SPECIAL OFFER Trans-Siberian: HARBIN ICE FESTIVAL & MASLENITSA TOUR MORE THAN TRAVEL TAILOR-MADE TOURS TO RUSSIA Harbin to St. Petersburg 29 Days Your personal Consultant: Australia: +61 2 8310 7667 USA: +1 (646) 751 78 53 UK & Europe: +44 20 3608 2859 02 February 01 March 2020 This package is available either Group Tour (scheduled departures) or Private Tour (flexible dates) HARBIN ULAN-UDE IRKUTSK LAKE BAIKAL KRASNOYARSK EKATERINBURG KAZAN NIZHNY NOVGOROD THE GOLDEN RING MOSCOW ST. PETERSBURG
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Itinerary St. Petersburg The Golden Ring Moscow Nizhniy Novgorod Kazan Ekaterinburg Krasnoyarsk Irkutsk Ulan-Ude Harbin Day 1-2 Harbin Day 3-4 Harbin Ulan-Ude Day 5 Ulan-Ude Day 6 Ivolginsky Datsan & Old believers village Day 7 Ulan-Ude- Irkutsk Day 8-9 - Listvyanka, Baikal lake Day 10 - Irkutsk-Krasnoyarsk Day 11 - Krasnoyarsk Day 12 Nature Reserve Krasnoyarsk Stolby Day 13 Krasnoyarsk - Ekaterinburg Day 14-15 Ekaterinburg Day 16 Ekaterinburg - Kazan Day 17 Kazan Day 18 Kazan Nizhniy Novgorod Day 19 Nizhniy Novgorod - Vladimir Day 20-22 The Golden Ring Day 23-24 Moscow Day 25 Moscow St. Petersburg Day 26-28 St. Petersburg Day 29 St Petersburg, departure
Itinerary Arrive to Meet and greet at Harbin airport Transfer to your hotel in the downtown Welcome dinner Arrival to Ulan-Ude Transfer to your hotel Ulan-Ude city tour Harbin City Tour Ivolginsky Datsan & Old believers village DAY 4 Whole day on board Transfer to railway station Board your train to Ulan-Ude DAY 6 DAY 5 DAY 3 DAY 2 DAY 1 DAY 8 DAY 7 Transfer to the station Departing to Irkutsk Arrival to Irkutsk DAY 9 Listvyanka village Buryat lunch DAY 10 Visiting open-air Siberian culture Taltsy museum en-route Departing to Irkutsk DAY 11 Arrival at Krasnoyarsk Transfer to the hotel in the downtown The chapel of Saint Paraskeva Pyatnits Communal Bridge Krasnoyarsk dam (Hydroelectric Power Station) Exploring Baikal nature, Chersky Stone observation point (cable car) St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church Visiting local souvenir market Optional activities: Dog sledding, safaris, ice diving, snowmobile
Itinerary DAY 12 Tour to the Natural Reserve Krasnoyarsk Stolby Transfer to your hotel and rest DAY 16 Transfer from Ekaterinburg to Kazan DAY 13 Transfer from Krasnoyarsk to Ekaterinburg DAY 17 The tour to UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Kremlin of Kazan with the professional Englishspeaking guide National Museum (visit), Siyumbike Tower and other attractions Master class on cooking the national Tatar food Evening free to explore the city DAY 14 Arrival at Ekaterinburg Meet & greet at the train station Transfer to your hotel and rest. DAY 18 Tour to Kazan Transfer to Nizhniy Novgorod DAY 15 Ekaterinburg City tour Ipatiev House/Church on Blood - the place of Romanovs Tsars assassination Stone carving museum Verkhnyaya Pyshma field military museum of UMMC - the largest in Russia open-air military museum Europe-Asia Border, place where you stand half on Europe, half in Asia!
