Monday  21^st August

• Group joining from Magadan take the 16:20 two hour and thirty-five minute flight to Khabarovsk, the capital of the region for the last section of our summer exploration of untouched Russia.
• We transfer to Khabarovsk town and check into our centrally located private apartment. Guests joining us in Khabarovsk will meet the group at the hotel.
• At night we make the most of the weather by heading out for street food and a few drinks in one of the many beer tents that pop up in summer.
• Overnight at our apartment.

Tuesday 22^nd August

• In the morning we are met by our local guide before heading into town to view the Far-Eastern museum. If Soviet medals and weapons are you thing, you will enjoy it here.
• We head to the Vyborg market which is where Chinese and Russian traders sell a wide array of goods in this bustling market.
• Lunch in the city before we take the short marshutka journey to Birobidzhan the capital of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast, a region that was created by Stalin in order to give the Jewish people of Russia their own homeland, or to get Jewish people as far away from the seat of power, depending on your take on things. There is a lot of online information about this extremely interesting area.
• We check into Hotel Vostok, a wonderful period hotel with a Soviet feel.
• We head into town for dinner and drinks, probably featuring borsch, shashlik, and a touch of vodka.
• Overnight at Hotel Vostok.

Wednesday 23^rd August

• We head out for a full tour of touring the city and its unique Jewish heritage.
• Our first stop is the railways station, which aside from being a masterpiece of Soviet architecture also features a number of statues as well as a market where we can grab breakfast.
• Visit the two historical synagogues, as well as a few of the traditional orthodox Churches.
• We finish our city tour by checking out the Musical Jewish theatre, Centre for People’s Leisure, as well as the statutory Lenin statue.
• Lunch in the city.
• Drive out to the village of Valdgeym, one of the main Jewish towns in the area, founded by Eastern European Jews in the 1920s.
• Visit the site of the first collective farm in the JAO – the Zayetu Illicha kolkhov – which is still the largest collective farm in Birobidzhan today.
• Stop by the local school where classes are held in Yiddish.
• Drive back to Birobidzhan.
• No trip to a small Russian town would be worth anything without purchasing the local moonshine, so we head looking for “Jewish Happiness” the locally produced vodka.
• Jewish dinner and drinks at the Café Simkha, on the aptly named Pioneerskaya Road.
• Overnight at Hotel Vostok.

Thursday 24^th August

• In the morning we have breakfast in the hotel before going to grab our minibus to our next town Obluchye. This town was founded in 1911 by railway workers and forms another part of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast.
• On arrival we check into our private apartment where we will have some time to relax before heading out for lunch.
• Lunch in the city.
• Very short walking tour of this village (we will be able to see the whole place). There is a lot of architecture here from the last 100 years including a lot from Soviet times (including the train station).
• At night we head to one of the many Soviet style eateries that are put up in the summer, washed down with a few Russian beers, or vodkas.
• Overnight in our private apartment.

Friday 25^th August

• Obluchye is famous for being surrounded by untouched mountains, so we head out for a whole day of hiking around them.
• During the day we will be stopping at a number of places of natural beauty as well as enjoying a picnic lunch in the countryside.
• We take a slow ride back into town for a freshen up, before heading out for dinner and drinks on our last night here.
• Overnight in apartment.

Saturday 26^th August

• Free morning before we jump on the 13:18 train to Vladivostok in second-class sleeper berths. The whole journey takes 17 hours, so we will ensure that we are stocked up on drinks and snacks for the journey.
• We spend the day enjoying the fabulous Siberian scenery passing along the Russian and Chinese border.
• Dinner, drinks, and overnight on the train.

Sunday 27^th August

• A sporting 6:30am arrival where we are greeted by the huge statue of Lenin overlooking the train station.
• Transfer to our last centrally located apartment for a freshen up.
• Vladivostok is a Soviet watchers paradise! So we head out for a full Soviet day tour of the city.
• Met in the morning by our local Russian guide Gavyn for a city tour of Vladivostok.
• We head to the central square to see the stunning Memorial to the Fighters for the Soviet Power in the Far East which is some fairly classic Soviet-style art
• Visit to the square of the sister cities
• We head to visit Sportivnaya Harbour, a major Russian Harbour that offers some amazing views of the sea
• C-56 Submarine base – while we cannot board the fleet, we can view a WW2 era sub as well as get some glimpses of the fleet
• Lunch down by the harbour, with seafood being the theme of the day.
• Head to the Marine Cemetery to see the memorials and tombs of the Czechoslovak legion, British and Japanese soldiers, Russian explorer Vladimir Arsenyev and seafarer Fridolf Gek
• We head back to the hotel for some rest before heading out for our last night in Vladivostok
• Dinner and drinks at YPT favourite Cafe Presto
• Overnight at apartment

Monday 28^th August

• End of tour with YPT able to arrange onward transportation to China, or the international airport
• Price Inclusive of:
  • All transport to complete the itinerary
  • Accommodation
  • Entrance Fees (unless specified)
  • Local guides

  Price Exclusive of:

  • Visas (YPT can provide a letter of invitation for Russia, get in touch for a quote)
  • Food and drinks
  • Tips for local guides and drivers

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