By the Trans-Siberian Express from Moscow to Ulaanbaatar (08.08.2026)

MOSCOW – KAZAN – YEKATERINBURG – NOVOSIBIRSK – KRASNOYARSK– IRKUTSK – LAKE BAIKAL – ULAN-UDE – ULAN BATOR – MONGOLIAN STEPPES

 

We are taking this elegant and magnificent journey from Moscow to Ulan Bator with our "Special Train." Depending on preference, our journey will begin in Moscow or Ulan Bator and will reach Lake Baikal via Kazan, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, and Irkutsk along the Trans-Siberian route. Our trip will continue with Ulan Ude, the capital of the Republic of Buryatia, and reach Ulan Bator, the capital of Mongolia, and the Mongolian Alps. On this very special 6300 km journey in nostalgic carriages, information meetings about the history and cultures of the region to be crossed will be held every evening before the tour.

 

BOLSHEVIK CATEGORY

In the Bolshevik Category, each carriage has nine compartments for four people. There are beds measuring 70 x 190 cm on the two upper and two lower levels on the right and left sides. There is a table under the window. Toilets and a washbasin are located at both ends of the carriage.

STANDARD CATEGORY

In the Standard category, each carriage has 9 compartments. One compartment is shared by 2 guests. The beds are arranged face to face, measuring 70 by 190 cm. There is also a table under the window. Shared washbasins and toilets are located at the end of each carriage. There is a shower in every second carriage.

PRINCE CATEGORY

In our Trans-Siberian Express train, you will enjoy the most perfect comfort possible in the Prince category. The compartment features a comfortable seating area, a large table, and a wardrobe. The privilege of the compartment is that in the bathroom in a separate section, in addition to the washbasin, toilet, and shower, there is also enough space for your personal belongings. This compartment category is 5.57 m² in size. It has two beds, the upper one measuring 80 × 176 cm and the lower one 110 × 187 cm. This compartment also has a comfortable seating area, a medium-sized table, and a small clothes wardrobe.

TSAR CATEGORY

TSAR CATEGORY are the most comfortable compartments of the Trans-Siberian Train. Each compartment is 7.15 m² and has a fully equipped bathroom. There are 5 of these compartments in one carriage.
The lower bed measures 120 × 184 cm, and the upper bed measures 82 × 174 cm. Each compartment has its own well-equipped bathroom with a large wardrobe for clothes and a separate shower cabin.

1. Day, August 8, 2026, Saturday

Istanbul > Moscow

We meet at 22:00 at the meeting point No. 1 in the International Departures Terminal of Istanbul Airport. We complete ticket and passport procedures.

2. Day, August 9, 2026, Sunday

Istanbul > Moscow

We depart at 01:05 with Turkish Airlines flight TK 419. After a three-hour flight, we arrive at Moscow Vnukovo Airport at 04:50 local time. We meet our bus and head to Moscow. After a half-hour journey, we go to “Sparrow Hills,” one of Moscow’s most impressive viewpoints, and take photos of this striking city. After the break, we make a short journey and go to the restaurant where we will have breakfast. After breakfast, we visit the Novodevichy Convent (New Maidens’ Convent) and the nearby Novodevichy Cemetery, where we visit the grave of Nazım Hikmet. After the visit, we continue with our panoramic tour. We see the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, the Crimean Bridge, Andreevsky Bridge, Vorobyovy University Square, the Bloody Observation Deck, Kiev Pier, the Ukraine Hotel, the Ukraine Hotel Pier, Freedom of Russia Square, Novinsky Boulevard, the Oktyabr Cinema, the Moscow Book House, Arbat Square, Sivtsev Vrazhek Road, the Great Stone Bridge, Zaryadye Park, Red Square, the Bolshoi, and the Moskvoretsky Bridge. After the panoramic tour, we have lunch at a local restaurant. After lunch, we go to our hotel and check into our rooms. At 18:00 we leave the hotel and take our walking tour of Red Square. After seeing architectural masterpieces such as Lenin Mausoleum (from outside), Kazan Cathedral (from outside), the State Historical Museum (from outside), and St. Basil's Cathedral (from outside), we leave Red Square and, after a short walk, go to the local restaurant where we will have dinner. After dinner, we return to our hotel.

