Trans-Siberian accompanied: Moscow - Beijing from June 28 to July 14, 2019

Trip Description

Accomodation

Stay program

• day 1

  Moscow

  Welcome at the airport by our driver and check-in at the Godounov 3* hotel or similar. Meeting with the group and dinner at the hotel restaurant. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 2

  Moscow

  Breakfast at the hotel, where you will leave your luggage for the day. A guide will be waiting for you at the reception, then departure for a city tour. Discovery of the Russian capital. Lunch at the restaurant. Your guide will continue the city tour with a visit to the Kremlin: a complex of palaces and cathedrals, the oldest of which date back to the 11th century, as well as the Armoury Palace, housing treasures amassed by the tsars and princes over the centuries. Return to the hotel and dinner at the hotel restaurant. A driver will come to pick you up at the hotel reception to take you to the train station. Departure by night train to Kazan around 11 p.m. Night on the train.

• day 3

  KAZAN

  Arrival in Kazan around 11am. A guide will be waiting for you on the station platform, then you will set off to discover the capital of Tatarstan, a thousand-year-old city founded in the 13th century: Peter and Paul Cathedral, Azimovskaya and Marddjan mosques, Liberty Square (Svobodi), Tukaya Square, Lake Kaban, Kazanskii Posad. Lunch in a local restaurant. The visit continues with the Kremlin, influenced by Tatar, Russian, and European styles, the Quolsharif Mosque, the Blagoveshenskii Cathedral and its Syuyumbike and Spasskaya towers, as well as the Presidential Palace. Your guide will take you to Kazan's "Arbat": Baumana Street, where you will have free time to buy souvenirs. Dinner at a restaurant in town, then overnight at the Don Quixote 3* hotel or similar.

• day 4

  KAZAN

  Breakfast at the hotel. After checking out of your room, head 30 km east of Kazan towards the Sviajsk peninsula, a must-see site in the Kazan region. Despite its small size, the village boasts a remarkable number of churches and monasteries, among which is the Assumption Cathedral, soon to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Lunch in a local restaurant, then visit the Raifa Monastery, the largest active monastery in the Kazan diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church. Return to Kazan. Transfer to the train station. Board the train, dinner at your leisure. Departure by train for Ekaterinburg at around 8:00 pm. You can take a breakfast with you on the train. Hot water will always be available from your carriage attendant.

• day 5

  Yekaterinburg

  Arrival in Ekaterinburg at 12:00. A guide will be waiting for you on the station platform to start the city tour. Founded in 1723 in tribute to the wife of Emperor Peter I (known as Peter the Great), Catherine, the future empress, it is the largest metropolis in the Urals. Ekaterinburg is also a stop for "pilgrimage" for many Russians who wish to visit the site of the assassination of Nicholas II, the last Tsar of Russia, and his entire family, which occurred in 1917. Check-in at the hotel. Lunch at your leisure in the city. Free time. Dinner at a city restaurant. Overnight at the Green Park 3* hotel or similar.

• day 6

  Yekaterinburg

  Breakfast at the hotel before a French-speaking guide with a driver comes to pick you up. Visit the border between East and West and the ritual of crossing between the two continents, while discovering the history of the people of the Urals. Departure for the visit of Ganina Yama (the place of the secret burial of the royal family) and the Monastery of the Strastoterptsi. You will learn more about the history of the assassination of the last Russian emperor, Nicholas II. On the way back, you will pass by the Church on the Blood, in Byzantine style, a symbolic place of the capital of the Urals. Lunch at the restaurant. Last moments in the city, then free time on the Vayner pedestrian street. Transfer to the train station. Departure around 6 p.m. Dinner on your own on board the train. Before departure, remember to buy something to eat in the city; this will allow you to save money on board the train.

• day 7

  TRANSSIBERIAN

  Day and night on the train. During crossings through the cities, discover the diversity of the Siberian peoples who, from the platforms, sell local goods: berries, kefir, eggs, flowers.

• day 8

  Krasnoyarsk

  Arrival in the morning at Krasnoyarsk station where your guide will be waiting for you. Breakfast, then city tour with a visit to the Surikov Museum, the greatest Russian painter of historical scenes. Transfer to the station. Departure around 1 p.m. for Irkutsk. You can take a lunch with you on the train. Hot water will always be available from your carriage attendant.

