Trans-Siberian Railway

Trans-Siberian Railway
Monkeyshrine - Ride with the Monkey
Train Travel and
Destination Specialists
An introduction to
our tours and destinations
Contents
INTRODUCTION TO OUR TOURS
2
3
- Contents and Contacts
- The Trains and Train Class
4
5
- photo “Soviet Locomotive”
- About Us and How to Book
6
7
- photo “loco wheels”
- Introduction to Our Tours and How to Book
8
9
- Destinations and Route Map
- Which Season to Travel and Travel Directions
DESTINATIONS
2
10
11
- Introducing Irkutsk Lake Baikal
- photo “off-roading, Russian style”
12
13
- The Open Steppe of Mongolia and Gobi Desert
- photo “Mongolian Nomads”
14
15
15
- An extract from ‘Everything Flows’ by Vasily Grossman
- Vladivostok
- Ulan Ude and Buryat Culture
16
17
- Krasnoyarsk and Tayshet BAM Line
- Ekaterinburg and Kazan
18
19
- Moscow and St Petersburg
- photo “Ulan Ude Datsan”
Traditional script in Dazhao Temple, Hohhot
Registered Office
China Commercial International
Travel Service (Beijing Xindong Lu)
Room 202, Building 2,
27 Bei San Li Community, East Courtyard,
Chaoyang District, 100027, Beijing
Tel: 010 65916519
www.monkeyshrine.com
Members of the China National
Tourism Administration
Fully licensed bonded member
Licence: B200112
Travel Agency Liability Insurance
info
in
fo@m
fo
@ onke
@m
eys
yshr
hrin
hr
i e.com
www.
ww
w.mo
w.
m nkey
eyysh
shri
rine
ri
e.com
The Trains
“I enjoyed the trip very much , everybody should do
that once in their life! The trains I took were very
comfortable and clean! I was really impressed by that.
Thanks again for your help organising the trip!
Tihana Majcen, November 2010
There is not one specific Trans-Siberian Train and you will travel on a number
of trains on your trip, run by the national operator in the country you pass
through, unless you travel on one of our private rail tours, which is a fully
escorted luxury trip (read more on pg 7). All international trains maintain
high standards. Clean bedding is provided on all trains and there is nearly
always a dining-car on board preparing local cuisine. Depending which
tour you book and how often you stop along the way, each train segment
will last one, two or three nights. Or up to six nights if you make the entire
journey without stopping which is something we do not normally recommend. It is a social journey and an ideal environment to meet fellow travellers as well as locals, who use the train for business, or returning home.
Children especially enjoy running the corridors and meeting like minded
energetic new friends!
Train Class
There are a number of classes on the train, most common is standard Second Class with four berth
cabins and nine cabins in each carriage. There are communal toilets and wash-basin at both ends of
each carriage. Second class tends to be very social with cabin doors left open during the day and
people chatting in the corridors. There is limited availability of First Class carriages, where cabins
have just two berths, ideal if you are travelling as a couple on a train journey of two or three nights.
Some carriages have their own ensuite bathroom, and this is an option on our private rail tours.
Mongolian railways insignia
3
Soviet era locomotive
“It really was the trip of a lifetime. This was the
best thing we’ve ever done. We were dubious about
booking a ‘package’, but it didn’t feel like one.”
Barclay Mullins, April 20088
4
About Us
Specialising in railway and destination tours through Russia and Mongolia, we are happy to plan your Trans-Siberian adventure. Begin your trip in Beijing, Moscow or Vladivostok - travel the entire Trans-Siberian or Trans-Mongolian route, or depart
from Beijing on a round-trip circuit through Mongolia and Siberia. Whatever your travel style, time frame or budget, we can
help plan your next adventure.
Operating since 1988, Monkeyshrine is the most experienced operator specialising solely in Trans-Siberian train trips and
tours. We pioneered an online Trans-Siberian website for travellers in April 1997. Despite our prominence in the field, we still
remain a small company with just a handful of loyal staff, all of whom have first hand experience of the Trans-Siberian train
trip and local specialist knowledge.
We have sales staff in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing and local partners across Russia as well as guides and agents in
each city you may wish to stop. Apart from Trans-Siberian Railway tours we can also arrange Silk Road tours and destination tours in China, Mongolia and Russia.
