Classic Trans Siberian

Welcome to Moscow! Russia-€™s revitalised capital city is bursting with creative energy, even history is being retold in innovative ways, as new museums broach subjects long brushed under the carpet. As Moscow is the western terminus for the famous Trans Siberian Railway it-€™s a fitting place to begin our journey.
Join your Tour Leader and fellow travellers at 4:00pm for your Welcome Meeting as detailed on your joining instructions. From here we will spend time with a Russian family and partake in a tea tasting - a well loved pastime in Russia.

Today we walk across the cobblestones of Moscow-€™s iconic Red Square to see St Basil-€™s Cathedral and the stout red brick walls of the Kremlin; that fabled palace-fort of gilded domes where an exquisite collection of royal treasures are housed in the Armoury Chamber.
Late this evening we head to the historic Yaroslavsky Station which has been the starting point for the Trans Siberian since 1862.

Life on board is a destination in itself! Mingle, learn some new phrases, or practice those you have learned on the locals over the mandatory vodka. When your train pulls into the many stations along the way hop off, stretch your limbs and restock on supplies from the platform kiosks for the next leg of your journey.

Our Trans Siberian journey continues across wide rivers and span bridges, time and distance slip away as we while away the hours in the dining car making new friends, gazing from the window or relaxing in our cabins.

Make up your bed with the sheets provided by your provodista and settle in for the night, drifting off to sleep with the rocking and rolling of the train gliding over the tracks.

Almost in the geographical centre of Asia, Irkutsk made its fame as a stopping place on the caravan route from China. The city today still boasts 18th century churches and is renowned for its brightly painted shutters and log houses decorated with wooden lacework.

Beyond the city and following the fast-flowing Angara River upstream lies the great lake of Siberia, Baikal, which contains one fifth of the world-€™s fresh water, and as the world-€™s largest it has dimensions and scale spectacular in every sense.
We spend two nights in the Siberian village of Listvyanka -€“ a popular summer resort for locals. Its small port is often lively with a chance to bargain with the locals, try some delicious smoked fish, the typical dish of the region, and admire the 2000km of shoreline as well as magnificent vistas across the icy waters.
We take a glimpse into the world of the local Buryats (who have much in common with the Mongolians farther south), and witness a Shaman experience with traditional music and dance.

Today we will enjoy our time in Listvyanka on the shores of the world-€™s deepest freshwater lake, Baikal. Here we have time to explore the village with its traditional houses, Limnological Museum and spectacular landscapes.

We leave the pristine shores of the lake and return to Irkutsk - once a Cossack-guarded outpost for fur and tea traders who made the long journey from Mongolia and China. Later, exiles known as Decembrists, who led a failed attempt to overthrow Tsar Nicholas I, were exiled here. We take our final opportunity to explore this fascinating city and hear its story. Later tonight we re-board the train, skirt the shores of Lake Baikal and continue to the once-closed port city of Vladivostok.

Settle in and gaze back at Russia as she rushes past our windows. Travelling on board local train services provides the ideal opportunity for you to strike up a conversation with some Russian commuters or holiday makers about their daily lives, all important restaurant and sightseeing tips or learn some new card games and Russian phrases.

 The train will stop regularly at station platforms en route -€“ you can hop off and purchase some local cuisine from the platform Babushkas selling their home-cooked meals. A great way to try some typical Russian meals, just make sure you check with your carriage attendant how long you have until the train departs.

We board our final Russian train to rumble across the remaining miles of the Trans Siberian to Vladivostok. As our train draws into the terminus we reflect on completing one of the world-€™s longest and greatest train journeys.

As the train draws into the eastern terminus of the Trans Siberian Railway, at the imaginatively named Vladivostok Station, you-€™ll be pleased to know that the city now welcomes visitors who are impressed by its commanding views over Golden Horn Bay, and its bustling cosmopolitan atmosphere. We visit the Vladivostok Fortress Museum and the Local History Museum to put things into perspective.
Given its strategic eastern location, Vladivostok is a melting pot of Russian, Slavic, Chinese, Japanese and Korean and it is a fitting example of how this epic railway has connected cultures, countries and people for centuries.

All good things must come to an end, and so does our Trans Siberian journey some 9,288 kilometres from where it all began at Moscow-€™s Yaroslavsky Station.