Moscow - Beijing 2020

A trip on the legendary routes of the Trans-Siberian is one of the last great adventures in this world. Start up your life's dream with our Rails Cruise and experience Russia, Mongolia and China in a comfortable and safe way. The historic route between Moscow and Beijing on the banks of the majestic Baikal Lake, will also show you superb and splendid landscapes of Europe, Siberia and Asia.

Day 1: Spain – Moscow

(Dinner). Presentation at the airport, International Departures and flight to Moscow. Upon arrival of your flight to the Moscow airport, reception by our representative and transfer to the hotel. The participants of this wonderful journey that is about to begin, will arrive during the day. The Russian capital is presented to us on the “Moscow by night” tour, a showcase of light, on the occasion of walking through the Red Square and seeing it illuminated. The program includes a brief visit to the Moscow underground. Welcome dinner, where your accompanying guides will be presented and return to the hotel.

Day 2: Moscow

(Breakfast, lunch and dinner). The panoramic tour of the city will show us a vibrant and modern city. Visit of the Kremlin and its ensemble, as well as the interior of one of its cathedrals. In the afternoon, transfer to Kazan station and accommodation in our cabins on the Zarengold Trans-Siberian train, that will be our home for the next few days. Dinner will reveal a truly amazing and very tasty Russian cuisine. This day is the beginning of this very interesting trip of more than 7600 km, that will leave us the best memories of those past days in which we will have crossed three countries, endless plains and forests and immense rivers.

Day 3: Kazan

(Breakfast, lunch and dinner). Full day of visits in Kazan, centre of the so-called Autonomous Republic of Tatarstan. The city has a beautiful citadel, also called Kremlin, which was declared a World Heritage Site in 2000 with its turrets and walls, that were built during the 16th and 17th centuries and rebuilt nowadays. Possibility to see the mosque of Qol-Sarif. Night aboard the Trans-Siberian Zarengold.

Day 4: Yekaterinburg

(Breakfast, lunch and dinner). Stop in Yekaterinburg, capital of the Ural Mountains. Founded in 1723 by Tsar Peter I the Great, and also linked to the last Russian Tsar, Nicholas II and his family, who were murdered here in the summer of 1918. Walk through the city centre, that has been recently remodeled . We will visit the Cathedral of the Spilled Blood. Night aboard the Trans-Siberian Zarengold.

Day 5: Novosibirsk

(Breakfast, lunch and dinner). Crossing the plains of Western Siberia, the train stops at Novosibirsk, which with its 1.5 million inhabitants is the 3rd city in Russia and the most populous in Siberia. Founded in 1893 as the future site of the crossing of the Obi River through the Trans-Siberian roads, it was further developed in the middle of the 20th century with the completion of the train tracks that connect Novosibirsk with Central Asia and the Caspian Sea. Welcome to the traditional Russian way: “bread and salt ceremony” - Visit of the city, in which we will see the monument to the Trans-Siberian and the fast-flowing Ob river. Night aboard the Trans-Siberian Zarengold.

Day 6: Crossing Siberia

(Breakfast, lunch and dinner). The Zarengold has already become our second home. The magnificent nature of Siberia is shown through the window of our cabin. You will have the opportunity to learn some words commonly used in Russian and sing the well-known Russian folk songs. We will also cross the Yenisei, the most powerful of all Siberian rivers. The Yenisei is the largest river system that flows into the Arctic Sea and its flow is almost 50% higher than the Mississippi-Missouri. The Yenisei is born in Mongolia and flows north to the Kara Sea, having crossed so much of central Siberia. Today, our chefs will make an extra effort and give us a special meal "The banquet of the Tzars". We will also have the opportunity to check Russian hospitality; And enjoy a tasting of caviar, bliny and vodka. Night aboard the Trans-Siberian Zarengold.

Day 7: Irkutsk

(Breakfast, lunch and dinner). In the morning we will arrive in Irkutsk, famous for being the starting point of the caravans that left the city to go Mongolia and China. It is also named as the Paris of Siberia, for its vibrant life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Visit of the old part of the city, its wooden houses with beautiful windows and the monument to Tsar Alexander II, where until a few years ago, there was the monument to the Trans-Siberian. After lunch, we will go to the ethnographic museum "Life and work in the time of the Tzars". We will spend the night in a hotel in Irkutsk.

