Trans-Siberian 3 in 1

10 days and 9 nights

Itinerary

Tour can be started on any day

Moscow - Yekaterinburg - Irkutsk

The shortest of the Trans-Siberian tours still gives you the experience of traveling from European to Asian Russia. Start in the capital city of Moscow, see the Kremlin, Red Square and more before moving on to Yekaterinburg, the gateway to Siberia nestled in the Ural Mountains. See places related to the tragic end of the Imperial family. Finally, the tour concludes with a journey eastward through Siberia’s scenic natural beauty to Irkutsk, near beautiful Lake Baikal.

Day 1 Moscow

Moscow, Russia

Your Trans-Siberian adventure begins in Moscow, the capital of the Russian Federation.

Our representative will greet you when you arrive in Moscow. As they transport you to your hotel, take the opportunity to enjoy your first glimpses of this historic city.

Day 2

Moscow, Russia

Enjoy some free time after breakfast at your hotel to become oriented. In the afternoon, you will meet your guide. Your tour program begins with a city tour by comfortable car or minibus.

On our Panoramic City Tour, our professional guide will take you on a journey through many of Moscow’s most interesting spots. Take in the amazing view of the city from an observation point in Vorobyev Hills (“Sparrow Hills”), then get a closer look at the Stalin-era architecture of Moscow State University – one of the country’s premier schools. You’ll also see the Triumphal Arch, Victory Park, Novodevichy Convent, and Kutuzovsky Prospect.  And, of course you’ll see from the outside, Russia’s seat of power - the Kremlin and Red Square among many other highlights of the city.

Return to the hotel.

Day 3

Nizhny Novgorod, Russia

Enjoy a good breakfast and a little free time. Check out from the hotel by 12:00.
Transfer to the railway station to begin the journey of a lifetime on the Trans-Siberian railway.

Departure to Yekaterinburg in the afternoon.

The ride to Yekaterinburg will take about 26 hours. Nestled in the Ural Mountains some 1600 km from Moscow, this is where Siberia begins. Along the way, the train will stop in a series of 11th to 13th Century cities, each offering historical sights – from the gold-domed churches of Vladimir (part of Russia’s Golden Ring) to Nizhny Novgorod’s Kremlin on the Volga River.

Day 4

Siberian taiga, Russia

Overnight you will cross the Vyatka River, passing the towns of Kotelnich, Kirov (formerly Vyatka, where the first Russian washing machine was made in 1891!) and Balyezino. Morning will bring you to the city of Perm in the foothills of the Ural Mountains, a cultural city known for its literature and ballet. Six hours later, you will reach Yekaterinburg, and our representative will greet you at the station to transport you to your hotel.

Day 5 Yekaterinburg

Yekaterinburg, Russia

Your day begins after breakfast with a city tour, which includes an exploration of the last days of the Romanovs.
This tour will introduce you to the history of the Imperial family in Yekaterinburg, including their imprisonment and tragic execution. You will visit the site where their bodies were hidden in a secret grave by the Bolsheviks, where today a Monastery dedicated to the family stands – a famous pilgrimage site for Russian Orthodox Christians.

Leaving behind the Monastery and the nearby wooden churches, next will be a tour of Yekaterinburg’s major historical sites, including the Istorichesky Skver (Historical Square) which contains the remnants of the dam and embankment from the city’s founding in 1723. You will also see a monument to Lenin, the first head of Soviet Russia, and places connected to Boris Yeltsin, the first President of Russia, who hailed from this city. Then after a trip to the hotel you will be free to explore Yekaterinburg on your own.

In the afternoon you will transfer to the Yekaterinburg train station to continue your journey across Russia.

Departure to Irkutsk.

Day 6

Railway, Russia

This entire day will be spent on the train.  As you head towards Irkutsk, you will pass through a number of towns such as Russia’s oil capital Tyumen and the city of Omsk. You will cross the Irtysh River and then the Ob River at Novosibirsk, as heavy forests give way to Siberian taiga. The train will cross more of Siberia’s many rivers, including the Kam, Chuna, Lya Oka, Yenisey and Angara.

Day 7

Irkusk, Russia

Your train arrives in Irkutsk at night.  Our representatives will meet at the station and accompany you to your hotel.

Day 8 Irkutsk

Irkutsk, Russia

After breakfast, you will be taken on a city tour of sights around the city, including the Cathedral of the Holy Sign (also known as Znamensky Cathedral).  The tour then concludes with a visit to Irkutsk’s Museum of the Decembrists.

