Classic Trans-Mongolian Holiday

Upon landing, our guide will be waiting for you at the arrival hall, holding a signboard with your name, and then transferring you to the well-selected hotel for check-in. The rest of the day will be left for your own arrangements. You may have a rest to get over the jet lag or go out to explore the city on your own. Qianmen Street is only about a 10-minute taxi ride away, where you can taste various local delicacies like Peking Duck and buy some unique souvenirs.

 Dinner Recommendation: (at your own expense)
With a history spanning 160 years, Quanjude Restaurant keeps attracting crowds with its classic and popular Beijing cuisine, Peking Roast Duck. The carefully cleaned ducks are coated with a secret glaze and hung to dry for a day before being roasted over a fruitwood fire, bringing a crispy skin and tender meat with a subtle sweetness. The cooked duck will be sliced, and you can roll the pieces up with scallion and cucumber in paper-like pancakes with sweet soybean paste. One whole duck costs CNY 298 (USD 43), including pancakes and soybean paste, scallions, and cucumbers, and it is enough for 2-3 people to share. Its duck congee is worth tasting as well.
Average Cost per Person: CNY 190 (USD 26)
Address: No.30, Qianmen Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing

 Things to Know
1. Plug Adapters: When traveling in China, it is important to bring a plug adapter for Type A or Type I sockets, while a Type C adapter is needed for visiting Mongolia and Russia.
2. E-payment & Didi Car-Hailing: You can register for Alipay Pay or WeChat Pay, the most widely-used payment apps in China, using an overseas phone number and linking your bank cards. You can also use WeChat to hail a car through its Didi car-hailing mini program, which allows online payment.  
3. SIM Card: SIM cards issued by China Unicom are recommended as they are most friendly to foreign phones. You can buy one at retail stores downtown, cheaper than at the airport, and 8 GB data for 3 days costs CNY 88 (USD 13). Unicom also provides eSIM cards to Apple devices, which are more convenient. You can get 3 GB of data valid for 5 days with CNY 50 (USD 7) from its official website or app online.

Accommodation: Beijing New World Centre Tongpai Hotel (4 stars) or similar

Today, our escorted sightseeing will officially start with a stroll at the symbolic Tiananmen Square in the Beijing city center, which is surrounded by imposing monuments and buildings such as the Memorial Hall of Chairman Mao and the Monument to the People’s Heroes. Heading north, you will pass through the majestic Tiananmen Gate and enter the Forbidden City, the world's biggest and best-preserved palace complex of wooden structures. Spanning 720,000 square meters (about 180 acres), it houses more than 70 palaces and over 9,000 rooms, and displays numerous glorious antiques, artworks, and furniture. One of the most impressive parts of the palace may be its 10-meter-high (33-foot) red walls, which are thought to symbolize happiness and auspiciousness in ancient China but harbor eerie secrets at the same time. 

 A Haunting Chinese Ghost Story Behind the Red Walls
On a thundering day in 1992, some witnesses alleged that they had seen ghost figures of four palace maids of the Qing Dynasty (1616-1911) flickering on the crimson walls for five seconds. Scientists propose that it was the lightning that made the wall act as a camera and capture the maids’ figure, which was replayed by chance in the same condition hundreds of years later. 

With your guide, you may explore more of this kind of legend in the giant palace complex. Afterward, we will pay a visit to the Temple of Heaven, a palace built in 1420 and honored as a UNESCO site in 1998, where emperors held worshipping rituals for good harvests during the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368-1911). The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is one of its crown jewels. Towering 32 meters (100 feet), it has a round triple-tiered eave clad in sapphire-blue roof tiles, representing the heaven is round, which was widely believed by ancient Chinese. It is said that the hall was ignited in 1889, when the fragrant smoke of its burnt eaglewood perfumed the city for miles, and the architecture was then reconstructed in the 1970s. If interested, you can linger here till sunset when the spotlights illuminate its azure roof and crimson walls and columns. To capture a classic photograph, the northeastern perimeter of the hall is the best shooting position.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast
Accommodation: Beijing New World Centre Tongpai Hotel (4 stars) or similar

As an old Chinese saying goes, “He who does not reach the Great Wall is not a true hero.” After breakfast, the guide will lead you to visit the Mutianyu Great Wall, one of the best-preserved sections of the entire military defensive system. On arrival, an arranged round-trip cable car ride will lead you to the rampart, which will save you more time and energy to hike on the wall. If you are energetic enough, climb about 450 steps along the nearly 80-degree steep Hero Slope, leading to Mutianyu’s highest point, the No. 20 watchtower, which offers an amazing panoramic view of the surroundings. Want more exciting experiences? We can also arrange a chairlift for you to the mountain top and a toboggan sliding down through the dense forest.