Itinerary DAY 19 Nizhniy Novgorod city tour Transfer to Vladimir Train from Nizhniy Novgorod to Vladimir Transfer to the hotel in Vladimir DAY 23 Bus city tour (including iconic landmarks: Boulevard Ring Novodevichy Monastery, Stalin Skyscrapers, Sparrow Hills) Visit Kremlin (all the highlights including the Armory) Guided tour in the downtown: Red Square, GUM department store, Bolshoi Theatre, KGB building, Arbat Optional activities: ice rink on the Red Square DAY 20 The Assumption cathedral (famous for Andrey Rublev frescoes) St Demetrius cathedral (outside only) Golden gates Lunch in a local restaurant, serving traditional Russian meals Bogolyubovo program: Church of the Intervention, the ruins of Prince Bogolyubsky s castle with its Staircase Tower, the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin and the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl Travel to Suzdal Degustation of Medovukha Evening free at leisure DAY 24 The State Tretyakov Gallery Novodevichy Convent Kolomenskoe MuseumReserve Traditional Maslenitsa festivities in Kolomenskoe DAY 21 Check out and start the guided tour in Suzdal The famous Kremlin, St Euthimius monastery (or Intercession Convent) Lunch Rostov the Great Transfer to Yaroslavl (150 km) Overnight in a cosy hotel in the downtown DAY 22 Yaroslavl tour The Residence of Maslenitsa Lunch Transfer to Moscow DAY 25 Check out from your hotel Transfer to the train station 4 hours on board to St. Petersburg Meet and greet at St Petersburg, transfer to your cosy hotel in the downtown and free time
Itinerary DAY 26 The Winter Palace and the Hermitage guided tour Short walk to see the city s iconic landmarks Visit of St. Isaac's Cathedral Lunch will be in a local bistro, stolovaya where you can try traditional Russian food (meals not included) Visit of the Peter and Paul Fortress DAY 27 Tour to Tsarskoe Selo. Top attractions include Catherine s palace, Alexander s palace and other buildings and parks Amber Room Maslenitsa Celebration Afternoon free at leisure Optional visit to ariinsky ballet or another seasonal New Year performance. Please inquire in advance, as festive performances are super popular in St Petersburg DAY 29 Transfer to airport and departure DAY 28 Optional tour: visit Faberge museum, Russian museum or go out of the megapolis to discover Veliky Novgorod
DAY 1, February 02: Arrival at Harbin Arrival in Harbin Meet and greet at Harbin airport Transfer to your hotel in the downtown Welcome dinner DAY 2, February 03: Harbin Ice Festival Harbin City Tour
Harbin is the largest city in the northeastern region of the People's Republic of China. It serves as a key political, economic, scientific, cultural, and communications hub in Northeast China, as well as an important industrial base of the nation. Name of the city was originally a Manchu. It means "a place for drying fishing nets". Having the most bitterly cold winters among major Chinese cities, Harbin is heralded as the Ice City for its well-known winter tourism and recreations. Harbin is notable for its beautiful ice sculpture festival in the winter.
DAY 3, February 04: Harbin & Tour to UlanUde DAY 4, February 05 : Harbin Ulan Ude Whole day on board Transfer to railway station Board your train to Ulan-Ude DAY 5, February 06: Datsan & Buryat village Arrival to Ulan-Ude Transfer to your hotel Ulan-Ude city tour
There are various Buryat villages that can be part of your experience. Village Arbizhil, approximately 80 km from Ulan-Ude. In Arbizhil it is possible to have lunch with local Buryats, attend a folklore performance or meet with a Buryat shamans.
DAY 6, February 07: Ivolginsky Datsun & Old believers village Ivolginsky datsan is the Buddhist Temple located in Buryatia, Russia, 23 km from Ulan Ude, near Verkhnyaya Ivolga village. The datsan was opened in 1945 as the only Buddhist spiritual centre of the USSR. In the course of time the little "Khambin's sume" changed into the Monastic centre with a residence of Pandido Khambo Lama, the leader of all Russian Lamas.
