Day 1
Sunday - Beijing
Arrival in China. Exploring Old Beijing (Hutong Area)
After your arrival in Beijing, our driver will meet you at the airport and transfer you to the hotel. Once settled in, it’s off to a hutong, a 13th century neighbourhood in the heart of the old city for a guided rickshaw ride through its narrow alleyways. Moving on to Shichahai Lake, we visit the interesting Drum Tower and have the option of a boat trip. There’s a lot of history in this part of the city, from the houses once the home of princes to atmospheric old courtyards.
Day 2
Monday - Beijing
Tiananmen Square. Forbidden City & Summer Palace. Badaling Great Wall. Olympic Green
The Forbidden City houses the Imperial Palace, home of the emperor during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Undoubtedly, this will be a highlight of our sightseeing programme today with its myriad ancient wooden structures which led to its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It stands at the edge of Tiananmen Square, the world’s largest city square, gaining notoriety in 1989 as the place where government troops dramatically ended a pro-democracy protest in front of the world’s cameras.
Later in the day, we’ll make our way to the Summer Palace, in a beautiful lakeshore setting at the edge of the city, and then to the Great Wall.
Stretching for thousands of miles and over two thousand years old, the Great Wall of China may not be seen with the naked eye from space but it is a sight to behold. The stretch at Badaling is closest to Beijing and was also the first to be restored. As you walk on the wall, you can only imagine what life would have been like at the time of its construction. Moving rapidly through the centuries, we arrive at the Olympic Green to see the buildings erected for the 2008 Summer Games including the famous Bird’s Nest Stadium.
Day 3
Tuesday - Beijing
Departure to Mongolia
We board the fast train K3, popular with foreign travellers to get from China to Mongolia. You can choose from two-berth first class compartments or four-berth second class carriages. Hot boiled water is available in both parts of the train and carriage attendants provide thermos kettles if required. The train has a dining car and a bar where food and drink can be purchased for reasonable prices.
Day 4
Wednesday – Ulan Bator
Arrival in Mongolia. Free Time in the Afternoon
Our guide will meet you at Ulan Bator railway station to transfer you to the hotel. Enjoy free afternoon in Ulan Bator.
Day 5
Thursday - Ulan Bator – Terelj
Enjoy Terelj National Park. Chinggis Khaan Complex
Early in the morning, we depart to Terelj National Park. On the way, we make a scheduled stop at the enormous statue of Chinggis Khaan on horseback, featuring 36 columns representing the 36 khans from Genghis to Ligdan Khan. You can walk to the head of the horse to enjoy a panoramic view of the surrounding landscape. Moving on to Terelj, we marvel at the dramatic Mongolian landscapes. A stop at Turtle Rock is a must before we pay a visit to a nomad family who will show us how to milk a cow and prepare dairy products. Depending on the season, we’ll either overnight in a traditional felt ger or a cosy wooden lodge.
Day 6
Friday - Terelj - Ulan Bator
Ulan Bator City Tour. National History Museum
Our driver will meet you at your accommodation to take you back to the city. A guided tour of Ulan Bator will follow, giving you to opportunity to explore Gandan Hiid Monastery, the country’s largest remaining monastery, Sukhebaatar Square and the Museum of Natural History, home to authentic dinosaur remains found in the Gobi desert.We’ll also go to the National Museum of Mongolian History, one of the leading museums in Mongolia displaying Mongolian cultural heritage.
Day 7
Saturday - Ulan Bator
Departure to Russia
We return to the railway station to begin our long-distance journey to Russia by comfortable train.
Day 8
Sunday - Irkutsk - Listvyanka
Lake Baikal
Our driver will be waiting at Irkutsk station to take you the 70km or so to Lake Baikal, where our base will be the pretty village of Listvyanka. There, you’ll have free time to enjoy the village amenities or perhaps take a boat trip on the lake.
Day 9
Monday - Listvyanka
At Leisure at Baikal
Today is another opportunity to savour free time in Listvyanka village. We suggest a visit to the St. Nicolas Russian Orthodox Church and the Baikal Lake Museum where you will learn Siberian traditions, history, flora and fauna of the deepest freshwater lake in the world.
Day 10
Tuesday - Listvyanka - Irkutsk
Wooden Architecture Museum in Taltsy. Exploring Irkutsk. Departure to Yekaterinburg
Our guide will meet you at your accommodation for your return transfer to Irkutsk. On the way, we will stop to visit the open air Wooden Architecture Museum in Taltsy, located in a picturesque forest on the bank of the River Angara, the setting for a large collection of historic wooden houses, a 15th century watchtower and a Shaman yurt. Here, you’ll learn about the traditional way of life of the Buryat and Evenk people. Returning to the city, we will admire Irkutsk’s varied architecture including its quirky log houses.At the end of the day, we’ll transfer you to the railway station for your long-distance train to Yekaterinburg.