Day 9

Baikal, Russia

After breakfast and hotel check out you will be taken to the world’s largest freshwater lake, the wondrous Lake Baikal, with a stop at the Taltsy Ethonographical Museum, to see preserved examples of Siberia’s classic wooden architecture.

After viewing Lake Baikal from the observation point at “Cherskiy Peak”, it’s on to a hotel for an optional lunch. Then you’ll go to the Limnological Museum, which hosts exhibits of the lake’s unique ecosystem and an aquarium with local species including the Baikal nerpa – the only species of freshwater seal in the world. Then it’s off to the St. Nicolas the Miracle-Worker Orthodox Church.

Day 10

Baikal, Russia

After breakfast, you will check out of your hotel and have a transfer to the airport.  We hope that you enjoyed your Trans-Siberian railway adventure and are left with memories to last a lifetime!

Sightseeing

Moscow

Moscow, Russia 

With the largest urban area in Europe (as well as being the most populous city in Europe), Moscow is one ofthe largest cities in the world. The capital of Russia, as well as its cultural, political, scientific, and economic center, Moscow’s history extends back to medieval times. Moscow was a minor border town in its earliest history but was elevated in the 12th Century to the Grand Duchy of Moscow under the rulership of Prince Daniel. This Grand Duchy would continue to gain in power and influence after this, ultimately absorbing neighboring principalities over the following centuries, such as the Grand Duchy of Tver and the Novgorod Republic. Ultimately Ivan III extended the city’s territory to encompass all of the Rus’ territory, taking for himself the title of Tsar (though officially his son, known as Ivan the Terrible, was the first actual Tsar of Russia). Moscow has seen numerous wars through its history, from the Mongols to the Nazis, and has been under siege numerous times. Today a flourishing city, Moscow has an impressive metro system to facilitate visitors touring the city.

Moscow has numerous points of cultural and historical interest, notably Red Square and the Kremlin, but also St Basil’s Cathedral, over a hundred parks and gardens, the Bolshoi Theatre, Tretyakov Gallery, and the Moscow State Circus. Key architectural points include the Ostankino Tower and the Seven Sisters, a group of skyscrapers during the Stalinist period.

Yekaterinburg

Yekateribnurg, Russia

Tsar Peter the Great founded this city on the dividing line between Asian and European Russia in 1723 to facilitate the exploitation of Siberia’s vast natural resources. Named for his wife, the Empress Catherine I, Yekaterinburg is now the 2nd largest city in Siberia and is still prosperous thanks to Siberia’s mineral riches. In the wake of the Russian Revolution, Tsar Nicholas II and the rest of the Romanov family were exiled here and held at Ipatiev House (where the Church on Blood now stands) before their execution.

Ganina Yama Monastery

Originally the site of the Four Brothers mine, the remains of the Imperial family were thrown into a pit and burned here in 1918 before being secretly moved and buried a few miles away. Throughout Soviet rule, people still clandestinely came to pay their respects to Tsar’s family and in 1991 a memorial cross was set on this spot. The monastery was constructed in 2000, and now includes seven churches.

Church of All Saints

This church, known also as the Church on Blood in Honor of All Saints Resplendent in the Russian Land, was built on the former site of Ipatiev House, where the Romanovs were held after being exiled to Yekaterinburg after the Russian Revolution, and where they were later executed. A memorial at the church includes sculptures representing the family’s final walk to execution and a memorial alter on the murder site itself, as well as an exhibit dedicated to the final days of the Imperial family.

Irkutsk

Lake Baikal, Russia

Irkutsk began as a 17th Century gold-trading settlement which also served to collect the fur tax from the local Buryats. When the first road was constructed to Moscow in 1760, trade brought a number of luxuries and other items to the town for the first time. About 60 years later, the town was the seat of the Governor-General of East Siberia, and it later received an influx of exiled elites from St. Petersburg involved in the Decembrist revolt. As a consequence, the city developed a surprisingly rich cultural and intellectual life which continues to this day, with a large number of museums and scientific institutes.

Taltsy Ethnographic Museum

Also called Taltsy Village, this unique open-air museum covers 67 hectares near Listvyanka and showcases over 40 preserved buildings including a watermill, a 17th Century watchtower, two churches, and various farms and peasant homes. The museum also includes 8000 exhibits relating to daily life in Siberia in the 17th to 19th Centuries. Regular folk festivals are also hosted here.