We have registered offices in Hong Kong and in Beijing.
Monkeyshrine is the trading name of Moonsky Star ltd., Hong Kong.
In China we operate under licence of China Commercial International Travel Service - Beijing Xindong Lu Branch Office.
How To Book
Planning a Trans-Siberian tour isn’t always the
easiest to organise, when working out the train
schedules, deciding how long to stay in each place,
booking hotel accommodation and guides, then
working out dates, discussing all this with friends,
then applying for visas. We do most of that for you!
This brochure is a great place to start.
To start off, you need to decide in which direction
to travel, from Beijing to Moscow, or from Moscow
to Beijing. There is also an option to travel to or
from Vladivostok.
Then decide which destinations you would like to
visit along the way - this brochure is a big help there
introducing the most popular places.
info@monkeyshrine.co
om
www.
ww
w monkeysh
hri
r ne.com
We also have a great range of ‘Asia’ only trips including Silk Road tours, ideal if you’ve previously visited
Russia on one of our train journeys.
Decide on which tour type; most popular are our
Small group packages. Or our Private luxury
tours. Travel light on our Basic ‘no frills’ trips. If
you want to expand or change anything, we can
help you plan a Semi independent tour.
Next, chose a date of departure, then contact us
and we’ll do the rest. We’ll email you a quote, explain how to apply for your visas and of course how
to make payment. Then all that’s left is to pack, and
we’ll help you there too! We will provide an indispensable Infopack, advising what to take, where to
find the best restaurants and lot’s of background
info on the Trans-Siberian...
5
6
loco wheels
Our Tours
POLNY - Fixed date, small group tours
VELIKIY- Luxury private train cruise
Combine the best stop-overs with local guides, well
designed tours with special attention to detail, comfortable accommodation and hotels.
Departing on fixed-dates throughout the year, we offer a range of fully guided private train trips through
Russia, Mongolia and the Silk road.
Polny [полный] is a Russian word which means
“complete, full, total, entire, overall, absolute”.
Experience the classic Trans-Siberian from Vladivostok to Moscow, or the Trans-Mongolian route, taking
in the annual Mongolian Naadam festival in July, or
our very special Silk Route journeys. We even offer a
special winter trip to the Arctic Circle.
Polny packages include all train tickets in second class
with the option to upgrade to first class two-berth
cabins on most journeys. Organised stopover programs with English speaking guide services, 3* standard accommodation and all transfers.
The most popular Polny tours cover 14 to 21 days and
include tours on the Open Steppe of Mongolia, to the
shore of Lake Baikal, staying in a traditional wooden
home, and excursions through the heart of Siberia,
taking in Krasnoyarsk and the Ural Mountains around
Ekaterinburg, as well as in Beijing and Moscow. All our
tours have an optional extension to St Petersburg.
Learn more about these destinations throughout this
brochure.
OSNOVA - Basic trips, without the frills.
Osnova [основа] is a Russian word meaning “basis,
base, framework, foundation”. Osnova trips are perfect for those travelling on a limited budget or with
time restrictions.
We have a range of basic trips that include budget
accommodation, arrival transfers and introductory
tours. You will travel independently while minimising
the logistical headaches, saving you time and providing more flexibility at the stop-overs.
info@monkeyshrine.co
om
www.
ww
w.mo
on
nkkey
eyssh
hri
r in
ne
e.ccom
om
These private train tours are a fabulous way to combine the nostalgia and romanticism of travelling by
train with the added comfort of a fully escorted and
private ‘cruise’ rail experience. Travelling in luxury
cabins that offer various levels of class and comfort,
you enjoy first class service and in-depth tour programmes bought to you by friendly and professional
guides throughout your journey.
See our separate brochure dedicated to our private
train tours.
CUSTOM - Bespoke tours and itineraries
Do you have a specific plan? We can help build your
personal itinerary. Our trips can be as flexible as the
train schedules and we can build an itinerary that is
right for you.
For larger groups, we can book special private carriages of a much higher class than normal adding a sense
of grandeur to your adventures.