Day 11
Wednesday
Onboard
Onboard
Day 12
Thursday - Yekaterinburg
Arrival in Yekaterinburg. Transfer to the Hotel
Two days later, we’ll arrive at Yekaterinburg station where our driver will be waiting to meet you at the carriage. Transfer to the hotel.
Day 13
Friday - Yekaterinburg
Ganina Yama & Cathedral on the Blood. Europe-Asia Border
Yekaterinburg was the place of execution of the last Russian tsar Nikolay II and his family and we will visit the Memorial Cathedral on the Blood in the name of all Saints, which was built on the site to commemorate events. We’llcontinue to Ganina Pi,a unique orthodox monastery and visit seven wooden churches in the heart of a centuries-old pine forest. Later we’ll make an excursion to the obelisk marking the boundary between Europe and Asia. According to an old tradition, tourists drink a glass of champagne on this place and take it home. On the way to the borderline, we can stop for a visit to the Memorial honouring the victims of Stalin’s repressions of the 1930-1950s.
Day 14
Saturday – Yekaterinburg
Departure to Moscow
Our driver will meet you at the hotel lobby with a sign board and transfer you to the railway station.
Day 15
Sunday - Moscow
Exploring Moscow. Red Square, St. Basil’s, Lenin Mausoleum
On arrival in Moscow, our driver will meet you with a Go Russia sign boardon the platform. After your transfer to the hotel, take a walking tour through the centre of Moscow, taking in important sights like Lubyanka Square where the KGB was based in Soviet times, the Bolshoi Theatre and Tverskaya Street, Moscow’s equivalent of London’s Oxford Street. We’ll find ourselves in Red Square, where we’re sure you’ll be wowed by the colourful domes of St Basil’s Cathedral. In the square, we can visit GUM department store, Lenin’s Mausoleum and Kazan Cathedral.
Day 16
Monday - Moscow
Kremlin & Armoury. Departure to St. Petersburg
Today we focus on the Kremlin. Beginning in Cathedral Square, we move on to the Armoury Museum. Its fabulous array of treasures includes such exhibits as the chalice of Yuri Dolgorukiy, the helm and armour of Boris Godunov, a collection of over fifty Faberge eggs, as well as golden and silver works of applied art by Russian, European and Oriental masters, invaluable weapons and other works made of precious metals and stones. Lastly, we’ll dip underground to see the glitz and glamour of Moscow’s famous metro. Unlike other city transit systems, this one features adornments of marble, mosaics, stained glass panels and bronze sculptures and has to be seen to be believed. Afterwards, our driver will transfer you from the hotel to the train station to take you to St Petersburg. We’ll be travelling on the Grand Express, with a choice of standard first/second class accommodation or a special luxury carriage where you’ll travel in style with toilets, showers, air-conditioning, comfy sofas, LCD TV, DVD-players and Wi-Fi.
Day 17
Tuesday - St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg City Tour
After arriving in St. Petersburg, our driver will meet you with a Go Russia sign boardon the platform. After transferring to the hotel, we’ll take a sightseeing tour of this beautiful city, one with a calm and unhurried pace in stark contrast to bustling Moscow. Our guide will reveal the city’s highlights, including the Peter and Paul Fortress, St. Isaac's Cathedral, the Church of Christ's Resurrection (The Saviour of the Blood) and the famous cruiser Aurora.
Day 18
Wednesday - St. Petersburg
Yusupov Palace
The Yusupov Palace is the setting for today’s guided tour. It once belonged to the noble family of Prince Yusupov and is considered to be one of the most beautiful palaces in St. Petersburg.During the tour you will see the lavishly decorated 19th Century interior: murals, carvings, marble, mirrors, gilded chandelier, expensive silk clothes and refined furniture. This elegant palace hides a dark secret, however. Its cellar was the location of scandalous Rasputin’s murder.
Day 19
Thursday - St. Petersburg
Hermitage Museum
Amongst St Petersburg’s myriad museums, the Hermitage stands out by a mile, an architecturally stunning building housing an enormous collection of the art world’s finest works, including those by Leonardo Da Vinci, Titian, Raphael, French impressionists, sculptures and treasures icons, coins and Tsar’s jewellery. We think you’ll agree, the Hermitage is an unforgettable place to visit and the perfect place to round off this epic tour.
