An example of a Trans-Siberian Moscow-Vladivostok excursion with a stop at Lake Baikal can be found at our website www.trains-des-tsars.com.
All of our semi-organized Trans-Siberian excursions can be checked on our specialized website: www.trains-des-tsars.com
Here is an example of our typical itinerary:
Arrival in Moscow. Welcome at the airport by our driver and check-in at the hotel.
Leave for a tour of the city.
The driver and the guide will pick you up for a discovery of the Russian capital with its historic streets and avenues, lined with the most beautiful examples of "imperial Stalinist" architecture, and its Red Square, where the mysterious Cathedral of Saint Basil the Blessed stands. You will not fail to discover the Kremlin. You will enter the ancient residence of the czars and visit this powerful fortress with your guide, its vast territory surrounded by red bricks, cathedrals, and palaces, the oldest of which date back to the 11th century.
Transfer to the train station. Depart by train for Kazan. Departure around 11 pm.
Morning arrival in Kazan. You will be greeted by your driver and your guide at the station. Transfer to the hotel where you can have your breakfast.
Then you will leave for the discovery of the capital of Tatarstan, an almost-thousand-year-old city founded in the thirteenth century: You will visit the Kremlin, which brings together the Tatar, Russian, and European cultures in one place. You will admire its 13 towers, the Quolsharif Mosque, the Blagoveshensky Cathedral, the Syuyumbuke Tower, the Cannon Court, the Spasskaya Tower, and the Presidential Palace.
Check-in at the hotel (Don Quichotte 3* or similar). Free time for dinner and an over-night stay at the hotel.
Free day for a personal discovery of the city. After check-out (at noon), you can leave your luggage at the hotel reception.
Optional excursions:
The hotel is 200 m from the train station. You will need to be at the station at least 40 minutes before departure.
Departure for Ekaterinburg around 8 pm.
Remember to take a snack for breakfast and lunch.
Arrival in Ekaterinburg in the early afternoon. Your guide and driver will pick you up at the station. You will discover this city founded in 1723 and named in honor of the wife of the Emperor Peter I (known as Peter the Great) and future reigning empress, Catherine I. Today, Ekaterinburg is the largest metropolis of the Urals. It is also a stage of the pilgrimage for many Russians who go to the scene of the assassination of Nicholas II, the last Czar of Russia, and his family in 1917.
Overnight stay at a 3-star hotel. Free time for dinner.
Your English-speaking guide and driver will pick you up at the reception desk of the hotel.
The morning is dedicated to the visit to the border between the East and the West. You will participate in the ritual of the crossing between two continents and will discover the history of the Ural people.
Return to Ekaterinburg. Free time to explore the city.
Transfer to the train station. Depart by train around 10pm. Before departure, consider buying food and drinks in the city; this will save money for you on board the train.
As nature rushes by in front of your window, you will watch the landscapes evolve while sipping the tea prepared by your provodnitsa. Your heart will beat to the rhythm of this mythical train imagined by Czar Alexander III to connect his empire from West to East.
It will be a day and a night on the train to Irkutsk, halfway on the Trans-Siberian.
In the small towns your train passes through, you will discover the diversity of faces and Siberian populations who call to you from the docks. Through the windows of the train, babushkas sell you local produce: berries, kefir, eggs, flowers ... and smoked fish. This is a sign: you are approaching Baikal.
Arrival in Irkutsk - the modern capital of Eastern Siberia and gateway to the Siberian Pearl, Lake Baikal. Visit of the city: the quay of Angara with the monument dedicated to Czar Alexander III, the creator of the Trans-Siberian, the Church of St. Savior, the old wooden houses. Visit the Decembrists’ Museum.
Departure for Baikal (to Listvyanka village) - 1 hour on the road. Listvyanka stretches for 5 km along the lake. In the historical center of the village, you will have the opportunity to buy and taste the famous Baikal fish, the Omoul. On the way, visit the Taltsy Museum of Wooden Architecture. Upon arrival in Listvyanka, a lakeside village, check into an inn with very comfortable rooms.
