25 days Trans-Mongolian Beijing to St Petersburg

Accommodation

• 3-, 4- or 5-star hotel of your choice, hand-picked by our staff for their excellent amenities and central location
• 3 nights Beijing // 1 night Ulaanbaatar // 2 nights Lake Baikal/Irkutsk // 2 nights Ekaterinburg // 2 nights Kazan // 2 nights Nizhny Novgorod // 2 nights Moscow // 4 nights St. Petersburg
• 1 night at Terelj National Park in ger camp (yurt)
• 5 nights on board

Meals

• Full breakfast at the hotels (except Day 1) // Full board in Mongolia
• 3 lunches: Buryat lunch at Lake Baikal // Russian lunch in Taltsy with tea and honey degustation // Tatar cooking master-class with lunch in Kazan
• Russian tea ceremony in Gorodets
• Group tour: Farewell dinner
• Trains have a dining car for your comfort

Transportation

• Train 1st class compartment (2-berth) as per itinerary

• from Beijing to Ulaanbaatar - Terelj National Park - Ulaanbaatar by train fare first class

• from Ulaanbaatar - Terelj National Park - Ulaanbaatar to Irkutsk / Lake Baikal by train fare first class

• from Irkutsk / Lake Baikal to Irkutsk comfortable a/c van/bus

• from Irkutsk to Yekaterinburg by train fare first class

• from Yekaterinburg to Kazan by train fare first class

• from Kazan to Nizhny Novgorod by train fare first class

• from Nizhny Novgorod to Moscow sitting bullet train, 3.5 hours ride

• from Moscow to St. Petersburg by train fare first class

• Train 2nd class train compartment as per itinerary

• from Beijing to Ulaanbaatar - Terelj National Park - Ulaanbaatar by train fare economy

• from Ulaanbaatar - Terelj National Park - Ulaanbaatar to Irkutsk / Lake Baikal by train fare economy

• from Irkutsk / Lake Baikal to Irkutsk

• from Irkutsk to Yekaterinburg by train fare economy

• from Yekaterinburg to Kazan by train fare economy

• from Kazan to Nizhny Novgorod by train fare economy

• from Nizhny Novgorod to Moscow by train fare economy

• from Moscow to St. Petersburg by train fare economy

• Meet & greet at the airports/train stations
• Private return airport/train station transfers
• Private transportation on tours as per program in a comfortable a/c car/minivan/bus (except on walking tours)
• Metro pass for Moscow & St. Petersburg
• Superior trains on the route with a/c, heaters and dining carriage for your comfort. 1st class: one place in 2-seats compartment. 2nd class: one place in 4-seats compartment. If you'd like more privacy, we can buy out an entire compartment for you.

Sightseeing

• Beijing full day (8 hours) guided tour: Tiananmen Square with the National Flag Pole, the Monument to the People's Hero, the Chairman Mao Zedong Memorial Hall, the Great Hall of People, the National Museum, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven
• Beijing full day (8 hours) guided tour: Ming Tombs, Jade Carving Factory, the hike on Badaling Great Wall (Cable car is available and optional)
• Full-day guided tour of Terelj National Park: Highlights include Turtle Rock, Temple of Aryavalokiteshvara, Aryabal Monastery, Chinggis Khaan Statue Complex, Praying Lama Rock
• Full-day guided tour of Ulaanbaatar: Highlights include Gandan Monastery, National History Museum, Sukhebaatar Square, Zaisan Memorial, Buddha Garden, Tumen Ekh-traditional folklore concert
• Full-day (8 hours) guided tour of Listvyanka (Lake Baikal): Highlights include Baikal Museum of Limnology, Shaman Rock, Chersky Stone observation point, local souvenir market
• Irkutsk half-day (4 hours) guided tour: St. Epiphany Cathedral, Kirov Square, Taltsy Museum guided tour with national folk performance
• Full-day (8 hours) guided tour of Yekaterinburg: highlights include Ganina Yama Monastery, Church of All Saints, Europe-Asia Border, the Pyzhma military museum
• Full-day (8 hours) guided tour of Kazan: highlights include the Kazan Kremlin, Kul Sharif Mosque, Syumbike tower, Old Tatar village
• Kazan full day (8 hours) guided tour: Kazan Arena, Millennium Bridge, Tatar Sloboda, Mardzhani Mosque, Kaban Lake, Bogoroditsky Monastery, Peter and Paul Cathedral, Bauman Street, Freedom Square
• Gorodets full day (8 hours) guided tour with Russian craft master-class and Russian tea ceremony// Nizhny Novgorod day (6 hours) guided tour: the Kremlin, historic downtown
• Full-day (8 hours) guided tour of Moscow; Highlights include Moscow Kremlin (visiting the Cathedrals and the Armory), the Red Square, St. Basil's Cathedral (outside), Lenin’s Mausoleum (outside), GUM, the Bolshoi Theatre (outside), metro tour
• Full-day (8 hours) guided tour of Moscow: Highlights include the State Tretyakov Gallery, the Novodevichy Convent with the guided tour inside, Sparrow Hills, the VDNKh, the Museum of Cosmonautics, and Stalin's skyscrapers panoramic driving tour
• Pushkin/Tsarskoe Selo day (6 hours) guided tour: Catherine’s palace & Amber room
• Full-day (8 hours) guided tour of St. Petersburg; Highlights include the Winter Palace and the Hermitage, St. Isaac Cathedral, Kazan Cathedral and the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood
• St. Petersburg day (6 hours) guided tour: Royal Palaces of Peterhof, boat cruise

Entrance tickets & visas

• Entrance tickets to all included sightseeing attractions (except optional)
• Chinese, Mongolian and Russian visa letters of invitation (required by the Embassies to grant you the visas) are provided free of charge

We value your comfort

• Dedicated local English-speaking guide in all places as per program
• 24/7 support before and during your trip with us
• Best places to stay, to eat, to go out and have fun - safe and secure with the tour operator that specializes in Russia. Tips already included
• Group tours are fully escorted by a bilingual tour director
• Maximum group size 16 people