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Snow Train Via Ekaterinburg

Trans-Siberian Railway

Snow Train Via Ekaterinburg

Ice festival special – better hurry before the ice melts!

Moscow to Beijing via Ekaterinburg and Harbin

Trip Price starts from $2925 per person

Ooperational season: December, January
Visas required: Russia & China

DEPARTURE DATES 2019 – 14 Days
January 01, 08, 15, 22, 29
February 05, 12
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Day 1 - Arrive Moscow
“S Priezdom! Welcome to Moscow!” Our driver will be there to meet you from whichever flight, train or boat you arrive. You’ll then be transferred to the Irbis 3H Hotel. The facilities available at this hotel include a Restaurant, Lobby Bar, Lobby Wi-Fi access, Luggage Room, Safety deposit boxes and an ATM machine. At check-in, (after 2pm) the hotel reception will advise you they will need your passport for visa registration. This process takes 1–2 hours. Your complimentary InfoPack is full of ideas for getting the most out of your free time.

Please check out our “St. Petersburg Add On” if you wish to commence your trip in St. Petersburg

No Meals.

Day 2 - Around Moscow

After breakfast one of our local expert staff will meet you at the hotel to take you on a three hour walking tour round the highlights – you’ll use public transport around the centre to avoid the traffic jams and get the hang of the system for when you come to use it independently. Our staffers are full of ideas for this walk but are flexible about other ideas if you have your own. Your walk ends in the city centre around lunchtime.

If you haven’t prebooked any of our range of city excursions the rest of the day is your own to explore further. Some of our top suggestions (please check opening times/days before setting off) would include visiting the Moscow Kremlin, the Tretyakov Gallery, the Pushkin Fine Arts Museum, or a boat trip along the Mosvka River… perhaps locate some tickets for ballet, opera, circus or a concert this evening? As well as famous classical music traditions Moscow features on the touring schedules of world names in jazz, rock, pop and world music.

Breakfast.

Day 3 - Depart Moscow

You’ll need to check out of your room by 12 noon today but the hotel offers a left luggage service for a small fee. Your day is free until 2pm when a driver is scheduled to take you to the station.

This morning you can continue sightseeing – the Lenin Mausoleum is only open in the mornings, and getting there early (it’s in Red Square) helps beat the queues. Although there’s a restaurant car service on board your train you may want to supplement this with some snacks, treats, and fresh fruit that you could buy today.

Your transfer from the hotel to Yaroslavsky station is scheduled for 2pm, so please be at the hotel reception where your driver will meet you and will assist your boarding of the Ekaterinburg bound train.

Breakfast.

Day 4 - Arrive Ekaterinburg

Your first full day on board the Trans-Sib… travelling through the Ural Mountains. There will be plenty of time to meet fellow travellers and hang out in the dining car which serves a variety of drinks, snacks and reasonably priced meals. Evening arrive in Ekaterinburg where our driver will meet you at the end of the platform and will be holding a meeting-board with your name on. Transfer to Hotel Suite which is centrally located.

No Meals.

Day 5 - Around Ekaterinburg

After breakfast there’s a walking tour around the well known and less obvious attractions of Ekaterinburg, with a local expert guide. You’ll visit the historical centre of the city including the scene of the assassination of the Romanov Royal Family on which a Cathedral now stands to mark the event. You’ll also see something of Ekaterinburg’s involvement in Russia’s military history.

The last half hour will be spent at The Museum of Gems. The tour ends in the downtown area (we make sure you know the way back!), where you are presented with multiple lunch choices and a free afternoon to explore independently.

Breakfast.

Day 6 - Ekaterinburg Free Choice Programme

(Geographical note: Ekaterinburg has borders on both the Western and Eastern sides of town… to the West is the official border between Europe & Asia, and to the East of Ekaterinburg is where Siberia officially begins.) The Siberian border was more than symbolic in the C19th – it delineated an area where a more rough and ready system of justice operated, where escaped serfs who had run away from their masters could legally claim sanctuary. For oppressed religious minorities, escaped serfs and others, the one way trip to Siberia was, ironically, the “highway of hope”.

Please make a choice of one of the day trip options. They’re included in the trip price! ( please note the Siberian weather puts seasonal limits on some activities – details below).

Breakfast, lunch.

A. ROMANOV GRAVES (Europe/Asia Border Monument en-route). Car excursion to site where the Romanov bodies were hidden. Duration; 5–6 hours. No physical exertion involved. Light lunch provided. Year round.

B. SIBERIAN COUNTRYSIDE & HISTORIC VILLAGE Visit to an old village (145 km each way) now under a Preservation Order. Includes home-cooked lunch, exhibitions of local craft, horse cart riding. Duration; 8–9 hours. No physical exertion involved. Year round.

