Trans-Siberian trip from Beijing to Moscow 16 days

Arrival in Beijing. Transfer to your hotel. Beijing is home to millions of small shops and street traders, the place to shop for souvenirs and bargains. Enjoy your first opportunity to wander explore the streets and to taste the delicious Chinese food in all its variations. Accommodation at the hotel.

"Option: train travel 1st class"

Option : Train - 1st class

After breakfast, you will visit the Forbidden City, the Tiananmen Square and the Hutongs, the traditional old city in Beijing where you can hop an a Rickshaw and visit a local family with your local guide. Accommodation at the hotel.

After breakfast, your guide will take you to one of the most powerful symbols of ancient Chinese civilization – the Great Wall of China, stretching 6,350 km. It took more than one million people and ten years to build the Great Wall of China, designed as a defensive structure. In 1987 it was added to the list of UNESCO world heritage sites. You will visit the less crowded Mutianyu section. A cable car takes you to a good section (avoiding a very steep climb), where you can walk along the wall, through the watch towers and enjoy superb views as it snakes across the hills and mountains. You can return by cable car, walk down or walk along the wall for about an hour to descend by chairlift. Wear good walking shoes and protection from the weather. The second part of the trip will take you to the Temple of Heaven. Built in 1420 during the Ming Dynasty, the Temple of Heaven is a complex of Taoist buildings where emperors of Ming and Qing dynasties visited for annual ceremonies of pray for good harvests. Overnight stay at the hotel.

After breakfast, you will board the famous Trans-Mongolian train direction Ulaanbaatar. You will follow the great wall and have a magnificent view of the Gobi desert. Enter into a new culture, welcome to Mongolia. Food can be bought at the restaurant carriage. Overnight on board of the train.

After arrival in Ulaanbaatar, you will explore the historic city with your local guide. Amongst other places, you will visit the palace of Bogdo Khan and the Gandan abbey. After the tour, transfer to your hotel. Enjoy a famous and very high quality folklore show in the evening including the famous throat singing. Accommodation at the hotel.

Transfer to Terelj National Park, home to goats and yaks that hungrily munch away on the edelweiss growing on the alpine pastures. Your local guide will introduce you to the Nomadic way of life of still many Mongolians today. On a jeep, you will travel to a Mountain Camp in a remote area at Terelj National Park, one of the most beautiful landscapes of the world, where you will sleep in gers (traditional but modern Mongolian yurt, full board included) and enjoy a hike in the hills. Visit of Turtle rock and Buddhist Hanging Temple.

In the morning, you can explore the surroundings on a ride through the grasslands. You will also visit a Mongolian family living in gers at their Summer place, where you can taste local meals. In the afternoon, transfer back to Ulaanbaatar and boarding of the train direction Irkutsk. Overnight on board of the train.

Morning arrival in Irkutsk and transfer to your hotel. Irkutsk is also called ‘Paris’ of Siberia for its pulsing street life and people’s elegant clothes. Still a major trade centre for furs, Irkutsk enjoys today a certain economic wealth. Short but hot summers and very cold winters, however, make life here a real challenge. During a tour of Irkutsk, your guide will tell you about the development of this Siberian city’s evolution and shows the most interesting sights and peculiar features of one of the most beautiful cities in Russia. You will see beautiful Russian Orthodox churches, a Polish Cathedral (the only Siberian Gothic-style building), many wooden houses or cabins that are decorated with “wooden laces” (hand-made carvings) as well as modern constructions of the 20th century and visit the Decembrist House. Accommodation at the hotel.

After breakfast, transfer to Listvyanka, a small fisher village on the shore of lake Baikal. On a stroll around the village you will visit the church of St. Nicolas, walk to Chersky viewing point where you can enjoy a fabulous view on the lake and the Angara-River (if clear weather) and visit the Limnological museum (Baikal museum). Your home is a typical Siberian wooden chalet near the lake where local food will be prepared by your host. A Russian steam bath right on the shore of the lake invites to experience a typical Russian sauna (optional, not included).

The morning is at your leisure. You can also book a boat trip on the lake Baikal (not included if less than 4 persons). You will leave Listvyanka around midday and visit the Wooden Architecture Museum of Tsaltsy on the way back to Irkutsk, where typically old churches, shaman houses and a fortress have been rebuilt in original style. Accommodation at the hotel.

In the morning, catch the train direction Moscow. The whole day on the Trans-Siberian train passing various villages alongside countless birch- and broadleaf forests. Enough time to enjoy a cup of hot tea from the samovar, to read, talk and relax. Overnight on board of the train.

Whole day and overnight on board of the Trans-Siberian train.

Whole day and overnight on board of the Trans-Siberian train.

Morning arrival in Moscow, Russia’s bustling capital. Transfer to your hotel. Afterwards, city tour of Moscow’s famous sights including the Red Square, Basilius cathedral, GUM, Novodevichy Convent, the ancient KGB buildings, the Lenin state library and the Lomonosov Moscow State University (MGU). Visit the Kremlin – a symbol of power and might of the vast Russian lands – with it’s impressive churches and the Armoury Chamber on the Kremlin grounds which contains a unique collection of Royal Russian and international jewellery including thrones, crowns, carriages, costumes, gold and silverware, all lavishly studded with precious stones. Optional in the evening: visit of a ballet, concert, opera or the famous Moscow Circus. Tickets on request (not included). Accommodation at the hotel.

After breakfast, visit the famous Arbat street, Moscow’s lively pedestrian area to do some shopping, discover the Moscow metro, famous for its palatial marble stations with mosaics, chandeliers and precious materials and marvel at the great collection of Russian fine art at Tretyakov-Gallery. Optional in the evening: visit of a ballet, concert, opera or the famous Moscow Circus. Tickets on request (not included). Accommodation at the hotel.

Depending on your departure time, you will have some time to enjoy the city on your own. Transfer to the airport.