In the night the Mongolian border station Suche Baatar and the Russian border station Naushki will be reached. The Mongolian and Russian immigration formalities will take place in the train. You may stay in your cabin and don’t have to leave the train. In the morning the Grand Trans-Siberian Express arrives at Ulan Ude, the capital of the so-called “Buryat Autonomous Republic” of the Russian Federation. Buryats are an ethnic group close to Mongolians with an amazing mix of cultures. Ulan Ude is a meeting place between East and West. Like Irkutsk, the city still has large areas with typical Siberian wooden houses. Your sightseeing excursion today goes to “Ivolginsky Datsan”, the largest Buddhist Monastery in Russia, before you have a leisurely afternoon in the pedestrian street of the city centre. In Ulan Ude the Grand Trans-Siberian Express switches from the Trans Mongolian mainline to the traditional Trans-Siberian mainline on its way to Moscow.

Accommodation on board the Grand Trans-Siberian Express.

Day 8 – Enjoy your day at Lake Baikal

Cities covered : Lake Baikal ,  Irkutsk

Today one of the top highlights of the tour with the Grand Trans-Siberian Express and will amaze you for the rest of the day. Lake Baikal holds the biggest fresh water reserves in the world. It stretches up to 26 miles from east to west and more than 370 miles from north to south. Lake Baikal is the deepest lake of the world, reaching 1.620 meters at its deepest part. The mountain ranges around Lake Baikal and the deep blue water of the lake, you will never forget.

In the morning the private train is running at low speed along the scenic Circum Baikal Railway line between Port Baikal and Sludyanka, which for many years is used only by a few of local trains and tourist trains. A photo stop will be arranged at a small village where you can get off the train, put your feet into the clear and cold water of Lake Baikal and also visit the typical wooden houses of local people. A Baikal barbecue is also a part of the program.

In the afternoon a boat takes you on a short cruise from Port Baikal to the small village of Listvyanka. A walk through the village shows you to St Nicholas church, a typical orthodox wooden build church beautiful renovated in the 1990’s. On a great Siberian lunch in a restaurant on the shore of the lake you can taste the famous Omul fish which is living only in Lake Baikal. In the evening a one hour bus drive takes you from the Lake Baikal to your hotel in Irkutsk city.

Accommodation in a **** hotel in Irkutsk.

Day 9 – Visit the “Paris of Siberia”

Cities covered : Irkutsk

Irkutsk is famous for its trade with Mongolia and China and used to be called “Paris of Siberia” because of its colourful life style during the time of the Tsars. You visit the old town with its large quarters still consisting of wooden houses only, before invited to the cultural highlight of the tour, a private classical concert in a palace of historical background. In the evening you re-join the private train.

Accommodation on board the Grand Trans-Siberian Express.

Day 10 – Explore Krasnoyarsk

Cities covered : Krasnoyarsk

Krasnoyarsk, like Yekaterinburg and Ulan Ude used to be a “closed city” during Soviet times – closed to foreigners and also to most Soviet citizens at that time. It is located along the Yenissei River which is the greatest river system flowing to the Arctic Ocean. A sightseeing tour shows you several view points and the main shopping street which is fascinating as the local mayor decided to decorate it with palm trees in summer time – in the middle of Siberia! During a boat cruise on the Yenissei River you will have a great view on the city and the huge railway bridge crossing the river.

Accommodation on board the Grand Trans-Siberian Express.

Day 11 – Reach the Heart of Siberia and Visit the World’s Largest Opera House

Cities covered : Novosibirsk

In the morning a city sightseeing tour shows you some remarkable orthodox churches which have survived the Soviet period. You will have an interior visit of the famous Opera House which is the largest of Russia, situated in the centre of the city at Lenin Square. In the afternoon, an excursion takes you out of the city into the Taiga, the “real Siberian forest”. About 30 km out of the city you have the opportunity of visiting the largest open air railway museum of Russia, a collection of more than 60 showpieces of steam, diesel and electric locomotives as well as several historical passenger cars – a perfect insight into the development of the trains on the Trans-Siberian Railway.

Accommodation on board the Grand Trans-Siberian Express.

Day 12 – Cross into Yekaterinburg, Capital of the Urals

Cities covered : Yekaterinburg

Today the train arrives in Yekaterinburg, capital of the Ural Mountains. The city was founded in 1723 by Czar Peter I as the center of metallurgical industry. By the 20th century it had become one of the largest and the most important financial, industrial and cultural centers of Russia. Yekaterinburg is located at the geographical border defined by scientists between Europe and Asia. On your sightseeing tour you visit a place of remarkable importance for Russian history: the “Cathedral on The Blood” which was built at the place where Czar Nicholas II and his family were executed by the Bolsheviks in 1918. An excursion into the Ural forests takes you Ganina Yama, which today is considered by Russians as a “holy place”. It is an assemble of small wooden chapels which were erected in the 1990’s to honor the last Czar’s family of the Romanov dynasty who were then buried in Ganina Yama.

Accommodation in a **** hotel in Yekaterinburg.

Day 13 – Full-Day on Train

Cities covered : Yekaterinburg

Today you leave Yekaterinburg in the morning and enjoy a typical day on the Trans-Siberian Railway. Your private train passes through the Ural Mountains and an endless scenery of forests, lakes and small settlements. A day to relax, watch the landscape and listen to lectures about the country and its people.

Accommodation on board the Grand Trans-Siberian Express.

Day 14 – Visit the Red Square and the Kremlin

Cities covered : Moscow

Today the almost 8000 km long journey from Beijing to Moscow terminates. In the afternoon you visit the Red Square and the Kremlin grounds.

Accommodation in a **** hotel in Moscow.

Day 15 – Full-Day City Tour

Cities covered : Moscow

A full day sightseeing tour shows you the all the many highlights of Moscow: the Bolshoi Theatre, the GUM department store, the Red Square, Moscow River, the Sparrow Hills, Novodevitchy Monastry. You will forget old stories about Russia being grey and dark. It has become a vibrant city, comparable to Paris or Rome and full of life.

Accommodation in a **** hotel in Moscow.

Day 16 – Departure

Cities covered : Moscow

Airport transfers are provided by our service team to connect with your flight departing Moscow.

Photo Gallery

Novosibirsk Opera House	Novosibirsk Trans-Siberian Railway Station
Old Train Station of Yekaterinburg	“Church on the Blood”, built on the spot where the Ipatyev House once stood, Yekaterinburg
Kul Sharif mosque and Church of the Annunciation at the Kazan’s Kremlin	Kazan Cathedral, Kazan
St Basil’s Cathedral, built 1555-61, Moscow	Inside the Kremlin, Moscow
Red Square, Moscow	Silver Class room on board the train