Transsibérien

Evening transfer to the train station. Night train to Kazan (the train N^o024M, 23:08-10:45 or similar).

Breakfast on your own expense. Arrival to Kazan – the ancient capital of the Tartars, located on the banks of the Volga River, the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan. During the сity tour you will see the most interesting and ancient sights of Kazan with its picturesque views, merchant houses, and the old mosque of the 18^th century.

You will hear legends and stories of Tatar people, walk along the old Kazan, the guide will tell you about the story of the city and the monastery where the miraculous Kazan Icon of the Mother of God is kept. Walking excursion will not leave anyone indifferent. The Kazan Kremlin is a World Heritage Site; its walls unite two religions: Moslem (legendary Kuhl Sharif Mosque) and Orthodox (Annunciation Cathedral). Déjeuner. (Tatar cuisine). in one of the local restaurants. Transfer to the hotel and accommodation.

Breakfast. Full day excursion to the island city of Sviyazhsk. On the way to the island you will see the Temple of All Religions. The history of the city began on May 24, in 1551, when Ivan the Terrible decided to build a wooden fortress on the island, which took only four weeks. Sviyazhsk became a base supporting Russian troops in the war against the Kazan Khanate.

The island houses unique historical and cultural monuments, such as Assumption Monastery of the Blessed Virgin, Sviyazhsky Cathedral, John the Baptist Monastery which has the Trinity Church on its territory – the only remaining wooden building in Sviyazhsk. Through centuries, Sviyazhsk has been remaining a Russian Orthodox shrine. Déjeuner. and culinary master-class “Secrets of Tatar Cuisine”.

Transfer to the train station. Train to Yekaterinburg (the train is N^o378 20:08-12:22 or similar).

Breakfast on your own expense. Arrival to Ekaterinbourg. It’s a city of great importance of the Russian Federation, located on the east side of the Ural Mountains, which serves as a natural border. It was named after the wife of Tsar Peter the Great, Yekaterina, who later became Empress Catherine I. Yekaterinburg became an industrial center of the country. After the Russian revolution in 1917, the last Russian Tsar Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra and their children were executed by the Bolsheviks in the Ipatiev House in the city. Déjeuner. in a local restaurant. Transfer to the hotel and accommodation.

Breakfast. Check out from the hotel. We’ll continue our tour of the city, have lunch and visit the Geological Museum with its amazing collection of the meteorites; “Ganina Yama” – the place where the bodies of the members of the last Russian royal family were thrown after the assassination; the panoramic view from the Vysotsky building. Free time to buy some snacks and drinks for the train trip. Transfer to the train station. Train to Novosibirsk (the train is N^o118 / 82/92/70, departing after 21:-00 or similar).

Arrival to Novosibirsk. It’s the third biggest city of Russia, after Moscow and St. Petersburg, with 1,625,631 citizens. It’s located on the south-west of the Siberian Federal District on the banks of the Ob River. It has the largest train station of the Trans-Siberian railway route. The name of the city means “the new city of Siberia”. Between 1893 and 1925 it was known as Novonikolaevsk named after the Tsar Nicholas II. Nowadays Novosibirsk is known as the mayor scientific center of Russia.

Transfer to the hotel and accommodation. Free time.

Breakfast.  Check -out of hotel.  Visit to  the Akademgorodok (academic village). Located 30 km south of the city center, it is the educational and scientific centre of Siberia, with an impressive amount of research and education facilities. Visit of the Museum of railway equipment. Déjeuner.. We’ll continue with the panoramic tour during which you will see the Red Street, the Lenin Square, the largest opera and ballet theater in Russia (surpassing even Moscow’s famous Bolshoi Theater), the St. Nicholas chapel which served as a symbolic center of the Russian Empire, St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral which is considered one of the finest examples of the architecture of the Russian Orthodox Church and also the largest library in Siberia. A visit to the central market is also planned. Free time.

Transfer to the train station for the night train to Krasnoyarsk. (the train is №82/92/70, departing between 19:00 and 22:00 or similar).

Arrival to Krasnoyarsk in the morning and visit to the Nature Reserve “Stolby”. During a 3 km walk you will enjoy the panoramic views and guides’ stories about the Natural Reserve, which is a point of pride of Krasnoyarsk. Picnic lunch in the Reserve or in the restaurant.

In the afternoon, we’ll continue driving by the forest road and reach the observation point called “Tsar Fish”. Afterwards, you will make a stop on the quay in Divnogorsk and near the Krasnoyarsk hydroelectric power station, which is the second largest hydro power station in Russia. Return to the hotel and accommodation.

Breakfast. You will take the morning city tour of Krasnoyarsk, including Mira square with a stunning view of Yenissey River, monument to Andrew Dubenskoy, Karaulnaya hill from where you can see the whole city spreading in front of your eyes. You will also visit the Paraskeva Pyatnitsa Chapel and walk along the old streets, before we transfer you to the train station for onward train heading to Irkutsk (the planned train is N^o070, 12:36-08:26 or similar).

Breakfast on your own expense. Arrival in Irkutsk. During the city sightseeing tour you’ll be taken to see the historical center, the monument to the discoverers of Siberia, the church of the Apparition of the Virgin, the main street of Irkutsk, the monument to the Tsar Alexander III. Then you will have a walk along the quay of the Angara River. Déjeuner. at the local restaurant. After lunch, you will visit the tourist district of wooden houses. Transfer to the hotel, accommodation and free evening.

Breakfast. Tour to the village Listvyanka which is located on the shore of Lake Baikal about 70 km from Irkutsk. On our way we’ll visit the open-air museum of wooden architecture. Arrival to Listvyanka and lunch (including Baikal fish).

During the sightseeing tour through the village you’ll visit the Chaman-stone, the place where the Angara River is born; you’ll take the chairlift to the viewpoint; visit the Museum of Lake Baikal and the souvenir and fish markets. Return to Irkutsk and accommodation.

Breakfast, check-out and transfer to the airport.