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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 remarkable rail journey through the Russian “White Nights,” from Moscow to the Arctic Circle and back again. This unusual trip runs on tracks that stretch between Moscow and Russia’s Far North frontier towns, bathed in the Arctic’s 24-hour daylight. Days 1-2: Moscow Arrive in Russia’s capital and enjoy a welcome reception and dinner. Board the comfortable . Golden Eagle Private Train. Settle in for the two-week journey through the Far North, where the sun barely dips below the horizon at this time of year. Days 3-4: Kungur, Ekaterinburg, Kalino The first stop is Kungur, founded in 1663 and best known for its immense ice caves. In Ekaterinburg, visit the site where the last czar, Nicholas II, and his family were imprisoned and executed by the Bolsheviks. In Kalino, explore the Perm-36 Gulag, a chilling reminder of a dark period of Soviet history. Day 5: Velikiy Ustyug Visit one of Russia’s oldest towns, Velikiy Ustyug, known as the official home of Ded Moroz, Grandfather Frost, Russia’s version of Santa Claus. Days 6-8: Vorkuta, Labytnangi, Salekhard, Kotlas Arrive in Vorkuta, a tundra town about 30 miles north of the Arctic Circle. Continue to Salekhard, said to be the only city in the world that lies precisely on the Arctic Circle. Next is the river port of Kotlas. Many people displaced from other areas of Russia were sent here to work in labor camps during the 1920s and 1930s. Days 9-10: Archangelsk, Kem, Solovetsky Island Spend a day in the port of Archangelsk on the White Sea. Board a boat traveling from Kem to mysterious Solovetsky Island. Solovetsky’s early history as a sacred place was almost negated by its reputation as a warehouse for czarist political prisoners. Stalin sent countless ordinary citizens here as slaves and laborers in the first camp of what Alexander Solzhenitsyn referred to as The Gulag Archipelago. Days 11-12: Nikel, Murmansk Explore Nikel, a favorite with travelers – strangely enough – because of its bleakness. Its ecosystem has been devastated by acid rain from the huge nickel smelting plant here. Stop in Murmansk, where the warm waters of the Gulf Stream keep the Arctic port ice-free for most of the year, then spend a cozy day on board the train. Days 13-14: St. Petersburg, Novgorod, Pskov Tour Catherine’s beautiful baroque palace in Pushkin, then take a whirlwind tour of St. Petersburg. In Novgorod, one of Russia’s earliest cities, visit 11th century St. Sophia Cathedral. Next is Pskov and a tour of its defensive kremlin, called the Krom. Days 15-16: Moscow Finish off the adventure with an afternoon and evening in magnificent Moscow. 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
