Classic Trans-Siberian Express
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URL: http://www.travelallrussia.com/trans-siberian/trans-siberian-tour160.html
Itinerary
| Day 1 | Arrival to Vladivostok You will arrive at the Vladivostok Airport and be transferred to the central four-star hotel where a dinner will be served for you. A welcome reception will introduce you to your fellow travelers.  * Take an extension to Vladivostok and have a unique chance to see an elusive Amur tiger by choosing any of one-of-a-kind tours that our tour managers would be glad to arrange for you. Please ask your destination specialist for additional information about extension and learn more about the tours here: Amur Tiger, Realm of Amur Tiger |
| Day 2 | Vladivostok City Tour Today you have a Vladivostok city tour. This once ‘closed’ Russian port on the western shores of the Sea of Japan now offers visitors the exciting opportunity to explore its principal military attractions, including a tour of a restored submarine. City tour of Vladivostok covering all the main attractions of the city: Vladivostok Railway Station – terminus of the Trans-Siberian railroad, S-56 submarine on the harbor embankment, where the city was first-founded more 150 years ago. You will also visit the highly regarded Arseniev Museum to view exhibits of the region’s rich treasure of flora and fauna as well as the culture and history of the Vladivostok area. In addition to the stops the tour will pass many historic, cultural and architectural landmarks that make up the flavor of Vladivostok |
| Day 3 | Russian Far East You will be departing from Vladivostok this morning. Your driver will meet you in the hotel lobby to take you to the train station. You will spend this day on the train while moving through the pristine forests of the Russian Far East. It is a remote but beautiful region with fertile plains and hot humid summers as you advance farther south, though winters are as brutal as in Siberia. In the evening you will cross the mighty Amur river and stop in Khabarovsk, a large industrial city. |
| Day 4 | Zabaikalye/the Far East Today you will be mesmerized by the Zabaikalye Steppes before stopping in Chita, the capital of the region. In the afternoon you will watch the steppes change to a taiga forest as you leave Siberia and enter the Far East. |
| Day 5 | Buryat Republic Your train route will meander along the picturesque Lake Baikal shore. In the afternoon your train will stop briefly in Ulan Ude, the capital of Buryat Republic, the center of Russia's Buddhist tradition. At late night you will arrive to Irkutsk. Driver will take you to hotel, where you can rest before tomorrow. |
| Day 6 | Irkutsk We wish you a good morning in Irkutsk. Today is a busy day. 10:30 One and half hour “Round up” city tour of Irkutsk by car taking in the most interesting sights and peculiar features of Irkutsk including its beautiful Russian Orthodox churches, the Polish Cathedral (the only Siberian Gothic-style building), it wooden houses decorated with "wooden laces" (hand-made carvings) as well as modern constructions of the 20 century and the Decembrists' House. 12:00 Transfer to Listvyanka village on lake Baikal. 13:00 Check-in to Chalet and free time. 18:00 Evening barbecue at the Chalet. |
| Day 7 | The Baikal Lake, Day 1 10:00 Visit to the Museum of Wooden Architecture containing unique wooden structures donated from all over Russia and historic houses and buildings of the indigenous people saved from a valley flooded during the construction of a Soviet dam. 13:30 Lunch at a local Siberian restaurant (Sibirskaya Zaimka) to try local Siberian food and visit its private zoo of native animals. 15:00 Transfer back to Listvyanka village stopping at Shaman rock on-route. 17:30 Optional sauna in a village “Banya” – included in price but must be pre-booked. 19:30 Evening meal at the Chalet. |
| Day 8 | The Baikal Lake, Day 2 Today you have two options: 10:00 Visit to a Buryat (original people indigenous to Siberia) settlement 70 km from Irkutsk on the remote Siberian plane, including; visiting the local lore museum, experience the local greeting ceremony, local arts, crafts and music, meet the Shaman and be “cleansed” and visit a Yurt to sample local teas and join in a traditional meal. 19:00 Tour ends back at a hotel in Irkutsk. OR 10:00 Starting with a ferry trip to Port Bikal this is a full day trip around Lake Baikal by the famous Circum Baikal Railroad on one of the most complicated stretches of railways in the world that includes 39 tunnels totaling 7 km in its 86 km length. The tour stops at some the most picturesque places on-route to experience the nature of this unique area and at the marble mining city of Sludyanka before rejoining the Trans-Siberian to arrive at Irkutsk. 21:40 Transfer to hotel in Irkutsk. |
| Day 9 | Sayany Mountains/Krasnoyarsk Sayany Mountains are a gorgeous mountain range in the southern part of Siberia. It features breathtaking landscapes, rich wildlife and untouched nature. This day your train will stop at Krasnoyarsk - economic and cultural center of East Siberia. It is one of the biggest cities in the region with population of 950 thousand people. |
| Day 10 | Novosibirsk Siberia is distant, but not desolate. In fact, we will visit Novosibirsk, the capital of Siberia, which has almost as many inhabitants as Atlanta. Novosibirsk is an important scientific center and even Microsoft maintains offices here. City is holding the world record for highest growth rate. Only 70 years since it was established in 1903, it had already more then a million inhabitants. |
| Day 11 | The Ural Mountains The Ural Mountains divide Europe and Asia and have been the backbone of Russia's industry for more than 300 years. Take advantage of the amazing photo-ops as you pass through these world wonders. |
| Day 12 | Moscow city tour Your guide will meet you at the hotel lobby and you will start your city tour. Today, you will go on one of the most interesting tours in the world as we explore Moscow's most amazing sites. We will explore the famous Red Square and go inside of St. Basil Cathedral built by Ivan the Terrible in 15th century. We will take you inside of Kremlin on a thorough tour of Russian history. You will explore the Moscow's most amazing sites with your own professional private guide. |
| Day 13 | Moscow City Tour One of the most interesting sights of Moscow is located deep underneath the surface. Moscow Subway was built by the Soviets on the Stalin's order to display the advantages of the socialism. In the end of the day the Soviet Union is gone, but the beautiful gigantic underground city is still there to carry millions of passengers each day. We will even take a quick ride to give you a taste of living in Moscow and after that we will head to the best art gallery in the city called Tretyakov Picture Gallery. Moscow Subway was constructed by the Soviets not just to streamline the city's transportation, but also to celebrate the accomplishments of the Soviet system. The entire subway is a work of art - socialist realism for the most part. On top of immense cultural value, Moscow's subway is a super efficient transportation system that carries 3 million passengers daily (!) and spans the entire city in a star-like fashion. Interestingly, the Subway of Moscow was also designed to play the role of a nuclear shelter in case of a nuclear war. |
| Day 14 | Departure This is a last day of your tour. Your driver will meet you in the hotel lobby and take you to the airport. * We would be glad to offer you extension in Moscow and St. Petersburg with interesting and indepth excursions accompanied by a professional guide. Please ask your destination specialist for additional information about extension in these cities: Moscow and St. Petersburg |