Murmansk and Beyond: An Arctic summer journey - Private Trans-Siberian Rail Journeys

Your Itinerary

Moscow: Welcome to Russia's capital

DAY

1

After arriving in Moscow and taking an airport shuttle to your hotel in the city centre, you immediately feel the city's energy. That evening after dinner, you and your fellow travellers take an evening city tour of Moscow, illuminated by the inviting lights of bridges, towers, palaces - and two spectacularly beautiful train stations that feel more like cathedrals and art museums. After such an enjoyable day, you head back to the hotel where you might grab a nightcap or simply rest your head and let the day’s sights populate your dreams.

Overnight: Hotel Intercontinental Tverskaya (or similar) (D)

DAY 2

From Moscow to Pskov: Your first step north

DAY

2

In the morning, after a hearty breakfast at the hotel, you continue your informative guided discovery of Moscow. You explore the grounds of the Kremlin, including several gorgeous cathedrals from Russia’s Tsarist era. In the afternoon, you board your exclusive Arctic train, bound for Pskov.

Overnight: On board (BLD)

DAY 3

Pskov: City of Churches

DAY

3

Your experience of this thousand-year-old city actually starts with a morning visit to the village of Izborsk, where you visit one of Russia’s most ancient fortresses. Later, you visit another idyllic town, Pechory, where you see the Pechory monastery and the intriguing, so-called hermit grottoes. From here, you are just three km. (4.8 miles) from the border of Estonia and the European Union. After lunch you explore Pskov’s old city centre, the Kremlin and the Miroschki Monastery (UNESCO World Heritage). In the evening, you enjoy some free time then partake of a delicious restaurant dinner before boarding your exclusive Arctic train toward your next stop, Staraya Russa.

Overnight: On board (BLD)

DAY 4

Staraya Russa: Dostoevsky’s summer city

DAY

4

In this rarely visited city, you enjoy a rare experience: a visit to the summer home of Russia’s preeminent author, Fyodor Dostoevsky. The city is known for being the inspiration for the backdrop of his final novel, The Brothers Karamazov. Later you board your exclusive Arctic train for Novgorod the Great, where you take a boat ride on Lake Ilmen. A visit to the Cathedral of St. Sophia, one of Russia’s oldest churches, is on the program today, as is a visit to the city’s Kremlin. That evening, you depart on your exclusive train toward Petrozavodsk.

Overnight: Park Nevsky (or similar) (B)

DAY 5

Petrozavodsk: A day on the lake

DAY

5

Arriving in the Karelian capital of Petrozavodsk, you enjoy an excursion to historic Kizhi Island on Lake Onega. The island is home to a famous open-air museum that features dozens of beautiful wooden houses built in traditional Karelian style. Tonight you rest your head in a comfortable, centrally-located hotel before continuing via rail..

Overnight: Piter Inn or similar (BLD)

DAY 6

Petrozavodsk: City of cultures

DAY

6

Today you have time to explore the attractive promenade of Lake Onega on your own. Here you get to discover the city’s community of Vepsians, a Finnic people and longtime cultural minority in Russia. For dinner you enjoy authentic Karelian cuisine at a local restaurant. Later that evening, you board your exclusive Arctic train bound for the historic town of Kem.

Overnight: On board (BLD)

DAY 7

Solovetsky Islands: Last stop before the Arctic

DAY

7

On reaching Kem, a small historic town on the coast of the White Sea, you take a bus to the harbour, where you board a ferry for the Solovetsky Islands (weather permitting). There, you admire the famous Solovetsky Monastery, one of the first sites in Russia to make it onto the UNESCO World Heritage List. You enjoy a traditional lunch, and in the late evening, your private train takes you toward Murmansk, your first stop within the Arctic Circle - also known as the Land of the Midnight Sun.

Overnight: On board (BLD)

DAY 8

Murmansk and Teriberka: Inside the Arctic Circle

DAY

8

In the morning, you enjoy a delicious meal on board your exclusive Arctic train, after which you experience an informative tour of Murmansk, the Arctic’s largest city, situated on the picturesque Kola Bay. Later you enjoy an excursion north through sprawling tundra and impressive Arctic landscapes to Teriberka, a picturesque Arctic Ocean port. This rural village is perfectly situated on the Barents Sea, where old Soviet housing and derelict shipwrecks seem to have come right out of a fantasy novel. There are two beaches nearby where you can dip your toes into the chilly waters of the Arctic Ocean - if you dare! In the afternoon, you head back to Murmansk, where you spend the rest of the night.

Overnight: Azimut Hotel Murmansk (or similar) (BLD)

DAY 9

On the right track: Toward St. Petersburg

DAY

9

After a tasty breakfast, you head to the station with a full stomach, where your exclusive Arctic train waits to take you toward fascinating St Petersburg.

Overnight: On board (BLD)

DAY 10

St. Petersburg: Russia’s Venice of the North

DAY

10

Around noon your exclusive Arctic train arrives in St. Petersburg. Over the next three nights, this ravishing city will be your home. During a city tour, you discover the most important attractions of this Venice of the North: Nevsky Prospect - the city’s main thoroughfare - Palace Square, Vasilyevsky Island, the Old St. Petersburg Stock Exchange, and much more.

Overnight: Park Nevsky (or similar) (BL)

DAY 11

St. Petersburg: Castles of the Tsar and the Amber Room

DAY

11

In the morning, you make an excursion 25 km (15 miles) south of St. Petersburg to the town of Pushkin, formerly known as Tsarskoye Selo, the residence of the Russian imperial family. In the middle of town is Catherine Palace, the former summer palace of the Tsars and Tsarinas. The palace’s most famous room, the legendary Amber Room, was stolen during World War II and has been missing ever since. In 1979, however, the Russian government began building a replica of the room, which was completed in 2003. For lunch you enjoy a Tsar’s feast of Russian culinary specialties, vodka and artistic performances. That evening, you have free time to enjoy a romp around town, a visit to the theatre, or a boat ride on the Neva River.

Overnight: Park Nevsky (or similar) (BL)

DAY 12

St. Petersburg: The Tsars’ Crypt and a treasure trove of art

DAY

12

Today you have the opportunity to visit both the Peter and Paul Fortress and the Peter and Paul Cathedral – the burial place of the Romanov Dynasty – where you can see the sarcophaguses of almost all the former Tsars and Tsarinas. On a guided tour through the world-renowned State Hermitage Museum, you view spectacular paintings by Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael. The museum is located in the Tsar’s former residence, the Winter Palace. In the evening, you enjoy a farewell dinner, during which you reflect upon the extraordinary journey you have just completed.

Overnight: Park Nevsky (or similar) (BLD)

DAY 13

St. Petersburg: Farewell, Russia!

DAY

13

Your transfer from the hotel brings you swiftly to the airport for your return home as you bid farewell to this lovely corner of the world. It’s a bittersweet ending to an unforgettable journey. (B)

TSAR’S GOLD

Murmansk and Beyond

A journey through the Russian Arctic is a rarity for most travellers, made even more truly unique with an exclusively chartered Arctic train from Moscow to St. Petersburg via Murmansk, the Arctic’s largest city!

Your Itinerary

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