Trans-Siberian Eastbound

Day 1-

Fly with British Airways to Moscow where your tour guide will welcome you at the airport and accompany you to the Renaissance Hotel (or similar). The Russian capital presents itself in wonderful illumination as you enjoy a ""Moscow by Night"" city lights tour. Afterwards you can stroll across the famous Red Square with your tour guides and experience Moscow’s Metro stations in all their splendour and beauty.

Day 2-

Your grand city tour starts in the morning with the Kremlin, including one of the magnificent cathedrals still left from the time of the Tsars. Towards evening your train, the Tsars Gold departs from Moscow’s Kazan Station, as you begin your Trans-Siberian journey. Get acquainted with your cabin as the train rolls through the Russian countryside. Then enjoy your first meal onboard before you settle down for your first night on the train.

Day 3-

After breakfast you arrive in Kazan, the old Tartar capital on the banks of the Volga. There is plenty of history here for you to discover on a guided tour, which includes the city’s Kremlin, built in the 16th century at the behest of Ivan the Terrible, and more recently declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2000. During your visit to the city you will learn about the wild and often bloody relations of the Tartars, Cossacks, and Russians. Overnight on board as your private train resumes its journey in the evening.

Day 4-

You reach Ekaterinburg in the afternoon and stop for a short tour of the city centre, which was recently restored in 2009.On the tour you will see the newly erected Cathedral-on-the-blood, built in memorial of the tragic historical event in 1918. Afterwards the train resumes your journey through the vast steppes of Western Siberia. Overnight on board.

Day 5-

"Today you arrive in Novosibirsk, in the heart of Siberia, where you will be welcomed in the traditional Russian manner with bread and salt. A city tour includes a visit to the Trans-Siberian monument and the mighty Ob River. After dinner onboard, the train continues its ride eastwards. Overnight on board. "

Day 6-

The Tsars Gold, by now your second home, proceeds onward over the Yenisei River through Siberia. In Krasnoyarsk, with its impressive riverside location, you can enjoy a walking tour. Back on the train the on-board chefs once again demonstrate their skills with the speciality meal "Tsar’s Feast". Enjoy Russian hospitality during the vodka and caviar tasting while passing by impressive landscapes. Overnight on board.

Day 7-

Today the train reaches Irkutsk, the capital of Eastern Siberia. During a city tour you will see beautiful Siberian wooden cottages, the new statue of Alexander III and the lively market hall. After lunch, enjoy an excursion to the open-air museum ""Life and Work in the Time of the Tsars”, giving you an insight into what life was like during the Tsars reign. Tonight you’ll stay in the Courtyard by Marriott hotel (or similar) for the night.

Day 8-

This morning you leave Irkutsk, and briefly the train, behind for a visit to a Siberian village by bus. After meeting some of the locals and learning about their culture, you can sit back and enjoy a leisurely boat trip, across the deep waters of Lake Baikal, to Port Baikal where you’ll find the train awaiting you. On ancient tracks, that are closed to other trains, the Tsar’s Gold takes you directly along the shore of Lake Baikal, with a stop for photographs. Dinner is served in typical local style, as a picnic on the shores of the lake (weather permitting). Overnight on board.

Day 9-

Today takes you along a different part of the shore of the mystical Lake Baikal. You travel onwards through the magnificent valley of Selenga, passing by the wild and lonely mountain steppes of Eastern Siberia. Before reaching the Mongolian border the train will stop in Ulan Ude with an opportunity for you to see the sights of the city on a guided tour. Afterwards the train departs Ulan Ude, bound for Mongolia. Overnight on board.

Day 10-

In the morning you arrive in Ulaan Baatar, with the chance to take a tour of the Mongolian capital visiting the impressive Buddhist Gandan Monastery and the Lama Museum. In the evening, sample the Mongolian night life as your tour guides show you the best beer garden in the city. Tonight is spent in the capital where you’ll stay at the Hotel Bayangol (or similar). Alternatively you may be tempted by the option of an overnight stay in a traditional Mongolian Yurt in the beautiful Mongolian Alps. Please ask us for details.

Day 11-

Today you attend a tour to the mountainous region that has been nicknamed the Mongolian Alps. After breakfast, a coach trip takes you through the beautiful countryside into the mountains. You take lunch within the typical tent settlements of nomadic herdsmen. After lunch, a Mongolian horseback riding show will be performed especially for you. Then, in the early evening, it’s back to the train as you continue your journey onto the Chinese border. Overnight on board.

Day 12-

In the early morning your train halts in the middle of the Gobi Desert, long ago a region favoured by dinosaurs, giving you the opportunity to truly appreciate the vast expanse of the landscape. Towards noon, you reach the Chinese border. Due to a different railway track gauge in China, compared to Russia & Mongolia, its time to say goodbye to the Tsar’s Gold train and board the waiting Chinese train for 1 night before you reach Beijing. The journey on the Chinese train will take about 16 hours. Overnight on board.

Day 13-

After observing impressive scenes of Chinese rural life from your compartment window, you arrive in Beijing in the morning, where you’ll transfer to the Capital Hotel (or similar) for three nights. The rest of the day is at leisure.

Day 14-

Today you’ll be taken on a four-hour city tour of Beijing which includes the Temple of Heaven and its park, as well as Tiananmen Square. A guided tour through the interior of the Forbidden City follows in the afternoon.

Day 15-

Today takes you on an unforgettable day trip to the Great Wall of China, the famous Ming Tombs (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and the Avenue of the Spirits. In the evening enjoy a farewell meal featuring the world-famous Chinese dish, Peking Duck.

Day 16-

Today a wonderful trip filled with unique and unforgettable experiences comes to an end as you’re transferred to the airport for your flight home with British Airways from Beijing to London Heathrow.

British Airways - World Traveller Plus (Premium Class)

Cost: from £ 1555

World Traveller Plus (WTP) is BA's premium economy seat. Depending on the aircraft, the configuration is either 2-4-2 (Boeing 747 and 777) or 2-2-2 (767). Seat pitch is 38 inches, which is the distance from the back of your seat cushion (where it meets the upright support) to the back of the seat in front of you. Seat cushion width is 18.5-inches. Angle of seat maximum recline is 7". Overall length of seat back upright is 26-inches.

More information from the airline