Trans Siberian Railway - Russian Trains - Adventure Holidays

“S Priezdom! Welcome to Moscow!” Our driver will be there to meet you from whichever flight, train or boat you arrive. You’ll then be transferred to the Irbis 3H Hotel. The facilities available at this hotel include a Restaurant, Lobby Bar, Lobby Wi-Fi access, Luggage Room, Safety deposit boxes and an ATM machine. At check-in, (after 2pm) the hotel reception will advise you they will need your passport for visa registration. This process takes 1–2 hours. Your complimentary InfoPack is full of ideas for getting the most out of your free time.

Please check out our " St. Petersburg Add On" if you wish to commence your trip in St. Petersburg
No Meals.

After breakfast one of our local expert staff will meet you at the hotel to take you on a three hour walking tour round the highlights – you’ll use public transport around the centre to avoid the traffic jams and get the hang of the system for when you come to use it independently. Our staffers are full of ideas for this walk but are flexible about other ideas if you have your own. Your walk ends in the city centre around lunchtime. If you haven’t prebooked any of our range of city excursions the rest of the day is your own to explore further. Some of our top suggestions (please check opening times/days before setting off) would include visiting the Moscow Kremlin, the Tretyakov Gallery, the Pushkin Fine Arts Museum, or a boat trip along the Mosvka River… perhaps locate some tickets for ballet, opera, circus or a concert this evening? As well as famous classical music traditions Moscow
features on the touring schedules of world names in jazz, rock, pop and world music.

Breakfast.

You’ll need to check out of your room by 12 noon today but the hotel offers a left luggage service for a small fee. Your day is free until 2pm when a driver is scheduled to take you to the station. This morning you can continue sightseeing – the Lenin Mausoleum is only open in the mornings, and getting there early (it’s in Red Square) helps beat the queues. Although there’s a restaurant car service on board your train you may want to supplement this with some snacks, treats, and fresh fruit that you could buy today. Your transfer from the hotel to Yaroslavsky station is scheduled for 2pm, so please be at the hotel reception where your driver will meet you and will assist your boarding of the Ekaterinburg bound train.

Breakfast.

Your first full day on board the Trans-Sib... travelling through the Ural Mountains. There will be plenty of time to meet fellow travellers and hang out in the dining car which serves a variety of drinks, snacks and reasonably priced meals. Evening arrive in Ekaterinburg where our driver will meet you at the end of the platform and will be holding a meeting-board with your name on. Transfer to Hotel Suite which is centrally located.

No Meals.

After breakfast there’s a walking tour around the well known and less obvious attractions of Ekaterinburg, with a local expert guide. You’ll visit the historical centre of the city including the scene of the assassination of the Romanov Royal Family on which a Cathedral now stands to mark the event. You’ll also see something of Ekaterinburg’s involvement in Russia’s military history. The last half hour will be spent at The Museum of Gems. The tour ends in the downtown area (we make sure you know the way back!), where you are presented with multiple lunch choices and a free afternoon to explore independently.

Breakfast.

(Geographical note: Ekaterinburg has borders on both the Western and Eastern sides of town… to the West is the official border between Europe & Asia, and to the East of Ekaterinburg is where Siberia officially begins.) The Siberian border was more than symbolic in the C19th – it delineated an area where a more rough and ready system of justice operated, where escaped serfs who had run away from their masters could legally claim sanctuary. For oppressed religious minorities, escaped serfs and others, the one way trip to Siberia was, ironically, the “highway of hope”.

Please make a choice of one of the day trip options. They’re included in the trip price! ( please note the Siberian weather puts seasonal limits on some activities – details below).

Breakfast, lunch.

A. ROMANOV GRAVES (Europe/Asia Border Monument en-route). Car excursion to site where the Romanov bodies were hidden. Duration; 5–6 hours. No physical exertion involved. Light lunch provided. Year round.

B. SIBERIAN COUNTRYSIDE & HISTORIC VILLAGE Visit to an old village (145 km each way) now under a Preservation Order. Includes home-cooked lunch, exhibitions of local craft, horse cart riding. Duration; 8–9 hours. No physical exertion involved. Year round.

C. SKIING At Ezhovaya Slopes Ski Resort. Skis/Poles/Lift-Pass package purchasable locally approx £35 payable in roubles. No instruction is included – this program is for those who can already ski. Duration; 6 –7 hours. Lunch provided. 01 December– 28 February. Weather permitting.

D. ICE-FISHING Yes, you saw the cartoons, now you can try it yourself. Tackle, angler’s hints & fur coat provided. We don’t guarantee you’ll catch anything! Duration; 8 hours. Lunch provided. 15 November– 15 December. 01 February–15 March. Weather permitting.

E. SIBERIAN HUSKY DOG SLEDDING Exactly what it says! 3–4 hours sledding
following a made track through the forest. No special fitness required, but be ready to fall-off in the soft snow a few times, they’re pretty fast! At the end of your trip
you will visit the famous Europe-Asia border. Duration; 7–8 hours. Lunch provided. 15 November–28 December. 16 January–28 February. Weather permitting.

Check out of your room after midnight. Transfer to the station where you will board the Harbin bound train. On board The Trans-Sib… travelling towards Irkutsk. The dining car is the heart of social life on the train. It functions as bar, lounge, and take-out snack store, as well as a café serving reasonably priced meals. It is a great place to meet fellow travellers and locals alike sharing your experiences of your journey so far with a few drinks, which no doubt will include some Vodka – and maybe smoked salmon and caviar too! Along the way you’ll see astonishing Siberian scenery as the deciduous forests of the Ural Mountains slowly give way to Siberian pine forests. The major landmarks are the great rivers you cross, including the River Ob at Novosibirsk (one of the most famous bridges on the route), and the gigantic Enisei River (at Krasnoyarsk).

No Meals.