relax, watch the landscape and listen to lectures about Russia and its people. In the evening you arrive in Yekaterinburg, the “Capital of the Ural Mountains”. Accommodation in Yekaterinburg.
Day 4 Yekaterinburg
Yekaterinburg – “Capital of the Ural Mountains”. The city was founded in 1723 by Czar Peter I as the center of metallurgical industry. By the 20th century it had become one of the largest and the most important financial, industrial and cultural centers of Russia. Yekaterinburg is located at the geographical border defined by scientists between Europe and Asia. In the morning a sightseeing tour shows you the city center and you visit a place of remarkable importance for Russian history: the “Cathedral on The Blood” which was built at the place where Czar Nicholas II and his family were executed by the Bolsheviks in 1918. In the afternoon an excursion into the Ural forests takes you to Ganina Yama, which today is considered by Russians as a “holy place”. It is an assemble of small wooden chapels which were erected in the 1990’s to honor the last Czar’s family of the Romanov dynasty who were buried in Ganina Yama. Accommodation on board the Grand Trans-Siberian Express.
Day 5 Novosibirsk
Again an almost full day of relaxation and lectures on the train, today you are passing through the plains of Western Siberia and reach Novosibirsk in the late afternoon. With 1,5 million inhabitants Russia’s third largest city and the biggest of Siberia, it is widely regarded as the centre of Siberia. It was founded in 1893 as the future site of the Trans-Siberian railway bridge crossing the Siberian River Ob. Accommodation in Novosibirsk.
Day 6 Novosibirsk
In the morning a city sightseeing tour shows you some remarkable orthodox churches which have survived the Soviet period, and you see the famous Opera House which is the largest of Russia, situated in the centre of the city at Lenin Square. In the afternoon, an excursion takes you out of the city into the Taiga, the “real Siberian forest”. About 30 km out of the city you have the opportunity of visiting the largest open air railway museum of Russia, a collection of more than 60 showpieces of steam, diesel and electric locomotives as well as several historical passenger cars – a perfect insight into the development of the trains on the Trans-Siberian Railway. On a boat tour on the River Ob you cruise under the mighty railway bridge of the Trans-Siberian railway. Accommodation on board the Grand Trans-Siberian Express.
Day 7 Krasnoyarsk
Krasnoyarsk, like Yekaterinburg and Ulan-Ude used to be a “closed city” during Soviet times – closed to foreigners and also to most Soviet citizens at that time. It is located along the Yenissei River which is the greatest river system flowing to the Arctic Ocean. A sightseeing tour shows you several view points and the main shopping street which is fascinating as the local mayor decided to decorate it with palm trees in summer time – in the middle of Siberia! Accommodation on board the Grand Trans-Siberian Express.
Day 8 Irkutsk
Irkutsk is famous for its trade with Mongolia and China and used to be called “Paris of Siberia” because of its colourful life style during the time of the Tsars. You visit the old town with its large quarters still consisting of wooden houses only, before invited to the cultural highlight of the tour, a private classical concert in a palace of historical background. Accommodation in Irkutsk.
Day 9 Lake Baikal
Today one of the top highlights of the tour with the Grand Trans-Siberian Express will amaze you for the rest of the day. Lake Baikal holds the biggest fresh water reserves in the world. It stretches up to 26 miles from east to west and more than 370 miles from north to south. Lake Baikal is the deepest lake of the world, reaching 1.620 meters at its deepest part. The mountain ranges around Lake Baikal and the deep blue water of the lake, you will never forget. In the morning a one hour bus drive takes you from the hotel to Lake Baikal. A walk through the village of Listvyanka shows you to St Nicholas church, a typical orthodox wooden build church beautifully renovated in the 1990’s. On a great Siberian lunch you can taste the famous Omul fish which lives only in Lake Baikal. In the afternoon a boat takes you on a short cruise on Lake Baikal to the small village of Port Baikal where the private train is waiting for you. Today the private train is running at low speed along the scenic Circum Baikal Railway line between Port Baikal and Sludyanka, which for many years has been used only by a few of local trains and tourist trains. A photo stop will be arranged at a small village where you can get off the train, put your feet into the clear and cold water of Lake Baikal and also visit the typical wooden houses of local people. A Baikal barbecue is also a part of the program.
Accommodation on board the Grand Trans-Siberian Express.
