TRAIN MOSCOW-VLADIVOSTOK 14 Days

ИНДИВИДУАЛЬНЫЙ ТУРИСТИЧЕСКИЙ СЕРВИС INDIVIDUAL TOURIST SERVICE Малая Морская ул., 17 190000 Санкт-Петербург 17, Malaya Morskaya str. 190000 Saint-Petersburg Тел/Факс +7 (812) 3268660, 7034434 / 3268659 Tel/Fax +7 (812) 3268660, 7034434 / 3268659

TRAIN MOSCOW-VLADIVOSTOK 14 days

ROUTE: Moscow – Kazan – Yekaterinburg – Novosibirsk – Irkutsk – Lake Baikal – Ulan Ude – Khabarovsk – Vladivostok

Tour dates: 10 – 23 MAY 2018 19 JULY – 01 AUGUST 2018

Russia is a mysterious country and many tried to understand it but even Lev Tolstoy and Fyodor Dostoyevsky wrote about the Russian restless soul torn between oriental traditions and western civilization. To understand Russia one should get on a train and cross it from the West to the East. For this purpose the Trans-Siberian Railway will be perfect — the most famous railway in the world — the path to the heart of Russia. Thousands of kilometers from the shores of the Baltic Sea to the Pacific Ocean — you will hear the beating of the iron heart, what it is silent about, what it is inspired by. Just trust the road and the country will reveal its unexpected sides. You will see Russia in all its historical greatness, in the mixture of cultures and fortunes, in the architectural splendor and extravagance unifying different people and religions. You start your journey is the ancient and mysterious Moscovia. Visit to the Moscow Kremlin which is a symbol of the Russian State, one of the greatest architectural complexes in the world, a treasure house of magnificent relics and monuments of art, walk along the Arbat Street, visit to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior will make this stop unforgettable. The journey continues and next stop is Kazan — the capital of the medieval Khanate of Kazan, the place which connected Christianity and Islam. Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk — each city conceals many secrets. It was here where the history of Russian State was made, history full of contradictions.

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Lake Baikal is one of the major highlights of the trip. In local legends it calls the sacred sea. It is located in the center of the Asia on the border of Irkutsk Oblast and Republic of Buryatia. It’s the deepest lake on the planet and the largest natural reservoir of fresh water.

Ulan-Ude — another Russian city on this journey but people living there have different faces, religion, traditions and cuisine. They are native Siberians (Buryats). After that you will spend 3 very relaxing days on board of our train enjoying the scenery, tasty Russian cuisine, concerts of live music and table-top games. The last stop of the journey is Vladivostok. City tour around Vladivostok including main attractions of the city, lunch in a sea food restaurant and excursion to Russky Island by car are waiting for you. You’ll cross the two enormous bridges across the Golden Horn Bay and Eastern Bosporus Strait, the latter is the largest cable-stayed bridge in Russia. Now you have a chance to watch the large international business center, Far Eastern University’s campus, which has united Vladivostok’s four largest universities, view points to see local shores with fantastic hills, relict forests, beaches with picturesque coastal landscapes, azure bays.

Tour Description Day 1 — Moscow  Transfer from airport to a hotel.  Accommodation in a standard room.

Day 2 — Moscow  Breakfast at the hotel.  Grand сity tour.  Lunch.

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 Visit to the Moscow Kremlin which is a symbol of the Russian State, one of the greatest architectural complexes in the world, a treasure house of magnificent relics and monuments of art.  Walk along the Arbat Street, visiting the Cathedral of Christ the Savior and sightseeing tour of Moscow metro stations.  Welcome to the «Imperial Russia» train.  Depart Moscow.  Welcome dinner.

Day 3 — Kazan  Breakfast on board.  Arriving to Kazan railway station.  Grand city tour «Old Kazan» (the Tatar capital is situated on the picturesque banks of the Volga).  Within folklore program «Tugan Avalim» you will enjoy Tatar epic.  Kazan sightseeing (Kremlin).  Lunch including a master class revealing the secret of Tatar cuisine.  Depart Kazan.  Dinner on board.

Day 4 — Yekaterinburg  Breakfast on board.  Train arrives in Yekaterinburg railway station.  City tour dedicated to the last days of last Russian tsar. As part of the excursion you will see the Church on Blood erected to commemorate a tragic historical event, the orthodox monastery with temples that are considered to be pearls of Russian construction.  Lunch.

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 You will visit the memorial built at the boundary of two continents (the Europe and Asia).  Depart Yekaterinburg.  Dinner on board.

Day 5 — Novosibirsk  Breakfast on board.  Train arrives in Novosibirsk.  Lunch.  Sightseeing tour: Railway Museum, Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theatre, ancient streets, Ob River esplanade.  City tour continued.  Dinner.  Depart Novosibirsk.

Day 6 — on board  Enjoy activities on board.

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 Meals on board.

Day 7 — Irkutsk  Breakfast on board.  Train arrives at Irkutsk railway station.  Tour to the historical city center including a visit to the Decembrists’ Museum, the «wooden lace» house, also called the «House of Europe», the most beautiful and amazing streets of the city — Bolshaya Prospektnaya, today — Karl Marx street.  Lunch at a city restaurant.  Visit to the Taltsy Museum of Architecture and Ethnography which is located in a picturesque place on the right bank of the Angara River.  Free time at the 130 Quarter — Irkutskaya Sloboda, a quarter with reconstructed city buildings of the 19-20 century.  Dinner in a restaurant.  Depart Irkutsk.

