Trans Mongolian Discovery (21 days Beijing to St Peterburg)

See and experience China's "Imperial City", then travel aboard the Trans Mongolian Express, beyond the Great Wall and across the fringes of the Gobi Desert to the grasslands of Mongolia. And so to Lake Baikal and aboard the great Trans Siberian Railway to Moscow and St.Petersburg, Russia's two most exciting cities. Explore Red Square, St Basil's Cathedral and the Kremlin then north to the magnificent 18th century buildings and palaces of St.Petersburg. A fantastic adventure across Asia in just three weeks.

Departing: Beijing - 21 days
Countries visited: China, Mongolia & Russia

Days 1-3. Beijing
Beijing will prove unforgettable, all senses assailed - colour and sound, smell and taste - leaving indelible memories of continual contrast, history and tradition alongside 21st century technology. Over our three days here the 'Scheduled Sightseeing' will begin with some of the city's greatest highlights, the Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square and of course 'The Wall' stretching 10,000 Li across the distant hills.

Day 4. Trans Mongolian Railway
At last to Beijing Station and aboard the first of the trains that will carry us across Asia. We're off! Following the Great Wall northwest towards Mongolia. We settle in to our comfortable compartments and watch from the window as the towns and villages and the scenes of local life of Inner Mongolia go by. In the evening we settle down to our first night aboard as we cross the Gobi Desert.

Day 5. Ulaanbaatar
Bounded by Lake Baikal to the north and the Great Wall to the south is the Mongolian Plateau and Gobi Desert. At daybreak, classic scenes of traditional nomadic life greet us as the train winds impressively across the Mongolian Steppe and into the capital. Ulaanbaatar is a contradiction - a metropolis amid endless grass steppes, with donkeys and motorbikes, concrete apartment blocks and traditional gers.

Days 6-8. Mongolian Steppe
After breakfast we visit the Zaisan Memorial from which the entire city is visible. Also to the country's largest remaining monastery, Gandan Hiid where you can mingle with Buddhist monks. In the afternoon we travel out across the grasslands through the countryside where we spend two nights in a traditional Mongolian nomad ger set amongst spectacular rock formations and wild rolling hills. We return to Ulaanbaatar and visit the National Museum before joining the train north to Siberia.

Day 9. Trans Mongolian Railway
Continuing towards Russia, leaving Mongolia at Sukhbaatar and travelling beyond the Russian border town to Ulan Ude, then west along the southern shore of the world's deepest freshwater lake - Baikal.

Day 10. Irkutsk (Siberia)
Almost in the centre of Asia, Irkutsk - 18th century churches, bright painted shutters and log houses decorated with wooden lacework. Modern administrative blocks and soaring bridges reach out across the Angara River in this beautiful town known as the "Paris of Siberia". On our walking tour you will discover the city's wonderful historic sights.

Day 11. Lake Baikal (Siberia)
We also enjoy a full day at Lake Baikal and time to visit the village of Listvyanka with its traditional houses and beautiful wooden church and nearby Limnological Museum. To gain an insight into the traditional lives of Siberian people we also visit the Museum of Wooden Architecture.

Days 12-14. Trans Siberian Railway
We join the Trans Siberian Railway and travel via Novosibirsk, Omsk and Ekaterinburg booming over the steel bridges spanning Siberia's nerve system of 5,000 rivers. On past its suburbs and into the heart of Moscow the train arrives almost casually on time.

Days 15-18. Moscow
Moscow will amaze you, its palaces and public buildings restored to their former glory. The echoing vastness of Red Square, the splendid twirled cupolas of St.Basil's across the cobblestones, and the Kremlin itself - that fabled palace-fort of gilded domes where we marvel at the exquisite collection of royal treasures in the stunning Armoury Chamber. We ride the palatial underground rail system, adorned with chandeliers, mosaics and baroque bas-relief and perhaps a river cruise or a magical evening at one of Moscow's great theatres or State Circus. Our last rail journey is aboard the overnight express to St.Petersburg.

Days 19-20. St.Petersburg
It is the city on the water, the "Venice of the North", standing resplendent on the delta of the Neva River. St Isaac's Cathedral, richly filled palaces and museums, wide boulevards and canals. The gilded halls of the Hermitage Museum hung with the works of da Vinci, Rembrandt and many other great masters, and beyond the city lie the incomparable summer palaces of the tsars at Petrodvorets. Yet for all this, St.Petersburg remains one of Europe's best kept secrets.

Day 21. Depart St.Petersburg
The last day has arrived too soon. The adventure is complete, the legendary rail journey that started many days ago has taken you across Asia, through lands and cultures literally worlds apart.

Operated by Sundowners Overland (TMDB)

Departures: April to November

• Contact us for more information, current costs and to make a booking on this tour