Ivolginsky datsan was the residence of the Central Spiritual Board of Buddhists of the USSR and later of the Buddhist Traditional Sangha of Russia, as well as that of Pandido Khambo lama, the head of the Russian Buddhists. The spiritual activity of the datsan is manifested in temple rites, medical practice, and a traditional system of Buddhist education. The Buddhist University «Dashi Choinkhorling» was opened in 1991 attached to the datsan.
DAY 7, February 08: Arrival at Irkutsk Transfer to the station Departing to Irkutsk Arrival to Irkutsk Irkutsk was founded in the middle of the XVII century. The town is famous for its wooden houses and wooden lace perfectly preserved. In fact, the Irkutsk historic centre is one huge open-air museum! Irkutsk is located on the banks of the mighty Angara river and was once used as a place of exile for revolutionary noble men from St. Petersburg and Moscow, for their participation in riots or civil disobedience.
DAY 8, February 09 : Discover Irkutsk Exploring Baikal nature, Chersky Stone observation point (cable car) St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church Visiting local souvenir market Optional activities: Dog sledding, safaris, ice diving, snowmobile DAY 9, February 10 : Discover Baikal Listvyanka village Buryat lunch
Day 10, February 11: Transfer to Krasnoyarsk Visiting open-air Siberian culture Taltsy museum en-route Departing to Irkutsk
Day 11, February 12 : Arrival at Krasnoyarsk Arrival at Krasnoyarsk Transfer to the hotel in the downtown The chapel of Saint Paraskeva Pyatnits Communal Bridge Krasnoyarsk dam (Hydroelectric Power Station) There are a number of local holidays celebrated annually in Krasnoyarsk. The most significant holiday is the Day of the City celebrated in June, usually with a carnival. Other holidays and cultural events are the Mana Festival (the celebrations take place on the outside of town, on the bank of river Mana) usually held on the last weekend in June with the traditional bard contest, the International Museum Biennale traditionally held in the Krasnoyarsk Cultural/Historical Center, the avant-garde Museum Night festival dedicated to the International Museum Day, the Jazz on Yenisey festival, the Stolbist Day held many times a year celebrating the traditions of mountain climbing in the Stolby national reserve, and the Bikers' Rally.
Day 12, February 13 : Stolby Nature Reserve Tour to the Natural Reserve Krasnoyarsk Stolby Transfer to your hotel and rest World-known Krasnoyarsk Stolby is a nature reserve, which has no analogues on the whole planet. Majestic outliers of mighty rocks, that came to the Earth s surface about 400 thousand years ago.the guide will take you to the most beautiful places of the reserve "1st Stolb", "Grandma", "Grandfather", "Lion's Gate", "Feathers", "Fourth Pillar".
Day 13, February 14 : Transfer from Krasnoyarsk to Ekaterinburg Transfer from Krasnoyarsk to Ekaterinburg Ekaterinburg has been dubbed the "third capital of Russia", as it is ranked third by the size of the economy, culture, transportation and tourism. Yekaterinburg was founded on 18 November 1723 and named after the Russian emperor Peter the Great's wife, who after his death became Catherine I, Yekaterina being the Russian form of her name. The city served as the mining capital of the Russian Empire as well as a strategic connection between Europe and Asia at the time.
Day 14, February 15 : Arrival at Ekaterinburg Arrival at Ekaterinburg Meet & greet at the train station Transfer to your hotel and rest.
