The Baikal Region - Trans-Siberian Railroad - Far East - Siberia - Moscow - Saint Petersburg - Gold Ring - Silver Ring - Ecological safari - Hunting and fishing - Chinggis Khan - Silk Road - Great Tea Road - Travel Asia

The Trans-Siberian railroad is the longest in the world. It stretches for 10,000 kilometers from Moscow to Vladivostok. This railroad was built in the last century, and joins the main cities and areas of Siberia and the Far East with Russia's centre. The road passes through 8 time zones and via such well-known cities as Moscow, Ekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk, Khabarovsk and Vladivostok.

The construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway began in the last century under the authority of the Russian czar Alexander III. It was a difficult and nerve-racking process, which lasted for years. In the central regions of Russia the railroad tracks laying started in 1837. Only in 1870 did the road reach the Urals Ekaterinburg. The construction went on and in 1890 a bridge across the river Ural was built and the new railroad entered Asia. The bridge across the Ob River was built in 1898 and the small city Novonikolaevsk, founded in 1883, metamorphosed into a large Siberian centre - Novosibirsk city. In 1898 the first train reached Irkutsk and the shore of Lake Baikal. The railroad ran on and on to the East, across the Shilka and the Amur rivers and soon reached Khabarovsk. The Vladivostok - Khabarovsk branch was built a bit earlier in 1897.

The most difficult part in the construction of the railroad was the part of around Lake Baikal. The railroad here was built by the price of lives of convicts and thousands of poor Russian peasants, who laid rails, cut tunnels through the mountains, built bridges across rapid deep rivers for years and perished without seeing the result of their work.

" Baikal Travel Co." offers you an interesting tour along the Trans-Siberian railroad, through the cities Moscow, Ekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, Khabarovsk and Vladivostok.

Day 1. Your tour begins in Moscow, where during the city tour you'll visit The Moscow Kremlin with its cathedrals, will learn about the Prince Yury Dolgorukiy, who founded this city in 1147. You'll visit The Red Square and other monuments of history and architecture.

Day 2. Your acquaintance with Moscow will continue. At night - departure by the comfortable train, in which you'll travel trough the whole Russia.

Day 3. You'll spend the day in the train moving along central part of Russia.

Day 4. You'll make a stop in the old Russian city Ekaterinburg, which is situated on the very border of Europe and Asia, on the banks of the Isset River. The city was founded in 1728 by the Russian geographer Vasyly Tatyshev and at first developed as a fortress, but then it gradually transformed into an administrative and cultural centre of the Ural region. The city is famous for its history - here in the Ural region well-known public hero Yemeliyan Pugachov raised a rebellion against the czar. In this city finished the ancient history of the Romavovs family - Russian czars, here took place tragic murder of the whole czarist family, whose remains were found in the 80-s and re-buried in 1998 in St. Petersburg.

Your acquaintance with the city begins with an overview excursion. You'll drive along old streets, which were built in the "golden age" by Ekaterinburg's merchants, who became very rich by the treasures of the Ural region. You'll visit the place of the execution of the last Russian czar Nicholas II and his family and the St. Elisaveta chapel.

Day 5. You'll have an unusual excursion to the boundary of Europe and Asia (40 km from Ekaterinburg). You will have the exclusive possibility to stand with one foot in Europe, with the other - in Asia.

And back on the way. The train carries you on and on to the East.

Day 6. You 'll travel in the train along the Ural and Central Siberia.

Day 7. Novosibirsk is the largest city of Siberia both by population and territory. It lies on the banks of the beautiful river Ob. You will get to know this city, which has the Opera and Ballet theater and a Conservatory. You will have a chance to visit the Art Galley, where a collection of icons of Moscow and Siberian school and about 60 pictures of the Russian painter Nicholas Rerikh are exhibited.

Day 8. You'll visit the famous Scientific town situated 28 km from Novosibirsk in the picturesque taiga forest on the shore of the Ob water reservoir. In its institutes are conducted researches and investigations in the field of mathematics and nuclear physics, chemistry and genetics, biology and geology, ecology and philosophy, applied mechanics and hydrodynamics. You will have a possibility to see the rich collection of the mineralogical museum. After a short motorboat ride on the Ob river you will visit the Ethnographic Open-Air Museum, where ancient Siberian stone statues are exhibited.

Day 9-10. Again in the train along Siberia.

Day 11. At last we arrive in Irkutsk - the center of Eastern Siberia, situated on the shore of Lake Baikal. Irkutsk is a treasure house of the spiritual culture of Siberia. Founded in 1661 by Cossack Yakov Pohabov, Irkutsk had been located more than 300 years on the banks of the Angara River, the beloved daughter of "father" Baikal. It is probably the only Siberian city that preserved its historical individuality: old wooden constructions, built without a single nail, decorated with skillful carving harmonized with splendid stone edifices of Siberian architecture. There are about 700 monuments of history and culture in Irkutsk. The most interesting for the guests of our city are the history ensembles in its central part: Spasskaya (Savior) church, The Epiphany Cathedral, the Roman Catholic Church, the monument to the explorers of Siberia, the Drama theater etc. .

You will see all this during various excursions round the city.

Day 12-14. Again on the train, which carries you along the Baikal and Maritime regions.

Day 15. The main city of the Amur region: Khabarovsk. The city was founded in 1858 and named in honor of Russian explorer Erophey Khabarov. It is one of the oldest cities on the Amur River. For two days our company offers you to get to know this city, visit the arboretum in Hehzig game reserve, see the most interesting monuments of history and culture.

Further on the road - to the endpoint of your trip -the city of Vladivostok. It is one of the most interesting and picturesque cities, situated on the pacific seaside, a large seaport of Russia. The city occupies nearly the whole Muraviov-Amursky peninsula and about 20 islands. The central part of the city is situated on the shore of Golden Horn bay. There are many monuments and historic places here . You will be able to visit Local Lore museum named after Arsenyev which is very interesting and bears a unique collection. You'll visit the oceanarium and the botanic garden.

From Vladivostok you'll fly in the direction you need by the plane.

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The Baikal Region - Trans-Siberian Railroad - Far East - Siberia - Moscow - Saint Petersburg - Gold Ring - Silver Ring - Ecological safari - Hunting and fishing - Chinggis Khan - Silk Road - Great Tea Road - Travel Asia