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Trans-Siberian escorted group tours

Trans-Siberian Railway

Trans-Siberian escorted group tours

The bulk of our itineraries are semi-independent trips. Our clients are not escorted on the train but are assisted at each stopover point by our local suppliers. Travel is on the normal services of Russian, Mongolian and Chinese trains and our clients are not booked as ‘groups’.

However some travellers prefer the security and camaraderie of a group trip. There are nowadays a large number of big name companies that offer such trips including Intrepid Travel, Sundowners, Gadventures, Travel Indochina, Peregrine Adventures, Explore and so on. Each company offer slightly different itineraries and appeal to people of different ages and interests. We can help you choose the right tour for you and of course we will assist with all the necessary visas.

Group trips are perfect for:

* single travellers
* first time travellers
* people who enjoy the company of like minds

Please contact us at 1300 654 861 or by e-mail to discuss your options.

Below are two popular group itineraries.

Beijing to Saint Petersburg

Itinerary

Day 1 – Beijing


Arrive at any time.

Day 2 – Beijing


Visit the Great Wall at Mutianyu and soak in the history and scenery.

Day 3 – Beijing


Enjoy a guided tour of the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. Opt to see an acrobatics or kung fu show, visit the Temple of Heaven or Lama Temple, or enjoy a bicycle tour around the city.

Day 4 – Beijing/Ulaanbaatar


Ride the rails through China and into Mongolia. Watch as the landscape changes and make friends with neighbours.

Day 5 – Beijing/Ulaanbaatar


Arrive to Ulaanbaatar and start exploring. Choose to take in a local cultural show or enjoy real Mongolian barbecue.

Day 6 – Ulaanbaatar/Gorkhi Terelj National Park


Enjoy an included city tour with a local guide to learn more about the rich history and culture of Mongolia. Later, leave the metropolis and travel into Mongolia’s Terelj National Park. Enjoy a night in a traditional ger camp.

Exclusive Inclusions:Traditional Ger Stay

Meals included:Dinner

Day 7 – Gorkhi Terelj National Park


Spend the night in a ger camp learning about traditional life.

Exclusive Inclusions:Traditional Ger Stay

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 8 – Gorkhi Terelj National Park/Irkutsk


Head back to Ulaanbaatar for a few hours before boarding the train to Siberia.

Meals included: Breakfast

Day 9 – Ulaanbaatar/Irkutsk


Spend a full day on the train heading deeper into Russia and watching the landscape change.

Day 10 – Irkutsk/Listvyanka


Travel to Listvyanka on the shores of Lake Baikal. Opt to visit Baikal Limnological Museum, enjoy a ‘banya’ (Russian sauna) or take a boat ride on the lake. Learn more about local life with a homestay.

Exclusive Inclusions: Listvyanka Homestay
Meals included: Dinner

Day 11 – Listvyanka/Irkutsk


Head back to Irkutsk for an included city tour of one of the most beautiful cities in Siberia. Take some time to shop like the locals at the Central Market to stay well-fed on the voyage.

Meals included: Breakfast

Day 12 – Irkutsk/Yekaterinburg


Continue on from Irkutsk to Yekaterinburg. Drink with locals in the dining car, buy homemade food on the platform from “babushkas” (Russian grandmothers), read, relax, play cards, meet your fellow passengers, watch the taiga forests go by — this is what the experience is all about!

Day 13 – Irkutsk/Yekaterinburg


Continue on and arrive to the soviet-style city in the Ural Mountain region.

Day 14 – Yekaterinburg


Enjoy a guided tour of Yekaterinburg, including the Church of All Saints on Spilled Blood and the Black Tulip monument.

Meals included: Breakfast

Day 15 – Yekaterinburg/Moscow


Cross from Asia to Europe on this 24hr train from Yekaterinburg to Moscow.