Day 10 Ulan-Ude
Ulan-Ude is the capital of the so-called “Buryat Autonomous Republic” of the Russian Federation. Buryats are an ethnic group close to Mongolians with an amazing mix of cultures and religions. Ulan-Ude is a meeting place between East and West. Like Irkutsk, the city still has large areas with typical Siberian wooden houses. Your sightseeing excursion goes to one of the villages of Orthodox “Old Believers” still practising their live like people did it centuries ago. You will be hosted for a typical Russian homemade lunch. When leaving Ulan-Ude, the Grand Trans-Siberian Express switches from the Trans-Siberian mainline to the Trans Mongolian mainline on its way to Ulaanbaatar. In the evening the train reaches the Russian border station Naushki and the Mongolian border station Sukhbaatar. Russian and Mongolian immigration formalities will take place in the train. You may stay in your compartment and don’t have to leave the train. Accommodation on board the Grand Trans-Siberian Express.
Day 11 Ulaanbaatar
In the morning the Grand Trans-Siberian Express arrives in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia. During a sightseeing tour you will visit the famous Ghandan Monastery, the central Sukhabaatar Square, the Bogd Khan Museum which used to be formerly the winter and sometimes also the summer palace of the Khans’, as well as the Zaisan monument at a viewpoint high above the city. From there you will have an excellent view of the city which is surrounded by large areas of nomadic yurt settlements. An amazing cultural music and dance show will introduce Mongolian folk music and culture to you. In the evening you experience a traditional Mongolian Hot Pot dinner. Accommodation in Ulaanbaatar.
Day 12 Ulaanbaatar
Today an unforgettable excursion will take you to the Terelj National Park which is famous for its nature. A stone formation called the “turtle” and the beautiful mountainous scenery will fascinate you. In the park area you will have the chance to meet a herder family inside their yurt. A Naadam show specially arranged for the participants of the Grand Trans-Siberian Express demonstrates 3 disciplines of the Mongolian National Naadam festival: Wrestling, Archery and Horseracing. Accommodation in a 4 stars hotel in Ulaanbaatar.
Day 13 Departure
Airport transfers are provided by our service team to connect with your flight departing Beijing.
Mongolia - Russia (Westbound): Ulaanbaatar – Ulan-Ude – Lake Baikal – Irkutsk – Krasnoyarsk – Novosibirsk – Yekaterinburg – Moscow
The program is the same, but the order of cities is reversed, as it starts from Ulaanbaator to get to Moscow.
Services included in the tour price:
- 6 nights accommodation on board the Grand Trans-Siberian Express Moscow - Ulaanbaatar in the category booked
- 1 or 2 nights (westbound) accommodation at 5 stars hotel, Moscow
- 1 night accommodation at 4 stars hotel, Yekaterinburg
- 1 night accommodation at 4 stars hotel, Novosibirsk (eastbound)
- 1 night accommodation at 4 stars hotel, Irkutsk
- 2 nights accommodation at 4 stars hotel, Ulaanbaatar
- Full board throughout the tour, starting with dinner on day 1 and terminating with breakfast on day 13
- Shower facilities in hotel day rooms in Krasnoyarsk and Ulan-Ude for guests travelling in categories Standard Economy and Standard Plus
- Transfer shuttle service airport – hotel v.v. in Moscow on day 1 and in Beijing on day 15
- Sightseeing tours in Moscow, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk, Lake Baikal, Ulan-Ude, Ulaanbaatar
- Lectures on board, Introductory Russian language course, Russian Vodka Tasting
- Private classic concert in Irkutsk
- Cultural events as mentioned in the programme
- English, Spanish, Portuguese speaking tour guides (other languages on request)
- English Speaking Tour Director throughout the tour
Services Not Included
- Flights to/from Moscow/Ulaanbaator
- Visa Russia, Mongolia
- Gratuities
Day 1 Arrival Moscow
Arrival in Moscow. You will be met at Moscow airport and transferred to your hotel. Accommodation in Moscow.
Day 2 Moscow
A full day sightseeing tour shows you the magnificent Red Square, the Kremlin grounds and other highlights of Moscow. You will forget old stories about Moscow being grey and dark. It has become a vibrant city, full of life, comparable to Paris or Rome. In the afternoon transfer to the railway station where your private train Grand Trans-Siberian Express is ready for you to board for the first leg of the almost 8000 km long journey to Beijing. Welcome dinner and accommodation on board the Grand Trans-Siberian Express.
