Tsar's Gold (Zarengold) Trans-Siberian Express 16 days, 15 nights from 3,560 Bucket list rail journey from Vladivostok to Moscow Embark on an epic railroad adventure, as you traverse the world s largest country by train on the legendary Trans-Siberian Railroad. This Trans-Siberian rail journey combines travel on the Tsar s Gold private train with regular trains, taking you all the way from the Pacific port of Vladivostok to the gleaming capital Moscow. Along the way, see the most spectacular scenery that Russia has to offer, including the incomparable solitude of Lake Baikal. Relax, all the details have been taken care of. All that s left for you to do is sit back and enjoy a voyage that is captivating, comfortable and secure. Our trips are accompanied by an experienced multi-lingual tour director and a physician travelling on the train. A sophisticated on-board program complements a comprehensive excursion and sightseeing package to make your journey truly memorable. The Route
Highlights Traveling the entire length of the Trans-Siberian Railway, which celebrated its centennial in 2016 Touring Vladivostok s busy harbor Bay by vessel Walking in the taiga forest, the pristine home of the Siberian tiger The cities of Vladivostok, Khabarovsk and Ulan-Ude Vladivostok s Oceanarium and submarine museums Beaches of the Amur River. Khechzyr nature reserve Old Believers colony Ivolginsky Datsan Buddhist Monastery Your Itinerary DAY 1 VLADIVOSTOK Arrive in Russia s gateway to the Pacific and refresh at your hotel before an afternoon sightseeing tour. Off-limits to visitors during Soviet times, this port city now invites you to explore. Enjoy the views of Vladivostok s spectacular geography and its rolling hills, and visit the Submarine Museum before attending dinner. You have a once-in-a-lifetime Trans-Siberian railroad tour ahead of you. Overnight: Versailles Best Eastern (or similar). Meals included: lunch (L), dinner (D) DAY 2 PORT OF CALL Vladivostok s fortunes have been inexorably intertwined with the sea. Tour the magnificent harbour by vessel and see firsthand how this busy waterway remains the port city s lifeblood. Then head to the striking tsarist-era central station, where your railroad adventure begins aboard your Trans-Siberian regular train. Did you spot the 9,288 engraved on the pedestal of the sculpture? That s how many kilometers separate you from your final destination, Moscow that s nearly 5,800 miles. Overnight on board. Meals included: breakfast (B), lunch (L) and dinner (D) DAY 3 KHABAROVSK Today you experience the stunning natural beauty of the Mongolian Alps. Picnicking in a yurt in the beautiful outdoors is the perfect way to dine. Try the Mongolian specialty of lamb in milk, with Kumis for those feeling brave: a drink of fermented mare s milk, known as the beer of the nomads. Afterwards, shows offer insight into the horsemanship so central to Mongolian culture, alongside a traditional wrestling match and an archery performance. In the evening, your private train tours onward to the Russian border. DAY 4 TAIGA Tuck in to breakfast to fortify yourself before an excursion to the nearby Khechzyr nature reserve. Stroll through lush evergreen landscapes. Heavenly. This is the taiga, the pristine country still home to Siberian tigers. Overnight: Parus Best Eastern (or similar). (BLD)
DAY 5,6 BIG COUNTRY Settle into the rhythm of rail travel, as you head west for the next two days. Freed from the hectic schedule of everyday life, get to know your fellow train passengers over a drink in the dining car. Take the time to catch up on your reading. Or simply enjoy the life-affirming scenery, as the fertile strip of Siberia passes by your window. DAY 7 ULAN UDE Today, bid farewell to Mongolia, as the Russian part of your adventure begins. Your Trans- Siberian train journeys along the green, picturesque valley of the Selenga River. Soon you arrive in Ulan-Ude, the friendly capital of the Republic of Buryatia, Russia, where you stroll through its city streets on a guided tour. DAY 8 IVOLGINSKY BUDDIST MONASTERY Today s excursion takes you to Ivolginsky Datsan, the largest and most important Buddhist monastery in Russia. With its prayer wheels and golden-roofed temple, you might think you re in Tibet. Head back to town, and before the sun sets, board the Tsar s Gold private train. Here, you settle into your snug and secure new home for the rest of your Trans-Siberian rail journey. DAY 9 LAKE BAIKAL Settle into the rhythm of rail travel, as you head west for the next two days. Freed from the hectic schedule of everyday life, get to know your fellow train passengers over a drink in the dining car. Take the time to catch up on your reading. Or simply enjoy the life-affirming scenery, as the fertile strip of Siberia passes by your window. DAY 10 IRKUTSK You ve arrived in popular and historic Irkutsk, one of Siberia s largest cities. Travel light again and leave your luggage securely stowed in your private train. Tour the city s colorful market, theater and two-manor site of the Irkutsk local history museum. Have a relaxed dinner in the evening before bed your hotel room is centrally located. Overnight: Hotel Irkutsk (or similar). (BLD) DAY 11 SIBERIA A day of once-in-a-lifetime views enjoyed from the comfort of your private train. Mountains of forest and mist glisten in the sunlight. Rivers crashing along jagged rocky banks. Huge, imposing skies, shifting in rhythm with the tracks. Living art, in real time on your Trans-Siberian railroad tour. Entertaining lectures on local customs and culture double as social get-togethers between now firm friends, complete with Russian canapés and hospitality.
