Singapore to Lisbon by train

Group comes together in the afternoon in Singapore.

Welcome Dinner this evening.

Today we explore the history of the settlement of Singapore its role in spice trade and then the colonial settlement through to the second world war.

Local guides assist in the the knowledge share as we travel and explore the island.

Today we travel to Kuala Lumpur. There is one change on our way to KL.

Today we have a full day with a local guide to show us Kuala Lumpur and the key sites of this bustling city.

Today the group moves on crossing the border into Thailand and onto Bangkok.

We are based in a central hotel for the next 4 nights. There is a group evening meal.

Today, we explore the ancient areas and the colonial history of central Bangkok including the museum. We include the imperial palace complex with some incredible Buddha’s. We start early to avoid the crowds and the heat of the day enjoying the benefit of a local guide.

The group uses the river and local taxis to explore and learn.

A planned rest day in Bangkok.

Today we depart Bangkok and take the open air train across the varied agricultural landscapes to cross the border into Cambodia. This is our 4th border crossing and likely to be hot and chaotic.

Local guides will assist once we have finished border formalities at Poipet as for all our border crossings. We travel by coach to Siam Reap.

Group meal this evening.

Today is a full day in the temple complex.

Angkor is one of the most important archaeological sites in South-East Asia. Stretching over some 400 km2, including forested area, Angkor Archaeological Park contains the magnificent remains of the different capitals of the Khmer Empire, from the 9th to the 15th century. They include the famous Temple of Angkor Wat and, at Angkor Thom, the Bayon Temple with its countless sculptural decorations.

The group’s day starts just before sunrise at Angkor Wat with your local guide. Then after breakfast we continue to visit key temples to build the story and understanding of this ancient city.

Today we take if circumstances permit a river boat down to Phnom penh.

The group spends 3 nights in Phnom penh.

At the end of the day on the river we enjoy a group meal after checking in to the hotel.

Today our local guide shares their knowledge about Phnom penh. It is a full day exploring the city with an early start.

Today is a free day to explore the city at your leisure.

Today we re-join the train and travel onto Ho Chi Minh.

We cross the border on the train between Cambodia and into Vietnam.

We spend 3 nights in Ho Chi Minh

After completing another border crossing today after settling into the hotel for the next 3 nights we enjoy a group meal.

Today is about exploring and learning about French colonial imperialism and local culture. As well as an understanding around the Vietnam war.

In Ho Chi Minh, we stop by Notre Dame Cathedral and the Ho Chi Minh Central Post Office, two major French colonial landmarks. We also visit the War Museum – a stark reminder of the US-Vietnam War – and the old Reunification Palace.

We also take a speedboat along the Saigon river to take a tour of the man-made historic Cu Chi Tunnels.

Today is a free day to explore the city.

We travel by train from Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi today.

After checking in to the Hotel, there is a group meal.

Hanoi, is the capital of Vietnam, is located in the Red River Delta in the center of North Vietnam. It is the political, economic, cultural, commercial, and tourist center of the country. It was founded in 1010 AD during the reign of King LyCong Uan.

Hanoi, located on the banks of the Red River, is one of the most ancient capitals in the world, where travellers can find well-preserved colonial buildings, ancient pagodas, and unique museums within the city centre. A great place to explore on foot, this French-colonial city is also known for its delectable cuisine, vibrant nightlife, silks and handicrafts, as well as a multi-cultural community that’s made up of Chinese, French and Russian influences.

Our local guide spends the day with the group exploring the key features of this city, from culture, history, people and food.

Today we continue exploring the city in the morning. Breaking in the early afternoon for free time to explore at your leisure.

Tomorrow we depart for Beijing.

Today we cross the border into China on our way by train to Beijing. The landscape changes as we travel across China often in full view of the coast, this is a 30 hour train trip covering some 2,800 km. There are two nights on the train is sleepers.

We check in to the hotel we are booked in for the next 3 nights. There is a group meal tonight.

We seek to allow travellers to discover the real Beijing, both modern and ancient, on a journey that explores the city’s culture art and architecture. We visit leading museums and palaces to gain an insight into Beijing’s traditional architecture. We also explore its more recent architectural icons. This educational tour allows us to experience the complex and ever-changing history of Beijing firsthand supported with local guides.