Day 3 Full day on the train
Today you enjoy a typical day on the Trans-Siberian Railway. Your private train passes through endless scenery of forests, lakes and small settlements, followed by the Ural Mountains. A day to relax, watch the landscape and listen to lectures about Russia and its people. In the evening you arrive in Yekaterinburg, the “Capital of the Ural Mountains”. Accommodation in Yekaterinburg.
Day 4 Yekaterinburg
Yekaterinburg – “Capital of the Ural Mountains”. The city was founded in 1723 by Czar Peter I as the center of metallurgical industry. By the 20th century it had become one of the largest and the most important financial, industrial and cultural centers of Russia. Yekaterinburg is located at the geographical border defined by scientists between Europe and Asia. In the morning a sightseeing tour shows you the city center and you visit a place of remarkable importance for Russian history: the “Cathedral on The Blood” which was built at the place where Czar Nicholas II and his family were executed by the Bolsheviks in 1918. In the afternoon an excursion into the Ural forests takes you to Ganina Yama, which today is considered by Russians as a “holy place”. It is an assemble of small wooden chapels which were erected in the 1990’s to honor the last Czar’s family of the Romanov dynasty who were buried in Ganina Yama. Accommodation on board the Grand Trans-Siberian Express.
Day 5 Novosibirsk
Again an almost full day of relaxation and lectures on the train, today you are passing through the plains of Western Siberia and reach Novosibirsk in the late afternoon. With 1,5 million inhabitants Russia’s third largest city and the biggest of Siberia, it is widely regarded as the centre of Siberia. It was founded in 1893 as the future site of the Trans-Siberian railway bridge crossing the Siberian River Ob. Accommodation in Novosibirsk.
Day 6 Novosibirsk
In the morning a city sightseeing tour shows you some remarkable orthodox churches which have survived the Soviet period, and you see the famous Opera House which is the largest of Russia, situated in the centre of the city at Lenin Square. In the afternoon, an excursion takes you out of the city into the Taiga, the “real Siberian forest”. About 30 km out of the city you have the opportunity of visiting the largest open air railway museum of Russia, a collection of more than 60 showpieces of steam, diesel and electric locomotives as well as several historical passenger cars – a perfect insight into the development of the trains on the Trans-Siberian Railway. On a boat tour on the River Ob you cruise under the mighty railway bridge of the Trans-Siberian railway. Accommodation on board the Grand Trans-Siberian Express.
Day 7 Krasnoyarsk
Krasnoyarsk, like Yekaterinburg and Ulan-Ude used to be a “closed city” during Soviet times – closed to foreigners and also to most Soviet citizens at that time. It is located along the Yenissei River which is the greatest river system flowing to the Arctic Ocean. A sightseeing tour shows you several view points and the main shopping street which is fascinating as the local mayor decided to decorate it with palm trees in summer time – in the middle of Siberia! Accommodation on board the Grand Trans-Siberian Express.
Day 8 Irkutsk
Irkutsk is famous for its trade with Mongolia and China and used to be called “Paris of Siberia” because of its colourful life style during the time of the Tsars. You visit the old town with its large quarters still consisting of wooden houses only, before invited to the cultural highlight of the tour, a private classical concert in a palace of historical background. Accommodation in Irkutsk.
Day 9 Lake Baikal
Today one of the top highlights of the tour with the Grand Trans-Siberian Express will amaze you for the rest of the day. Lake Baikal holds the biggest fresh water reserves in the world. It stretches up to 26 miles from east to west and more than 370 miles from north to south. Lake Baikal is the deepest lake of the world, reaching 1.620 meters at its deepest part. The mountain ranges around Lake Baikal and the deep blue water of the lake, you will never forget. In the morning a one hour bus drive takes you from the hotel to Lake Baikal. A walk through the village of Listvyanka shows you to St Nicholas church, a typical orthodox wooden build church beautifully renovated in the 1990’s. On a great Siberian lunch you can taste the famous Omul fish which lives only in Lake Baikal. In the afternoon a boat takes you on a short cruise on Lake Baikal to the small village of Port Baikal where the private train is waiting for you. Today the private train is running at low speed along the scenic Circum Baikal Railway line between Port Baikal and Sludyanka, which for many years has been used only by a few of local trains and tourist trains. A photo stop will be arranged at a small village where you can get off the train, put your feet into the clear and cold water of Lake Baikal and also visit the typical wooden houses of local people. A Baikal barbecue is also a part of the program.
Accommodation on board the Grand Trans-Siberian Express.