3. Day, August 10, 2026, Monday

Moscow – Departure by Special Trans-Siberian Express Train

After breakfast at the hotel, we take a city tour of Moscow. We leave the hotel on foot and shortly afterward arrive at Aleksandrovskiy Sad Park. After seeing monuments such as the Eternal Flame and the Romanov Monument, we visit the Kremlin, which is on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List. Kremlin means fortress in Russian and has been the administrative center of Russia for 1000 years. On our walking tour, which will start from the Holy Trinity Gate, we see the Kremlin Georgievsky Hall (from outside), the Kremlin Armory (from outside), the Presidential Palace (from outside), and the Senate Palace (from outside); we learn the interesting stories of the Tsar Cannon and the Tsar Bell. The masterpieces of our Kremlin visit are the cathedrals facing Sobornaya Square. We visit the "Archangel Cathedral," where the tombs of the Russian Tsars belonging to the Rurik Dynasty are located, the "Annunciation Cathedral," famous for its icons, and the "Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary," the coronation site of the Russian Tsars, and listen to their stories. After the visit, we go to a local restaurant for lunch. After lunch, we take the Moscow Metro tour. After the tour, we have free time on Arbat Street, then meet our vehicle and head to Kazansky Train Station. We board the "Special Trans-Siberian Express" train and settle into our compartments. Dinner is in our train’s restaurant. Overnight on the train.
 

4. Day, August 11, 2026, Tuesday

Kazan

After breakfast on the train, we arrive in Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan. We begin our city tour in Kazan, built where the Kazanka River flows into the Volga River, with a short panoramic tour and then disembark at Kazan Kremlin. This place, considered the pearl of Kazan, was added to the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List in June 2001. Our tour in the Kremlin starts with the Spasskaya Tower. We see the Kul Sharif Mosque, the Annunciation Cathedral, Suyumbike Tower (from outside), and the Presidential Palace, then leave the Kremlin. We meet our bus and go to the local restaurant for lunch. In the afternoon, we visit the Marcani Mosque, built during the reign of Russian Empress Catherine. After the visits, we wander through the historic streets and then have free time on Bauman Street, the city’s walking area. After free time, we meet our bus and, after a short journey, return to Kazan Train Station. Our "Special Trans-Siberian Express" train departs from Kazan. Dinner and overnight on the train.

5. Day, August 12, 2026, Wednesday

Yekaterinburg

In the morning, our train arrives in the Ural Mountains. We pass through the Ural Mountain Tunnel, with one end in Europe and the other in Asia. Shortly after passing through the tunnel, we stop in Yekaterinburg. The city was founded by Tsar Peter the Great in 1723, but it became truly famous for the killing of the last tsar, Nicholas II, and his family here in 1918. We leave Yekaterinburg Train Station and take a panoramic tour. In memory of the tragic events that took place at the site where the tsar family was executed, we visit the Church on the Blood, built in 2003. We go to the Europe-Asia continental meeting point and monument. After the tour, we board our train. Our journey continues toward the vast steppes of Western Siberia. Dinner and overnight on the train.
 

6. Day, August 13, 2026, Thursday

Novosibirsk

We have breakfast and lunch on the train. Around midday, we arrive in Novosibirsk, located in the very center of Siberia and the largest city there. We visit the "Trans-Siberian Museum" at the train station, then head to the city center by bus. On the city tour of this city, whose architectural appearance is typically Soviet, we get to know the city and see the Trans-Siberian Monument and the Ob River. After our excursion, we continue traveling eastward by train. Before dinner, we join a Vodka Tasting night in the train restaurant. Dinner and overnight on the train.

7. Day, August 14, 2026, Friday

Krasnoyarsk

After breakfast, our train crosses the Yenisei River, taking us through the varied landscapes of Eastern Siberia, with mountains, crystal-clear rivers, and cascading waterfalls. Today is the day to leave our eyes to the scenery and our thoughts to the enchanting beauty. In the afternoon, we arrive in the city of Krasnoyarsk. Novosibirsk grew and flourished with exiles. Lenin, the city’s most famous exile, stayed here for 2 years. After our tour in Krasnoyarsk, we return to the train. Dinner and overnight on the train.

8. Day, August 15, 2026, Saturday

Irkutsk

In the morning, after breakfast, our train arrives in Irkutsk. Irkutsk, the capital of Eastern Siberia in Tsarist Russia, is also known as the "Paris of Siberia." The reason for this is the Russian intellectuals who decided to settle here after exile. Among these people was the Volkonsky family, relatives of Tolstoy. Maria Volkonskaya established relations with Russian Romantics such as Pushkin and contributed to the development of Russian Romantic literature and music. We leave our luggage on the train, take only our overnight clothes, and board our bus. We tour Irkutsk, built on both banks of the Angara River. We see the wooden houses made from Siberian trees, the newly erected Statue of Tsar Alexander III, and get to know the city with our guide. There are also many churches in Irkutsk characteristic of Siberian architecture. We trace the traces of the Russian Bourgeois Revolution at the "Decembrists Museum." We visit the "Tea Museum," where we will learn the story of the "Tea Road," which runs parallel to the Silk Road and stretches from the China-Mongolia line to Moscow. We have free time at Siberia's largest market. Don’t forget to buy some of Russia’s most delicious vodkas at this market. Dinner is at a local restaurant where we will taste traditional Russian delicacies. Accommodation is at our hotel in Irkutsk.