Day 15, February 16: Discover Ekaterinburg Day 16, February 17: On board to Kazan Ekaterinburg City tour Ipatiev House/Church on Blood - the place of Romanovs Tsars assassination Stone carving museum Verkhnyaya Pyshma field military museum of UMMC - the largest in Russia open-air military museum Europe-Asia Border, place where you stand half on Europe, half in Asia! Transfer from Ekaterinburg to Kazan
Day 17, February 18: Discover Kazan The tour to UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Kremlin of Kazan with the professional Englishspeaking guide National Museum (visit), Siyumbike Tower and other attractions Master class on cooking the national Tatar food Evening free to explore the city Day 18, February 19: Kazan & Departure to Nizhnoy Novgorod Tour to Kazan Transfer to Nizhniy Novgorod
Day 19, February 20: Nizhniy Novgorod & Departure to Vladimir Nizhniy Novgorod city tour Transfer to Vladimir Train from Nizhniy Novgorod to Vladimir Transfer to the hotel in Vladimir
Day 20, February 21: Vladimir & Bogolyubovo The Assumption cathedral (famous for Andrey Rublev frescoes) St Demetrius cathedral (outside only) Golden gates Lunch in a local restaurant, serving traditional Russian meals Bogolyubovo program: Church of the Intervention, the ruins of Prince Bogolyubsky s castle with its Staircase Tower, the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin and the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl Travel to Suzdal Degustation of Medovukha Evening free at leisure
Day 21, February 22 : Suzdal & Rostov the Great Check out and start the guided tour in Suzdal The famous Kremlin, St Euthimius monastery (or Intercession Convent) Lunch Rostov the Great Transfer to Yaroslavl (150 km) Overnight in a cosy hotel in the downtown
Day 22, February 23: Yaroslavl Yaroslavl tour The Residence of Maslenitsa Lunch Transfer to Moscow
DAY 23, February 24: Arrival to Moscow Bus city tour (including iconic landmarks: Boulevard Ring Novodevichy Monastery, Stalin Skyscrapers, Sparrow Hills) Visit Kremlin (all the highlights including the Armory) Guided tour in the downtown: Red Square, GUM department store, Bolshoi Theatre, KGB building, Arbat Optional activities: ice rink on the Red Square DAY 24, February 25: Discover Moscow The State Tretyakov Gallery Novodevichy Convent Kolomenskoe MuseumReserve Traditional Maslenitsa festivities in Kolomenskoe
DAY 25, February 26: Train to St. Petersburg Check out from your hotel Transfer to the train station 4 hours on board to St. Petersburg Meet and greet at St Petersburg, transfer to your cosy hotel in the downtown and free time 30
DAY 26, February 27: Discover St. Petersburg The Winter Palace and the Hermitage guided tour Short walk to see the city s iconic landmarks Visit of St. Isaac's Cathedral Lunch will be in a local bistro, stolovaya where you can try traditional Russian food (meals not included) Visit of the Peter and Paul Fortress
DAY 27, February 28: Discover St. Petersburg Tour to Tsarskoe Selo. Top attractions include Catherine s palace, Alexander s palace and other buildings and parks Amber Room Maslenitsa Celebration Afternoon free at leisure Optional visit to ariinsky ballet or another seasonal New Year performance. Please inquire in advance, as festive performances are super popular in St Petersburg
Enjoy a romantic cruise down the canals of St. Petersburg, and see some of the city s monuments on the banks of the River Neva, all beautifully illuminated for the evening. Experience the thrilling spectacle of the drawbridges in full operation. Then, take a tour to see the city s iconic landmark: Isaac Cathedral, Kazan Cathedral, and visit the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood one of the most powerful constructions in Russian Orthodox Christian architecture; an absolutely enthralling must-see and a place where Alexander II was fatally wounded by anarchists in 1881 33
DAY 28, February 29: Discover St. Petersburg Optional tour: visit Faberge museum, Russian museum or go out of the megapolis to discover Veliky Novgorod
The Grand Palace is a must see.
