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Private Train Info | |
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Accommodations on
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Life on the Private Train | |
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Arctic Circle by Private Train
Join other adventurous travelers on a 4,200 mile journey - through the Russian "White Nights" from Moscow to the Arctic Circle and back again. Discover Russia's Far North and experience the Arctic's 24-hour daylight. Days 1-2: Moscow See the classic sights of Russia's capital, including Red Square and the Kremlin. Transfer to a 5-star hotel for a one-night stay. Board the Golden Eagle Private Train, hauled by Europe's largest steam engine, the P36. Day 3: Kungor & Ekaterinburg Travel through the Urals to Kungor, famous for its ice caves. Continue on to Eakterinburg, best known as the place where the last czar, Nicholas II, and his family were imprisoned and executed by the Bolsheviks. Today, the Church on the Blood stands over the spot where Czar Nicholas II and his family were killed in 1918. Day 4: Kalino and Kutchino Arrive into the town of Kalino and transfer to Kutchino to visit the Perm gulag, one of the only intact gulag facilities left. The museum that now inhabits the space is a reminder of a dark period of Russia's communist history. Each of the camp's buildings was preserved or restored, giving visitors vivid insight into life at a work camp. Day 5: Velikiy Ustyug One of Russia's oldest towns, Velikiy Ustyug was first mentioned in 1207. An important early trade center and river port, the town lost much of its significance in the late 19th century, when other trade routes were found. Since 1998, Velikiy Ustyug has been known as the official home of Ded Moroz, Grandfather Frost, Russias version of Santa Claus, and touring today includes Ded Moroz's official residence. Day 6: Vorkuta Arrive in Vorkuta, a tundra town in the northeastern part of Komi Republic, about 50 km north of the Arctic Circle. Vorkuta was built by the first round of prisoners that Stalin sent here in the 1930s. This area is known for its bleak gulags and its coal mines, many of them now defunct. Day 7: Salekhard Arrive in the town of Labitnangi by train and then ferry over to Salkehard, the only city in the world that lies exactly on the Arctic Circle. Day 8: Kotlas Located at the intersection of the Northern Dvina and Vychegda Rivers, Kotlas has been an important river port in the history of Arctic Russia. Day 9: Archangelsk Explore Archangelsk, on the shores of the White Sea, a town that has played an important rule in Russian trade since the 15th century. Day 10: Kem, Solovetsky Island Arrive in Kem and board a boat to the UNESCO-listed Solovetsky Islands. Sacred to pre-historic peoples, Solovetsky was settled by monks in the 15th century. Stalin sent countless citizens here in the first camp of Solzhenitsyn's Gulag Archipelago. Days 11-12: Nikel & Murmansk Experience Nikel, its ecosystem devastated by acid rain from a smelting plant, and Murmansk, an ice-free Arctic port before spending a relaxing day onboard steaming southwest. Day 13: St. Petersburg & Pavlovsk Visit baroque Catherine's Palace with its famed Amber Room, and beautiful St. Petersburg, its miles of canals laced together with graceful bridges. Day 14: Novgorod & Pskov Next is Novgorod, one of Russia's earliest cities with a beautiful five-domed cathedral. In the afternoon, arrive in Pskov and tour its defensive kremlin. Days 15-16: Moscow The final morning is spent traveling into Moscow and transferring to a 5-star hotel for another one-night stay. Enjoy a free afternoon before a farewell dinner. In the morning, transfer to the airport for international flights. Trip Details
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Special Features
- Experience the czarist opulence of baroque St. Petersburg and the modern cacophony of Moscow
- Relax in our comfortable "hotel on wheels" as it is pulled by the mightiest steam locomotive ever built in Russia
- Watch the thick Russian forest thin and shrink as we head north toward the permafrost zone
- Cross the Arctic Circle under the Midnight Sun