 Why Do We Choose Mutianyu?
Compared to other parts of the Great Wall, Mutianyu is the best-preserved section and is closer to Beijing’s city center, which makes it easier to reach. With complete facilities such as cable cars, chair lifts, and toboggans, it offers diverse climbing experiences suitable for all ages. What’s more, boasting 96% forest coverage and stunning scenery, Mutianyu is not as crowded as another famous section, Badaling, allowing you to enjoy a more comfortable and immersive Great Wall journey. You can also see one unique watchtower here, Zhengguan Pass (No.4 Watchtower), consisting of three hollow watchtowers, which is hardly seen on other parts of the Great Wall.

Afterward, return to the city center and have a stopover at the Bird's Nest enroute, the vital venue of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, to take some photos of its fantastic outer appearance. Then you will be guided to the enchanting Summer Palace, a wonderful resort for ancient royal families, where you can indulge yourself in the breathtaking scenery combining gardens, lakes, pavilions, and palaces, with corridors decorated with thousands of delicate Chinese paintings. At the end of the day, we will transfer you back to the hotel.

 Night Activity Suggestion:
Want to experience the vibrant nightlife of Beijing? We can drop you off at the most popular Hutong neighborhoods, such as the Houhai Lake area and Tobacco Pipe Lane, aka Yandaixie Street, which are teemed with various pubs, cafes, restaurants, and some typical Beijing handicraft shops of paper-cutting, sugar-blowing, and life-like clay figurine kneading. In addition to wiggling your body to the music and sipping whisky, reward your taste buds with traditional Beijing street food. Try noodles with soybean paste! The fermented soybean paste, minced pork, and onion give the noodles an umami-rich taste. Tossed with cucumber and radish, it is a symphony of salty-sweet flavors. Moreover, glutinous rice rolls dusted with soybean flour, fermented mung bean juice, and silky pea flour cakes are worth savoring. After visiting, return to the hotel by taxi on your own.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast
Accommodation: Beijing New World Centre Tongpai Hotel (4 stars) or similar

After breakfast, our guide and the driver will transfer you to Beijing Railway Station and help you get on the train to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. As the train starts to run, the forest of glass and steel of Beijing is left behind, while jagged mountains, well-ordered farmlands, and colorful village houses with terracotta-tiled roofs will come into your eyes. As you continue moving northwest, the landscape turns to endless rolling grasslands, dotted with flocks of sheep and white yurts.

The whole journey will take around 30 hours. In the evening, the train is about to arrive at Erlian, located on the China-Mongolia border, to change wheels, which will take 4-5 hours or so, during which the toilet will be locked. You can stay onboard to watch the wheel-changing process, get off the train for fresh air, or use the toilet in the station. But please note that you can only reboard until the bogie exchange is finished. Then, the train will continue to run across the border to the Mongolian town, Zamyn-Ude, for the Mongolian immigration formalities. Tonight, have a good rest in the comfortable sleeper cabin.
► Note: A flight from Beijing to Ulaanbaatar can also be arranged. Although slightly more expensive than the train, it can save one day of your itinerary. Contact us anytime if you want more detailed information.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: on the train

Upon your afternoon arrival, our Mongolia-based guide and the driver will pick you up, and then your Mongolian tour will directly start from Gandan Buddhist Monastery, which will greet you with ochre walls, emerald-green roofs, and vermilion gates. Following the central axis, you will arrive at the main hall, where a 26.5-meter-high (87-foot) gilded Buddha statue is enshrined. Ironically, the original statue bearing people’s wishes was melted to make bullets fired at civilians during WWII, and the one you see now was later reconstructed in 1996. Out of the main hall, there is a red pillar, which is believed to be able to convey pilgrims’ wishes to the god. 