Day 8 — Lake Baikal  Breakfast on board.  Arrival in port Baikal.  Boat to Listvyanka.  Platform observation, Chersky Stone observation point with beautiful view on the southern part of the lake and the source of the Angara River is one of the most favorite places for tourists and photographers.  Visit to Baikal Museum which displays the flora and fauna of the lake.  Listvyanka sightseeing.  Lunch.  Visit to local fish and souvenir market.  Return to port Baikal.  Dinner in the form of a picnic on the shore of the lake.

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Day 9 — Ulan-Ude  Breakfast on board.  Arriving to Ulan-Ude.  Ethnic and cultural diversity of this area offers a unique understanding of its heritage of the world’s religions. Visit a local Datsan.  You will be welcomed in a Buryat yurt: excursion includes a traditional Buryat folklore program. Hospitable Buryats will teach you how to cook the traditional Buryat dish pozy, how to play dice, use a bow, wear a traditional Buryat costume, assemble and disassemble a felt yurt.  Sightseeing tour of this unique city, a convenient location in both strategic and economics ways on the cross-roads of Russia with China and Mongolia.  Depart Ulan-Ude.  Dinner on board.

Day 10 — on board  Enjoy activities on board .  Meals on board.

Day 11 — on board  Enjoy activities on board.  Meals on board.

Day 12 — Khabarovsk  Breakfast on board.  Arrive Khabarovsk.  Sightseeing tour of the city including visit to the Museum of the Regional Studies.

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 Lunch in a restaurant.  Boat trip on the river with a folk concert.  Master class on matreshka painting.  Dinner in a restaurant.  Departure from Khabarovsk.

Day 13 — Vladivostok  Breakfast on board.  Arrival in Vladivostok.  City tour around Vladivostok including main attractions of the city: view point at Egersheld and Lighthouse at Egersheld cape, Railway Station and Marine Station, Central Square with the Monument to the Fighters for Soviet Power, historical center of Vladivostok, Svetlanskaya Street, Nikolai’s Triumphal Arch, Ships’ Quay, Memorial Submarine S-56 Museum.  Lunch in a restaurant.  Excursion to Russky Island by car. You’ll cross the two enormous bridges across the Golden Horn Bay and Eastern Bosporus Strait, the latter of which would be a largest cable-stayed bridge upon its completion. Russky Island is opened for Primorye capital’s residents and guests, the proximity to the city and convenient transportation turned it to one of the most popular recreation places. The island was significantly transformed after holding the APEC summit on its territory in autumn 2012. Now you have a chance to watch the large international business center, where summit’s main activities will take place, Far Eastern University’s campus, which has united Vladivostok’s four largest universities, view points from where you can see Primorye shores with fantastic hills, relict forests, beaches with picturesque coastal landscapes, azure bays.  Transfer to a hotel.  Dinner in a restaurant.

Day 14 — Vladivostok  Breakfast in the hotel.  Transfer from hotel to the airport.

Services included:  onboard the Imperial Russia Train;  1 night in a hotel in Moscow and 1 night in a hotel in Vladivostok;  full board, tea/coffee on board throughout the day;  towels, bathrobe and slippers onboard of the Imperial Russia Train;

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 excursions with local guides according to the program (excursions will be conducted in English, German, French and Spanish, other languages are possible upon request);  pick-up at the airports, transfer to hotels and train stations, transfer to the airport;  services of the porter at the hotel and the railway station;  brief informative lectures on the Trans-Siberian Railroad, geography and history of the country visited;  doctor on board, English speaking group leader and tour managers.

Services not included:  flights international and domestic;  the cost of entry visas (Russian Railway Tours is not responsible for passengers who have incorrect or expired visas);  all drinks ordered in the bar car;  «tailor made» excursions (you have possibility to extend your tour, we offer additional excursions in every city within the tour and in other cities of Russia);  meals on the day of arrival, departure;  tips and personal expenses;  insurance (every passanger is oblighed to have a medical insurance for the whole duration of the tour);  vaccination (consult your doctor or medical center for specific health advice due to visit of different countries in terms of this tour).

Cars description: VIP Cars (1 to 2 passengers per compartment) Consists of 5 passenger compartments, 2 seats in each. Berths: one upper, one lower one. A table with an armchair. An LCD TV set. An inbuilt cabinet for clothes and luggage. An individual water closet with a shower booth and a washbowl. An individual air conditioner for heating and cooling the cabin. VIP cars have two-seat compartments with an area larger than two ordinary ones. A compartment has a comfortable transformable sofa and a foldaway upper berth, also en-suite there is a shower cabin and an environmentally friendly toilet.

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Business Class Cars (1 to 2 passengers per compartment) Consists of 6 passenger compartments, 2 seats in each. Berths: one upper, one lower one. A table with an armchair. An LCD TV set. A private en-suite wet room with a washbasin, toilet and shower. An individual air conditioner for heating and cooling the cabin. Business Class cars have two-seat compartments with an area of 5.5 sqm. A compartment has a comfortable transformable sofa and a foldaway upper berth.

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First Class Plus Sleeping Cars (1 to 2 passengers per compartment) Consists of 8 passenger compartments, 2 seats in each. Berths: one upper, one lower one. A table with an armchair. An LCD TV set. An inbuilt clothes cabinet. Between compartments there are four rooms with washbowls and shower cans. In compartment 9 there is an auxiliary room for storing luggage. Two water closets: in the beginning and in the end of the car. The air conditioning system is general, with an option of additional temperature control in each compartment.

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First Class Sleeping Cars (1 to 2 passengers per compartment) Consists of 8 passenger compartments, 2 seats in each. Berths: all lower ones. A table. An LCD TV set. In compartment 9 there is a shower booth with a washbowl. Two water closets: in the beginning and the end of the car. The air conditioning system is general, with an option of additional temperature control in each compartment.