Arctic Steam Express June 11-26, 2005 This tour is also available in 2006. Click here for details. Head to the Arctic next summer--by steam!  The private, steam-hauled Trans-Siberian Express will take adventurous passengers from St. Petersburg to Moscow before heading north to the Arctic Circle, where the daylight is unending this time of year.  Cross over the Urals and into Asia, stopping for a visit to the port city of Salekhard. Tour Archangel, a pleasant town on the White Sea, and Kizhi Island on Lake Onega.  Join us for this 16-day journey on our "hotel on wheels" pulled by Europe's largest steam locomotive, PC36 4-84 design of 1954. Call today (800) 478-4881 to reserve your cabin! Daily Itinerary Saturday 11th June Afternoon flight arrivals, transfer to hotel for three nights. Welcome dinner. Overnight St. Petersburg Hotel. Sunday 12th June Morning City Tour, lunch at the Podvorye Restaurant in Pavlovsk. Afternoon visit to Catherine's Summer Palace in Pushkin, including a visit to the Amber Room. Evening return to St. Petersburg by special train hauled by Ov class steam locomotive 324 running in its 100th year. Dinner in Saint Petersburg. Overnight St. Petersburg Hotel Monday 13th June By hydrofoil to Peterhof, Peter the Great's 'Versailles' on the Gulf of Finland, to spend time in the spectacular water gardens and Palace grounds. Return to St. Petersburg by hydrofoil. Dinner in the City. Overnight St. Petersburg Hotel. Tuesday 14th June Morning departure of the Trans-Siberian Express to Moscow hauled by Europe's largest steam locomotive, the P36 4-84 design of 1954. Evening arrival. While the locomotive is being serviced we will visit Red Square before returning to the train for a midnight departure along the Trans-Siberian Railway. Wednesday 15th June Breakfast time we arrive in Yaroslavl, a Golden Ring city on the banks of the Volga River dating back to 1010. Once a prosperous mercantile trading city, we will visit the embankment along which many of the affluent traders once lived. We will also visit the 12th-century Monastery of the Transfiguration. From Yarolsavl we diverge from the Trans-Siberian Railway and head north to Vologda, a pleasant city on the Vologda River. We will visit the beautifully restored Kremlin and the adjacent Saint Sophia's Cathedral and Belltower. Thursday 16th June During the night we will have turned North east onto the line to Vorkuta. This line was built as part of Stalin's grand plan to open up Northern Siberia. The line was a monstrous waste of resources and lives, and the project was cancelled upon Stalin's death in 1953, by which time the line had reached Vorkuta and Labytnangi. Today it lives on as one of the world's longest branch lines. This afternoon we have a side trip on the branch line from Mikun to Syktyvkar. Friday 17th June A relaxing day on the train as we continue to steam northeast towards the Arctic Circle, where we arrive just before midnight. Being midsummer it will still be light, and the sun will not set for the next few days. Saturday 18th June We arrive in Vorkuta and spend the day in this area infamous for its Stalin-era Gulags and mines.  Sunday 19th June  During the night we will run over the Urals and down to Labytnangi, in Asia and on the Ob River-some 7.5 miles wide at this point as it slowly flows north to the Arctic. We will take a ferry across the Ob to Salekhard which is a vibrant and obviously prosperous port. Its owes its wealth to the oilfields further north. Afternoon departure over the Urals, pausing at the Europe/Asia monument among the snow-covered peaks at the summit. Monday 20th June & Tuesday 21st June Two relaxing days as we retrace our steps and steam southwest back over the Arctic Circle. Wednesday 22nd June We spend the morning touring Archangel, a pleasant town on the White Sea, and in the afternoon continue along the branch line to Kapogory. Thursday 23rd June A day on the train as we retrace our steps and head from the White Sea to Lake Onega. Friday 24th June We spend the morning in Petrozavodsk, a pleasant resort on Lake Onega. Travel over to Kizhi Island, where we visit the 22-domed Church of the Transfiguration-an imposing sight as our hydrofoil powers across the Lake. Saturday 25th June Today we return to the St. Petersburg-Moscow main line, and our Express Steam locomotive will eat up the miles as we speed towards the end of our 4,725 mile (7,600 kms.) journey at Moscow. Afternoon city tour and overnight at the Ukraina Hotel on the banks of the Moskva River opposite the White House. Farewell dinner this evening. Sunday 26th June Morning visit to the Kremlin. Airport transfers will be available for evening flights.  Price: First-class Accommodations $5,395 per person, double occupancy $7,495 single occupancy Deluxe accomodations $9,995 per person, double occupancy $14,995 single occupancy Accommodation on the Train: First-class sleepers are modern air-conditioned cars built in Germany. They are cozy and comfortable, and provide an ideal method of transport for the remote areas of Russia that we visit. Each car has nine twin compartments, all fitted with two lower berth beds that convert to sofa seating for daytime travel. There is ample space for luggage storage under each bed and for suitcases in a recess above the corridor area. Clothes hangers are provided and the cars are appointed with mirrors, bedside table, reading lamps and space for the storage of small items. Deluxe sleepers are purpose-built, new carriages designed for the 21st century to offer top-class comfort and service, which is equal to that on the best luxury trains in the world today. Each carriage has four compartments which can be configured for double, twin or single occupancy, with the lower berth converting into a comfortable sofa for daytime travel. Each compartment features its own private shower and toilet facilities and has a wardrobe, audio system, DVD/VCR with the latest flat, plasma screen TVs and air conditioning with individual climate control by remote handset. Booking: If you wish to book, please call 800-478-4881. We will send you a booking form to complete, sign and return to us with your deposit within 7 days. Upon receipt of your call, we will block your space. All bookings are first-come, first-served basis. THE TOUR PRICE INCLUDES: · Accommodation aboard our private train. · Hotel accommodation where indicated in the itinerary. · All meals including a generous allowance of wine or local beer, soft drinks and water with meals on and off the train. · The services of an experienced Tour Manager, with local guides for scheduled off-train touring. · Complimentary tea, coffee and mineral water around the clock from your car attendant. · Gratuities to local guides, drivers, tour management and train staff. THE TOUR PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE: · Insurance (it is a booking condition that passengers have adequate insurance). · International airfare or surface transport to the point of joining/leaving the tour (except where stated otherwise) · Charges of a personal nature on the train or at the hotels (laundry, telephone, bar account, etc.). · Visa or Excess Baggage Charges, Airport Departure Taxes, Vaccination or Medical Costs. · Alcoholic and soft drinks in the bar outside of meal times Click here for complete tour terms and conditions. The Society of International Railway Travelers 1810 Sils Ave., Louisville, KY 40205 800-478-4881 or 502-454-0277

Please call us with questions, bookings:
800-478-4881
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