GROUP 1 Beijing – Moscow

Tuesday 27^th October

• Arrive in Beijing. Meet up for dinner with your traveling companions and guides and head out for a few beers.
• Overnight at Beijing City Central Hostel.

Wednesday 28th October

• Departure by K3 train at 11:00 for the six day cruise to Moscow via Mongolia, with your fearless YPT leaders keeping everyone stocked up on vodka, bread and Russian cheese!
• 20.37 arrival at the border town of Erlian, for a stop of “technically” around 4 hours, for border formalities, customs and immigration. Previously, it was possible to leave the train at this point, but most likely we will be kept on board for immigration formalities. Departure at around midnight.

Thursday 29th October

• 00.25 arrival in Mongolian border town of Dzamyn Ude, for second set of immigration and customs formalities usually lasting about two hours. Again, we may remain on the train or will possibly be allowed to get off.
• 13:15 arrival at Ulan Bator, capital city of Mongolia, for a quick 45 minute stop with breathtaking views all the way there. This stop is a good chance to buy a few bits for the rest of the journey, with money changers and cheap shops aplenty.

Friday 30th October

• Entry to Russia.
• Enjoy the breathtaking views past the world’s biggest lake: Lake Baikal, on your way to a 10.31 stop in Irkutsk.

Saturday 31st October

• Afternoon stop in Novosibirsk and evening stop in Omsk.

Sunday 1st November

• Stops in Tiumin, Swerdrowsk and Perm where we can get out, take pictures, and stretch our legs.
• Last boozy night on the party train.

Monday 2nd November

• 14.28 Arrival in Moscow.
• Transfer to hostel for a much needed freshen up and a rest!
• Free afternoon.
• Dinner and night out in Moscow. Communist times are truly gone.
• End of Group 1.

GROUP 2 Moscow – Minsk – Kiev

Tuesday 3rd November 

• Morning trip to Red Square, Mausoleum of Lenin, and the Kremlin.
• Lunch with the rest of the group.
• The early evening is your chance to independently explore Moscow or you can join the group on a walk around Cosmonaut Park and a trip to the Cosmonaut Museum (extra cost).
• Dinner at local Russian restaurant – Did someone say Borsch?? 11.49 pm departure for Minsk on sleeper train. No border checks, so a pleasant night’s sleep.

Wednesday 4th November

• 08.06 arrival in Minsk and transfer to hostel.
• Morning and afternoon visits to the Former Residence of Lee Harvey Oswald, Belarus National Museum of History & Culture, and the infamous KGB building!
• Dinner in the Old Town.
• Night of debauchery in Minsk of the most delightful and cheap of ex-Soviet cities.
• Overnight in Minsk Hostel.

Thursday 5th November

• Excursion to the Belarusian Museum of Folk Architecture and Rural Lifestyle.
• Back to Minsk for some dinner and drinks and then stock up for the 10.40 pm train to Kiev.
• End of Group 2.

GROUP 3 Kiev – Pripyat – Kiev/Odessa

Friday 6th November 

• Morning arrival Kiev, check into Kiev Central Station Hostel.
• Free afternoon in Kiev.
• Group 3 evening arrival.
• Group drinks and dinner at the legendary Hospital Bar, a Kiev favourite, with some medically themed, entertaining shots!
• Overnight in hostel.

Saturday 7th November

• Day in Pripyat, ghost town of the world’s worst nuclear disaster. Lunch on site. During the trip, we will be visiting some extra secret sites that cannot be mentioned here!
• Return to Kiev and head out for some dinner and dancing at a local 24 hour bar.
• Overnight in hostel.

Sunday 8th November

• Extreme Missile Base (ICBM Rocket Base) Tour in Ukraine.
• If the Missiles were launched from this top secret Soviet base, the target cities were New York, Chicago, London and Paris and after about 30 min and one button the world as we know it would have been gone!
• Group 3 take the bus back to Kiev and end tour.
• Group 4 continue onto Odessa where we check into our hostel.

