DAY – 01 Welcome to Beijing

On arrival to Beijing, your tour guide will welcome you at the airport and will accompany you to the hotel.  After check-in there will be time to relax before setting off on today’s tour. Highlights include Beijing’s most stunning sights including the Temple of Heaven and Tiananmen Square. Today concludes in a relaxed manner with drinks and dinner. This evening your overnight accommodation is in a first class hotel.

DAY – 02 Great Wall and Peking Duck

The Great Wall of China is the 8th Wonder of the World; this is your chance to experience it up close. On your way there you stop at a pearl farm as well as at the famous Ming Tombs (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and the Sacred Way, a boulevard lined with carved stone animals. Wrapping up the day is a feast featuring what is surely the world’s best-known Chinese delicacy, Peking Duck, at one of the city’s most famous restaurants.

DAY – 03 Forbidden City

For centuries the doors to the former Emperor’s Palaces were closed to the public. The glorious halls and temples of the Forbidden City are open to everyone and today will include a tour through the grounds and interiors.  This evening your rail journey begins. A modern Chinese train will pull out from Beijing’s station; en route to Mongolia, for this 16-hour journey.  (Nostalgic Comfort and Bolshoi cars are not available for this one night). Meanwhile, China’s busy rural life unfolds outside your window.

DAY – 04 Through the Gobi Desert

At noon you arrive at the Chinese-Mongolian border town Erlian and change to Tsars Gold private train. Formalities are swift and you will soon be settled in your compartment.  In Erlian you can explore the colourful border market. Then travelling onwards Tsars Gold takes you through the vast expanse of the Gobi desert, then through the great green steppes of Mongolia.

DAY – 05 Ulaanbaatar

Morning arrival in Ulaanbaatar the Mongolian capital. Major luggage can be left on the train while you check into the centrally located standard hotel and then enjoy a tour of the city. You will see the Choijin Lama temple. This evening you will have the unique opportunity to watch a traditional Mongolian music performance. For a real Mongolian experience we highly recommend you take the opportunity to overnight in a Yurt, located on the Mongolian Steppe.  Please contact us for details.

DAY – 06 Mongolian Countryside

After breakfast you will visit the Buddhist Gandan Monastery and undertake an excursion to a mountainous area with stunning rock formations. (About 90 minutes east of Ulaanbaatar).  Along the way, an open-air railroad museum puts the Mongolian railway in context. A picnic lunch in a yurt is followed by a demonstration of Mongolian horsemanship and  a  traditional wrestling match. Try some lamb in milk, a culinary specialty of Mongolia. Or, for the brave of heart, there’s always “kumys” (fermented mare’s milk), the beer of the nomads.

DAY – 07 Ulan-Uday

Bid farewell to the Mongolian steppes as the train rolls on through the valley of Selenga and beside the river, one of the longest in Mongolia. In Ulan- Uday your train joins the main route of the Trans-Siberian Railroad. Here you can stroll through the city streets or join the guided tour of the city.

DAY – 08 Lake Baikal

The entire day is dedicated to Lake Baikal. Before noon you will arrive at the old station of Port Baikal, located directly on the shore. During two long photo stops on the ancient tracks running parallel to the shore you will have the chance to capture the beauty of the lake and explore the wonderful scenery. Take a moment to have a dip in the lake or visit a picturesque Baikal village. You will also enjoy a short boat ride on the lake. If the night is warm, your dinner will be served as a picnic on the shores of the spectacular lake before re-boarding the train.

DAY – 09 Irkutsk

This morning you will check into a centrally located standard hotel in Irkutsk. You can safely leave your bags on the train. A tour of the city includes the lively market hall, the drama theatre and a rather spectacular oddity, a newly erected statue of the Alexander III.  This afternoon features an excursion to an open-air museum displaying Siberian life in the old days. Spend the night at your centrally located hotel in Irkutsk.

DAY – 10 Across Siberia

After breakfast the train takes you through the landscapes of Eastern Siberia with its mountains, crystal-clear rivers and verdant slopes. On board the train enjoy entertaining lectures about Siberia. A social get-together complete with caviar and vodka tasting makes a pleasurable way familiarising yourself with Russian hospitality.

DAY – 11 Novosibirsk

Noontime arrival in Novosibirsk, Siberia’s biggest city, and greeted in the traditional Russian way: with bread and salt. Your city tour includes views of the mighty Ob River. After dinner, the train continues its journey westwards.

DAY – 12 Ekaterinburg

This afternoon the train makes a scheduled stop in the capital of the Urals.  Ekaterinburg borders both Asia and Europe.  You will enjoy a short tour of the city centre which was restored in 2009. In the course of the city tour you will see the newly built Cathedral-on-the-blood, a memorial erected to mark the assassination of The Romanov Family in 1918. From now on your train is on European ground.

DAY – 13 Kazan

This morning you arrive in Kazan, the old Tartar capital on the banks of the Volga. This historic city tour includes Kazan’s Kremlin where you will learn about the wild and often bloody relations of the Tartars, Cossacks, and Russians. This evening offers you one last chance to be pampered in the on board restaurant.

DAY – 14 Moscow

Late morning arrival in Moscow, Russia’s capital, one of the world’s richest and most dynamic cities. After the long rail journey, your first class hotel offers comfort and convenience. At noon, your first stop is the Kremlin with its glorious cathedrals. You can also check out the interiors of some of the buildings. After dinner you go on a magical evening trip through the city. This special tour includes a stop at Red Square as well as a subway ride between two of the beautiful old stations.

DAY – 15 Moscow

After breakfast at your hotel you go on a guided tour of Moscow to see the reconstructed Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, Lomonossov University, the New Virgin Monastery and Red Square with its colourful St. Basil’s Cathedral. Then onto the notorious former KGB headquarters and the White House.  Bid your fantastic journey farewell before your departure to the airport.