You always have the option to add on St Petersburg as
well as tours in China to your Trans-Siberian journey.
7
RUSSIA
Kazan
Yekaterinburg
Krasnoyarsk
© www.monkeyshrine.co
ww
ne.com
co
om
om
k al
© www.monkeyshrine.com
B ai
Moscow
Ura
ls
St. Petersburg
Berlin
Irkutsk
Ulaanbaatar
Harbin
Sainshand
MONGOLIA
A
b
Go
Sakaiminato
Beijing
i
Routes and Tours
Trans Mongolian Railway
Trans Manchurian Railway
Vladivostok
Xi’an
Shanghai
CHINA
Trans Siberian Railway
© www.monkeyshrine.com
Hong Kong
Destinations
From Capital cities to deserts and lakes
Apart from travelling more than 7,000 kms and crossing three countries a Trans-Siberian train journey is more than traversing from Asia to
Europe. It is about stopping off along the way and exploring amazing geography, meeting unique cultures and speaking new languages.
A land conquered by Ghenghis Khan, controlled by the Soviets and steeped in history, you can still find complete isolation.
8
info@monkeyshrine.com
www.monkeyshrine.com
Our trips run year round with seasonal options
Think of Siberia and you think of snow. Because of this it is perhaps the most authentic time to travel,
with fewer tourists, a winter wonderland snowscape, some great activities such as cycling on frozen Lake
Baikal - albeit in cold temperatures!
A winter trip isn’t for everyone and summer is the most popular time to travel, when the region is basked
in warm sun, fresh air and enjoyable countryside pursuits, such as horse riding on the Mongolian Steppe,
hiking around Lake Baikal and rafting in the Ural Mountains.
In Spring, the countryside and people are waking up from a long winter and you can positively feel eyes
opening, all living things smile, trees and flowers stretch in the warmth as days become longer. In the fall
of Autumn, the colours of the whole region, especially Siberia, are magnificent and the light is superb,
although it can already be cold at night.
Not all of the tours run year round, for example the Gobi Desert is in hibernation from October to May.
Winter tours such as dog sledging in Ekaterinburg operate after the first snows, usually around mid November until early March. Horse riding in Mongolia, while available all the year, may not be possible in the
harsh winter when the animals will need to conserve their energy.
ow
c
s
o
M
r
ircuit
o
C
g
a
n
i
i
j
r
i
e
e
b
i
B
S
n
nd
Start i
Mongolia an Vladivostok
Start i
Beijing - Gobi - Mongolian Steppe - Ulaanbaatar
Vladivostok - Ulan Ude - Irkutsk - Lake Baikal
Tayshet
Kazan
in
nfo
o@
@m
mo
on
nke
keyysshr
hrin
ine
e..co
com
-
-
BAM
Moscow
ww
w
ww.
w.mo
.m
mo
onkkey
eysh
shri
shri
rine.c
ne.ccom
ne
om
-
Krasnoyarsk
-
Golden
Ring
-
Ekaterinburg
St
Petersburg
9
Irkutsk and Lake Baikal
Listvyanka
Listvyanka is on the shore of Lake Baikal and is the nearest access point to Lake Baikal from
Irkutsk. The village is built in the traditional wooden style with a range of accommodations,
from a delightful homestay with a Siberian family, to less intrusive chalet hotel on the shore
of Lake Baikal with individual wooden rooms. There is a good museum, plenty of souvenir
shops and restaurants - making it a good place to stop for a short time to learn about the
history of Lake Baikal. There are also tourist based activities available, such as hiking, trips
along the Circum Baikal Railway line, or dog sledging in winter.
Bolshoe Goloustnoe
Bolshoe Goloustnoe is a very small traditional village which has little tourism development
and maintains a local feel, helped by the greater distance from Irkutsk. A lovely area to experience the quiet, daily routine of a typical and traditional Siberian family. You will stay in wooden lodges in a Siberian
family home and eat meals with the family, with much of the produce coming from the garden. Wonderful hiking opportunities along the shore of this undeveloped part of Lake Baikal.
