Day 1: Arrival
Welcome to Irkutsk! Upon arrival, you are transferred right to the Lake Baikal shore.
Please, note: you can extend your journey to Ulan Bator or Ulan Ude. Contact your travel specialist for details.
Day 1: Arrival
You arrive to the Lake Baikal shore and check in to your hotel. The rest of the evening is free to have rest after your trip.
Day 2: Listvyanka Village Tour & Baikal Museum
Following breakfast you enjoy a guided tour around Listvyanka Village. During the tour, you visit the Baikal Limnological Museum and Aquarium that houses an interesting display of the unique flora and fauna of the lake.
Then you take a chair-lift to the nearby viewpoint to take some magnificent panoramic pictures of Baikal, view the Chersky Rock and visit the 19th century wooden St. Nicolas Church and spend some time at a local fish market where you see a great variety of fish and different ways of cooking it.
After the tour, you return to your hotel and have the rest of the day free.
Please, note: chair-lift is not available on Monday
Day 3: Trip to Taltsy Village & Transfer to Irkutsk
After breakfast, you check out from your hotel and say "Good-bye" to Lake Baikal! You then take a day trip to the open-air museum of wooden architecture located in Taltsy Village.
This reconstructed Siberian village consists of many buildings that were threatened with flooding when the Irkutsk Dam was constructed on the Angara River. All the buildings at the Taltsy museum were rescued from the rising waters and brought here to serve as models of Irkutsk regional architecture.
After the tour, your driver takes you to Irkutsk.
Day 3: Arrival
Upon arrival, you check in to your centrally-located hotel and have the rest of the evening free.
Day 4: Irkutsk City Tour
Following breakfast, you check out, meet your guide and driver and have a tour around the most remarkable city's attractions.
You first walk along Angara River embankment - the most popular meeting place among the locals - to an eternal flame and the monument to explorer Yakov Pohabov, the founder of the city. You proceed to the only Catholic Cathedral in Irkutsk, the beautiful Polish Roman Church, located in the historical part of Irkutsk.
You are then driven to one of the main monasteries in Siberia - Sign Monastery is also known as the Znamensky Monastery. You also explore the Kazan Church, which with its Byzantine-style decorations looks like a fairy tower, and Block 130, the historical zone with many colorful wooden houses and buildings constructed in the 17th century.
After the tour, your driver transfers you to the station.
Day 7: Arrival to Moscow
You arrive to the vibrant capital of Russia in the afternoon and are driven to the hotel for check-in. The rest of the day is at your leisure.
Day 8: Exploring the Kremlin, Armoury Chamber & the Heart of Moscow
Following breakfast, you meet your guide in the hotel lobby and walk to the Kremlin territory where you have a chance to explore the gems hidden behind the Kremlin walls such as the Cathedral Square and the Assumption and Annunciation cathedrals.
Then you visit the famous Armoury Chamber that houses a unique collection of crown jewels, stunning coronation finery, hand-forged armor and weapons, royal carriages and sleighs, and world-famous Fabergé eggs.
After a short break for coffee you take a walk through the beautiful Red Square, go inside the colorful St. Basil's Cathedral and explore the famous GUM department store.
After the tour you walk back to your hotel and have the rest of the day free.
Day 9: Tretyakov Gallery, Subway Ride & Panoramic Tour
Following breakfast, you meet your guide and driver and enjoy a tour of the world-famous treasure trove of the Russian fine art, the Tretyakov Gallery, where you have amazing time viewing the gems of its collection, including the famous masterpieces of Ivan Aivazovsky, Mikhail Vrubel, and Viktor Vasnetsov.
After the tour of the Tretyakov Gallery you have a quick subway ride to explore the most beautiful stations of Moscow Subway, which is known to be one of the most beautiful and efficient metro systems in the world. Then you see the spectacular Cathedral of Christ the Savior and learn the story of its destruction and reconstruction.
Today you also have a chance to enjoy one of the best city views at Sparrow Hills and see the grand building of Moscow State University, the highest of seven Stalinist skyscrapers of Moscow.
After the tour you are transferred to your hotel and have the rest of the day free.
Day 10: Departure
Following breakfast you check out from your hotel, and your driver transfers you to the airport. We wish you a safe flight and hope to work on your future trips!
Optional post-tour extension available: continue your journey further to the legendary Venice of the North and the brilliant Northern capital of Russia - St. Petersburg. Contact your travel specialist for details.
Not included: international flights, multiple arrival/departure transfers, other meals not mentioned in the program, optional tours and services, all personal expenses.
Note:
1. Hotels availability is subject to change. In case current hotels are booked out we will provide alternative hotels of an equal value for you.
2. We include 1 vehicle for your arrival and departure transfers. If multiple vehicles are required additional transfer costs will apply.
3. Due to specific travel arrangements and train departure times depending on the schedules of Russian and Mongolian Railways, the itinerary may be subject to change.
4. For the 1st class package: if we are not able to get 1st class train tickets, a whole 2nd class compartment (4 berths for 2 people's use) will be booked instead.
Stress-free Booking Book your journey without stress and at convenient pace. You can pay a deposit of 20% to book any tour in any major currency; the final balance will be due 90 days before start date. In event if you decide to change or postpone your trip, you can transfer your deposit to any other packages we offer. Cruise bookings and special offers may be subject to different booking terms.
Trip Assurance If you need our assistance during your trip, you can call our support line available from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. (CET) on weekdays and weekends.