Leaving the monastery, wander through Sukhbaatar Square, where you can take photos of a bronze sitting statue of Genghis Khan. At festivals, locals often offer bouquets to commemorate this great leader and you may discover some secrets about him following the guide, one of which is about his mysterious mausoleum. It is said that in 2002, a US archaeological team unearthed a 3-kilometer-long (2-mile) wall while excavating the suspected tomb of Genghis Khan. Suddenly, a swarm of venomous snakes came out. Local lore goes that it was the leader’s spirit that cast a curse on intruders to ensure his tomb an eternal secrecy.

Then, we will ascend Zaisan Memorial Hill to capture the stunning skyline of Ulaanbaatar. At night, a music and dance show will be arranged for you, during which you can admire the Mongolian folk music art - Khöömei, aka throat singing, and traditional dances, Biyelgee. Dancers in vibrant clothes embroidered with intricate patterns sit on the ground and change their upper body gestures following the rhythm of Khöömei, which vividly reflects the nomadic way of life and shows the beauty in power and vibrancy.

Meals: Dinner
Accommodation: Grand Hill Hotel Ulaanbaatar (4 stars) or similar

Today, we will drive to visit Karakorum, once the world center and capital of the Mongol Empire back in the 13th century. However, nowadays, only some stone ruins can be found on the site. Fortunately, the Karakorum Museum has been built to collect and display those ancient pieces, including pottery, coins, and steles from the 13th to 14th centuries and prehistoric stone tools. Stepping into its exhibition halls, you will see part of the ancient city wall ruins sealed under the glass floor and a scale model of the ancient Karakrum in the gallery. Climbing the ramp behind the museum, you will ascend the rooftop observatory to gaze across the windswept plains where the white Erdene Zuu Monastery’s stupas gleam like pearls. We will then worship this earliest Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Mongolia, one of the important historical architectural heritages in the Orkhon River Valley. The UNESCO-listed monastery once boasted hundreds of buildings standing inside and hosting 10,000 monks during its peak, but Mongolian religious purges nearly erased it. Thanks to herders and Buddhists, 15th-century tangka paintings, gold-leafed sutras, and carved stone steles survived and are displayed in the monastery nowadays.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Tourist Ger Camp

★ Ride a Camel to Explore Bayan Gobi

After breakfast, we will continue to visit Bayan Gobi. Also known as Elsen Tasarkhai Mini Gobi, this semi-desert stuns visitors with dunes that ripple like golden silk framed by jagged mountains. We will accompany you to the oasis on a camel, where willows and wild apricots are nourished by the Tarna River. Swaying on the camelback, you can view slopes untouched by footprints, which are like a blank canvas for the wind’s artistry. You are advised to slather on sunscreen since UV rays are intense in the desert. We recommend you opt for muted clothes like gray, brown, and khaki, as bright hues may startle the camel. 

After lunch, a 3-hour drive will lead you to the Hustai National Park, a sanctuary for the world’s last pure wild horses. Please prepare a pair of binoculars as you can only see these precious animals from 200 meters (656 feet) away. We will escort you to the area where horses usually come out. Led by stallions, they always amble along the river banks, followed by groups of mares and foals. When these baby horses are old enough, they will be driven out of the herd and look for their own groups.
► Tip: It is a test of luck to see wild horses as they always hide in the shade of the forest at noon, especially in summer (June-August). Balmy spring (March-May) and cool autumn (September-November) offer more chances to spot them.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Tourist Ger camp

If you wake up early in the morning, Hustai’s blue hour will reward you, when wild horses gather along the river under the deep blue sky, looking like patterns embroidered on the tapestry-like grassland. Afterward, we will return to Ulaanbaatar for a farewell lunch, and then you will be escorted to board the train that runs along the Trans-Siberian Railway to Irkutsk, Russia. As the train departs, the skyline of Ulaanbaatar fades into rolling steppe dotted with grazing cattle, gallop riders, and dancing cloud shadows. Today’s dinner will be on your own in the dining carriage on the train.
► Tips:
1. You need to complete the customs and immigration procedures at midnight when the train exits Mongolia and enters Russia, which may take 1-2 hours in total.
2. You may wipe the train window on your own if you want clearer shots of Siberian scenery. Attendants may be willing to lend you a duster cloth or mop.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: On the train

In the morning, the train will pass by Ulan Ude - the third largest city in eastern Siberia. Heading forward, the landscape in front of you will turn from the Mongolian grasslands to taiga forests. Then, catch your first glimpse of the “Pearl of Siberia”- Lake Baikal. Even in a hurried glance, you will be staggered by the mirror-like lake and the reflections of jagged peaks and forests. The train will arrive in Irkutsk in the afternoon, and you will be picked up from the railway station and transferred to the hotel by a private vehicle. After settling your luggage, start your escorted city sightseeing. 