Beijing, is the capital of the People’s Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world. This metropolis, located in northern China, is governed as a direct-controlled municipality under the national government, with 14 urban and suburban districts and two rural counties. Beijing is China’s second largest city by urban population after Shanghai, and is the country’s political, cultural, and educational centre. It is home to the headquarters for most of China’s largest state-owned companies. Beijing is a major transportation hub in the national highway, expressway, railway, and high-speed rail network.

Beijing

While in Beijing, we explore the Forbidden City, formerly the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. The Forbidden city is right in the middle of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum. For almost 500 years, it served as the home of emperors and their households, as well as the ceremonial and political centre of Chinese government. Then in the afternoon, we take a walking tour of the Summer Palace. This is the largest and best-preserved royal park in China, which strongly influenced Chinese horticulture and landscapes. It has long since been known as “The Museum of Royal Gardens.”

There is a group meal this evening.

This morning there is an early start to head out to visit the and learn about with our local guide the Great Wall of China.

We visit the Great Wall (Mutianyu Section). The Great Wall of China is a series of fortifications made of stone, brick, tamped earth, wood, and other materials. The Wall runs along an east-to-west line across the historical northern borders of China to protect the Chinese Empire against intrusions by various nomadic groups or military incursions. Several walls were being built as early as the 7th century BC. These walls were later unified and are now collectively referred to as the Great Wall. The wall built between 220–206 BC by the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang is especially famous.

This afternoon is has some free time to visit and explore the precincts around the hotel.

This evening if there are suitable performances we visit the National Grand Theatre, located in the heart of Beijing near Tiananmen Square. The theatre is a modern-style building which stands out from its surroundings. It is Beijing’s new futuristic National Grand Theatre.

Today we take the overnight train through from Beijing through to the capital city of Mongolia, Ulaan Baatar. This is a 27 hour train ride.

The group check in to the hotel upon arrival.

Ulaan Baatar is the world’s coldest capital situated in a basin surrounded by four mountains on the southernmost border of the great Siberian taiga and steppe. When Mongolia achieved independence from China in 1911, the city had become an important trading centre on the route between China and Russia, populated by Chinese, Russians and Mongolians.

In Ulaan Baatar we are introduced to Mongolia and will observe the Mongolian people possibly during any of the local colourful festivals. This afternoon our local guide provides an introduction to this city.

In the morning we’ll visit the traditional Buddhist Gandan Monastery. The Mongolians are active followers of the Buddhist faith; one of the three incarnations of the living “Buddah” or “Dalai Lama” resided in Ulaanbaatar. Our sightseeing continues with a visit the Central Museum of Mongolian Dinosaurs where we get a chance to see some of the best dinosaur fossil collections in the world. The museum is housed inside the former Lenin Museum. It was constructed in 1974, with plans to be expanded. After lunch we visit Winter Palace, residence of Mongolia’s eighth re-incarnation of the Living Buddha and last king.

we visit the Fine Arts Museum. In the evening we are treated to a concert of Mongolian Music and Dance, which includes a performance of the haunting Mongolian throat singing followed by dinner at a nearby restaurant.

Today the group continues to explore with a local guide the city its markets and people.

The group departs Mongolia, crossing the border into Russia. The journey from Ulaan Bataar to Ulan Ude is some 17 hours with a late afternoon departure.

We arrange a late check out of the hotel for the group giving you the morning to explore the city at your leisure.

Our arrival in Russia is to the city of Ulan Ude, a city closed to foreigners until 1991.

Located to the East of Russia’s popular tourist destination Lake Baikal, Ulan-Ude is a city bustling with tourist activity and is the gateway for the Trans-Mongolian Railway that travel from Ulan-Ude to Beijing via Ulan Bator. The city’s close proximity to the Mongolian border and well established transport links in to Asia have allowed the city to form a unique cultural identity as the center of Buddhism in Russia.

Ulan-Ude was originally a Cossack fort built in 1666, as a waypoint on the Chinese tea caravan route. It was renamed Ulan-Ude in 1934, and remained a closed city until 1980 due to its mysterious military facilities.