Irkutsk
A cross between Western Russia and Siberia, Burytia and Mongolia, the city is growing but it is the older part of the centre
where you will explore, with it’s lovely Siberian wooden architecture and amazing history of fires and rebuilding. Irkutsk is
an important staging post on the Trans-Siberian Railway and many of the buildings are testament to the importance the
railway played in developing this city.
Olkhon Island
Olkhon Island is 300 km from Irkutsk and home to some of the most beautiful landscapes in the region. It is unique as it
has three different climate zones of steppe, forest and desert and you can experience all of this and gain a closer insight
into the Buryat religion wish is still worshipped avidly on the island. Accommodation is in simple wooden homestays in
the main village with daily excursions to visit the different geographical areas.
We want to especially recommend our home
stay in Listvyanka. Soft beds, warm showers
and Olga made us the most delicious food.
Karien Vandermerwe, Dec 2013
10
info
in
nffo
o@
@m
mon
on
nke
ke
eys
ysh
hrrine.
ine
in
e..cco
om
ww
w
ww
w..mo
mon
nkkey
eysh
ysh
shri
hri
rn
ne
e.ccom
m
off-roading, Russian style, at Lake Baikal
11
Mongolia
Open Steppe at Elstei Ger Lodge
Terelj National Park
Perhaps the most well known, largely to it’s proximity
to the capital, this park is still a top attraction of Mongolia, where the Tol river valley intersects the open steppe
with a backdrop of the cliffs of the Terelj area. A host
of comfortable ger lodges and excellent hikes, natural
scenery and an opportunity to experience the genuine
nomadic lifestyle without travelling far from Ulaanbaatar, ideal for one or two night stops.
The Gobi Desert
To avoid backing tracking in Mongolia, we arrange trips in the Gobi Desert starting
from Sainshand, which is a small town with a railway station just inside the Mongolian border. You are on the edge of the Gobi desert with rocky outcrops, sand
dunes, desolate views and local nomadic families herding camels. There are some
important Buddhist temples close to Sainshand which are being redeveloped after
years of neglect.
It’s brilliant. Rode on the plains today and it was
awesome! We are so glad to be returning home this
way, it really has made a difference to the end of
our Chinese 2 years
Hillary Stockwell, August 2010
12
Elstei, meaning ‘sandy place’ is on the vast expanse of the Mongolian grasslands,
where Ghenghis Khan started his empire. Enjoy the solitude in comfortable surrounding with very little on the horizon except green hills, clear skies, a nearby river
and passing nomadic families. It is a very relaxing time and your guide will introduce Mongolian culture and you will experience the way of life of local Nomadic
families. Traditional Mongolian and Western meals are served in the restaurant and
modern shower facilities add to the comfort of the nomadic living.
Karakorum Jeep Trek
Karakorum is around 370km south-west of Ulaanbaatar and was Ghenghis Khan’s
dream as the capital of his empire. But the city was never completed in his lifetime
and was abandoned and helped to crumble by Manchurian invaders. There is now
little left of its former glory, except the beautiful landscape, the lovely journey to
reach Karakorum and Erdene Zhu monastery, built from the sacked city.
Hustai National Park
Hustai national park lies in the foothills of
the Khenti mountain range south west of
Ulaanbaatar. The park has never been permanently settled or used for agriculture. It
is an important breeding centre for the
Takhi horse re-introduction programme
with the aim of establishing a viable, self
sustaining population of Takhi, perhaps
the last truly wild horse.
Our guide Khirlie was wonderful. The Gobi
part of the trip was one of our favourites,
and the experience was wonderful
Matt Caldwell, August 2010
info
in
f @m
fo
@ on
nke
k yshr
yshr
ys
hrin
in
ne.
e.co
om
www.
ww
wm
w.
mo
onk
onk
n eyysh
hri
rine
ne.c
ne
. om
.c
o
Mongolian nomads
info@monkeyshrine.com
www.monkeyshrine.com
13
An extract from 'Everything Flows' by Vasily Grossman
The Khabarovsk express was due to arrive in
Moscow by 9 a.m. A young man in pyjamas
scratched his shaggy head and looked out
of the window into the half-light of the
autumn morning. He yawned, turned to the
people standing in the corridor with their
soap boxes and towels and said, 'Well,
citizens, who's last in line?'
Last in the queue, he was told, was a plump
woman who had gone away for a moment.
