TRANSSIBERIAN

Departure from Moscow in the evening by train to Kazan.
* We can add a program in Moscow and other cities before Day 1 upon your request!

Arrival in Kazan.

Meeting a guide at the station. Tour to Sviyazhsk. Sviyazhsk – the island-town that was built by order of Ivan the Terrible in 1551 and became the center of Orthodoxy of the Volga Region. The journey will allow you to feel the breath of history and open some of its pages.

Transfer back to Kazan. Check in at the hotel.

Breakfast in the hotel.

Kazan sightseeing tour. Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan, is a city with a population of about 1.2 million people and is one of the largest economic, scientific, educational, cultural and sports centers in Russia. In 2005, Kazan celebrated its millennium. A prevailing feature of life in the city is peaceful, creative coexistence of different religions and nationalities.

You will see the Tatar State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre named after Musa Jalil, Kazan Federal University, Lake Kaban, The Mardjani Mosque - the first stone mosque of Kazan, the Peter and Paul Cathedral, visit the Virgin Monastery - the place where the Kazan icon of the Mother of God is kept.

And after all you’ll see the Kazan Kremlin, the oldest part of the city. The Kazan Kremlin is one of the oldest Russian kremlins. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Qol Sharif is the main cathedral mosque of Tatarstan. It was opened in 2005. Its exterior replicates the look of the Khanate of Kazan’s main mosque that was destroyed in 1552 by the Army of Ivan the Terrible. The mosque was named after Qol Sharif – a Tatar poet, warrior and prominent thinker who is considered to be a direct descendant of Prophet Muhammad.

Transfer to the station. Departure to Novosibirsk.

Day in the train.

Arrival in Novosibirsk. Meeting a guide at the station.

City sightseeing tour Novosibirsk. A modern ‘Soviet’ city, we experience the life and character of Novosibirsk’s rich culture where the arts, science and literature predominate. The Siberia region’s largest city was founded in 1893. Novosibirsk is the third main cultural and scientific center in Russia (after Moscow and St. Petersburg) and also is home to the famous University of Novosibirsk. The city is developing quite rapidly, and is considered to be the capital of Siberia. In front of the Opera House you will see an imposing statue of Lenin.

Transfer to hotel. Free time.

Overnight.

After breakfast in the hotel we start a brief city tour.

Transfer to the rail station, train to Krasnoyarsk. We are entering the taiga area.

Meeting at the rail station and transfer to hotel or sightseeing tour starting just after arrival.

Krasnoyarsk offers a unique combination of beautiful rivers and mountains, clean air, hunting and fishing, architectural sites and the ethnic culture of a unique northern nation. City tour Krasnoyarsk, then we proceed to Stolby National Park. Easy trekking in the park (about 3 hours total), visiting a few view points. Continue to Krasnoyarskaya Hydro Power station on Enisey river (visiting from outside).

Return to the city in the evening.  

Overnight at hotel.

Breakfast vin the hotel.

Transfer to the rail station, departure by train to Irkutsk. Day and night in train.

We arrive in Irkutsk, the ‘Paris of Siberia’, a fascinating city, especially the classic wooden architecture has such a distinctive and unique appearance. Founded by Russians in 1652 as a major fort beyond the Ural Mountains, it was populated by exiled political prisoners sent by the tsars and communists.

Continue to Baikal Lake, accommodation. We stay at Listvyanka, a small Baikal settlement nestling at the base of the surrounding hills.

Breakfast in the hotel.

Few natural sights can surpass the beauty and grandeur of Lake Baikal. Lake Baikal is the deepest lake in the world and holds 20% of the world’s freshwater.  Also known as the ‘Pearl of Siberia’ it is home to a unique breed of freshwater seal and over fifty species of fish including omul, which you can taste at one of the cafes on the Baikal embankment. For the brave hearted, there is even time for a refreshing swim in the crystal clear waters. In the evening transfer back to Irkutsk, to the train station. Departure by train to Ulan-Ude.

This morning we arrive in Ulan-Ude, capital of the Buryat Republic. The ethnic and cultural diversity of this area offers a unique insight into its heritage.  As we tour the area you will notice the different faces and dress styles of these welcoming people. We will visit Ivolginskiy Datsan, the center of Russian Bhuddism.

Departure by train to Chita.

Arrival in Chita.

Start half day city tour following out of the city to ascend a hilltop with good observation. Picnic lunch among marvel incredible landscape. Drive back to Chita through wonderful scenery of Siberian taiga with its softly rolling uplands covered by larch woods (Lárix sibírica) and groves.

Departure by train to Blagoveshensk.

Enjoy a more leisurely pace today as we travel through the beautiful landscape of the Russian Far East. It is the perfect opportunity to practice your Russian or simply relax as our journey today follows the Shilka and Amur rivers, close to the Chinese border.

Arrival to Blagoveshensk train station, transfer to hotel.

Blagoveshensk city tour, incl. vast views to Amur river and nearby Chinese town of Heihe.

Early transfer to the train station, departure to Vladivostok. Day and night in the train.

After travelling through 8 time zones and covering an amazing 6,600 miles (10,600km) along this epic route to the end of the Trans-Siberian line, we arrive to Vladivostok, a military port located on the western shore of the Sea of Japan. Arrival in the morning. 

Vladivostok (literally translated as ‘Ruler of the East’) offers visitors an exciting opportunity to explore its principal military attractions including a tour of a restored submarine.

Half-day city tour with a visit to Russkiy Island and local fortifications.

Transfer to the airport.

* If your flight departs next morning, we’ll book a hotel for you (optional).