Trans-Siberian: Moscow - Irkutsk
Route: 2 nights Moscow + 1 night Nizhny Novgorod + 4 nights train
+ 2 nights Kazan + 2 nights Yekaterinburg + 1 night Novosibirsk
+ 1 night Krasnoyarsk + 3 nights Irkutsk
17 Days / 16 Nights
TOUR PROGRAM
FROM USD 4,220 pp sharing (Groups: minimum 10 Travellers)
Day 1
Program
- Arrival to Moscow
- Meeting with guide & transfer to the hotel
- Check – in
Day 2
Program
-
Breakfast at the hotel
-
Meeting with guide at the hotel
-
Moscow city tour
-
Visit observation deck – Sparrow Hills and MGU
-
Take a ride on cable car from Vorobyovy Gory to Luzhniki Stadium
-
Lunch at the local restaurant
-
The Kremlin tour
-
The Red Square tour
-
Dinner at the hotel
Day 3
Program
- Breakfast-box at the hotel
- Meeting with guide at the hotel
- Check-out
- Transfer to the railway station
- High-speed train Moscow-Nizhny Novgorod #729 09h25-13h30
- Arrival to Nizhny Novgorod at 13h30 & meeting with guide
- Lunch at the local restaurant
- Transfer to the hotel
- Check-in
- Nizhny Novgorod city tour
- Visit of Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin
- Photo-stop Chkalovskaya stairway
- Boat cruise on Volga river
- Return to the hotel
- Dinner at the hotel
Day 4
Program
- Breakfast at the hotel
- Meeting with guide at the hotel
- Check-out
- Excursion to Semenov city
- Visit of museum of gold Khokhloma, master-class, painting of
- matryoshka traditional doll
- Visit of museum of Semyon spoon maker: russian isba + tea party
- Lunch at the local restaurant
- Excursion to Gorodets city
- Visit of museum of russian samovar + interactive program, master-
- class gorodets painting
- Return to Nizhny Novgorod
- Dinner at the local restaurant
- Transfer to the railway station
- Night train to Kazan #51 22h00 – 06h00
Day 5
Program
- Arrival to Kazan at 06h00 & meeting with guide
- Breakfast at the local restaurant
- Bus sightseeing tour “Kazan is 1000-years-old”
- Visit of Kazan Kremlin + Kul Sharif mosque
- Lunch at the local restaurant
- Walking tour on Baumana street + shopping
- Transfer to the hotel
- Check-in
- Dinner at the hotel
Day 6
Program
- Breakfast at the hotel
- Meeting with guide at the hotel
- Excursion to Bolgar city + White mosque
- Lunch at the local restaurant
- Return to Kazan
- Dinner at the hotel
Day 7
Program
- Breakfast at the hotel
- Meeting with guide at the hotel
- Check-out
- Excursion to island-town Sviyazhsk
- Lunch at the local restaurant
- Excursion to Tatar Avaly complex + master-class preparing kystybai and tea party
- Return to Kazan
- Dinner at the local restaurant
- Evening excursion “Lights of Kazan”
- Transfer to the railway station
- Night train to Yekaterinburg #378 23h59 – 16h20
Day 8
Program
- Breakfast and lunch at your own in the train
- Arrival to Yekaterinburg at 16h20 & meeting with guide
- Transfer to the hotel
- Check-in
- Dinner at the hotel
- Walking tour on Vainer street
- Return to the hotel
Day 9
Program
- Breakfast at the hotel
- Meeting with guide at the hotel
- Yekaterinburg city tour
- Visit of Church of All Saints
- Visit of stone carving and jewelry museum
- Lunch at the local restaurant \ family
- Visit of Ganina Yama
- Return to Yekaterinburg
- Dinner at the hotel
Day 10
Program
- Breakfast at the hotel
- Meeting with guide at the hotel
- Check-out
- Visit of panoramic view point in business center Vysotski
- Transfer to the railway station
- Train to Novosibirsk #002 12h30-11h55
- Lunch and dinner at your own in the train
Day 11
Program
- Breakfast at your own in the train Program
- Arrival to Novosibirsk at 11h55 & meeting with guide
- Lunch at the local restaurant, Siberian kitchen
- Tour to the scientific city – Akademgorodok + visit of one museum
- Return to Novosibirsk
- Transfer to the hotel
- Check-in
- Dinner at the hotel
Day 12
Program
- Breakfast at the hotel
- Meeting with guide at the hotel
- Check-out
- Novosibirsk city tour
- Lunch at the local restaurant
- Transfer to the railway station
- Train to Krasnoyarsk #002 13h00-01h40
- Dinner at your own in the train
Day 13
Program
- Arrival to Krasnoyarsk at 01h40 & meeting with guide
- Transfer to the hotel
- Check-in
- Breakfast at the hotel
- Meeting with guide at the hotel