C. SKIING At Ezhovaya Slopes Ski Resort. Skis/Poles/Lift-Pass package purchasable locally approx £35 payable in roubles. No instruction is included – this program is for those who can already ski. Duration; 6 –7 hours. Lunch provided. 01 December– 28 February. Weather permitting.

D. ICE-FISHING Yes, you saw the cartoons, now you can try it yourself. Tackle, angler’s hints & fur coat provided. We don’t guarantee you’ll catch anything! Duration; 8 hours. Lunch provided. 15 November– 15 December. 01 February–15 March. Weather permitting.

E. SIBERIAN HUSKY DOG SLEDDING Exactly what it says! 3–4 hours sledding
following a made track through the forest. No special fitness required, but be ready to fall-off in the soft snow a few times, they’re pretty fast! At the end of your trip
you will visit the famous Europe-Asia border. Duration; 7–8 hours. Lunch provided. 15 November–28 December. 16 January–28 February. Weather permitting.

Day 7 - 10 - Depart Ekaterinburg

Check out of your room after midnight. Transfer to the station where you will board the Harbin bound train. On board The Trans-Sib… travelling towards Irkutsk. The dining car is the heart of social life on the train. It functions as bar, lounge, and take-out snack store, as well as a café serving reasonably priced meals.

It is a great place to meet fellow travellers and locals alike sharing your experiences of your journey so far with a few drinks, which no doubt will include some Vodka – and maybe smoked salmon and caviar too! Along the way you’ll see astonishing Siberian scenery as the deciduous forests of the Ural Mountains slowly give way to Siberian pine forests. The major landmarks are the great rivers you cross, including the River Ob at Novosibirsk (one of the most famous bridges on the route), and the gigantic Enisei River (at Krasnoyarsk).

No Meals.

Day 11 - Arrive Harbin
After a night time border crossing (with a layover while the wheels are switched to Chinese gauge), you’ve entered China and the area known as Manchuria -once a separate Chinese Kingdom, and home to the Manchu (after whom the Manchu Dynasty, the last in Imperial China, was named). Early afternoon arrival in Harbin, the regional capital. We have not provided a transfer as the Hotel Kunlun hotel is directly opposite the Rail Station on the other side of the square. The facilities at this hotel include 2 restaurants, indoor swimming pool, bowling centre and a disco on the premises.

Harbin is sometimes called“The St Petersburg of China”, and its extraordinary pedestrian main street built entirely in European art nouveau style is a must see in your free time this afternoon…if you can tear yourself away from the temptation to buy“top-end clones” of European fashion in the city’s huge number of high end clothing outlets, that is. Don’t miss out on the hearty local Manchurian cuisine tonight either!

No Meals.

Day 12 - Harbin Ice Festival
The Harbin Ice Festival is held at Zhaolin Park which is approximately 5 km from the hotel. The festival is open from 10am – 10pm daily. Sculptors travel from all over the world to display their carvings, but this is very much a local festival.

We strongly recommend your visit to include viewings after dusk, which is known locally as the “Lantern Garden Party” when the carvings are bought to life by the amazing lighting. Remember to dress warmly, as temperatures will be well below zero!

No Meals.

Day 13 - Depart Harbin
You’ll need to check out of your room by 12 noon today but the hotel offers a Left Luggage service for a small fee. No specific itinerary is planned. You have free time to explore the Old Town of Harbin. This evening you will make your own way to the station for the Beijing bound train. (NB: 2-berth cabins are not available on this section.)

No Meals.

Day 14 - Arrive Beijing
Morning arrival at Beijing Central Station. For services in China and beyond please click here.

No Meals.

Included in the trip:
TRAIN: 2-Class 4-berth rail for complete journey.
MOSCOW: Transfers on arrival and departure. Two nights 3* Hotel, breakfast included. 3 hour personalised walking tour with local expert.
EKATERINBURG: All transfers. Two nights 2* Hotel, breakfast included. 3 hour walking tour and free choice excursion.
HARBIN: Two nights 4* Hotel room-only.

Booking Flights?

We have a range of airline tickets which fit in well with our trips. Run your flight requirements past us before confirming your flight arrangements.

 

 

Trip Price Guide:

1 person 2 people 3-9 people
Standard $4360 $3500 $3400
Superior $tba $tba $tba
Extras
Standard extra night Moscow $160 $80 $80
Standard extra night Beijing $160 $80 $80
Superior extra night Moscow $tba $tba $tba
Superior extra night Beijing $tba $tba $tba
Upgrading to 2-berth rail $1000 $1000 $1000

Please note 2-berth rail is not available on the Harbin to Beijing sector.

Due to the nature of these destinations all prices are subject to change. Contact us to confirm exact price.

Deposits hold bookings but fares can still vary with exchange rates and only final payment guarantees price.