GROUP 4 Odessa – Tiraspol – Chisinau – Bucharest

Monday 9th November

• Breakfast in Odessa, followed by tour of the Catacombs (extra cost).
• Free afternoon.
• Early evening departure for the 3-4 hour train ride to Tiraspol, capital of the breakaway republic of Transnistria.
• On arrival in Tiraspol, we register with immigration at the train station before transferring to the local version of the Soviet Inn tourist hotel. This is the quintessential Soviet experience in the region’s original tourist hotel.
• We go for dinner locally with drinks afterwards in the country’s only nightclub.
• Overnight in Soviet Hotel.

Tuesday 10th November

• We get up early to check out and transfer to a slightly different experience, the first private hotel in post-Soviet times, located in the countryside with its own brandy distillery, sauna, basketball court and private rooms.
• City tour of Tiraspol.
• Pobedi Park (across the street from the hostel). Chance to ride the 50′s style amusement park.
• Walk down October 25th Street (the main drag) which has a large billboard of former President Smirnoff (real name) standing with the Presidents of 2 other Soviet breakaway Republics of South Ossetia and Nagorno-Karabakh.
• University of Tiraspol to speak with students learning English.
• October 25th St. to City Hall (government). It has a large bust of Lenin for great photos.
• Russian Orthodox Church of Tiraspol. Newly renovated with golden domes. Guests can buy inexpensive Russian Icons here. We will go inside. Women must wear a scarf on their head and men must take their hats off.
• Statue of Russian General Suvorov.
• The Eternal Flame Independence War Memorial.
• Parliament, housing the biggest statue of Lenin outside Russia.
• We walk to the river park. There is a walking bridge here for great panoramic photos of the river and downtown Tiraspol.
• Lunch at Andies Pizza, somewhat of a PMR icon of a restaurant.
• Convenient store in the centre of town with $3 for a bottle of one of the most prized Cognacs in Europe (outside France of course). During Soviet times, this was the brandy.
• Pobedi Park. There is a famous 24-hour beer and vodka stall here. A great place for people watching.
• Overnight at Countryside Hotel.

Wednesday 11th November

• We leave the hotel for Bendery via mini-bus number 20. We arrive in Bendery within 20 minutes.
• We arrive in Bendery center. We enter one of the largest outdoor markets in all of Transnistria. Guests will be able to shop and buy anything they want at very, very low prices. Also, many opportunities for old world type photos.
• We leave the market and continue walking down the main street until we reach the big white church in the center, well renovated and a favorite place for couples to get married.
• We continue walking down the main street until we arrive at Lenin park. We view the main fountain and the bust of Lenin.
• We continue to walk down the main street until we reach the train station, renovated and well maintained. It seems like a ghost town because only a few trains stop here, and there are almost no passengers.
• Beside the train station is an old Soviet train from WII with the hammer and sickle on the front. Inside is a museum of the civil war between Moldova and Transnistria.
• There are many war relics and great photos to take. (It is 100% free.)
• When finished with the museum tour, we walk back past the park until we arrive at the city hall. The city hall has been left exactly as it was during the civil war still filled with bullet holes. Great for photos.
• Lunch in the town.
• We continue our walk to the river. There are statues and old amusement rides such as bumper cars here. It looks right out of the 1950′s, but the rides are still operated and are very cheap.
• After a stroll down the river, we walk back to the bus stop to catch our mini-bus back to Tiraspol.
• We check out of our hotel and go to the train station for the short ride to Chisinau.
• Check into centrally located Chisinau Hostel.
• Free evening and overnight.

Thursday 12th November

• City walking tour of Chisinau.
• World War II Memorial and Military Museum.
• Central open air market, great place for kitsch souvenirs.
• Government buildings and parliament.
• Main Square + Central park.
• History Museum.
• Traditional Moldovan Dinner at La Plicente.
• Night of bar crawling in the city.
• Overnight in Chisinau Hostel.

Friday 13th November

• Morning trip to Cricova Winery to see the wine making process and to of course sample some of Eastern Europe’s best wine! This is one of the most amazing wine cellars you are ever likely to see.
• Free afternoon in Chisinau.
• 18.00 train to Bucharest.
• End of Group 4.