DAY 12 NOVOSIBIRSK AND HOSPITALITY In Russia, bread is associated with hospitality, and salt with friendship. In the charming city of Novosibirsk, you re welcomed warmly with bread and salt in this tradition. You arrive in Siberia s biggest city at noon and take a tour that includes the majestic river Ob. DAY 13 YEKATERINBURG Yekaterinburg is the historic capital of the ancient Ural Mountain region. Its position on the Asian-European border makes for a city of fascinating influences and combined cultures. You visit the painstakingly preserved city center and fairytale-like Church on Blood, which commemorates the site where the Romanovs, Russia s last Tsar dynasty, were shot by revolutionists. Your train leaves Asia for Europe. DAY 14 KAZAN Today is dedicated to the picturesque and historic Kazan, the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan, on the banks of the Volga. Tour the city s traditional Russian architecture and take in the fascinating stories of the local Kremlin, or castle. You learn about the wild and bloody relations that played out between the Tatars, Cossacks and Russians, exactly where you re standing. DAY 15 MOSCOW Moscow, one of the most vivid, dynamic and richly-historic cities on Earth. Get up close to the otherworldly and world-famous Kremlin grounds and experience its magnificent cathedrals and interiors. After dinner, you take in the opulence and color of Moscow at night on a tour that includes the almost dream-like Red Square and famously palatial subway stations. Relax after your urban adventure in your central and comfortable top-range hotel. Overnight: InterContinental Tverskaya (or similar). (BLD) DAY 16 MOSCOW, THEN HOME Wake up to a morning in cosmopolitan Moscow. Today you see the surreal and candy-cane Russian masterpieces of St. Basil s Cathedral and Novodevichy Convent. You visit the lovingly reconstructed Cathedral of Christ the Savior and pass by the notorious former KGB headquarters, the imposing architecture of the Soviet-era White House and Lomonossov University, before bidding farewell to this bold and charismatic city. Finally, transfer for your flight back home and the time to sit back and reflect. You ve explored China to Russia by train. Here s to life-changing journeys. What an incredible adventure it s been. (B)
Compartments Cat. V - Bolshoi Platinum The Bolshoi Platinum compartment provides almost 77 sq ft (7.15 m²) of space, even more than the Bolshoi compart-ment. The lower bed measures ca. 47.2 72.4 in. (120 184 cm), the upper meas-ures ca. 32.3 68.5 in. (82 174 cm). Each compartment has a spacious wardrobe and its own lavatory outfitted with a sepa-rate shower cabin. This category, offering the highest level of comfort available on the Trans-Siberian Railway, contains only five compartments per car for a maximum of just 10 guests.
Cat. IV - Bolshoi This category offers 60 sq ft (5.57 m²) of space. It has two beds, with the upper measuring 31.5 68.5 in. (80 174 cm) and the lower measuring 43.3 72.4 in. (110 184 cm). This compartment also offers comfortable seating, a table and a small wardrobe. The Bolshoi category has its own lavatory equipped with toilet, washing basin, and integrated shower with shower curtain. This category has only six compartments per car.
Cat. III - Nostalgic Comfort This category offers the opportunity to truly travel in the style of the red tsars, in a nostalgic ambience that would even make past Soviet leaders feel at home but with the 21st century s modern ameni-ties. Each of these rolling hotel rooms offers not only two comfortable beds measuring ca. 31.5 72.8 in. (80 185 cm), placed one above the other, but also an armchair to enjoy the passing landscape in comfort. Two neighbouring compartments share a semi-private lavatory with washing basin and simple shower located between them. Combined washing and toilet facilities are located at both ends of the cars.
Cat. II - Superior This newly refurbished category now features interior design in a nostalgic look. The compartments have two lower beds, one on each side, measuring ca. 26.7 72.8 in. (68 cm x 185 cm). The nine compartments per wagon share two combined washing and toilet facilities lo-cated at its ends. Depending on the train configuration, a shower facility is shared by guests from one to three sleeping cars.
Cat. II - Classic Compartments in the Classic Category offer considerably more space as they are shared by only two guests, with two lower beds measuring ca. 26.7 73.6 in. (68 187 cm), one on each side of the compartment. There are nine compartments per car, with combined toilet and washing facilities at both ends. Depending on the train configuration, a shower facility is mostly shared by guests from two to four sleeping cars.
Cat. I - Standard Standard compartments offer space for four passengers. On both sides there are upper and lower berths measuring ca. 26.7 73.6 in. (68 187 cm), with a table in the middle below the window. Each car has nine compartments, with combined washing and toilet facilities at both ends. For a surcharge, an occupation with only 3 guests is available.
Tsar s Gold Trans-Siberian Journey: Vladivostok to Moscow 2017 Departures From 3,560 per per Please click to book 29 July - 13 August 2017 (16 days) Booking Conditions Included in the price One night in a mid-range hotel in Vladivostok Two nights in a mid-range hotel in Khabarovsk One night in a simple Soviet-style hotel in Ulan-Ude One night in a mid-range hotel in Irkutsk One night in a first-class hotel in Moscow A two-bed compartment in a regular Russian train from Vladivostok to Ulan-Ude (Single booking available upon request) Accommodation as booked on the Tsar s Gold private train City tours in Vladivostok, Khabarovsk and Ulan-Ude Guided tours of an Old Believers colony and the Ivolginsky Buddhist Monastery All meals as per itinerary Excluded from the price International flights Visa fees paid directly to the Consulate Travel Insurance Gratitutes Please note that 15% deposit is paid on this tour Cancellation policy Up to 93 days prior to departure: 15% of total price Up to 12 days prior to departure: 80% of total price Up to 43 days prior to departure: 45% of total price Up to 2 days prior to departure: 90% of total price