Day 8: Baikal Lake

(Breakfast, lunch and dinner). Today is a very special day, in which we will marvel at the Great Sacred Lake, the majestic Baikal Lake. The lake contains the largest freshwater reserve on the planet, with 20% about the total. It has more tan 40 km wide and more than 650 km long, with a depth of 1620 meters, that make it the deepest in the world. The mountain ranges covered with forest that surround it and the deep blue of its waters, will leave us an indelible image in our memory. We travel by coach to Listvianka, a Siberian village on the banks of Baikal. On a ferry, we will go to Port Baikal and here, we will board our “Zarengold” train that will run at a very low speed along the circular Baikal tracks between Port Baikal and Sludyanka, a road that, for many years, has only been travelled by a dozen special or local trains. The construction of this road had great difficulty. 39 tunnels were built with a total case 9000m long over a relatively small distance (100 km). A photographic stop will be organized near a small village, where we can stretch our legs, soak our feet in the very cool waters of Baikal Lake and visit the typical wooden houses of the local inhabitants. In the late afternoon, a picnic dinner will be served on the shore of the lake (if weather allows us). Night aboard the Trans-Siberian Zarengold.

Day 9: Ulan-Ude

(Breakfast, lunch and dinner). The train will return to Sludyanka to restart the journey in the main Trans-Siberian line towards Ulan-Ude. On the banks of the Baikal and the lonely steppes, we reach Ulan-Ude, a city “closed” to foreigners in times of the USSR, it is the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Buryata. Being the buryatos a Mongol ethnic minority, Ulán-Udé shows an interesting cultural mix and is a meeting point between East and West of the world. Brief visit of the city. Our Siberian train Zarengold will leave behind the traditional Trans-Siberian tracks and roll along the Trans-Mongolian tracks on its way to Beijing. Arrival at the Russian border station of Nauschki and later, arrival at the Mongolian station of Suche Baatar. All customs formalities will take place on board the train. You can stay in your cabin without getting off the train. A lively dinner welcomes us to Mongolia. Night aboard the Trans-Siberian Zarengold.

Day 10: UlaanBaatar

(Breakfast, lunch and dinner). For the early risers, the views are awesome. Mongolian riders are on their horses, you will see some asylum yurt camps and horses running free. Arrival in the morning to Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia. Large luggage stays, as usual, on board the train. Visit of the Gandan monastery, the Sukhabaatar Central Square and the Lamas Museum. Outdoor breweries are very popular in Mongolia - your guide will show you some of the best. Accommodation and dinner in a central city hotel. And if you wish, you can replace the hotel night and overnight in a typical Mongolian yurt in the beautiful "Mongolian Alps" with a small extra charge.

Day 11: Terelj National Park

(Breakfast, lunch and dinner). Today, we make a trip to the so-called “Swiss Mongolian”, a beautiful place at the east of the capital, where we can see the typical yurt camps. It is surrounded by horses and yaks, we will enjoy our picnic in one of these camps. Picnic lunch or barbecue. After lunch, there will be a demonstration of skilled Mongolian riders. Enjoy this wonderful environment until the time we return to Ulaanbaatar to get aboard our trans-Siberian Zarengold, who will depart south towards the border. Admire the landscape, that opens in our path, and from time to time: nomads, yurts, horse riders. Dinner and night aboard the Trans-Siberian Zarengold.

Day 12: Erlian

(Breakfast, lunch and dinner). We leave the Gobi desert before reaching the Mongol border town of Zamyn Uud and, after a routine customs inspection and passport control, we continue to Erlian, a Chinese border city. All customs formalities will take place on board the train. You can stay in your compartment during the control. In the Erlian station, the Russian track width (1520 mm wide) meets the Chinese travel width (1435 mm wide). Our Trans-Siberian train Zarengold dismisses us here. The Chinese train will be waiting for us on the same platform and consists only of Standard cabins with 2 or 4 berths. The Chinese train will reach Beijing in about 16 hours, and the end of our trip. The train will proceed smoothly throughout the night until arriving in Beijing in the morning. Dinner and night aboard the Chinese train.

Day 13: Beijing

(Breakfast and lunch). Arrival in Beijing, the capital of China, where three interesting days await us in this ancient city. Assistance, transfer and accommodation at the hotel. The afternoon is free to make purchases as you wish.

Día 14: Beijing

(Breakfast and lunch). The visit of the city includes numerous attractions and monuments. You must not miss the visit of the fascinating Temple of Heaven and the enormous Tian An Men Square. After Chinese lunch, we will visit the Imperial Palace, the famous Forbidden City, with its 9999 rooms, that for centuries was inaccessible to the Chinese people.

Day 15: Beijing

(Breakfast and dinner). Trip to the Great Wall of China, the eighth wonder of the World, an essential visit for any traveller who visits China. In our route to the Great Wall, we will visit a pearl cultivation farm, one of the Ming Tombs and the sacred path of the Spirits, the Shen Lu. In the evening, we will attend a special farewell dinner, in which the famous Beijing Lacquered Duck will be served.

Day 16: Beijing - Spain

(Breakfast). Breakfast at the hotel. At the agreed time, the transfer to the airport will be made. Return flight, via Moscow. Lunch and dinner on board. Arrival and end of our services.