She was behind a man with a twisted tube
of toothpaste and a piece of soap plastered
with bits of newspaper. He himself would
be behind this woman.
'Why's there only one washroom open?'
said the young man. 'We'll soon be arriving
in the capital - and the conductor's only
concern is the circulation of goods;
they're just thinking about their private
deals and the packages they've been asked to
deliver. What do they care about their duties to the
passengers?'
A few minutes later, a stout woman in a dressing
gown appeared, and the young man said to
her, 'Citizen, I'm next after you. But I've had
enough of hanging about in the corridor - I'm
going to go and sit down.'
Back in his compartment the young man opened
an orange suitcase and began to admire his
belongings.
One of his three fellow travellers was snoring; the
back of his head was broad and bulbous. A second
- pink-complexioned, young-looking, but bald was going through the papers in his briefcase. The
third, a thin old man, was sitting and looking out
of the window, resting his head on his brown fists.
Addressing the pink-faced man, the young man
with the suitcase said, 'Have you finished with my
book? I need to pack it now.'
What he really wanted was for his travelling
companion to admire his suitcase. In it were some
viscose shirts, A Brief Philosophical Dictionary,
a pair of swimming trunks and sunglasses with
white frames. In one corner, covered by some local
newspaper or other, lay some grey village-baked
shortbreads. The pink-faced man answered, 'Here
you are - Eugenie Grandet. I realised I'd read it
last year, when I was on holiday.'
'It's a powerful piece of writing, there's no denying
it,' said the young man. And he packed the book
away in his suitcase....
First published in the journal ‘Oktyabr’ in Moscow in 1989
14
i fo@m
in
@mon
@m
onke
keys
ysshriine.cco
com
www.monkkeyshrine
ww
n .com
Ulan Ude
For the culturally minded, Ulan Ude - the capital of Buryatia, is an excellent city
where you can experience a cross-over of religions and cultures - and a huge
statue of Lenin!
As the capital of Russia’s Buryatia republic, Ulan
Ude is a unique mix of the Buryat and Russian
peoples and their culture, of Orthodox and Buddhist religions and Soviet industrial planning
giving way to an uncertain new world. What ulan-Ude lacks in picture postcard sights it more
than makes up for in its cultural diversity and is a
pleasant and easy going city to enjoy a few days
sightseeing.
For many the highlight of a stopover in Ulan-Ude is the
Ivolginsk Datsan, the centre of Buddhism in Russia. Situated on a wide plain outside Ulan Ude with a backdrop of
mountains, this monastery symbolizes the reemergence
of Buddhism since the fall of the Soviet Union.
You can also explore the Buryat Shamanist religion, which
is an important religion in this area and all across Lake Baikal to Olkhon Island. There is more religion to see with a
trip to the ‘Old Believer’s’ village, who practice a pure form
of Russian Orthodoxy, traditional families who refused to
accept reforms to the Church.
From the world’s largest Lenin head to the centre of Russian Buddhism
Vladivostok
Vladivostok, like a lot of places across Russia, was a closed city during the Soviet era – even Russians needed permission to visit friends and relatives who
lived there. It opened up to tourists in 1992 and since then there has been a
slow but steady increase in numbers, particularly from Japan and increasingly
from the Chinese who are attracted by the chance, as they put it, “to see a little
bit of what Europe looks like” as well as to chance their luck in the many casinos
(a banned activity in China).
An interesting route into Russia, particularly those of you who have been living
in Japan, or Korea, is to take the ‘Eastern Dream’ ferry across the Sea of Japan
which makes a circuit from Sakaiminato in Japan to Donghae in South Korea,
arriving in Vladivostok once a week, and from there the start your Trans-Siberian trip and the longest single train ride on the planet!
in
nfo
o@m
mon
onke
keys
ke
eyshr
yysshri
hrin
hr
ine.co
ine
com
co
www
w..mo
onk
nkey
eysh
shri
rriine
rine
ne.ccom
om
15
Krasnoyarsk
Krasnoyarsk is the midway point of the Trans-Siberian Railway, 4,065kms from Moscow and 5,195 from Vladivostok. Krasnoyarsk makes a perfect city to break the train journey and explore the city and breathtaking local
scenery. As the third largest city in Siberia there is a wide variety of excellent restaurants, shopping, museums and
sights of interest.
