The Far Eastern Express: Vladivostok and Khabarovsk

7 DAYS
FROM: $4290

DAY 1

Upon arrival in Vladivostok you are met and transferred to your hotel.

DAY 2

Explore the city of Vladivostok on a sightseeing tour that will include the Marine Fortress with unique 19th century fortifications, and a visit to the Museum of Local Lore featuring exhibits on the region’s nature, ethnography, archaeology and history. Visit the memorial S-56 Submarine that sank 10 fascist ships during World War II. The evening is free to relax in your hotel or explore the city center on your own.

DAY 3

Enjoy the picturesque scenery of Primorye while on an out-of-town trip to Kravtsovsky Waterfalls. You will have a chance to taste the Russian-style shish kebabs for lunch in a scenic spot by the water. Return to Vladivostok for a walking tour of the central streets and souvenir shopping with your guide. In the evening, you are transferred to the railway station for an overnight train to Khabarovsk.

DAY 4

The guide will greet you at the train station in Khabarovsk this morning and take you to your hotel in the city center. After breakfast depart on a city tour and enjoy the city’s peculiar landmarks, including the historic buildings on Muraviev-Amursky Street, the Railway Station with a Russian Orthodox church and a monument to Yerofey Khabarov in its square. After a lunch at a quaint central restaurant you will visit the Museum of Regional Studies with displays covering all aspects of the region’s history and culture.

DAY 5

Today you will take an out-of-town trip to the Nanai village of Sikachi Alyan. Visit the Ethnographic Center telling about the indigenous people of Nanai that have inhabited these lands for centuries. After lunch return to Khabarovsk for a yacht ride on the mighty Amur River and an overnight at a hotel.

DAY 6

After breakfast visit the city’s gem – the Museum of Fine Arts. The museum occupies one of the most beautiful historic buildings in Khabarovsk and boasts a collection of paintings by well-known Russian artists, a number of ancient Russian icons and even paintings by Western-European artists of the 18th and 19th centuries. The afternoon is free to explore the city on your own or do souvenir shopping.

DAY 7

The tour ends as you are transferred to the airport for your flight home.

Quick Facts

Vladivostok is an important seaport and the largest city in the Russian Far East with a population of over 660,000. It started as an outpost in 1860 and was granted the status of a city in 1880. It is the last stop on the famous Trans-Siberian Railway, the construction of which began here in 1891. The city was closed to foreigners between 1930 and the early 1990’s, and welcomed its first foreign tourists in 1992. Vladivostok is the sister-city of San Diego, CA and Tacoma, WA. The thing that strikes a first-time visitor to Vladivostok is its unusual landscape. The city is nestled on the slopes of multiple hills and along the shores of multiple small bays providing for great panoramic views from the sea or from several elevated observation points.

Founded in 1858, Khabarovsk also began as a military outpost, and was granted the status of a city in 1880. It is a major cultural and trading center in the Russian Far East, but it is mostly known for its remarkable stone architecture preserved from Imperial times, and beautiful parks and tree-lined streets that encourage leisurely strolling. Khabarovsk is the sister-city of Portland, OR and Victoria, BC. The city is situated on the bank of the mighty Amur River, which provides endless recreational opportunities. The Russian-Chinese border runs along the Amur River, and picnic trips are offered to the border at the confluence of the Amur and the Ussuri Rivers by the village of Kazakevichevo.