The rest of the day will then be yours to explore the Chinese capital at your leisure, or relax in preparation for the adventure ahead.

We recommend that guests arrive in the morning on Day 1, as depending on the train departure time, some excursions may be moved from Day 3 to Day 1 instead.

UNESCO states that the Summer Palace is, ‘a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design. The natural landscape of hills and open water is combined with artificial features such as pavilions, halls, palaces, temples and bridges to form a harmonious ensemble of outstanding aesthetic value.’ It is here that you will spend your afternoon.

The Forbidden City is one of China’s most well-known locations and has been home to 24 emperors dating back to 1368 up to 1911.

After your tour of the city, you will board the Chinese charter train and depart on your epic adventure.

With stunning views it is the perfect day to relax and just enjoy the view, while socialising with your travelling companions and talking about your experience so far.

Your first day in Ulaanbaatar will begin with a transfer to the Gorkhi-Terlj National Park, where you will uncover the nomadic may of life for yourself.

You will first head to an authentic Ger Camp in a remote area of the park before exploring the beautiful landscapes this area has to offer.

Enjoy a hike to a nearby Buddhist temple, before enjoying a traditional Mongolian dinner and sleeping under the stars in your very own Ger.

You will be taken to visit the Museum of National History and the Zaisan Memorial, a place dedicated to the war victories throughout the early 20th century and peacetime achievements such as the Soviet space flights.

The day will be capped off with a traditional Mongolian folk show, before departing for the Russian border.

You will be taken on a tour of the most famous of its many religious buildings upon arrival, including the Buddhist Ivolginsky Datsan, and the Russian Orthodox Odigitria Cathedral and Holy trinity Church.

Following this you will be welcomed by a local Buryat family to experience several Buryat traditions, including cooking the Buryat dish Pozy, playing dice, using a bow, trying on traditional tradition Buryat clothing as well as assembling, and dismantling, a yurt.

The programme for today includes a short boat trip to Listvyanka, time for photos at Chersky Stone observation point, a location with stunning panoramic views of Angara River and Lake Baikal, before a visit to Baikal Museum to find out more about the local flora and fauna found around the lake and the local region.

The tour will finish with a picnic on the shores of the lake.

Taking in visits to places such as the Decembrists House, a house dedicated to the aristocrats who were exiled to this, at the time, far flung, corner of Siberia after the failed Decembrists uprising of 1825, Karl Marx Street and the beautiful cottages adorned with beautiful wooden ‘lace-like’ designs, you will find plenty of beauty in his corner of Siberia.

Later in the day you will be taken to the open-air Taltsy Ethnographical Museum along the right bank of the Angara River, chronicling the history of Siberia from the 17th century onwards.

You will round out the day with free time to explore the ‘130 Quarter’ and view the reconstructed 19th and 20th century buildings.

Alternatively, during the morning you could attend one of the lectures on Russian and Trans-Siberian history before listening to a live musical performance, with champagne, during the afternoon.

You will be guided around Novosibirsk including visits to the Railway Museum, containing a fascinating selection of steam, diesel and electric trains, the Ballet and Opera House as well as the embankments of the mighty Ob River, the world’s seventh longest river, that flows into the Arctic Ocean.

The city tour will be based around the Romanovs, with visits to the cathedral built specifically to commemorate this event, the Cathedral of the Saviour on the Spilled Blood and a local Russian Orthodox Monastery that is considered to be a fantastic example of Russian construction.

Following lunch in Yekaterinburg, the tour will move to the Europe/Asia border, where you will be able to place one foot on each continent at the same time.

The train will depart Yekaterinburg that evening to head further east.

The highlight of the tour here is a visit to the Kazan Kremlin, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, alongside a grand city tour taking in the best features of this religiously, and ethnically, diverse city.

You will be treated to a very special lunch that includes a master class on Tartar Cuisine.

The day will finish with dinner aboard the train while heading off towards our next port of call.

After the tour, you will check into your centrally located 5* hotel ahead of your last night in Russia.