Trans Siberian Express 2014

China Russia – Mongolia –Russia (go west)

Peking – Erlian – Ulaanbaatar – Ulan Ude – Lake Baikal – Irkutsk – Novosibirsk – Yekaterinburg – Kazan – Moscow

Day 1 Arrival Peking

Arrival in Peking. You will be met at Peking airport and transferred to your hotel.

Day 2 Peking

Breakfast at the Hotel. Visiting the Park of Nationalities of China, where the architecture, domestic institutions and the exhibits that reflect the way of life of large and small ethnic groups of China. Visiting the national stadium “ Bird’s Nest”. Visiting the Park “ World in miniature”, where 100 outstanding architectural monuments of 50 different countries are reproduced in miniature. Supper in the Restaurant. Visiting the Beijing Oceanarium the largest in the World, where more than 1000 species if sea animals and 50 000 species of sea fishes are established. Visiting the Beijing Zoo which is included in 10 largest Zoo of the World, where you can see 5000 different animals. Transfer to the airport. Farewell this is the end of your Trip.

Day 3 Peking

the capital of China – with its ancient history it has always been of great interest to people all over the world. Emperors and khans always ruled this Forbidden City, unreachable for ordinary people. Transfer to the Hotel. Visiting of the Great Chinese Wall. Supper at the Restaurant. Visiting Tian’anmen Square – this area can fit about a million people, this is the world’s largest urban area, where the national Museum of China, the House of People’s Meetings, the majestic monument to the National Heroes and the mausoleum of Mao Zedong. Visiting the Imperial Palace Gugun ( The Forbidden City) , the main Palace complex of the Chinese Empereros from the XV to the beginning of XX century, where the Celestial Empire was ruled by 24 Emperors of Ming and Qing dynasty. Visit the Temple of Heaven – a place, where Chinese Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasty annually staged the rituals of sacrifice to the Sky. Dinner at the Restaurant. In the evening departure from Peking by special Chinese train to the border city of Erlian.

Accommodation on board the Chinese special train.

Day 4 Erlian

In Erlian railway station the Russian railway gauge system (“broad gauge” 1520 mm wide) meets the China railway gauge system (“standard gauge” 1435 mm wide). The Grand Trans Siberian Express therefore welcomes you here in Erlian. The connecting Chinese special train from Peking will arrive on the same platform. While you luggage is transferred by service staff to the Grand Trans Siberian Express, you enjoy a traditional Chinese lunch. In the afternoon the Grand Trans Siberian Express will pass the Chinese–Mongolian border.

Accommodation on board the Grand Trans Siberian Express.

Day 5 Ulaanbaatar

In the morning the Grand Trans Siberian Express arrives in Ulaan Baatar, 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 Khan’s, 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 yurt settlements.

Day 6 Ulaanbaatar

Today an unforgettable excursion takes you to the Terelj National Park which is famous for its scenery which remembers to locations in Switzerland, Europe. A stone formation called “turtle” and other holy places will fascinate you. In the Terelj National Park area you will have the chance to meet a herder family inside their yurt. A show specially arranged for the participants of the Grand Trans Siberian Express demonstrates 2 disciplines of the Mongolian National Naadaam festival: Wrestling and Archery. An amazing cultural music and dance show will introduce Mongolian folk music and culture to you. In the evening the train leaves for Russia.

Accommodation on board the Grand Trans Siberian Express.

Day 7 Ulan Ude

Early morning the Mongolian border station Suche Baatar and the Russian border station Naushki will be reached. The Mongolian and Russian immigration formalities will again take place in the train. You may stay in your compartment and don’t have to leave the train.

In the afternoon the Grand Trans Siberian Express arrives at Ulan Ude, the capital of the so-called “Buryat Autonomos Republic” of the Russian Federation. With Buryats being an ethnic group close to Mongolians it is an amazing mix of cultures and a meeting place between east and west. Like Irkutsk, the city still has large areas with typical Siberian wooden houses.

In Ulan Ude the Grand Trans Siberian Express switches from the Trans Mongolian mainline to the traditional Trans Siberian mainline on its way to Moscow.

Accommodation on board the Grand Trans Siberian Express.

Day 8 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. With 1,620 meter it is the deepest lake of the world.

The mountain ranges around Lake Baikal and the deep blue water of the lake, you will never forget. Today the private train is running at low speed along the scenic Circum Baikal Railway line between Sludyanka and Port Baikal, which for many years has seen only a couple 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 picnic is also a part of the program.

At Port Baikal a boat takes you on a short cruise on Lake Baikal to the small village Listvyanka. A walk through the village shows you to St Nicholas church, a typical orthodox wooden build church beautiful renovated in the 1990’s. On a great Siberian dinner you can taste the famous Omul fish which is living only in Lake Baikal.

Day 9 Irkutsk

Irkutsk is famous for its trade with Mongolia and China and used to be called “Paris of Siberia” because of its colourful live. 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. In the evening you rejoin the private train.

Accommodation on board the Grand Trans Siberian Express.

Day 10 Krasnoyarsk

Krasnoyarsk, like Yekaterinburg and Ulan Ude used to be a “closed city” during Soviet times. It is located along Yenissei River which is the greatest river system flowing to the Arctic Ocean. A sightseeing tour shows 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! During a boat cruise on the Yenissei River you will have a great view on the city and the huge railway bridge crossing the river.

Accommodation on board the Grand Trans Siberian Express.

Day 11 Novosibirsk

In the morning the Grand Trans Siberian Express stops in Novosibirsk. 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. During a sightseeing tour you will see the Opera House which is the biggest of Russia at Lenin Square as well as some remarkable orthodox churches which have survived the Soviet period. Accommodation on board the Grand Trans Siberian Express.

Day 12 Yekaterinburg

Today the train stops in Yekaterinburg, capital of the Ural Mountains. It was founded in 1723 by Czar Peter I as the metallurgical factory and by the 20th century it had become one of the largest and the most important financial, industrial and cultural centers. Yekaterinburg is the geographical border defined by scientists between Europe and Asia. In the center of the city, 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.

Accommodation on board the Grand Trans Siberian Express.

Day 13 Kazan

Sightseeing in Kazan starts with a comprehensive tour of the city. Kazan has a beautiful citadel, called Kremlin, which was declared a World Heritage Site in 2000. It is surrounded by towers and walls, erected in the 16th and 17th centuries. On the Kazan Kremlin grounds there are the huge Qol-Sarif mosque and the Palace of the local Governor.

Accommodation on board the Grand Trans Siberian Express.

Day 14 Moscow

Today the almost 8000 km long journey from Peking to Moscow terminates. A full afternoon sightseeing tour shows you the magnificent Red Square, the Kremlin grounds and other highlights of Moscow. You will forget old stories about Russia being grey and dark. It has become a vibrant city, comparable to Paris or Rome and full of life.

Day 15 Moscow

Airport transfers are provided by our service team to connect with your flight departing Moscow.