Tours and services are offered throughout the year, of course summer is the most popular time, but there are
some interesting winter trips available as well - for the brave. The city lies on the large Yenisei river, boat tours are
available in summer, as well as excursions to the impressive Stolby National Reserve near Krasnoyarsk for hiking
or overnight dacha trips.
Krasnoyarsk is also the jumping off point for the Tuva and Altai Republic, at least three hours train journey to the
south of Krasnoyarsk. We offer specialized trips to Tuva and Altai to explore Shamanism and ancient civilizations
as well as active hiking and rafting trips.
Tayshet and Severobaikalsk
Tayshet is a little known stop part way between Irkutsk and Krasnoyarsk on the main Trans-Siberian line and really
in the heart of Siberia. It is also the railway junction for trains heading south to Tuva and more importantly across
the North of Lake Baikal and the less famous Baikal Amur Mainline (BAM). This line only fully opened in 1991 and it
provides for some off the beaten path treasures.
Tayshet itself is a small Soviet era town where you can find a very traditional welcome and unpopulated Taiga forest
on the doorstep. You can experience lovely food, family life, traditional sauna and some interesting excursions and
hikes to even smaller Siberian villages, even a real Soviet Village with a great wooden Stalinist community centre. A
real step back in time.
And that is true also for Severobaikalsk, which is on the BAM line and at the very northern tip of Lake Baikal. Visit
this city for a step back in time. The city was ‘built’ in 1974 and hasn’t changed much since! Close by there are some
amazing hikes along the Great Baikal Trail overlooking Lake Baikal and to deserted beaches. Pleasantly, the water is
much warmer here than further south making a dip in Lake Baikal much easier.
16
in
nfo
fo@
@mon
@mon
@m
nke
k ysshr
hrin
hrin
i e.co
e.co
e.
c m
ww
ww.
w mo
monk
n eyysh
nk
s riine
ne.c
.com
o
om
Ekaterinburg and Ural Mountains
On the eastern side of the Ural Mountains, Ekaterinburg has a rich heritage. The Ural Mountains are the natural dividing line between Europe
and Asia and a trip to the Ural Mountains should include a trip to the
border Obelisk to place a foot in each Continent.
Ekaterinburg was a city closed to foreigners, only opening its doors in 1991 after
the collapse of the Soviet Union. This secrecy was mainly due to the presence of
much of the USSR’s defence industry.
You can book a variety of activities in
Ekaterinburg and the surrounding Ural
Mountains. There is plenty of history
from both Czars and Soviet time to keep
you occupied and if you are more active
there are some great hiking trips in the
summer and dog-sledging, ice-fishing and more to keep you here for a
few days during the winter.
Ekaterinburg’s main claim to fame is the intrigue surrounding the murder of the Romanov family, an event which changed the course of Russian history, as the fall of the Tsar led to the beginning of the Communist era in 1918. An interesting tour to the Monastery of the Romanov’s
is a popular option.
The city is a very cultural place with numerous theatres, concert halls
and museums and through the season you can be kept occupied by
day and evening. The area is rich in minerals too and there are some
interesting museums showcasing the jewellery and minerals mined.
During winter, the Ural Mountains is an excellent playground for traditional Husky dog sledging, or to wrap up warm and spend an afternoon
fishing over a hole in the ice. It is also a main area for mountain and
cross-country skiing.
Kazan
Kazan is the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan and one of Russia’s largest cities. It is a major industrial, commercial and cultural centre, and remains the most important centre of Tatar culture and you can really feel
the Russian and Asian cultures overlap. The city is inhabited by Uzbeks,
Tajiks and Kyrgyz giving the city a Central Asian flavour.