9. Day, August 16, 2026, Sunday

Lake Baikal

After breakfast at the hotel in the morning, we depart by tour vehicle and, an hour later, visit the Taltsy Open-Air Museum, themed "Life and Working Life in Tsarist Russia." In this museum, we learn the story of the Russian Cossacks who invaded Siberia and settled in these regions, and the Buryats, the local people of this region. We go to Listvyanka, a small village on the shore of Lake Baikal. In this charming village, we visit the Siberian market and have the opportunity to shop. After free time for shopping, we depart from Listvyanka Pier by our private boat. We dedicate a full day to Baikal, the world's largest freshwater lake. Lake Baikal is also on the UNESCO World Natural Heritage List. Our boat will leave us at Port Baikal, where we board the train waiting for us. As our special train travels at a slow pace along the shore of Lake Baikal, we pass architecturally extraordinary bridges, tunnels, and viaducts along the way. While passing through magnificent scenery, we take lots of photos and witness splendid views. If the weather is suitable in the evening, we have a picnic by preparing barbecue grills on the shore of the impressive lake. During this break, our brave passengers can swim in Lake Baikal, whose surface temperature can only reach up to +10 degrees even at its warmest. Afterwards, we board the train again. Our next station will be Ulan-Ude. Overnight on our train.

10. Day, August 17, 2026, Monday

Ulan-Ude

As the first light of morning breaks, we continue to admire the views of Lake Baikal. We pass through the Selenga Valley, formed by the Selenga River, Mongolia’s longest river, which flows into Lake Baikal. Continuing our journey, we pass through the wild and solitary foothills of the Eastern Siberian Mountains. We arrive in Ulan-Ude, where our train will join the Mongolian Railway. We join a city tour and explore Ulan-Ude with our guide. We visit the ruins of the world’s only Hun city. After seeing the Buddhist Monastery and the world's largest Lenin Bust, we take a walking tour of the city. Then we board our train and continue our journey into the depths of Mongolia. The train staff will prepare a special "Tsar Table" for this, our last night in our special train, and we will bid farewell to the Antonina Special Train.
 

11. Day, August 18, 2026, Tuesday

Ulan Bator

Those who wake with the first rays of the sun will be able to see impressive views from the compartment windows as we pass through the middle of Mongolia. Yurt tents and horses running across the steppes will decorate our scenery. In the morning, we arrive in the capital, Ulan Bator. After breakfast, we leave our train. We then take our panoramic tour and visit the National Museum, where the Orkhon Monuments are displayed. We visit the Buddhist Gandan Monastery, then the impressive Choijin Lama Temple, which contains scenes of torture. We have lunch at a local restaurant, tasting delicious Mongolian dishes. After the meal and tour, we go to the city square and have free time. We depart from the hotel and join the Mongolian Night, where traditional music and dances are performed. During the evening, we listen to traditional Khoomei music. The main feature of khoomei, which has many varieties, is the ability to produce several sounds simultaneously and clearly from the throat. Khoomei, sung from the throat, is accompanied by the instrument called Morin Khurr, played with a bow made from horse tail hair. Dance, acrobatics, and folk games will also be performed during the evening. We have dinner as Mongolian barbecue at a local restaurant. After the evening, we return to our hotel.

12. Day, August 19, 2026, Wednesday

Ulan Bator – Mongolian Alps – Mongolian Steppes

After breakfast at the hotel, we take our full-day Mongolian Steppe tour. After a one-hour journey, we go to the region believed to be where Genghis Khan’s tomb is located. We see the world’s largest statue of Genghis Khan. After the visit, we visit the tent where a Mongolian family still lives. We taste the butter, cheese, and delicious clotted cream they produce for their own consumption. After the visit, we depart and, after a forty-five-minute journey, arrive at Terelj Valley and the national park. Our bus journey gives us the chance to observe the region’s beautiful countryside. In a camp located in the valley, we join a "Mini Naadam Festival" specially prepared for our group. We watch the horse games and races, traditional wrestling, and archery skills played during "Naadam," the national holiday of the Mongols. For lunch, we taste lamb prepared in the traditional way and seasoned in milk. We depart from Terelj Valley and, after a one-hour journey, arrive in Ulan Bator. We have our gala dinner at a local restaurant. Accommodation is at our hotel.

13. Day, August 20, 2026, Thursday

Ulan Bator > Istanbul

After breakfast, we head to Ulan Bator Airport. After ticket and passport procedures, we depart at 08:45 with Turkish Airlines flight TK 237 and, after a nine-hour flight, arrive at Istanbul Airport at 13:10.