Page 29 - Luxury Trains

Downtown RUSSIA Providing Fascinating Travel Experiences
Trans-Siberian Moscow- Vladivostok
14 days
Mowcow, Kazan, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, Lake Baikal, Ulan-Ude, Khabarovsk, Vladivostok
their specialty "The Tsars' table". Overnight on the Trans-Siberian Railway. [B/L/D]
Day 6: Day on board
The train, where you start to make your mark, continues on its way. You cross the Yenisei, advance through birch forests, cross small idyllic villages and impressive mountain landscapes. Planned vodka tasting. Overnight on the Trans-Siberian Railway. [B/L/D]
Day 7: Irkutsk
During this day, you join Irkutsk, capital of Eastern Siberia. During a city tour with your local guide to admire, among other things, the Decembrist Museum, the House of Europe also called "the lace house", representative of the houses decorated with wooden sculptures which make Irkutsk famous, as well as the most beautiful streets of the old districts like the Bolchaya Prospektnaya. After lunch in a city restaurant, you set off for a visit to the "Taltsy" ethnographic museum, on the picturesque banks of
the Angara river (about 22 miles). Back to Irkutsk, you will have free time in Quartier 130 - "Irkutskaya Sloboda". This district is a replica of houses dating from the 19th and early 20th century Dinner in town, then departure from Irkutsk. Overnight on the Trans-Siberian Railway. [B/L/D]
Day 8: Lake Baikal
Arrival at Port Baikal. You travel by boat to the small village of Listvyanka on the shores of Lake Baikal, the largest reservoir of fresh water in the world. If the weather permits, take advantage of this stage for a meal in the form of a rustic picnic on the shore of the Taiga. You will then appreci-
ate the beauty of the site from the Tcherski Rock, an observation terrace offering the most beautiful view of the southern part of the lake and the source of the Angara river, and discover the Lake Baikal museum, which presents the fauna and the flora of the region. After a short city tour of Listvyanka, visit the Irkutsk fish and craft market. Overnight in the Trans-Siberian Railway. [B/L/D]
Day 9: Ulan-Ude
Arrival in the city of Ulan-Ude, an impor- tant crossroads for trade between Russia, Mongolia and China. A city tour allows you to discover the capital of Buryatia, whose population presents a great ethnic
and cultural diversity. Visit to religious centers: the Ivolginsky dastan, the Hodigitria cathedral and the Church of the Holy Trinity. You are then welcomed in a Buryat family, during an excursion which makes you discover the yurts or portable round tents. A small folk show is then presented to you. Your hosts will explain how they prepare their traditional "Pozy" dish, how they lead their herds, set up or take down their yurts, wear their traditional clothes, etc. Overnight on the train. [B/L/D]
Day 10: Day on board
Day and night on the train to Vladivostok. The last section of the Trans-Siberian Railway covering almost 2,237 miles, more than the distance between Moscow and Ulan-Ude. In the evening, our chefs offer their specialty "The Tsar's table". You taste two essentials of Russian
For prices and other details visit www.holidayswithdowntown.com 29