Meals included: Breakfast

Day 16 – Yekaterinburg/Moscow


Arrive to Moscow and start exploring. Take an orientation walk of the metro then opt for a Moskva River boat trip or a visit to Lenin’s Mausoleum, the Tretiakov Gallery or St Basil’s Cathedral.

Day 17 – Moscow


Enjoy a guided Kremlin and Armoury tour before free time to explore.

Day 18 – Moscow/Saint Petersburg


Spend another day in Moscow before an overnight train to St Petersburg.

Day 19 – Saint Petersburg


Arrive in the morning and enjoy a walking tour of the back streets and hidden alleys of St Petersburg.

Day 20 – Saint Petersburg


Visit the Hermitage Museum with free time to continue exploring the “Venice of Russia.”

Meals included: Breakfast

Day 21 – Saint Petersburg


Depart at any time.

Meals included: Breakfast

Moscow to Vladivostok

Itinerary

 

Day 1 – Moscow


Arrive at any time. Want to experience St Petersburg? Contact Us to book your St. Petersburg Add On.

Day 2 – Moscow


Enjoy a guided tour of the Kremlin and Armoury. Spend a free afternoon visiting St Basil’s Cathedral, Red Square, or exploring the fascinating Moscow metro.

Day 3 – Moscow/Suzdal


Travel to Suzdal, one of the bucolic villages in the Golden Ring. Tour the Kremlin and visit a folk village museum. Opt to taste local mead (honey beer).

Meals included:Lunch

Day 4 – Suzdal/Yekaterinburg


Enjoy more time in Suzdal before a drive to nearby Vladimir. Take an orientation walk around the city before boarding a train for the roughly 26hr ride to Yekaterinburg.

Day 5 – Yekaterinburg


Enjoy a full day on the train crossing the Ural Mountains and the border between Europe and Asia. Arrive to Yekaterinburg in the evening.

Day 6 – Yekaterinburg/Irkutsk


Explore the sights around Yekaterinburg, including the Church of All Saints and the Romanov Burial Site. Enjoy free time in this Soviet-style city before boarding the Trans-Siberian for Irkutsk.

Days 7–8 Yekaterinburg/Irkutsk


Wake up to the rhythm of the Trans-Siberian Railway. Spend two full days travelling through the Siberian taiga forests. Make some new friends or catch up on your reading list.

Day 9 – Irkutsk/Listvyanka


Arrive in the morning to Irkutsk and drive to a small town on Lake Baikal, Listvyanka. Enjoy a homestay on the lake and opt to tour the Baikal Limnological Museum or enjoy some relaxing in a banya (Russian sauna).

Exclusive Inclusions: Listvyanka Homestay
Meals included:Dinner

Day 10 – Listvyanka


Spend one more day exploring the surrounding countryside of Lake Baikal wiith the options to go for a boat ride (in summer) or take a short hike.

Meals included:Breakfast | Dinner

Day 11 – Listvyanka/Ulan-Ude


Drive back to Irkutsk for a walking tour of the city including a visit to the fascinating Decembrists Museum where you’ll learn about the revolution the city was built on. In the evening hop an overnight train to Ulan Ude.

Day 12 – Ulan-Ude


Arrive to Ulan Ude, the city with the largest Buddhist population in Russia. Here, learn about the indigenious people, the Buryats, and how they survive in such a harsh environment. Enjoy a local Buryat lunch.

Exclusive Inclusions:Buryat Experience
Meals included:Lunch

Day 13 – Ulan-Ude


Enjoy free time to explore Ulan Ude.

Day 14 – Ulan-Ude/Vladivostok


Board the last train of the trip very early and settle in for the 55 hr ride.

Day 15 – Ulan-Ude/Vladivostok


Watch the scenery go by, practice your newly acquired Russian skills, and relax to the rhythm of the train.

Day 16 – Vladivostok


Arrive in the evening in time for an optional final dinner with the group to recount this truly epic journey.

Day 17 – Vladivostok


Depart at any time.