Epic Trans-Siberian East - West: Vladivostok - Baikal - Yekaterinburg - Moscow - St. Petersburg (TS-25)

You’ll board your overnight flight this evening for the Russian port city of Vladivostok.

On arrival our driver will be waiting to take you to the hotel; look for the signboard bearing Go Russia logo.

Vladivostok is a fascinating city with many sights that will leave their mark. You'll take in the City Fortress, the Intercession Church and also the Catholic church. In the Korabelnaya Naberezhnaya (the Warship Embankment) you'll learn more about the history of the Russian Fleet, including the period of the Second World War, and have the chance to visit a Soviet C-56 submarine. Later, our driver will collect you from your hotel for your transfer to the railway station where you'll be traveling on a fast train.

After several days in the train, Baikal's expansive waters are just the tonic. We'll make an included transfer from Irkutsk railway station to the little village of Listvyanka which perches on the lakeshore. There, you'll have plenty of free time to spend as you please, for example by taking a boat trip out on this, the world's deepest freshwater lake.

Today we provide another opportunity for Baikal relaxation and sightseeing. Occupy your time as you please, perhaps with a visit to the St. Nicolas Russian Orthodox Church or the Baikal Lake Museum where you will learn Siberian traditions, history, flora and fauna of the lake.

Our guide will meet you at your accommodation and transfer to Irkutsk via the open air Wooden Architecture Museum. Located in a picturesque forest in the bank of the River Angara in Taltsy, you'll be able to browse the wooden houses and tents once typical of this area. You can learn about the lifestyles of the local Buryat and Evenk people, go inside a Russian fort and a 15th Century watchtower and see a shaman's yurt. We'll finish up the day with a city tour of beautiful Irkutsk before boarding the train that will take us all the way to Yekaterinburg.

It's a two-day trip across Siberia to Yekaterinburg but on arrival our driver will meet you at the carriage with a Go Russia sign board. Transfer to the hotel this evening and settle in.

Yekaterinburg is infamous as the site of the execution of the last Russian Tsar Nikolay II and his family. We shall pay our respects with a visit to the Memorial Cathedral on the Blood in the name of all Saints, which was built on the execution site itself. We'll continue to Ganina Pit, an orthodox monastery constructed where the remains were originally interred and also visit seven wooden churches in the heart of a centuries-old pine forest. Lastly, given our proximity, we won't want to miss the opportunity of seeing the obelisk that marks the boundary between Europe and Asia.

Our driver will meet you at the hotel lobby, ready to transfer to the railway station. Our fast train departs after breakfast and carries us to Moscow.

After our overnight train journey, we arrive in Moscow the following morning where our driver will be waiting to transfer us to the hotel. Later, we'll wander through the streets of the Russian capital at a leisurely walking pace, our tour leading us to such sights as the world-famous KGB center of the Soviet epoch in Lubyanka Square and Teatralnaya Square where we'll find the Bolshoi Theatre. Continuing through the heart of Moscow's shopping and restaurant district, we will reach Red Square. This iconic square is where we can see St Basil's Cathedral with its colorful domes, GUM department store, Kazan Cathedral and the Kremlin towers. Lenin is also interred here and you can get up close to his embalmed body in the Mausoleum standing at the foot of the Kremlin's walls.

Today we focus on the Kremlin. Beginning in Cathedral Square, we move on to the Armoury Museum. Its fabulous array of treasures includes such exhibits as the chalice of Yuri Dolgorukiy, the helm and armour of Boris Godunov, a collection of over fifty Faberge eggs, as well as golden and silver works of applied art by Russian, European and Oriental masters, invaluable weapons and other works made of precious metals and stones. Lastly, we’ll dip underground to see the glitz and glamour of Moscow’s famous metro. Unlike other city transit systems, this one features adornments of marble, mosaics, stained glass panels and bronze sculptures and has to be seen to be believed. Afterwards, our driver will transfer you from the hotel to the train station to take you to St Petersburg.

After arriving in St. Petersburg, our driver will meet you with a Go Russia sign board on the platform. After transferring to the hotel, we’ll take a sightseeing tour of this beautiful city, one with a calm and unhurried pace in stark contrast to bustling Moscow. Our guide will reveal the city’s highlights, including the Peter and Paul Fortress, St. Isaac's Cathedral, the Church of Christ's Resurrection (The Saviour of the Blood) and the famous cruiser Aurora.

The Yusupov Palace is the setting for today’s guided tour. It once belonged to the noble family of Prince Yusupov and is considered to be one of the most beautiful palaces in St. Petersburg. During the tour you will see the lavishly decorated 19th century interior: murals, carvings, marble, mirrors, gilded chandelier, expensive silk clothes and refined furniture. This elegant palace hides a dark secret, however. Its cellar was the location of scandalous Rasputin’s murder.

Amongst St Petersburg’s myriad museums, the Hermitage stands out by a mile, an architecturally stunning building housing an enormous collection of the art world’s finest works, including those by Leonardo Da Vinci, Titian, Raphael, French impressionists, sculptures and treasures icons, coins and Tsar’s jewelry. We think you’ll agree, the Hermitage is an unforgettable place to visit and the perfect place to round off this epic tour.

Our driver will meet you with a Go Russia sign board at the hotel lobby to take you to the airport for your return flight.