- Check-out
- Visit of the Hydro Power Station, Divnogorsk city and the panoramic
- view point “Tsar Ryba”
- Lunch at the local restaurant, Siberian kitchen
- the Visit of National Reserve “Stolby”, hiking and walking around
- central part of rocks (3 km)
- Krasnoyarsk city tour
- Dinner at the local restaurant, Siberian kitchen
- Transfer to the railway station
- Train to Irkutsk #002 02h20-21h20
Day 14
Program
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner at your own in the train
- Arrival to Irkutsk at 21h20 & meeting with guide
- Transfer to the hotel
- Check-in
Day 15
Program
-
Breakfast at the hotel
-
Meeting with guide at the hotel
-
Irkutsk city tour
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Transfer to Listvyanka with stop at Shaman stone
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Visit of Baikal museum
-
Lunch at the local restaurant
-
Boat trip to the Circum Baikal Railroad
-
Return to Irkutsk
-
Transfer to the hotel
-
Check-in
Day 16
Program
- Breakfast at the hotel
- Meeting with guide at the hotel
- Excursion to Olkhon island
- Stop in Ust-Orda village
- Lunch at the local restaurant, Buryat kitchen + folk show
- Visit of Burkhan cape
- Return to Irkutsk
- Dinner at the local restaurant
Day 17
Program
- Breakfast at the hotel
- Meeting with guide at the hotel
- Check-out
- Transfer to the airport
Description of sights, excursions and activities
MOSCOW
Red Square
You will see all the fascinating landmarks, surrounding this central square of our capital: St. Basils, the Mausoleum, the Spasskaya Tower, etc. We’ll walk down to Alexandrovskiy garden and see the change of guard if we are lucky. And of course, you will stroll down the famous paving stones of Red Square.
Fly over the Moskva River! Ride on a cable car!
Moscow’s first cable car spans the two banks of the Moskva River. The powerful cable car flies you from the Luzhniki Sports Complex to the legendary Sparrow hills observation deck in no time.
Kremlin Territory
The Kremlin tour – most of the inner Kremlin territory is open for visitors. It’s home to an ancient ensemble of architecture comprising of temples and cathedrals, palaces and picturesque squares. The territory of the Moscow Kremlin is a town inside a city, growing and developing through centuries, it carefully preserves the memorable objects of traditional Russian architecture of XIV—XX centuries. Our Kremlin tour includes an excursion to one of the cathedrals.
Nizhny Novgorod city tour
Nizhny Novgorod Fair (Main Fair House, Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Nizhny Novgorod Fair) observation deck of the city – the confluence of the Volga and Oka – Strelka, st. Rozhdestvenskaya, Nizhne-Volzhskaya and Verkhne-Volzhskaya embankments, monument. Peter I, Steep Lane, st. Ilyinskaya. During the excursion, access to observation platforms is planned
Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin
Of course, this is the main attraction of the city, a unique ensemble erected at the beginning of the 16th century in accordance with the highest achievements of military and defensive art. During numerous sieges, it was never captured by the enemy. A walk through the territory, inspection of the internal space – walls, towers, the building of the former governor’s palace, an exhibition of military equipment, a memorial complex and the Eternal Flame, an observation deck – a view of the Strelka, the Conception and Borisoglebskaya towers, the Cathedral of the Archangel Michael: the oldest stone temple, dates back to the founding of the city.
Visit of museum of gold Khokhloma, master-class, painting of matryoshka traditional doll
While traveling through the museum, you will discover the magical secret of the unique technology of “producing gold from silver”, admire ancient examples of Khokhloma products and unique works of modern masters. Guests will get acquainted with the origins of Khokhloma art and see the largest collection of objects from the second half of the 19th – first half of the 20th centuries to the present day. The collection of Khokhloma miracles of enormous size deserves special delight! Master class on painting matryoshka dolls.