First, we will lead you to stroll across local parks and head to the War Memorial, a square that was built to commemorate fallen soldiers during WWII. Here, you can see the eternal flame that was ignited in 1975, behind which there is a wall inscribed with the names of those who could never come back from the battlefields. Then, drop by some churches along the Angara River, among which the Cathedral of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God is the most beautiful one. Its crimson walls, azure onion-shaped domes, and gilded crosses blend Byzantine grandeur with Siberian whimsy, looking like a huge gingerbread from afar. Besides admiring delicate frescoes and a 19th-century iconostasis, you may have a chance to listen to an organ performance. Please avoid wearing shorts or slippers, and ladies need to cover their hair when entering. Getting out of the cathedral, we will continue to stroll along some prosperous main streets in the city center, where we will admire the statue of Alexander III, who ordered the construction of the great Trans-Siberian Railway.

 Recommended Restaurant: (at your own expense)
Sobranite Speshilova, open from 12:00 to 24:00, offers classic Russian food. You can start with scallop tartare, followed by veal tongue with cream-baked potato, and finish with pear dessert. There is a museum on the second floor displaying private samovar collections of Russian nobility during the 19th century. The ticket for the museum is priced at RUB 200 (USD 2).
Average Cost per Person: RUB 2000-3000 (USD 20-30), Rubles Only!
Address: Sedova St., 42/1, Irkutsk 664022 Russia

Meals: No meals, advice freely available
Accommodation: Irkutsk City Center by Eastland (4 stars) or similar

After breakfast, we will drive 2 hours to Bolshoe Goloustnoe, a Siberian village hidden on the southwestern shore of the lake. On arrival, we will check into a local guest house. Then wander through the village, full of pastel-painted wooden houses adorned with carved window frames, to St. Nicholas Church in the village, where you can see a surviving fragment of the saint’s original icon from the 17th century.

Then, continue to stroll along the lakeshore to absorb the charm of Lake Baikal. This 25-million-year-old lake on the south edge of the Siberian tundra resembles a blue moon. As the world’s deepest freshwater lake, it harbors more than 2,600 animal species, among which nepar, aka the Baikal seal, is endemic here. If lucky, you will encounter this world’s only freshwater seal with silky fur, basking in the sun. Besides, the lake is rich in fish resources, which shaped local eating habits. The smoked omul is one of the food treasures in the local area. If interested, you may try this Siberian delicacy on your own. When the perfectly smoked flesh touches your tongue, its saltiness will overwhelm your buds, and then quickly be replaced by smokiness and the umami of the fish. For adventure, we will accompany you to dive into the adjacent dense forests of larch and pine trees and climb up to the hills to have a bird’s-eye view of the lake.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Siberian Guest House

In the morning, the last Bolshoe Goloustnoe village sightseeing is arranged. The name of the village is derived from the Russian word ‘goly ustye’, which means bare riverbed, as there is a seasonal river near the village, covered by grasses during the dry season. It is said that if you make a wish to the two giant rocks nearby while presenting alcohol and white-colored food such as milk and marshmallows, your wish will come true. You can also venture into the surrounding hills covered with pine trees, where you will get a panoramic view of the village and the lake. On the way, you may encounter endemic plants, such as wild rosemary and thyme. For your safety, please follow our guide’s steps and avoid using an open fire. After a lunch break, you will be transferred back to Irkutsk and catch the train bound for Moscow.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: On the train

Staying on board, you could embrace fascinating scenery along the way. On the way, the train will cross the Euro-Asia Border in Yekaterinburg, where you will see picturesque landscapes made up of verdant rolling hills as well as lush forests of larch, pine, and birch, with rivers and streams wriggling through. When the train passes by metropolises such as Krasnoyarsk and Novosibirsk in the evening, you will be intrigued by the vibrant neon-lit cityscapes. As the train gets closer and closer to Moscow, more farms, pastures, and towns unfold. Moscow is 5 hours behind Irkutsk, so please remember to convert your time when arriving.

