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Extend your 'Voyage of a Lifetime by Private Train' and explore more of Russia and Mongolia with one of our tour extensions. Available for passengers travelling on the Trans-Siberian Express and Silk Road tours. |
Moscow City Tour (1 Day Tour) |
For passengers travelling Eastbound on the Trans-Siberian Express, the Moscow City Tour will include:
- Novodevichy Convent with entrance to the museum and cemetery. The red and white crenellated walls and golden domes of Novodevichy Convent make it one of Moscow's most attractive monasteries.
- Vorobyov Hills observation platform offering a panorama of Moscow including the Kremlin and Novodevichy Convent.
- A tour of Moscow's underground metro system - Moscow's Metro stations were designed by prominent Russian architects, artists and sculptors. Their great talent and decorative skills created an underground network of great artistic value.
- Arbat Street - Free time for shopping on one of the oldest streets in Moscow. Old Arbat is now a picturesque pedestrianised shopping street.
- Lunch in a local restaurant
- Tretyakov State Gallery. A national treasury of Russian fine art and one of the greatest museums in the world.
- A boat trip on the Moscow River (optional, depending on time availability)
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For passengers travelling Westbound on the Trans-Siberian Express, the Moscow City Tour will include:
- A group visit to the Kremlin Armoury Palace
- Tretyakov State Gallery. A national treasury of Russian fine art and one of the greatest museums in the world.
- A tour of Moscow's underground metro system - The Metro stations were designed by prominent Russian architects, artists and sculptors. Their great talent and decorative skills created an underground network of great artistic value.
- Lunch in a local restaurant
- A boat trip on the Moscow River
- Arbat Street - Free time for shopping on one of the oldest streets in Moscow. Old Arbat is now a picturesque pedestrianised shopping street.
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N.B - Novodevichy Convent and Vorobyov Hills Observation are already included in the main tour for westbound groups on arrival into Moscow. |
| Duration: |
8 Hours |
| Meals Included: |
Lunch |
| Guide and Transportation: |
English Speaking Guide and Private Car/Minivan |
| N.B - This tour require 1 extra night accommodation in Moscow (not included in the price) |
Yasnaya Polyana (1 Day Tour) |
Lev (Leo) Tolstoy was born in Yasnaya Polyana in 1828 and lived here for around 60 years. Located 12km South West of Tula, it was in Yasnaya Polyana that Tolstoy wrote many of his great books and philosophical essays, including the most famous and celebrated 'War and Peace' and 'Anna Karenina'. Despite this, Tolstoy was not destined to die in his home. On a stormy night in the autumn of 1910 he left his home to seek out a simpler form of life, abandoning all of his material wealth. However, on his journey that night, he became ill and died in a small train station in Astapovo, although he is now buried in Yasnaya Polyana. Immediately after Tolstoy's death, the estate was designated as his memorial museum and contains many of Tolstoy's personal belongings, as well as his library of 22,000 volumes. |
| Duration: |
11 hours (Includes 4-5 Hours drive to Yasnaya Polyana |
| Meals Included: |
Lunch |
| Guide & Transportation: |
English speaking guide & Car/Minivan |
| N.B - This tour requires 1 extra night accommodation in Moscow (Not included in cost) |
Sergiev Posad (1 Day Tour) |
| Located 45 miles North of Moscow, Sergiev Posad is a town that deserves a special visit. Despite the incredible number of old towns in the Moscow region, Sergiev Posad is the only one that is always included in the famous Golden Ring excursions. Sergiev Posad is home to one of the greatest Russian monasteries, Troitse-Sergieva Lavra (The Trinity of St Sergius Lavra). |
| Duration: |
7 Hours |
| Meals Included: |
Lunch |
| Guide & Transportation: |
English speaking guide & Car/Minivan |
| N.B - This tour requires 1 extra night accommodation in Moscow (Not included in Cost) |
The Golden Ring (2 Day Tour) |
Sergiev Posad - Vladimir - Suzdal |