Ulan-Ude is now a sort of stepping-stone to Mongolia: a great many of its citizens are ethnic Mongols and the local Buryat culture and cuisine is similar to that of Mongolia. Its brand of Buddhism is even Tibetan by way of Mongolia.

We have a local guide share their knowledge with us as we explore the city and its history.

There is a group meal this evening.

Today we head to the explore the eastern side of Lake Baikal.

Lake Baikal, designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1996 isn’t any normal body of water. Along with being the deepest lake on earth and suppling the world with 1/5 of all it’s fresh water – it is also the world’s most ancient freshwater lake – originating some 20-25 million years ago. Baikal’s coastline measures 1300 miles, with 27 islands dotted across the lake. More than half the species found on these islands and in Lake Baikal are unique only to this place.

There is we hope the opportunity to see Nerpas or Baikal seals, are one of the smallest true seals and the only seal who live exclusively in freshwater. They’re timid and usually stick to just a few spots around the lake.

This afternoon there is time to explore at your leisure.

Group meal this evening.

Today the 7 hour train journey takes us some 229km on to the city of Irkutsk.

Upon arrival we check in to our hotel for the next 2 nights.

There is a group meal this evening.

Irkutsk, city and administrative centre of Irkutsk oblast (region), east-central Russia. The city lies along the Angara River at its confluence with the Irkut River. It was founded as a wintering camp in 1652, during the first Russian colonization of the area; a fort was built in 1661, and Irkutsk rapidly became the main centre of Cisbaikalia and of the Russian trade route to China and Mongolia. It acquired town status in 1686. Its importance grew after the coming of the Trans-Siberian Railroad in 1898.

Modern Irkutsk is one of the major industrial cities of Siberia and is especially noted for a wide range of engineering products. There are railway, aircraft, ship, and vehicle repair yards. The city of Irkutsk, with attractive embankments along the river and many surviving wooden houses on its tree-lined streets, is an administrative and cultural centre for Eastern Siberia and of the Russian Far East.

We spend the day with a local guide exploring and learning about the city.

Group evening meal.

Today is at your leisure. At late checkout from the hotel will be requested as we wait for the afternoon departure of the overnight train to Kraysnoyarsk.

The city stands on both banks of the Yenisey River where the river is crossed by the Trans-Siberian Railroad. One of the earliest Russian settlements in Siberia, it was founded as the fort of Krasny Yar in 1628 on the left bank of the Yenisey. The extension of the Great Siberian Post Road to this point in 1735 spurred Krasnoyarsk’s development as the chief town of central Siberia. The discovery of gold in the area in the 19th century further accelerated its growth. After the arrival of the Trans-Siberian Railroad in the 1890s, Krasnoyarsk developed rapidly and spread onto the right bank, where it now extends for more than 18 miles (29 km) along the river. Krasnoyarsk’s industrial growth was further stimulated by the evacuation to the town of many factories from the west in World War II. In the 1960s one of the largest hydroelectric stations in the world was constructed there on the Yenisey. During the 1980s a missile-tracking radar station was built near Krasnoyarsk. The Soviet government admitted in 1989 that the station was built in violation of the Treaty on Anti-Ballistic Missile Systems and in 1990 agreed to dismantle it.

We arrive in the morning and transfer to the hotel. There will a break and a room made available to freshen up in if our hotel rooms for the next 2 nights are not available.

We meet with our local guide to tour and learn about the city.

There is a group evening meal

During our time in Kraysnoyarsk the group spends time with local guides in the Vasily Surikov Museums (Lenina Str. 98 and Karla Marksa Str. 36) are the museums of the one of the greatest Russian painters who was born and lived in Krasnoyarsk until he moved to Moscow to become a member of the National Academy of Arts. The first is a two-story wooden house built in 1830 by the painter’s father, Vasiliy Surikov was born and lived for many years in that house, the second is a later-built one-story house holding many of his works.