Day 20
Friday - St. Petersburg
Departure for the Airport
Our driver will meet you with a Go Russia sign board at the hotel lobby to take you to the airport for your return flight.
Tour Dates & Prices
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All our hotels and traditional accommodation at lake Baikal (a guest – house) and in Mongolia (a ger) have been carefully selected and personally tested by Go Russia product development team. They have been chosen for their central location, available facilities, tastefully designed interiors, and friendly service and customers’ feedbacks. Most of the hotels on your tour will have a 4* rating. Please note all our hotels are recommended on Tripadvisor and have above average reviews. Please view hotels details below.
Hotel Qianmen’s Jianguo Beijing 4*
Qianmen’s Jianguo Hotel is a popular four star choice located in the heart of central Beijing, a short drive from major sights such as Tiananmen Square and the Temple of Heaven. Boasting over 400 rooms, accommodation at this well-equipped hotel features flat screen television, air conditioning, a kettle and a minibar. Each room is en suite, providing a hairdryer and complimentary toiletries.
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Hotel Platinum Ulan-Bator 4*
Located in the Sukhbaatar district of central Ulan Bator, the Platinum Hotel is a comfortable 4* hotel which has proved popular with guests. Its proximity to Sukhbaatar Square ensures guests are based at the very heart of the Mongolian capital, and premier attraction such as the National Museum of Mongolian History, the Mongolian Theatre Museum, Presidential Palace and the Chinggis Khan Gardens are just a short stroll away.
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Terelj Lodge Ger Camp
Ger camps we use on our tours are slightly modified for Western travelers, however they do offer a genuinely authentic experience and most of them are situated in picturesque areas. The gers are made of a wooden frame that is covered with felt. Inside they are generally brightly painted and feature two or four single beds, a small table, chairs, a lamp, electricity sockets and a stove for heating. Learn more
Mayak Hotel Listvyanka 4*
The Hotel Mayak in Listvyanka occupies an enviable waterfront position giving its guests panoramic views over Lake Baikal. Many of the rooms have large windows from which you can watch boats come and go at the boat dock. The hotel itself is well equipped with the facilities you would expect from a property of its class, with a pool, sauna and Russian banya for guests. There’s free WiFi throughout the hotel, room service and assistance with document registration.
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Hotel Novotel Yekaterinburg Center 4*
The Novotel Yekaterinburg Centre is one of the best hotels in the city. It is conveniently located right in the heart of the capital of the Urals, within walking distance of the city's main attractions and the business and shopping centers of Yekaterinburg. All rooms feature climate control and free WIFI, combining modern decor, ergonomics and high-tech equipment. The hotel is fully equipped with new-generation Novotel rooms meaning MediaHub panel allowing to charge Mac, iPhone and plug laptop to TV, watch movies and make video-calls. Standard rooms have air conditioning, rain shower, satellite TV, tea/coffee amenities, laptop safe, minibar.Learn more
Moscow Ibis Center Bakhrushina Hotel 3*
Part of the Ibis collection, the Moscow Center Bakhrushina Hotel is an excellent choice if you’re looking for a value hotel with facilities you can trust. Situated within the meander of the Moskva River, it’s centrally located a half hour stroll from Red Square or the Kremlin and within easy reach of the Paveletskaya metro station.Learn more
Hotel Nevsky Grand St. Petersbrug 3*
Hotel Nevsky Hotel Grand is ideally located in the center of St. Petersburg, and within easy walking distance of the famous landmarks of St. Petersburg - such as Hermitage; Kazan, St. Isaac's and Savior on Spilled Blood Cathedrals; Russian museum. The hotel features elegant interior and cozy homelike atmosphere. The hotel’s 135 guest rooms and 5 suites are designed in the modern style with a touch of antique, complimented by the technological amenities, including telephone, free WiFi, interactive satellite television, safe, air-conditioning system. There is a hall on every floor with soft drinks, coffee and tea, open 24 hours a day.Learn more
M-Hotel St. Petersbrug 3*
Located in the Golden Triangle District, the 3 star M-Hotel is convenient for many of St Petersburg’s attractions including being just a twenty minute walk from the Hermitage Museum. In addition, it is well connected to public transport; the nearest Metro station, Nevsky Prospect, is only a two minute walk away. The hotel’s rooms and suites are bright and airy, furnished in a comfortable fashion. WiFi is available throughout the hotel at no additional cost.Learn more