The Golden Ring is a ring of cities North-East of Moscow. These ancient towns, which played a significant role in the formation of the Russian Orthodox Church, preserve the memory of the most important and significant events in Russian history. These towns have been called 'open air museums' and feature unique examples of Russian architecture dating back to the 12th century, including kremlins, monasteries, cathedrals and churches. These towns are among the most picturesque in Russia and prominently feature Russia's onion domes. |
Sergiev Posad is one of the oldest Russian cities and the spiritual heart of the country. It is a beautiful city, known during the Soviet era as Zagorsk, with ancient churches and monasteries. It is the official residence of the Patriach of the Russian Orthodox Church. |
Fabulously ancient and wonderfully adorned, the town of Suzdal occupies a special place among other Russian towns and is one of Russia's most perfectly preserved walled cities, dating back to 1024. The entire town is a museum where over 100 monuments, dating from different periods, are clustered including the atmospheric St Euthymius Monastery. |
The city of Vladimir is one of the oldest Russian communities. It is located in the heart of the historic Vladimir region (Vladimirskaya Oblast) 115 miles northeast of Moscow on the banks of the Klyazma River. Among many other attractions, the city is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site where you can visit the Golden Gates, Vladimir's un-official symbol, and the Assumption and St Demetrius Cathedrals. |
| Meals Included: |
2 Lunches & 1 Dinner |
| Guide & Transportation: |
English speaking guide & Car/Minivan |
| Hotel Accommodation included in the itinerary: Overnight at the Hotel Russian Village (or similar), Vladimir. Located approximately 7.5 miles from the city centre, the 3* Russian Village Hotel is set in a peaceful location, amidst pretty landscapes. There are 24 guest rooms available. The rooms are comfortable and cosy with standard facilities available. The price of the hotel is included in the overall Golden Ring tour price. |
| N.B - This tour requires 1 extra night accommodation in Moscow (Not included in cost) |
Extra Hotel Nights |
Moscow |
| Extra hotel nights are available at the 5* Hotel Marriott Aurora allowing you to discover all that Moscow has to offer. |
St Petersburg Extension (4 Day Tour) |
| The Imperial City of St Petersburg is one of the world's most beautiful cities. St Petersburg is crowded with splendid palaces, impressive historical monuments, tree-lined avenues and beautiful bridges. |
| The Itinerary Includes: |
- A full day excursion in central St Petersburg, with a visit to The State Hermitage Museum and Treasure Gallery - one of the largest and most impressive art collections in the world. The State Hermitage Museum was founded on the original 18th Century collection of Empress Catherine the Great and is housed in the magnificent Baroque Winter Palace and 3 other majestic buildings along the Neva River embankment. The excursion also includes a visit to St Isaak's Cathedral. Built in the first half of the 19th Century by French architect Auguste Monteferrand, this enormous cathedral features impressive solid granite columns, incredibly detailed mosaic icons, a magnificent gilded dome and the most impressive views of the city from its high colonnade. The tour also visits the Peter and Paul Fortress - the oldest structure in St Petersburg, built to protect Peter the Great's northern city from the threat of Swedish attack. Now the emblem of the city, the fortress is the resting place of many of the Russian Tsars. Lunch is included.
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- An excursion to the Grand Palace and Gardens in Peterhoff - the luxurious Imperial Palace and estate built in 1710 on the shore of the Gulf of Finland by Peter the Great. Known as 'The Russian Versailles', the palace features some incredibly restored interiors and magnificent grounds with statues, pavillions and fountains.
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- A day visit to Catherine's Palace with the Amber Room in Pushkin - A splendid, Baroque palace, built in the early 18th century by the famous Italian Rastrelli. Despite being virtually destroyed by Nazi bombing during World War II, the palace has been almost entirely restored and its lavish period interiors painstakingly recreated. Lunch at Podvorye - a traditional Russian restaurant is included.