We also visit the Krasnoyarsk Regional Museum (Dubrovinskogo Str. 84) is a recently restored monumental building in an ancient Egyptian style. It holds a lot of good exhibitions on the history of the Krasnoyarsk Krai as well as many archeological artifacts. And include time in the Culture and History Center (former Lenin Museum) constantly presents various local and international exhibitions and events, all open to the public and sometimes free: fine art and photography by modern artists, art-house and independent movie festivals, museum nights with performances by young local artists, wax figure exhibitions, moving exhibitions from other cities, etc. The very building of the center itself is an incredibly interesting place to visit due to its original and atmospheric inside architecture.

There is a group evening meal.

Today is a rest day. Tonight we take the overnight train to Omsk. We keep a hotel rooms for group day use.

There is a group evening meal tonight.

We catch the overnight train to Omsk.

The group arrives in the early evening in Omsk.

Transfer to hotel and check in.

There is a group evening meal

Omsk is a city on the Irtysh River in the vast Russian region of Siberia. The central Vrubel Museum of Fine Arts, in 2 pastel-colored buildings, displays Fabergé creations, Russian paintings and porcelain. Nearby, the ornate facade of Omsk Drama Theater is topped with a winged sculpture. St. Nicholas Cossack Cathedral, dating from the 1840s, and the gold-domed Assumption Cathedral are holy landmarks.

Our knowledgable local guide is with us for 2 days in Omsk. We spend out time touring the city.

Group evening meal.

We continue to spend today exploring Omsk with our local guide.

Group evening meal.

This morning is at your leisure.

We catch the train in the early afternoon for the 12 hour train trip to Yekaterinburg.

Arriving in the early morning, we check into the hotel.

A late start today. Our local guide takes out on tour of the city.

This home to the cossacks and the first city on the Eastern side of the Urals.

Yekaterinburg is famous for its constructivist architecture and is also considered the “Russian capital of street art”.

This morning is at your leisure. We catch the train heading west, gaining time to travel onto to Moscow. This is a 24 hour train trip

We meet and spend the first afternoon exploring by coach the city of Moscow.

Moscow, on the Moskva River in western Russia, is the nation’s cosmopolitan capital. In its historic core is the Kremlin, a complex that’s home to the president and tsarist treasures in the Armoury. Outside its walls is Red Square, Russia’s symbolic center. It’s home to Lenin’s Mausoleum, the State Historical Museum’s comprehensive collection and St. Basil’s Cathedral, known for its colorful, onion-shaped domes.

Group meal this evening.

A full day touring Moscow.

Group meal this evening.

Today the day is yours to explore Moscow.

This evening after a group meal we catch the overnight train to Berlin from Moscow.

Arriving in the early evening. The group transfers to the hotel.

There is a group meal

The group has a local knowledgable guide to share some off the beaten path experiences beyond the Bradenburg gate.

Today the group continues to explore Berlin with your local guide.

A free day to explore Berlin.

Today we go to Paris. A day trip on the train, a journey of some 8 hours.

There is a group meal this evening.

Our local guide is briefed to show Paris for Parisians, the parts tourists overlook. The quirky and unusual parts of the journey.

Continue to explore and learn about the different parts of Paris. A city in evolution.

Tonight we attend a concert as a group.

A free day in Paris

Hendaye is the furthest point in the South West of France that you can go to: a frontier town with Spain and confined on the edge of both the Atlantic Ocean and Pyrenees Mountains.

This is a 5 hour train journey. There is a short tour and group evening meal.

The group takes the train to Bilboa our base for 2 nights.

This afternoon we visit the Guggenheim.

Group evening meal

There is a full day guided tour of Bilboa today.

Today we depart for Madrid by train. A journey of up to 5 and 1/2 hour by train

We check into the hotel.

Group evening meal

Today, our local guide shows us places and stories about Madrid.

Group meal this evening.

We continue to explore Madrid. Today we include the museums and galleries.

Day at your leisure in Madrid.

Tonight there is a group meal.

We catch the overnight train to Lisbon, arriving the following night.

We arrive in the evening from Madrid.

Check into the hotel.

There is a group evening meal.

This morning we meet our local guide for a full day tour of Historic Lisbon.

Free day at your leisure to explore Lisbon

Today the group comes together to continue to explore the history of Lisbon.

There is a farewell group meal this evening.

This tour concludes after breakfast.