 How to Embrace the Rhythm of Rail Life
As the internet is scarce on the train, a lack of screens invites you to immerse yourself in picturesque scenery and Tolstoy novels. Don’t miss the chance to talk with locals, and you can share cookies with babushkas or learn to play Cyrillic chess with other passengers. If you want to enjoy your own time, sleeping in the hypnotic clatter of tracks is also cozy. The train offers only one free meal, so you need to dine at the restaurant carriage, costing around RUB 1,000 (USD 10) per meal, or prepare some food before boarding. Hot water is provided freely, but it costs RUB 150 (USD 1.5) for a shower. When the train pulls into larger stations, such as Novosibirsk or Yekaterinburg, for about 30 minutes, you can get off to stretch your arms and legs.

Meals: one meal on the train
Accommodation: on the train

Upon your Moscow arrival, we will pick you up from the railway station and then chauffeur you to the hotel for breakfast. After that, start exploring the city on foot. 

We will first lead you to the main streets to admire Russian-style architecture and drop by the time-honored Bolshoi Theater. Then stroll along the Tverskaya Street, the most prosperous and bustling street in Moscow, which is clustered with big-name brands, museums, theaters, and restaurants. Next, continue to the GUM Department Store to discover the most vibrant side of Moscow, and roam around the Red Square, Moscow’s biggest square built in the 15th century, located at the heart of the city. In old Russian, “red” literally means beautiful, but the blood of Soviet soldiers gave it a deeper connotation - sacrifice to the faith. Standing on the square, the imposing St. Basil's Cathedral will catch your eye with its nine colorful onion-shaped domes. It is said that the cathedral was built to commemorate a 6th-century Blessed Wonderworker, St. Vasily, who could forebode the future and gain reverence from tsars and civilians. Stepping into the cathedral, you will see his coffin and relics. In the end, we will escort you back to the hotel for a good rest.

 Recommended Restaurant: (at your own expense)
Located near Red Square, the restaurant Tehnikum was recommended by Michelin guide in 2022 and is very popular among customers. Its fig bruschetta with cheese is a hot seller. You can also order Crimean ham and pair it with the thick solyanka soup, featuring a tangy medley of pickles, olives, and meats. Please make a reservation ahead of time. There may be a 20% discount if you dine from 12:00-16:00 on workdays.
Average Cost per Person: RUB 1,300 (USD 11), Rubles only!
Address: Bolshaya Dmitrovka St., 7/5/2, Moscow 125009 Russia

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Holiday Inn Series, Moscow (4 stars) or similar

Today’s sightseeing will start from the Moscow Kremlin, a fortified complex dominating the capital’s skyline, which serves as Russia’s political nucleus and a living witness of its imperial past. You will enter from the Troitskaya (Trinity) Tower, the gateway of the palace, where the French emperor Napoleon fled away from Moscow’s big fire in 1812. Stepping deeper into its Armory Chamber, housing various opulent collections of imperial regalia, you will be marvel at the diamond-encrusted coronation gown of Empress Elizabeth of Russia and the Monomakh’s Cap, also known as the Golden Cap, studded with 12th-century pearls and fringed with authentic sable. Outside the exhibition hall, there is a 40-ton bronze Tsar Cannon, which has never been fired. Leaving the Kremlin, we are going to ascend Panorama 360, the highest observation deck in Europe, where you can enjoy a panoramic view on the 89th floor of Moscow City Tower.

★ 2.5-hour Cruise on the Moskva River

After a short break, a Radisson boat cruise is arranged for you to appreciate the incredible Moscow from another perspective. Along the way, you will pass by Moscow’s most iconic spots such as the Kremlin, St. Basil's Cathedral, Gorky Park, and Zaryadye Park. When cruising through the Bolshoy Ustyinskiy Bridge, you can see the stunning view of Christ the Savior Cathedral mirrored in the river. As dusk paints the sky, sit on the deck and watch the Sparrow Hills silhouetted against the backdrop of the orange-red sky. It may be a little cold after the sun goes down, so a long-sleeved coat is necessary.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Holiday Inn Series, Moscow (4 stars) or similar

Today, our service will end with the airport or railway station see-off service. We will transfer you there according to your flight or train schedule. Before that, you may take advantage of the free time to further explore Moscow or buy some souvenirs. Hope you have enjoyed a good time with us! If interested, we can extend your itinerary to St. Petersburg to explore the Winter Palace or to Yekaterinburg to unveil the story behind the Church on Blood. Any consultations will be replied to in 12 hours!

Meals: Breakfast