Visit of museum of Semyon spoon maker: russian isba + tea party
Having visited a cozy, good-quality house, you will be left with a vivid impression of every object you see and this will allow you to plunge into the atmosphere of the everyday life of our ancestors. You will see antique household items and you will learn the purpose of each of them. An integrated program with theatrical elements awaits you. The hospitable hostess of the Russian house, Semyonovna, will greet you as dear guests, tell you about Russian traditions and peasant life, show how they used things that are now forgotten and out of widespread use, and also invite you to try to do it yourself!
Excursion to Gorodets city
Sightseeing tour of the ancient town with a visit to the ancient rampart, museum quarter, monument to Alexander Nevsky. Guests will take a walk along the Volzhskaya embankment, where unique panoramic views of the Volga River open.
KAZAN
Bus sightseeing tour “Kazan is 1000-years-old”
Excursion includes visiting the most beautiful places of the ancient Tatarstan capital. You will travel through ancient streets and squares, where European-style mansions are side by side with mosques and bright houses of Tatar merchants. Then you will be transported to the metropolis of the XXI century, where you will admire the panorama of the city from the embankment and see the objects of the Universiade which brought Kazan the glory of the sports capital of Russia.
Excursion to the Kazan Kremlin
Excursion to Kazan Kremlin – the heart of the millennial city. During the tour you will see:
- Beautiful Kul Sharif Mosque and the ancient Annunciation Cathedral;
- Medieval walls and towers erected by the best craftsmen of Ivan the Terrible;
- The Palace of the President of Tatarstan Republic and the mausoleum of Kazan Khans;
- The leaning tower of Syuyumbike, which bears the name of the legendary Tatar queen;
- Observation deck with stunning views of the city center.
Sviyazhsk tour
The island-town of Sviyazhsk is located 30 km from Kazan in the picturesque mouth of the Sviyaga River on a high hill with an area of 62 hectares. It is the first Orthodox town in the Middle Volga region, founded in 1551 by Ivan the Terrible. Among the complex of churches and monasteries of the town there are those on which the outstanding medieval architects Ivan Shiryai and Postnik Yakovlev worked. For several centuries, Sviyazhsk was an all-Russian Orthodox shrine.
Excursion to the Tatar village museum complex
Meeting at the gates of the museum with an accordion, visiting the oldest operating mill of the Republic of Tatarstan, built by the hands of women and teenagers; You will get acquainted with the traditions and customs of the Tatars, national musical instruments. You will visit to a wooden mosque, built according to a draft design of the 17th century without nails; a visit to a contact zoo.
Evening excursion “Lights of Kazan”.
If after a busy excursion program you are still full of energy and want to see another. We invite you to plunge into the fabulous appearance of the night capital. Kazan will appear before you, quiet and peaceful, all in the lights of the illumination of historical buildings. The tour takes you through the brightest places of the night city.
YEKATERINBURG
Yekaterinburg city tour
Together with your guide, you will see the oldest stone building of the city, the dam on the Iset River, where residents love to gather, modern Yekaterinburg City and the old merchant houses contrasting with it, the most famous buildings in the constructivist style, the Literary Quarter park and the Church on the Blood, on site who was shot by the Romanov royal family.
Visit of Church of All Saints
The largest temple in Yekaterinburg stands on the site of the execution of the royal family. This is a five-domed building with 14 bells and a lower level with a museum complex. According to the architect’s idea, through the opening of the iconostasis you can see the place where Nicholas II and his family were executed.
Visit of stone carving and jewelry museum
A visit to the museum of stone-cutting art gives you the opportunity to touch the famous treasures of the Urals – semi-precious and ornamental stones, as well as see the man-made beauty that is created from them. There are both ancient works created by the masters of the Yekaterinburg Imperial Lapidary Factory, and works from the Soviet period. Products created by our contemporaries are also exhibited. Of particular interest is the Malachite Hall, where you can see both the Ural stone and the African stone that replaced it.
Ganina Yama
The monastery was created at the site of the most acute dramatic events, where the last point was put in the earthly life of the members of the last Royal Family.