Museum of the Decembrists

Located in the Volkonsky Mansion, the former home of one of the aristocratic families exiled to Irkutsk in the wake of the failed Decembrist revolt, this museum showcases the lives of the Trubetskoy and Volkonsky families and the events of their exile. Of special note is a monument to the wives of the Decembrists who left behind everything to follow their husbands into exile.

Cathedral of the Holy Sign

Known also as Znamensky Monastery, this holy site has a towering iconostasis, a sarcophagus containing holy relics, and a beautifully ornate interior. The graveyard holds the grave of Grigory Shelekhov, who claimed Alaska for Russia, as well as a number of Decembrists.

Listvyanka

Listvyanka is a small town of wooden, Siberian-style houses on the shore of Lake Baikal. Some 70 km from Irkutsk, it has a population of fewer than 2000 people. Among its places of interest are the Taltsy Village, an open-air museum of various preserved examples of wooden buildings, and the Baikal Limnology Museum, showcasing the ecology and history of the lake. This town is also home to a handful of sacred sites, including the Church of St Nicholas, Shaman Rock, and the Obo (sacred for the Buryat people who live in the region). The town features a number of shops selling local crafts and souvenirs to visitors.

Prices and Terms

Low Season Nov 1st - Apr 30th
1st class
  1 $4415
  2 $3018
  3 - 4 $2836
  5 - 6 $2684
single supplement $492
2nd class
  1 $3955
  2 $2558
  3 - 4 $2376
  5 - 6 $2223
single supplement $492
High Season May 1st - Oct 30th
1st class
  1 $4692
  2 $3295
  3 - 4 $3113
  5 - 6 $2961
single supplement $492
2nd class
  1 $4127
  2 $2730
  3 - 4 $2548
  5 - 6 $2396
single supplement $492

Prices are per person based on double occupancy in a specific hotel. If you travel in a group but decide to stay in a single room, please add the single supplement to the price. We offer discounts for groups of 7 or more. To inquire about group rates, please contact us.

Please note:

Train fares and schedules are subject to change without notice and the program may be slightly changed in this event. However, this will not influence the quality of the services and we will do our best to make your trip unforgettable!

Regular trains are used for these tours. On these trains, there is no WC your individual cabins and no shower on board. A different train is used for each leg of your journey. There is no guide accompanying you during your time on the train. A new guide will meet you by the train on arrival in each city and they will  accompany you back to the train station on the last day in that particular city.

Every effort will be made to adhere to tour pricing, however, currency fluctuation is beyond our control and may affect final costs.

Prices include:

  • Transfers airport to hotel / hotel to airport or train station to hotel / hotel to train station;
  • Train tickets 1st (2-berth compartment*) or 2nd class (4-berth compartment);**
  • Russian visa invitation (single entry).
  • Bilingual guide for all programs (Russian/English);
  • Accommodation in 3 star hotesl, DBL, B&B;
  • Excursions according to programs;
  • Entrance tickets to museums.;
  • Free visa invitation - the document necessary for obtaining a Russian visa when applying for one at the local Russian Consulate in your country. PLEASE NOTE: your passport should be valid for no less than 6 months after the planned departure from Russia and it should have at least 2 blank pages. The process of applying for a visa may take a long time and we recommend that you start the process 3 months before your trip. In case you are booking the trip last minute, we recommend that you check with the Russian Consulate in your country to determine if you have enough time for the visa application process. In case you have to cancel your trip because of visa issues, our standard cancellation policy will be applied.

Single compartment in the train is available on request

Not included:

  • Meals and snacks not listed in the program or listed as “optional”;
  • Visa fees levied by the Russian, Mongolian and/or Chinese Embassies. For US, UK and Canadian citizens, our company offers Full Visa Support. With Full Visa Support, you send your passport and other documentation to us or our visa agent and we obtain the Russian visa for you.
  • International airfare. Our Russian tours are offered as land only.  Please arrange your own airfare and we will meet you at the airport and handle everything else on the ground in Russia.
  • Fee for oversized and overweight luggage;
  • Travel insurance. We highly recommend to purchase travel insurance before embarking on your trip to Russia. It’s always good to have extra protection while traveling far from home. Click here to learn more.
  • Tips.

Payment policy:

To book a tour, a 30% deposit is required at the time of booking. The trip must be fully paid 61 days before departure.

Cancellation policy:

  • 61 or more days before departure - a fee equal to 15% of the entire package will be charged.
  • 60-15 days before departure - a fee equal to 30% of the entire package will be charged.
  • 14 days or less before departure or no-show - a fee equal to 100% of the package will be charged.
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