DAY 29, March 01: Departure
Group Tour Rate per person (3* hotels, 1st / 2nd Class train, sharing 1 twin/double room) 9,115 / 8,020 AUD Rate per person (4* hotels, 1st / 2nd Class train, sharing 1 twin/double room) 9,815 / 8,720 AUD Starting dates for 2020: 2 February INCLUSIONS: Transportation: Train tickets of the chosen category: Harbin Ulan-Ude, Ulan-Ude Irkutsk, Irkutsk Krasnoyarsk, Krasnoyarsk Ekaterinburg, Ekaterinburg Kazan, Kazan Nizhny Novgorod, Nizhny Novgorod Vladimir, Moscow St. Petersburg. Note: In case the train does not have a 1st class carriage, 4 berths in 2nd class compartments can be bought out (1 full compartment of 4 berths). Note 1: 1st class compartment in China is subject of availability. If the 1st class train tickets for the section Beijing Ulaanbaatar is not available then 2nd class train tickets will be provided with the return 65 USD per person. Extra seat in 2nd class is available at 450 USD per seat. These prices are subject to change without advance notice. Note 2: Train schedule may change, tickets are subject of availability; in case of the train schedule changes, Discovery Russia will use other trains and rearrange the tour without deterioration of the program. Plan it wisely. Travel with Discovery Russia
INCLUSIONS: Accommodation: 2 nights Harbin, 2 nights Ulan-Ude, 3 nights Lake Baikal/Irkutsk, 2 nights Ekaterinburg, 2 night Kazan, 2 nights Nizhny Novgorod, Suzdal 1 night, Yaroslavl 1 night, 3 nights Moscow, 4 nights St Petersburg with daily breakfast 4 nights on board Full breakfast in the hotels; 4 lunches: Tatar lunch in Kazan, Buryat lunch at Lake Baikal, 3 lunches on the Golden Ring tour, welcome dinner in Harbin Meet and greet services upon arrival in every city Private transport as per the program; All entrance tickets as per program Return airport/train station transfers Transportation as per program Full metro pass in Moscow and St Petersburg Best places to stay, to eat, to go out and have fun - safe and secure SIM card with data available only in Russia Discovery Russia 24/7 English-speaking support line in Russia Russian and Chinese visa letter of invitation (required by the Ministry of Tourism to grant you a visa) is provided free of charge Group tours are fully escorted by a bilingual English-Russian speaking guide. Group size: 10 to 20 people maximum Discovery Russia info@discoveryrussia.com +61 2831 0 7667 www.discoveryrussia.com.au Plan it wisely. Travel with Discovery Russia
INCLUSIONS: Full day (8 hours) guided tour in Harbin: Ice Festival Full day (8 hours) guided tour in Ulan-Ude: Atsagatsy Datsun & Buryat village Ivolginky Datsun & Old believers village tour Full day (8 hours) Ekaterinburg/and around tours: city tour, Europe-Asia border, museum of semi precious stones Full day (8 hours) tour at Lake Baikal: museum of Limnology, Observation point, Buryat lunch, cable car Full day (8 hours) Taltsy museum and Irkutsk tour Full day (8 hours) in Krasnoyarsk: STOLBY NATURE RESERVE and city tour Full day (8 hours) guided tour in Kazan: Kremlin, Old Tatar Quarter, cooking master-class and Tatar lunch, city tour Full day (8 hours) guided tour in Nizhniy Novgorod: city tour and the Kremlin Full day (8 hours) guided tour in Vladimir and Bogolyubovo: Dormition Cathedral, frescoes of Andrei Rublev, the Cathedral of St. Dimitriy, the Museum of Crystal, Lacquer Miniatures and Embroidery, Bogolyubovo Church Full day (8 hours) guided tour in Suzdal & Kideksha: Chamber of the Christ, the Monastery of Saint Euthymius, the Museum of Wooden Architecture Full day (8 hours) Moscow full day guided tour: Red Square, St Basil's Cathedral, GUM, KGB building, Bolshoi theatre, Arbat, visiting Kremlin and the Armory Full day (8 hours) Moscow guided tour: the Tretyakov State Art Gallery, Kolomenskoe Estate and Palace, Metro tour, VDNKh Full day (8 hours) guided tour in St Petersburg: Hermitage, Faberge Museum, St Isaac's Cathedral. Kazan Cathedral, Nevsky Prospekt, Church of the Spilled Blood NOT INCLUDED: International flights; Visa fees; Extras of personal nature; Insurance; Lunches and dinners not mentioned. Discovery Russia info@discoveryrussia.com +61 2831 0 7667 www.discoveryrussia.com.au Plan it wisely. Travel with Discovery Russia