It was here that in July 1918 the bodies of members of the Royal Family, as well as their faithful servants, were brought.
Visit of observation deck in business center Vysotski
The open observation deck is located in the Vysotsky Business Center on the 52nd floor – at an altitude of 186 meters. From here a truly fantastic view opens up: the panorama of Yekaterinburg stretches into the distance for 25 kilometers.
NOVOSIBIRSK
Tour to the scientific city – Akademgorodok + visit of one museum
Tour to the scientific city – Akademgorodok – the only scientific city in the world, where all the branches of sciences are presented. Sometimes it called by Western Media as a “Scientific Vatican”. You will enter Akademgorodok by Lavrentiev Prospect, marked by the Guinness Book of Records as the “world’s most scientific street”; see a famous NSU building and the place where Akademgorodok was founded – its Golden Valley, and cottages of scientists with a rich history, as well as a modern scientific center, iconic monuments (Academician Belyaev with a fox and Mouse, knitting DNA spiral) and a growth point – the most successful Technopark in the country. On your way back to the city center, you may visit the river Ob reservoir – an artificial Ob sea.
Visit 1 museum of your choice: Archeological Historical Open-air Museum at the Institute of Archeology and Ethnography / Open-Air Train Museum: a collection of the old locomotives / Geology Museum in the Institute of Geology / Botanical Garden (as per opening hours of museums)
Novosibirsk city tour
City tour of Novosibirsk, covering all the main city sights. You will see Novosibirsk Railway Station – the biggest station of the Trans-Siberian Railroad; Ascension Cathedral – the first building made of red brick; Krasny Prospect street – former Nikolay’s avenue; Lenin Square – city center with the biggest Russian theater; old wooden houses on Gorkogo Str. are the oldest part of the city; St. Nicolas Chapel – the geographic center of Russian Empire; river Ob’ embankment and colorful Siberian farm-market.
KRASNOYARSK
Visit of the Hydro Power Station, Divnogorsk city and the panoramic view point “Tsar Ryba”
Today we head out of the city firstly visiting the Hydro Power Station and Dam (outside viewing), Russia’s second largest. Here you can see the mighty Yenisey river which, at 4,092 km is the longest in Russia. The dam is an extraordinary feat of engineering as it had to be designed to cope with the intense cold and ice pressure of winter. On the way to the Hydroelectric Dam, you will make a stop at the observation place “Tsar Ryba” from where you can have a wonderful view on our city and Yenisei River.
Visit of National Reserve “Stolby” ,hiking and walking around central part of rocks (3 km)
Make a short walk of about 2-3 km round trip to the center of the reserve where there are beautiful views and unusual rock formations.
If you have ever been to Krasnoyarsk, but haven’t visited the nature reserve “Stolby”, you haven’t seen the heart of the city, it’s lungs, it’s soul. For those, who like spending the holiday in a calm or active way, who like to open new spaces and observe panoramic views, who looks for harmony with nature we offer the excursion to the reserve “Stolby”. This is the place to get unforgettable impressions while visiting our city! Unlike regular tour to “Stolby” our tourist will not have to go up 7 km to reach the “First Stolby”. Our driver will get you straight to the top and our guides will make this tour unforgettable by telling you a lot of interesting stories about the nature reserve.
IRKUTSK
Irkutsk City Tour
There are about 700 historical and cultural monuments in Irkutsk. The most interesting parts of the city were built by its 350 year anniversary. We will see most of them during our excursion.
We will start our tour from the Spasskaya Church – the place where the stockade town of Irkutsk was founded by Yakov Pokhabov in 1661. Then we’ll go on to the famous Epiphany Cathedral, the Polish Church, the Eternal flame and the Moscow gates. Later, we’ll move to the Znamenskiy Monastery– there you will also see the necropolis where Ekaterina Trubetskaya, a wife of the exiled Decembrist, is buried. The grave of Grigory Shelikhov, the founder of the Russian-American company also known as “the Russian Columbus”, is located here as well. Nearby the Monastery gates there is a monument to Alexander Kolchak.
Shaman stone
The Angara is 1779 km long and is the only river flowing out of Lake Baikal. Its source is the widest in the world, it does not freeze during the most severe Siberian winters (width – 863 m , maximum depth – 4.8 m, speed – 5.1 km/h). In the middle of the river rises Shaman rock. You can see only the little top of it above the water, but inside it is a big cliff.
