Tour Overview
Day by Day Itinerary
Day 1, BEIJINGArrive and transfer to hotel.
Day 2, TRAIN
Board the Trans-Mongolian train and head north through China and over the border into Mongolia. We will see a part of the Great Wall on the way.
Day 3, ULAAN BAATAR
Arrive in the Mongolian capital in the early afternoon and head out into the rolling grasslands that start right on the edge of the city. We spend the night in a traditional ger (a round felt nomad’s tent). (D)
Day 4, GER CAMP
A full day in the Mongolian grasslands with options for hiking or horse riding. There may also be the chance to visit a local nomadic family. (BLD)
Day 5, ULAAN BAATAR
Head back to Ulaan Baatar to board the evening train to Irkutsk. (B)
Day 6, TRAIN
Our train heads through Northern Mongolia, following the Selenge River through mile after mile of grasslands and over the border into Siberia.
Days 7-10, IRKUTSK - LAKE BAIKAL - EKATERINBURG
Arrive in the early morning of day 7 in Irkutsk, capital of Siberia and a pleasant laid back town. We then head straight out to the stunningly beautiful Lake Baikal which defies all statistics - approximately 25 million years old and at least 1.5km deep! We stay with local families in Listvyanka, a traditional wooden Siberian village on the shores of the lake. Later we head back to Irkutsk and board the train bound for Ekaterinburg. During this stretch of our journey we cross the vast wilderness of Siberia. (BLD - at Lake Baikal only; no meals in other places)
Days 11-12, EKATERINBURG
Arrive in Ekaterinburg and transfer to our hotel. We have plenty of free time to explore the city that is famous for being the place where the last Tsar and his family were murdered by communists. It is a pleasant town that dates back to the 18th century.
Day 13, EKATERINBURG - TRAIN
We board the morning train, continuing over the Volga, Danilov and Vytka rivers as well as the Ural Mountains. (B)
Day 14, MOSCOW
Arrive in Moscow and transfer to our hotel.
Day 15, MOSCOW
A full free day in Moscow. Explore Russia’s vibrant capital with its huge communist buildings, the oniondomed St Basil’s Cathedral and Lenin’s Tomb or perhaps make a trip out to the monasteries of Sergiev Posad, the heart of Russian Orthodox Christianity. (B)
Day 16, MOSCOW - TRAIN
A day to further explore Moscow before we take an overnight train to St Petersburg. (B)
Day 17, ST PETERSBURG
Arrive and transfer to our hotel. There is plenty of time today to start exploring the contrasts between this very European city and the heavily Soviet Moscow.
Day 18, ST PETERSBURG
A full day to visit the numerous sights such as the world famous Hermitage and the palaces and gardens of Pushkin and Pavlovsk. Alternatively you could head for Petrodvorets, a spectacular palace built by Peter the Great and famed for its avenue of fountains. (B)
Day 19, ST PETERSBURG
Tour ends. (B)
Notes
ITINERARY NOTE: The exact itinerary for days 7-12 will depend on the train schedule. This is notoriously prone to change so please be flexible.