In 2013 the XXVII Summer Universiade was held in the city and Kazan
has benefited with a totally renovated train station and a sprucing up
of the central districts, the old centre is relatively small and likely where
you will stay, making it a pleasant city to explore on foot, but beware
Kazan’s Kremlin is unique in that it houses the large Kul Sharif Mosque
inside the walls alongside the 59 metre and leaning Syuyumbike tower
as well as the usual Cathedrals and government buildings. The entire
complex is a UNESCO world heritage site. The train station is also beautifully restored. Kazan has a large student population and the university
was the alma mater of both Leo Tolstoy and Vladimir Ulyanov (better
know as Lenin), who both studied law. Or to be more correct, Lenin
studied until he was expelled for his political activities and Count Tolstoy was a complete waster.
it can be a little steep in places - it does make for a fabulous view from
the top though.
The guides in Beijing, Ekaterinburg,
Kazan and Moscow were all top notch;
Steve Newcomer, June 2013
info@monkeyshrine.com
www.monkeyshrine.com
17
Moscow
St Petersburg
St. Petersburg has a rich architectural style with buildings
and monuments of great historical interest, such as the
Peter and Paul Fortress, St. Isaac Cathedral and Menshikov
Palace. Museums covering every imaginable field - art, literature, ethnographies, military history and music. With all
this, 4 days in St. Petersburg is just about enough - you can
spend a day at least wandering the halls of the Hermitage
Gallery in St Petersburg.
Moscow is world class in terms of attractions for visiting tourists and unfortunately
a world leader in hotel prices. We recommend to spend at least 3 days in Moscow
and we have some good value hotel accommodation options. A good enough as
any to visit Moscow is to step foot on Red Square, the heart of the city with the
iconic domes of the magnificent St. Basil’s Cathedral at it’s helm. On the centre of
the square lies Lenin and the State Historical Museum is the place to catch up on the
long and turbulent history of Russia.
Pass through the imposing Kremlin walls of the Alexandrovsky gardens and explore
the Kremlin’s numerous historic churches. The Kremlin Armoury is filled with the
crown jewels of the various Tsars and a dazzling collection to witness.
Moscow is smothered with churches and monasteries, the most impressive of which
are the huge newly rebuilt Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, the popular Novodevichy
monastery and the quieter Donskoy and Andronikov monasteries.
Moscow may be a bustling metropolis, but it also one of the greenest cities in Europe
with some great parks to enjoy. In the south of the city you can enjoy the medieval
architecture of the well cared for Kolomenskoye Museum Estate or the crumbling
charm of Catherine the Great’s Tsaritsino. Stretching along the Moscow river Gorky
Park and the Neskucnhy Sad was always the people’s park and is especially loved by
families. If your feet can take it the latter is also a good jumping point for a climb up
the Sparrow Hills to enjoy the view of Moscow.
18
The guided tour provided in Moscow was first class,
our guide was fantastic, superb English, really
knowledgeable and kept things really interesting.
Hannah Rosborough, April 2011
The Hermitage is one of the world largest art museums. It
has a collection of 3,000,000 objects exhibited in four adjoining buildings - one of them is the Winter Palace, the official residence of the former Czar of Russia.
There are also some magnificent estates on the outskirts of
the city, including Peterhof Palace and gardens, which can
be reached by river, the summer palace of Pushkin and St
Catherine’s Palace. On shorter visits the grand Nevsky Prospect is the basis of all sights and will also offer something
new to explore along each block.
The most popular time to visit is during the White Nights
Festival, which is a special period of long summer days between mid-May and late July. The midnight sun never quite
sets on this northern city making it a magical time to visit
and with plenty of cultural and music festivals available you
will need the extra hours of daylight to fit in all the sightseeing!
St Petersburg can be added on after (or before) any of our
standard tours which include Moscow. From St Petersburg
there are easy connections into Europe, especially Tallinn
and Helsinki, or the ferry across to Scandinavia.
in
nfo
fo@m
@mon
onke
ke
eys
ysh
hrin
hr
rin
ine
e.co
e.
om
ww
w
ww.m
mo
onke
nkke
n
eyyssh
hrriine.com
Ivolginski Datsan, Ulan Ude
info@monkeyshrine.com
www.monkeyshrine.com
19
Monkeyshrine Trans-Siberian Tours
Room 203, Building 2, 27 Bei San Li Community,
East Courtyard, Chaoyang District, 100027, Beijing
Tel: (+8610) 6591 6519
www.monkeyshrine.com
Hong Kong | Shanghai | Beijing