Our guide will tell you a beautiful legend about Baikal and Angara.
Circum Baikal Railroad
The Circum Baikal Railroad also known as KBZhD (according to its Russian abbreviated form) was built between 1896-1905 years in order to connect the parts of the Trans-Siberian Railway. On this 89 kilometer railway, there are 39 tunnels, bridges, viaducts and galleries.
The railroad is truly unique historical line. It was built more than a hundred years ago, and is an outstanding landmark to the construction and engineering art.
It is also called as golden buckle of Trans-Siberian Railway.
Today The Forbes calles it as The most beautiful Railroad in the world.
Visit to the Baikal Museum
The museum was established in 1928 when the Baikal Limnological Station opened in the village of Listvyanka. Every year the Baikal Museum has more than 30,000 visitors. The unique exhibits tell about the origin and the history of the lake, its flora and fauna, geological structure, climate and tectonics of Prebaikalye.
And the most interesting part of museum is the pool with Baikal fish (omul, kharius, sturgeon, taimen, pike) and sweet Baikal seal – Nerpa, by the way it is the only one in the word which lives in a fresh water.
Olkhon island
On the way to the island you will see fields, taiga, unique Tazheran steppes (over 400 million years), Baikal Hills.
We’ll have several stops on our way in special places to get acquainted with traditions and legends of local people.
But the main aim of our tour is surely ice.
We are coming down to the lake, where we’ll drink a cup of tea from Russian Samovar with bagels standing right on the ice.
Then we’ll take a road which is going over the surface of the lake on the ice. It is official and safefull.
We’ll see ice grottoes and also frozen splashes of Baikal waves several meters high.
Visit of Burkhan cape
Burkhan cape is also known as Shamanka.
It is one of the nine sanctuaries of Asia and the most recognizable place on the Baikal.
Locals believe that here you can make your most desirable wish and it is to come true.
RATES INCLUDE:
- Accommodation in the hotel
- Transfers and visits according to program
- English speaking local guide for all visits and transfers
- Meal according to the itinerary (12 breakfasts at the hotel, 1 breakfast at the local restaurant, 12 lunches at the local restaurants, 11 dinners at the hotels or local restaurants)
- Train tickets: Moscow-Nizhny Novgorod-Kazan-Yekaterinburg-Novosibirsk-Krasnoyarsk-Irkutsk, 2nd class
- Bottled water – 2 per 0,5 bottles.
EXCURSIONS ARE INCLUDED:
- Moscow city tour
- Cable car
- Territory Kremlin with cathedrals
- Nizhny Novgorod city tour
- Visit of Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin
- Boat cruise on Volga river
- Excursion to Semenov city
- Visit of museum of gold Khokhloma, master-class, painting of matryoshka traditional doll
- Visit of museum of Semyon spoon maker: russian isba + tea party
- Excursion to Gorodets city
- Visit of museum of russian samovar + interactive program, master-class gorodets painting
- Bus sightseeing tour “Kazan is 1000-years-old”
- Excursion to Kazan Kremlin
- Excursion to Bolgar city + White mosque
- Excursion to the island-town of Sviyazhsk
- Excursion to Tatar Avaly complex + master-class preparing kystybai and tea party
- Evening excursion “Lights of Kazan”
- Yekaterinburg city tour
- Visit of Church of All Saints
- Visit of stone carving and jewelry museum
- Visit of Ganina Yama
- Visit of panoramic view point in business center Vysotski
- Tour to the scientific city – Akademgorodok + visit of one museum
- Novosibirsk city tour
- Visit of the Hydro Power Station, Divnogorsk city and the panoramic view point “Tsar Ryba”
- Visit of National Reserve “Stolby” ,hiking and walking around central part of rocks (3 km)
- Krasnoyarsk city tour
- Irkutsk city tour
- Visit of Baikal museum
- Boat trip to the Circum Baikal Railroad
- Excursion to Olkhon island
- Visit of Burkhan cape
NOT INCLUDED:
- Unmentioned excursions
- Tips to guides and drivers
- Porterage service at hotels and train stations
- Personal expenses