TRAIN ITINERARY

Day 1: Arrival in Beijing

(D)

• City Tour of Beijing, see the Temple of Heaven, history-laden Tiananmen Square, “Bird’s Nest” Olympic stadium, and several of Beijing’s futuristic sky scrapers
• Dinner & overnight at hotel

Day 2: The Great Wall and Peking Duck

(B/L/D)

• Enjoy a day trip to the Great Wall
• Tour to visit a jade factory, the Ming Tombs and the avenue of the spirits
• Enjoy the world famour Peking Duck for dinner

Day 3: The Forbidden City and Departure for Mongolia

(B/L/D)

• Visit the Forbidden City, admire its awe-inspiring halls and mysterious temples

In the evening your rail journey begins, as you transfer to the train station and depart for Mongolia aboard a chartered Chinese train. You reach the border city of Erlian in approximately 16 hours, on the following day.

•  Spend the night aboard the train

Day 4: Crossing the Gobi Desert

(B/L/D)

Around noon you reach the Chinese-Mongolian border, where you transfer to the Tsar’s Gold private train. The change of trains is necessary because of the different track gauges in the two countries. In the growing city of Erlian, you have some time to explore the colourful local market, before your Russian train sets off towards Mongolia. After crossing sections of the legendary Gobi Desert, the train travels through the vast green steppes of Mongolia.

• Spend the night aboard the train

Day 5: Ulan Bator - Lama Temple and the Buddhist Realms of Hell

(B/L/D)

• City Tour, visit the impressive Gandan Buddhist Monastery and the odd Choijin Lama Temple

• Optional: Enjoy evening performances of dynamic and captivation traditional Mongolian Music (12 euros)

• Overnight in a 4 star hotel in Ulan Bator

Day 6: The Gandan Monastery and Mongolian Alps

• Visit Gandan Monastery, where it is possible to observe a Buddhist religious ceremony
• Take a coach to the Mongolian Alps, located some 90 minutes east of Ulaanbaatar, with their majestic scenery and bizarre rock formations
• Mongolian horse-riding demonstration
• Enjoy a picnic lunch served in these splendid surroundings
• Return to train for overnight

Day 7: Ulan Ude

(B/L/D)

• Travel through the valley of Mongolia's largest river, the Selenga
• City Tour of Ulan Ude
• Return to train for overnight

Day 8: Lake Baikal

(B/L/D)

• Explore the remarkable natural phenomenon of Lake Baikal, the largest reservoir of freshwater in the world
• Photo-stops
• Take 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 in typical Baikai-style picnic on the shores of the lake (weather permitting)

Day 9: Irkutsk

(B/L/D)

Today the train reaches Irkutsk, capital of Eastern Siberia.

• Go on a city tour you will see the Okhlopkov Drama Theatre, the new statue of Alexander III and the lively colourful market hall 
• After lunch, you undertake an excursion to the history museum - "Life and Work in the Time of the Tsars”
• Spend the night in a centrally located hotel in Irkutsk

Day 10: Across Siberia

(B/L/D)

Travel through the Yenisei River through Siberia. It takes you through the landscapes of Eastern Siberia with its mountains, crystal-clear rivers and verdant slopes.

On board of the train you enjoy entertaining lectures about Siberia. 

Day 11: Novosibirsk

(B/L/D)

You arrive in Novosibirsk, the heart of Siberia, where you are welcomed in the traditional Russian fashion with bread and salt.

• Go on a short city tour to experience the most Soviet of all cities
• Visit the enormous Trans-Siberian Monument and the mighty Ob River
• Return to train for overnight

Day 12: Yekaterinburg

(B/L/D)

The historic city of Yekaterinburg is remembered as the place where the Russian Tsar Nicholas II and his family were murdered in 1918.

• Visit the Cathedral of the Saviour on the Spilled Blood
• Tour of around the city centre
• Return to train for overnight

Day 13: Kazan

(B/L/D)

• Tour of the Kazan Kremlin (UNESCO World Cultural Heritage) with its wonderful panoramic view over the Volga, visit the Tartar mosques and the most famour Russian Orthodox Cathedral
• Learn about the turbulent history of the relationship between the Tartars, the Cossacks, and the Russians
• Return to train for overnight

Day 14: Moscow

(B/L/D)

Arrive in the capital of Russia, now a thriving and prosperous city. Disembark train and transfer to your hotel.

• Visit the Kremlin grounds to see the magnificent Cathedral
• Catch “Moscow by Night” city lights tour
• Ride on the underground to view 2 of Moscow's beautiful metro stations
• Overnight in hotel

Day 15: Moscow (Departure)

(B)

• City Tour. Visit the reconstructed Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, Lomonossov University, the New Maidens' Convent (Novodevichy Monastery), and Red Square with its colourful St Basil's Cathedral

After tour, transfer to airport for your international flight home

TRAIN CABINS

SERVICE INCLUDED:

• Meals included during the tour according to itinerary (B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner)
• More than 20 excursions and performances included as well as all entrance fees
• Professional threefold tour guide-system: Knowledgeable and dedicated tour director, a competent group train guide
• Alternating overnights in your train compartment and in first class and standard hotels
• From Erlian to Beijing (about 16 hours) accommodation in comfortable sleeping  quarters 
• Extensive trip on the ancient rail lines of the Transsiberian Railway directly on the banks of Lake Baikal with photo stop
• 2 overnights in Beijing and one night in Moscow in first class hotels (4 star levels) 
• One overnight each at centrally located standard hotels (3 star level) in Ulan Bator and Irkutsk
• Hotel property selection is subject to change; exact name of final hotel property will be announced prior to departure with final train pre-departure information.
• Airport transfers on the first and last day of the itinerary
• Luggage service at all train stations
• Detailed travel documents, travel guides and personal log book
• Sophisticated on-board programmes: Entertaining lectures on local culture, history and everyday life
• Shared shower facilities on board
• Traditional Russian welcoming ceremony with bread and salt
• Special Peking Duck dinner at one of Beijing’s leading theme restaurants

RATES NOT INCLUDED:

• International Flights and taxes
• Guides and assistants when not specified
• Camera or Video fees 
• Lunch and dinner not mentioned in itinerary 
• Tipping for local guide and driver 
• Services other than mentioned Laundry, telephone calls and expenditure of a personal nature 
• Travel Insurance 
• Everything not mentioned in "Rates Included"