Free visit of Listvyanka village. Banya (Russian sauna) in the evening.
Over-night at an inn in Listvyanka.
Walk in the village and discover the Church of Saint Nicholas, the harbour, and the fish market.
Visit the Baikal Museum: fauna and flora, the aquarium with the seals of the lake (nerpas), virtual diving of its depths. Traditional lunch at the restaurant on the shore of Baikal.
Climb to the top of Mount Chersky. A beautiful panorama of the lake, Angara, and the village of Port Baikal. It will be a walk of 1.5 hours.
Return to Irkutsk at the end of the day.
Morning transfer to the train station. Departure towards Ulan Ude along Lake Baikal for 220 km, passing through the Selenga Valley.
Arrival at the beginning of the afternoon. Reception at the station by your guide and driver. A city tour allows you to discover the capital of Buryatia, whose population is highly ethnically and culturally diverse.
Check-in and dinner with a Buryat family.
Free morning and transfer to the train station around 2pm. Departure for Khabarovsk aboard a mythical train, the only one to push to the terminus of the Trans-Siberian route.
Before departure, consider buying food and drinks in the city; this will save you money on board the train.
During this day, you will cross Eastern Siberia through Chita. We invite you to take advantage of the many stops in the train stations to buy local specialties from street vendors.
Arrival in Khabarovsk around 7pm. Greeted by your driver, transfer to the hotel.
Overnight stay at a 3-star hotel.
You will enjoy its location on the banks of the Amur River and the beautiful buildings of the Czarist era.
In the first part of the day, you will visit the Territorial Museum housed in a beautiful red brick building built in 1984. The museum features a high quality exhibition on Aboriginal cultures.
After lunch, you will take a boat ride.
Transfer to the station for the last stretch to the end of the excursion - Vladivostok. Departure around 9pm.
We advise you to have breakfast on the train
Arrive in Vladivostok at 8.15 am. The guide will meet you at the station for the panoramic guided tour of the city of Vladivostok.
You will discover the rich history of the city, reflected by the many monuments, and admire the beauty of the Amoursky Gulf. You will see the city's maritime gates and ships, the Zolotoy Rog Bay (Golden Horn), the Bortsov Revolutsy Square, the White House, and the Triumphal Arch built in 1902 by Czar Nicholas II.
Visit submarine S-56, transformed into a museum. The favorite attraction of Vladivostok is the funicular which allows to reach the hill quickly. Great view of the bay! Then continue the visit at the Vladivostok Fortress built on the seaside in the 19th century.
Overnight stay at a 3-star hotel.
Transfer to Vladivostok airport for your return flight.
. Accommodation in indicated hotels or similar hotels, in a standard double room (except if your quotation indicates another room category)
. Breakfasts
. Transfers mentioned in the program
. Excursions mentioned in the program, with an English-speaking guide and admission tickets
. Meals which are not mentioned in the program
. Tips and personal expenses
. Optional visits and excursions not mentioned in the program
. These services are not included in the price, except if there are explicitly mentioned in the quotation
. 30% deposit upon reservation
. Balance payment one month before departure
. The order of the excursions can be modified according the touristic sites or for any other technical reasons
. Non-binding pictures
. According to the Warsaw Convention, in case of delayed baggage delivery, in the context of air travel, the passenger must personally hand in a written protestation letter to the effective carrier (the air company ensuring the flight, which can be different from the selling company, in case of code-share flights) no more than 21 days after said luggage was given to them
. If the cancellation is made more than 30 days before departure, the fee is 100€
. Between 30 and 20 days before departure, cancellation fee equals 25 % of the total amount of the trip price
. Between 19 and 13 days, the fee equals 35 %
. Between 12 and 9 days, the fee equals 60 %
. If the cancellation is made less than 9 days before departure, the cancellation fee is 100% of the total amount
Ticketing service: except if specified otherwise, flight and train tickets are non-changeable and non-refundable
Other services: insurance and administrative fees are non-refundable