• day 9

  Lake Baikal

  Arrival in Irkutsk around 7am, the "capital" of Eastern Siberia and gateway to Lake Baikal, where a guide will be waiting for you at the station. City tour: Angara quay and its monument in tribute to Tsar Alexander III, who ordered the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway, Saint Savior Church, old wooden houses. Visit to the Decembrists Museum. Lunch at a restaurant. Departure for Baikal (to the village of Listvyanka). Arrival in Listvyanka and check-in at the inn. Rest time, then ascent to the top of Chersky Rock, which offers a beautiful panorama of the lake, the Angara, and the port. Walking tour of the village and its historic center, where you will have the opportunity to buy and taste the famous Baikal fish: Omul. Banya (Russian sauna) in the evening. Dinner at the restaurant. Overnight at the inn in Listvyanka.

• day 10

  IRKUTSK

  Breakfast at the inn, then set off with a guide to discover the Saint Nicholas Church, the port, and the fish market. Visit to the Baikal Museum (fauna and flora, aquarium with lake seals). Traditional lunch on the shores of Baikal, then visit to the Taltsy Wooden Architecture Museum. In the open air, you will discover the lifestyles of the four peoples of Pribaikalye: Russians, Buryats, Evenks, and Tofalares. Return to Irkutsk at the end of the day. Check-in at the Viktoria 3* hotel or similar. Free time for shopping and a walk along the Angara embankment. Dinner at the hotel restaurant.

• day 11

  TRANSMONGOLIAN

  Breakfast at the hotel. Morning transfer to the station. Departure around 8am. Day and night on board the Trans-Mongolian train. Pass through customs to enter Mongolian territory (French citizens do not need a visa). The border can be a lengthy step, as the train may be held at the platform for several hours. Next to the station, you can stroll through the shops (do not wander too far, as departure can be announced at any time).

• day 12

  Mongolian steppe

  Arrival around 6am in Ulaanbaatar. Your guide and driver are waiting for you at the station. Visit to Terelj National Park with its breathtaking landscapes: wooded mountains, impressive rock formations as far as the eye can see, granite cliffs sculpted by wind and erosion, a flower-filled valley with lakes and rivers. Lunch in the park. At the foot of the astonishing Turtle Rock, your ascent begins to the Arryabal meditation temple. At the end of your path of wisdom, punctuated by Buddhist sayings, you will meditate in front of the temple's prayer wheels or before the unparalleled view over the valley. Night in a yurt.

• day 13

  Ulaanbaatar

  Breakfast in a yurt camp, then return to Ulaanbaatar for a guided tour of the city: on the heights, discover the Gandan Monastery, a Tibetan-style Buddhist building that houses the famous statue of the Buddha of Compassion in gold and precious stones, measuring 26.5 meters. Stroll on Sukhbaatar Square, where the majestic Parliament building is located. Check-in at the Nine 3* hotel or similar. Free time. In the evening, folk show at the Ulaanbaatar theater. Dinner in the city.

• day 14

  TRANSMONGOLIAN

  Breakfast at the hotel. Departure for Beijing around 8am. You can bring something to eat on the train. Hot water will always be available from your car manager.

• day 15

  BEIJING

  Arrival in Beijing around noon. Your guide and driver will be waiting for you at the station exit for a guided tour of the Chinese capital. From Tian An Men Square to the Forbidden City, you will discover all the richness of this historic and cultural capital. Stroll through the alleys that still wind through Beijing (the hutongs), some of which date back to the 13th century, then take a walk along Wangfujing Street, the largest shopping street. Overnight at Jianguo Hotel 3* or similar.

• day 16

  BEIJING

  Breakfast at the hotel, then depart for an excursion to visit the eighth wonder of the world: the Great Wall of China (part of the ascent is done on foot). Over 6000 km long, it is the longest human construction in the world. Lunch at a restaurant, then visit a pearl farm as well as the tombs of the Ming emperors with the famous avenue of animals, sites listed as UNESCO World Heritage. Farewell dinner in a traditional restaurant. Overnight at Jianguo 4* hotel or similar.

• day 17

  RETURN FLIGHT

  Breakfast at the hotel. Departure to the airport. Return flight.