“S Priezdom” Welcome to St. Petersburg. Our driver will be there to meet you from whichever flight, train or boat you arrive. You’ll then be transferred to the Vesta 3★ Hotel. (We can obtain rates for superior hotels ask a member of the reservations team for details.) Your complimentary InfoPack is full of ideas for getting the most out of your free time.

After breakfast one of our local experts will meet you at your hotel in the lobby for a three hour walking and familiarisation tour. The rest of the day is your own.

A full day for you to pack in the best of the rest. Own transfer this evening to Moskovsky Station where you will board the Moscow bound train.

Early morning arrival in Moscow. You’ll then be transferred to the Panorama 3★ Hotel. (We can obtain rates for superior hotels ask a member of the reservations team for details.) One of our local expert staff will meet you at the hotel around 10am to take you on a three hour walking tour round the highlights – you’ll use public transport around the centre to avoid the traffic jams and get the hang of the system for when you come to use it independently. Our staffers are full of ideas for this walk but are flexible about other ideas if you have your own. Your walk ends in the city centre around lunchtime. The rest of the day’s your own.

This morning you can continue sightseeing the Lenin Mausoleum is only open in the mornings, and getting there early (it’s in Red Square) helps beat the queues. If you haven’t pre-booked any of our range of city excursions the rest of the day is your own to explore further. Some of our top suggestions (please check opening times/days before setting off) would include visiting the Moscow Kremlin, the Tretyakov Gallery, the Pushkin Fine Arts Museum, or a boat trip along the Mosvka River?

A full day to continue your sightseeing. Evening transfer to Yaroslavsky Station where you will board the Harbin bound train.

The dining car is the heart of social life on the train. It functions as bar, lounge, and take-out snack store, as well as a café serving reasonably-priced meals. It is a great place to meet fellow travellers and locals alike, sharing your experiences of your journey so far with a few drinks, which no doubt will include some Vodka – and maybe smoked salmon and caviar too!

After a night time border crossing (with a layover while the wheels are switched to Chinese gauge), you’ve entered China and the area known as Manchuria -once a separate Chinese Kingdom, and home to the Manchu (after whom the Manchu Dynasty, the last in Imperial China, was named). Early afternoon arrival in Harbin, the regional capital. We have not provided a transfer as the Kunlun 4★ Hotel is directly opposite the Rail Station on the other side of the square. Harbin is sometimes called “The St Petersburg of China”, and its extraordinary pedestrian main street built entirely in European art nouveau style is a must-see in your free time this afternoon if you can tear yourself away from the temptation to buy “top-end clones” of European fashion in the city’s huge number of high end clothing outlets, that is.  Don’t miss the hearty local Manchurian cuisine tonight either!

The Harbin Ice Festival is held at Zhaolin Park which is approximately 5 km from the hotel. The festival is open from 10am – 10pm daily. Sculptors travel from all over the world to display their carvings, but this is very much a local festival. We strongly recommend your visit to include viewings after dusk, which is known locally as the “Lantern Garden Party” when the carvings are bought to life by the amazing lighting. Remember to dress warmly, as temperatures will be well below zero!

No specific itinerary is planned you have free time to explore the Old Town of Harbin. This evening you will make your own way to the station for the Beijing bound train.

Arriving into Beijing West Station at the end of your Trans-Siberian journey.