Day 10 Ulan-Ude
Ulan-Ude is the capital of the so-called “Buryat Autonomous Republic” of the Russian Federation. Buryats are an ethnic group close to Mongolians with an amazing mix of cultures and religions. Ulan-Ude is a meeting place between East and West. Like Irkutsk, the city still has large areas with typical Siberian wooden houses. Your sightseeing excursion goes to one of the villages of Orthodox “Old Believers” still practising their live like people did it centuries ago. You will be hosted for a typical Russian homemade lunch. When leaving Ulan-Ude, the Grand Trans-Siberian Express switches from the Trans-Siberian mainline to the Trans Mongolian mainline on its way to Ulaanbaatar. In the evening the train reaches the Russian border station Naushki and the Mongolian border station Sukhbaatar. Russian and Mongolian immigration formalities will take place in the train. You may stay in your compartment and don’t have to leave the train. Accommodation on board the Grand Trans-Siberian Express.
Day 11 Ulaanbaatar
In the morning the Grand Trans-Siberian Express arrives in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia. During a sightseeing tour you will visit the famous Ghandan Monastery, the central Sukhabaatar Square, the Bogd Khan Museum which used to be formerly the winter and sometimes also the summer palace of the Khans’, as well as the Zaisan monument at a viewpoint high above the city. From there you will have an excellent view of the city which is surrounded by large areas of nomadic yurt settlements. An amazing cultural music and dance show will introduce Mongolian folk music and culture to you. In the evening you experience a traditional Mongolian Hot Pot dinner. Accommodation in Ulaanbaatar.
Day 12 Ulaanbaatar
Today an unforgettable excursion will take you to the Terelj National Park which is famous for its nature. A stone formation called the “turtle” and the beautiful mountainous scenery will fascinate you. In the park area you will have the chance to meet a herder family inside their yurt. A Naadam show specially arranged for the participants of the Grand Trans-Siberian Express demonstrates 3 disciplines of the Mongolian National Naadam festival: Wrestling, Archery and Horseracing. Accommodation in a 4 stars hotel in Ulaanbaatar.
Day 13 Departure
Airport transfers are provided by our service team to connect with your flight departing Beijing.
Mongolia - Russia (Westbound): Ulaanbaatar – Ulan-Ude – Lake Baikal – Irkutsk – Krasnoyarsk – Novosibirsk – Yekaterinburg – Moscow
The program is the same, but the order of cities is reversed, as it starts from Ulaanbaator to get to Moscow.
Services included in the tour price:
- 6 nights accommodation on board the Grand Trans-Siberian Express Moscow - Ulaanbaatar in the category booked
- 1 or 2 nights (westbound) accommodation at 5 stars hotel, Moscow
- 1 night accommodation at 4 stars hotel, Yekaterinburg
- 1 night accommodation at 4 stars hotel, Novosibirsk (eastbound)
- 1 night accommodation at 4 stars hotel, Irkutsk
- 2 nights accommodation at 4 stars hotel, Ulaanbaatar
- Full board throughout the tour, starting with dinner on day 1 and terminating with breakfast on day 13
- Shower facilities in hotel day rooms in Krasnoyarsk and Ulan-Ude for guests travelling in categories Standard Economy and Standard Plus
- Transfer shuttle service airport – hotel v.v. in Moscow on day 1 and in Beijing on day 15
- Sightseeing tours in Moscow, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk, Lake Baikal, Ulan-Ude, Ulaanbaatar
- Lectures on board, Introductory Russian language course, Russian Vodka Tasting
- Private classic concert in Irkutsk
- Cultural events as mentioned in the programme
- English, Spanish, Portuguese speaking tour guides (other languages on request)
- English Speaking Tour Director throughout the tour
Services Not Included
- Flights to/from Moscow/Ulaanbaator
- Visa Russia, Mongolia
- Gratuities
Contacts
Feel free to write and call us
+7 922 1841362 whatsapp/telegram
info@inrussiaconmax.com
info@inrussiaconmax.com
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Maxelenatravel LLC - Ulitsa Turistskaya 2-2, Moscow
Company in Italy for tourism promotion
Italhouse Srls - Via Piraineto 44, 90044 Carini (PA)
Maxelenatravel LLC - Ulitsa Turistskaya 2-2, Moscow
Company in Italy for tourism promotion
Italhouse Srls - Via Piraineto 44, 90044 Carini (PA)
