Day 1. Welcome to Ulan Bator

Arrival in Ulan Bator and transfer to your hotel.

Overnight: Ramada Hotel (or similar)

Day 2. Ulan Bator A Lama Temple and the Buddhist Realms of Hell

After breakfast, you meet your tour guide and your group. The impressive Gandan Buddhist Monastery and the unusual Choijin Lama Temple are among the highlights of your first city tour. In the evening, you have the unique chance to attend a performance of traditional Mongolian folk arts, including throat singing, the horsehead fiddle, national costumes, and dances—tickets are €14/$15, to be paid on site.

Overnight: Ramada Hotel (or similar) (BLD)

On request, we can organize alternative lodging in a local yurt in the beautiful landscape of the Mongolian Alps for a supplement of €35/$40—please let us know upon booking. This is a rare experience and a dream come true for nature lovers.

Day 3. The Gandan Monastery and Mongolian Alps

After breakfast, you visit the Gandan Monastery, where you can observe a Buddhist religious ceremony. Your bus then takes you to the Mongolian Alps (located some 90 minutes east of Ulan Bator) with their majestic scenery and bizarre rock formations. After a picnic lunch in a yurt camp, you watch a small Mongolian archery demonstration and a traditional wrestling match.

Overnight on board (BLD)

Day 4. Ulan-Ude

You take your leave of the Mongolian steppes today. You travel through the valley of Mongolia’s largest river, the Selenga. Your train is on its way to Ulan-Ude, where it reaches the main route of the Trans-Siberian Railroad. Here you take an informative city tour.

Overnight on board (BLD)

Day 5. Lake Baikal

Today is spent exploring the remarkable natural phenomenon of Lake Baikal, the largest reservoir of freshwater in the world. In the morning, your train travels directly alongside Lake Baikal, on the old route of the Trans-Siberian Railroad. During two extended photo stops, you have a chance to explore and record the scenic beauty of the lake and its surroundings. A short boat excursion from Port Baikal takes you out onto the lake. Take a swim in the lake, if you wish, and visit a picturesque Baikal village. Dinner is a Baikal-style picnic on the lakeshore with a view of the incredible natural surroundings (weather permitting).

Overnight on board (BLD)

Day 6. Irkutsk

In the morning, you arrive in Irkutsk, the capital of Eastern Siberia in tsarist times. Here you check in at your centrally located hotel. You can safely leave your large baggage on the private train. During a city tour, you see the Okhlopkov Drama Theatre, the memorial to Tsar Alexander III, and the photogenic market hall. Around noon you pay a visit to an open-air museum of life and work in historical Siberia.

Overnight: Hotel Irkutsk (or similar) (BLD)

Day 7. Across Siberia

After breakfast, your train passes through the diverse landscapes of Eastern Siberia. Talks on board inform you about the region, and a vodka tasting with typical Russian snacks and red caviar is an opportunity to learn Russian hospitality customs and their clever toasts.

Overnight on board (BLD)

Day 8. Novosibirsk

Around noon, your train arrives in Novosibirsk, the largest city in Siberia. You are greeted with bread and salt in the customary Russian way. On a tour of this most Soviet of cities along your route, you have the chance to see the mighty Ob River, the market and the opera house.

Overnight on board (BLD)

Day 9. Yekaterinburg

In the afternoon, your train stops in Yekaterinburg, the capital of the Ural Federal District. The city is known as the place where the Russian tsar Nicholas II and his family were murdered in 1918. During a tour, you see the Church on Blood, built in 2003 to commemorate that tragic historic event; and the city centre, beautifully restored in 2009. Yekaterinburg is the frontier between Europe and Asia, and you even get to visit the obelisk at the exact border. Back on board, you enjoy views of the Uralian landscape and relax in the dining car. Your private train is already rolling across the European continent now.

Overnight on board (BLD)

Day 10. Kazan

After breakfast you reach Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan, on the banks of the Volga River. On a city tour, you see Tatar mosques and the most famous Russian Orthodox cathedral. You also take a tour of Kazan’s Kremlin, where you learn about the turbulent history between the Tatars, the Cossacks and the Russians. Afterward, you enjoy lunch in a city restaurant.

Overnight on board (BLD)

Day 11. Welcome to Moscow

You arrive around noon in the Russian capital of Moscow, now a thriving, prosperous city, where you check in at your high-end hotel. Later, you visit the Kremlin grounds with its magnificent cathedral. After dinner, discover the city’s magic during an hour-long City of Lights tour, which includes a stop at Red Square and a ride on the subway to marvel at two of Moscow’s particularly majestic metro stations.

Overnight: InterContinental Tverskaya/Radisson Royal Ukraina (or similar) (BLD)

Day 12. Tour of Moscow and End of Journey

After an ample breakfast at your hotel, your tour of the city takes you to the reconstructed Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, Lomonosov University, the Novodevichy Convent, Red Square with its colourful St. Basil’s Cathedral, the former KGB headquarters, and the White House. This marks the end of your memorable journey, and the time has come to head home. We accompany you to the airport and bid you bon voyage. (B)