tsars of the sun - 7 days
 Tour Information
Starts: Moscow
Ends: Novosibirsk
Departs: 27 July 2008
Prices and departures: Click here
Breakfast: 6
Lunch: 2
Dinner: 2
Hotel Rating: 3  superior tourist class
Tour Leader: Yes
Day 1 (Sunday)
Welcome to Moscow and the start of your eclipse holiday. Meet and greet arrival transfer from airport. Transfer to hotel for registration and check-in. Tonight at approximately 8pm, our welcome meeting will take place where your trip leader will advise you of the details for the days ahead and recommend some local bars and restaurants. Overnight – Moscow
Day 2 (Monday) : Moscow – breakfast
This morning we head to legendary Red Square for a guided walk of the Kitay-Gorod and Lubyanka area and city tour. Adjacent to the square is the golden domed Kremlin - seat of Russia’s governmental might, where we enjoy a guided tour. In Red Square, feast your eyes on the intensely coloured onion domed St Basil’s Cathedral - the subject of countless postcards. Along one side runs the elegant façade of the illustrious GUM department store, once the only choice for shopping in the Communist era. Also on Red Square is Lenin’s Mausoleum. If open, we can see and pay our respects to the father of Communism for free! Rest of the day free. Overnight – Moscow
Day 3 (Tuesday) : Moscow – breakfast
Free day. Pulsating neons and billboard hoardings are proof Moscow has embraced capitalism. However, its plentiful museums, Stalinist-era Metro, stately buildings and traditions ensure Moscow holds onto its rich heritage. Overnight – Moscow
| Recommended eclipse accompaniment |
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Bolt-on Star city - Join us on an optional adventure to the Star City Cosmonaut Training Centre. Experience the low-down on the Russian space program that has trained every Russian cosmonaut since Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space – the perfect compliment to understanding space, time and Friday’s Eclipse. |
Day 4 (Wednesday) : Moscow - breakfast
Free morning. A last chance to explore the former capital of communism and its palatial metro (underground) system. Around lunchtime we head to Moscow airport for our afternoon flight to Novosibirsk. Departing at 14.30 we cross some of Russia’s several time zones and arrive in the Siberian capital at 21.20. Transfer to hotel. Dinner and overnight – Novosibirsk
Day 5 (Thursday) : Novosibirsk – breakfast
This morning, with our guide, we explore Russia’s third largest city, built as a transport hub for the great Trans-Siberian rail system. Established in 1893 Novosibirsk has grown into the Siberian provincial capital and a centre for culture and academia and still remains Russia's most important rail transport hub. This afternoon we will take a tour of the observatory or the scientific technopark.
Lunch and overnight – Novosibirsk
Day 6 (Friday) : Novosibirsk – breakfast
In preparation for today’s main event this morning will be spent with an astronomer/ expert in the field who will brief us on the forthcoming solar eclipse – a remarkable astronomical event. The briefing will last approximately 1.5 hours.
With the briefing complete we travel to the observation sight, arriving in time to sort out a great vantage point. The event itself will take place mid-late afternoon (16.40-18.20) after which we return to Novosibirsk. Lunch (boxes), dinner and overnight Novosibirsk
Day 7 (Saturday) : Novosibirsk – breakfast
After breakfast, our trip reaches its conclusion. Departure transfers to the airport or train station included.
To experience more of Siberia and travel on the Trans-Siberian railway why not choose the Lake Baikal bolt-on. | 