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| Duration: |
4 Days/3 Nights |
| Meals Included: |
2 Lunches |
| Transportation: The price of the tour includes a train ticket or flight ticket between Moscow and St Petersburg. |
If travelling by train, we will travel on-board the Aurora Express Fast Evening Train (In Business Class, including a meal)
Eastbound Trans-Siberian Express Tour (pre-tour) - to join the group in Moscow from St Petersburg
Depart St Petersburg 1600hrs. Arrive Moscow 2121hrs (5hrs 21 mins)
Westbound Trans-Siberian Express Tour (post-tour) - to leave group in Moscow.
Depart Moscow 1630hrs. Arrive St Petersburg 2145hrs (5hrs 15 mins) |
| If travelling by aeroplane, an economy class seat between Moscow and St Petersburg will be included in the tour cost. |
| N.B - This tour requires 3 nights hotel accommodation in St Petersburg (Not included in cost) |
| Recommended Hotel - 5* Grand Hotel Europe |
| Located on Nevsky Prospekt, St Petersburg's most important and beautiful avenue, the Grand Hotel Europe is surrounded by some of the world's greatest cultural treasures, including the Russian Museum and Mussorgsky Theatre. The Grand Hotel Europe offers its guests gracious elegance and luxurious comfort. The hotel has 301 rooms and suites of truly exceptional quality, complete with handsome period furnishings, tasteful décor and a generous sense of space and comfort. |
Kamchatka Discovery (4 Day Tour) |
(Available from Vladivostok only) |
| Kamchatka offers an abundance of beauty from snowcapped volcanoes and steaming geysers to thermal hot springs. Wildlife abounds in the forest and tundra including the famous Kamchatka brown bears. Guests will have a good chance of taking great, close-up shots of bears fishing for migrating salmon. This tour is especially recommended for those customers interested in nature. |
| Flight time between Kamchatka and Vladivostok is 2 hours. This tour is not recommended for those with walking difficulties. |
| Recommended time to travel: |
August and September. Other dates can be done on request. |
The Itinerary Includes:
- Geyser Valley helicopter flights over volcanoes
- Nachinskoye Lake helicopter trip for wild bears watching
- Boat trip round Petropavlovsk Bay with ocean fishing
- Hot Springs bathing
- Opportunity to explore this remote, wild and beautiful part of Russia separated by a string of islands from the north of Alaska
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| Duration: |
4 Days/3 Nights |
| Meals Included: |
2 Lunches & 3 Dinners |
| Hotel Accommodation: |
3 nights in the 'Datch Rossinka Lodge (or similar) |
| N.B - This tour may require 1 night hotel accommodation in Vladivostok (dependent upon flight times) |
| N.B - The Kamchatka programme is extremely dependent on weather conditions in Kamchatka |
Gobi Desert Discovery (5 Day Tour) |
(Available from Ulaan Baatar only) |
Formed from what was once a large inland sea – the Gobi desert stretches 3000 miles across two thirds of Mongolia and Northern China. |
| Recommended time to travel: |
July -
After the 'Naadam Festival' tour
Before 'Mongolia and the Russian Far East' tour |
The Itinerary Includes:
- Flight from Ulaan Baatar to the Gobi Desert (1 hour) and a 2 hour transfer from the airport by Jeep to the Ger Lodge.
- Travel by Jeep on a fascinating tour of the surreal glowing orange colours of the 'Flaming Cliffs' and a chance to meet a traditional Nomadic family.
- A full day trip around Gobi - Yol Am (Eagle Valley) Canyon. There is an optional light hiking opportunity into the canyon towards the glacier for which it is famous.
- A day trip to Moltsog Els sand dunes, which are known as the 'singing dunes' due to the tonnes of sand which shift in the wind and make a strange sound similar to that of distant aircraft. These are Mongolia's largest sand dunes.
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| Duration: |
5 Days/4 Nights |
| Meals Included: |
5 Lunches & 5 Dinners |
| Transportation: |
Flight ffrom Ulaan Baatar to the Gobi Desert is included |
| Hotel Accommodation: |
4 nights accommodation is included (3 nights in the Ger Camp and 1 night in the Kempinski Hotel in Ulaan Baatar |
| The Kempinski Hotel Khan Palace is one of the best addresses in Ulaan Baatar offering guests superior services and standards combined with traditional Mongolian hospitality. |
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