Le Grand 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 Listvyanka village at Lake Baikal shores // 2 nights Yekaterinburg // 1 night Kazan // 1 night with early check-in Nizhny Novgorod // 1 night Vladimir // 1 night Yaroslavl // 1 night Suzdal
• 3 nights in Moscow // 4 nights in 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 (except the day of arrival in Ulaanbaatar: on this day only lunch and dinner included)
• Buryat lunch in Irkutsk (or at Lake Baikal) // Siberian lunch at the Taltsy museum // Tatar cooking master-class with lunch in Kazan
• Degustation of Medovukha (lunch) in Suzdal, 1 lunch in Vladimir
• Chinese tea ceremony in Beijing (on day 2) // Russian tea ceremony in Gorodets (on Day 16)
• Trains have a dining car for your comfort
• Group tour: Farewell dinner

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 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 Vladimir & Bogolyubovo by bullet train, standard class, 4 hours ride

• from Moscow to St. Petersburg by bullet train, standard class, 4 hours ride. Please inquire about business or 1st class upgrade and flight options

• 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 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 Vladimir & Bogolyubovo by train fare economy

• from Moscow to St. Petersburg by train fare economy

• 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.
• Private return airport/train station transfers
• Meet & greet at the airports/train stations
• 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

Sightseeing

• Beijing full day (8 hours) guided tour: Tiananmen Square with the National Flag Pole, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven and the Chinese traditional medicine center
• Beijing full day (8 hours) guided tour: Summer Palace, the hike on Great Wall (Cable car is available and optional)
• Terelj National Park full day guided tour: Turtle Rock, Temple of Aryavalokiteshvara, Aryabal Monastery, Praying Lama Rock
• Terelj National Park and Ulaanbaatar full day guided tour: Chinggis Khaan Statue Complex, Zaisan Memorial, Buddha Garden, Tumen Ekh-traditional folklore concert
• Ulaanbaatar half-day guided tour: Gandan Monastery, National History Museum
• Lake Baikal (Listvyanka) full day (8 hours) guided tour: Shaman rock, Baikal Museum of Limnology, Chersky Stone observation point (Cable car), local souvenir market, boat cruise
• Irkutsk full day (8 hours) guided tour: St. Epiphany Cathedral, Kirov Square, Taltsy Museum // Yekaterinburg full day (8 hours) guided tour: Ganina Yama Monastery, Museum of Minerals, Church of All Saints, Europe-Asia Border, the UMMC military museum
• Kazan full day (8 hours) guided tour: the Kul Sharif Mosque, the Kazan Kremlin, Old Tatar Sloboda // Nizhny Novgorod full day (8 hours) guided city tour // Gorodets full day (8 hours) guided city tour
• Vladimir and Bogolyubovo full day (8 hours) guided tour: the Dormition Cathedral, the architectural complex of the Cathedral of St. Dimitriy, Intercession Church on the Nerl
• Yaroslavl half-day (4 hours) guided tour: the main cathedrals // Rostov the Great half-day (4 hours) guided tour: the Rostov Kremlin, master class on national crafts
• Suzdal half-day guided tour: Kremlin and the ensemble of the Monastery of Saint Euthymius, Museum of Wooden Architecture, master class on national crafts
• 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
• 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 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
• 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
• Full-day (8 hours) guided tour of St. Petersburg; Highlights include the Royal Palace of Peterhof, the Peter and Paul Fortress and Cathedral, boat cruise
• Pushkin/Tsarskoe Selo day (6 hours) guided tour: Catherine’s palace & Amber room

Entrance tickets & visas

• Entrance tickets to all included sightseeing attractions (except optional)
• Russian Visa supporting documents, including an official visa invitation letter, and step-by-step guide on how to apply for your visa
• Mongolian visa supporting documents
• Chinese visa supporting documents

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