Tour Details
  • Starts in: Beijing / Ends in: Moscow
  • Departs: Sundays/Thursdays - year round
  • No local payment required
  • Breakfast:12, Lunch: 5, Dinner: 10
  • Hotel Rating: 3 star (+ Mongolian ger camp and homestay)
  • Tour Guide: Yes - for stopover arrangements
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Big Rail Tripper - 18 days

The big ticket, an epic journey from Beijing to Moscow, offering exciting stopovers at all of our en route destinations including Ulaan Baatar, Buddhist Ulan Ude, Irkutsk, breathtaking Lake Baikal and Yekaterinburg, in the shadow of the Ural Mountains,

Classic Adventure Itinerary
Day 1: Beijing
Welcome to Beijing! Arrival transfer from Beijing airport to hotel. Overnight - Beijing
Day 2: The Great Wall & Forbidden City
Don some comfortable shoes. Beyond Beijing, visit to a section of the Great Wall at Badaling, where you can walk a section of this behemoth. Some sections are fairly steep, but walking along the vast wall that snakes for thousands of kilometres is a once in a lifetime experience! Back in Beijing, visit the vast Tiananmen Square where Chairman Mao’s tomb and various monuments to the people are located. Dominating the city’s heart is the Forbidden City. A centre of power for five centuries and seat of the emperors, enjoy a guided tour. Overnight - Beijing (B, L)
Big Rail Tripper - 18 days Go Guide : :Check out the go guide for details of the tour, info on visas, climate, money, what to bring and more!
A Mongolian bar, inside a traditional Ger tent
Day 3: Life onboard
Beijing - Ulaan Baatar. Early this morning, an included transfer to Beijing rail station for the train to Ulaan Baatar - capital of Mongolia. Overnight - train (B)
Days 4 - 5: Ulaan Baatar & Terelj NP
Morning arrival (subject to border formalities and inevitable delays) in Outer Mongolia. A country of unspoilt natural beauty, Mongolia is a popular stop on the Trans-Siberian. On arrival enjoy lunch before transferring to nearby Terelj National Park, stopping en route to visit Turtle Rock and a nomadic family. Stay for 2 nights in beautiful surrounds, where outdoor pursuits such as horse riding (optional cost), hiking and rock climbing are available. Your home on the steppe, is a traditional Mongolian ger (a sturdy wood and felt type tent)*

*Please note: Due to extreme weather, clients undertaking a classic adventure during the winter can decide upon arrival, whether to stay in permanent accommodation or a Mongolian ger. Overnight - Terelj NP ger camp (B:1, L:2, D:2)
Day 6: Ulaan Baatar - Ulan Ude
Terelj NP - Ulaan Baatar - Ulan Ude. Leaving Terelj NP, a transfer back to the capital - Ulaan Baatar via a food store in anticipation of the onward afternoon departure to Ulan Ude in Russia. During the journey, the train will cross the border into Russia, bringing with it inevitable customs and immigration formalities and delays. Overnight - train (B)
The shores of Lake Baikal in Sibera - the deepest lake in the world
Days 7 - 8: Ulan Ude
Early morning arrival to Ulan Ude and transfer to homestay for breakfast. Later, enjoy a city tour. Thanks to it’s proximity to Mongolia and China, the indigenous people of the region, the Buryats, clung on to their Tibetan-Buddhist faith through the Communist era. Visit Ivolginsky Datsan - a Buddhist temple. On day 8, visit to the Ethnographic Museum and free time, then dinner before late evening transfer to rail station for the overnight train to Irkutsk. Overnight - Ulan Ude homestay (1) train (1) (B:2, D:2)
Days 9 - 10: Lake Baikal
Ulan Ude - Irkutsk - Lake Baikal. Morning arrival into Irkutsk and transfer to Listvyanka village. On the shores of Lake Baikal, spend the next two days at leisure in Listvyanka; enjoy a steamy banya (sauna) and perhaps choose one of the optional activities available. Overnight - Listvyanka homestay (B:1, L:1, D:2)
Traditional wooden Siberian houses
Day 11: Irkutsk
Irkutsk & Lake Baikal. Departing Listvyanka at shortly after midday, stop for lunch and transfer back Irkutsk. The remains of the day is free to explore Irkutsk. Overnight - Irkutsk homestay (B, L, D)
Days 12 - 13: Irkutsk - Yekaterinburg
Irkutsk - Yekaterinburg. On day 12, late afternoon transfer to the rail station for the onward journey to Yekaterinburg, across tracts of Siberia and the Ural Mountains. Relax and settle back into life onboard the train. Overnight - train (B:1)
Days 14 - 15: Yekaterinburg
On the afternoon of day 14 the train pulls in to Yekaterinburg. Transfer to accommodation. On day 15 enjoy breakfast and then a city tour which takes in the new monastery that marks the site of the Romanov family’s execution in 1918 and Ganina Yama - a beautiful monastic complex built on the site where their bodies were discarded and later found. The tour also takes you to the Europe/Asia border where you can stand with a foot in each continent! Overnight - Yekaterinburg homestay (B:1, D:2)
A man standing outside Ganina Yama - a monastic complex in Yekaterinburg
Day 16: Optional activity
Today you can choose one of the optional activities or spend the day at leisure. Overnight - Yekaterinburg homestay (B, D)
Day 17: Train to Moscow
Yekaterinburg - Moscow. Early morning transfer to the rail station for the onward journey to Moscow. Overnight - train (B)
Day 18: Moscow
This morning the train reaches Moscow.

See the 'Costsaver' tab above, for the content of our Costsaver journey

NOTE: Mongolian ger stay applicable to classic adventures only.

Train Schedules - Schedules dictate a morning arrival in Moscow on day 18. We strongly urge you to stay at least one night in Moscow to avoid the risk of missing your onward international flight. Trans-Siberian Railways do change their schedules from time to time, which could alter the itinerary or departure date. Please check with us at time of booking.

Homestays - Our homestays vary, you may be staying with a local family, couple or single person. In some cases the home owner may actually move out so that you have the house to yourself. The local homes we use are generally very simple and basic with shared bathroom facilities. Please note that if you are travelling in a larger group it may be necessary for you to stay in separate houses because most homes are small and only have room for one or two guests.

Choose your Adventure
Make the most of your time in Yekaterinburg and Irkutsk by choosing one of our optional activities that most appeals to you. Please specify your preference at time of booking.

Please note that optional activities are only available on Classic Adventures not Costsaver.

Accommodation Upgrades

We understand that some travellers may prefer their own privacy. Therefore we offer accommodation upgrades. Classic adventure travellers have the opportunity to upgrade from homestays to hotel accommodation (at an additional cost) in Yekaterinburg, Listvyanka, Irkutsk and Ulan Ude.


On our costsaver adventure we offer travellers the option to switch from homestay

accommodation to a hostel in Yekaterinburg and upgrade to budget hotels in Irkutsk and Ulan Ude (at an additional cost). Perhaps consider a combination of homestays and hotels - the choice is yours! Contact us for prices.


Please note - if choosing to upgrade, hotels and hostels are on a bed and breakfast basis and dinner is not provided. If choosing to upgrade to a hotel in Listvyanka, the banya will not be included.


Upgrades are subject to availability.