GROUP 5 Bucharest – Sofia – Skopje – Pristina – Tirana

Saturday 14th November

• 06.00 arrival in Bucharest (depending on customs).
• Check into hostel for a morning of rest and R&R.
• Lunch at local Italian restaurant.
• Free afternoon to independently walk around Bucharest.
• Evening dinner at Carru Cu Bere, easily YPT’s favourite restaurant on the planet.
• Evening drinks around Bucharest old town.
• Overnight at hostel.

Sunday 15th November 

• No trip to Bucharest would be worth anything without paying homage to the don of extreme: Ceausescu!
• Early enough start for the Communist Tour. Learn about Ceausescu (surely one of the craziest of all the former dictators) and about life for Romanians who were living under his rule.
• Visit to the famous Ceausescu Palace, the ultimate example of the excess of the regime.
• Lunch in town.
• We finish our Ceausescu based day by visiting his final resting place of the military cemetery where he is buried. This is a somewhat surreal, but worthwhile experience.
• Free evening to explore some more parts of Bucharest and buy souvenirs.
• 23.55 sleeper train to Sofia.

Monday 16th November 

• 06.00 arrival in Sofia, check into hotel.
• Bulgaria food tour starting at 2pm! (tips based tour).
• At the end of the tour, we will take a quick walk up to the Soviet market where you can buy old coins, pins, watches, and even authentic Soviet and Nazi passports.
• We will head back down to the main square and warm ourselves at one of the heated outdoor bars!
• Nighttime walking tour of Sofia starting at 6pm.
• Overnight in Sofia.

Tuesday 17th November

• 07.00 bus to Skopje, Macedonia.
• 16.00 Arrival and check into hostel.
• After getting settled, we will take a walk into town and have some lunch at Bella Vista restaurant on the waterfront.
• City tour of Skopje for some good old-fashioned Soviet Stone architecture. See the many, many statues that make up the city and pay a visit to the Mother Theresa house.
• Walk to Old Town and check out the Grand Bazar.
• Quick walk up to the castle grounds then a final walk through the city (beautiful when lit up!).
• Drinks and dinner in the Old Bazaar.
• Overnight in Skopje.

Wednesday 18th November

• Morning bus to Pristina, the capital city of Kosovo.
• On the way to Pristina, we will stop at Matka and take a walk along the gorge. It is labeled as the most beautiful place in Macedonia and this credit is highly deserved!
• Following lunch at the restaurant at Matka, we will continue onto Pristina.
• Check into our very comfortable private apartments at Velania Hostel in Pristina.
• After settling up, we will go to the local pizza restaurant for delicious food and to warm ourselves up with their homemade rakija!
• Overnight in private apartment in Pristina.

Thursday 19th November

• We get up early to board our private bus for the extremely scenic four hour drive to Brod.
• Brod is populated by the Gorani people. The Gorani have a total population of roughly 50,000 people. They are primarily sheep and cattle herders, but also have a cartel network of dessert/sweet shops. They live in a very geographically small mountainous area of the most southern part of Kosovo, in and near the city of Dragash just south of Prizren. The Gorani have their own language, which is a Torlakian Slavic language, related to Serbian and Macedonian, with Albanian and Turkish loanwords.
• We will stop for lunch at the new hotel that has been built just on the outskirts of Brod.
• We take our time walking around the old village, where there are numerous chances for some great photos and some wonderful hiking routes.
• A chance for dinner and drinks with Brod’s very famous “Borat,” a somewhat local celebrity that usually comes to meet our groups and is very happy to have a drink and have photos taken.
• Leisurely drive back to Pristina.
• Overnight at private apartment.

Friday 20th November

• City tour of Pristina. To see the city from street-level, it is best to start off in the Dardania neighborhood in front of the portrait of Bill Clinton and his statue, and stroll past the university to the Grand Hotel and UNMIK. Follow Nena Tereze Street towards the Skenderbeg monument and the new Government Building, then point yourself toward the historic mosques and meander through the tight lanes of the Old Quarter. You will see cafes, street market stalls, kids hawking cigarettes and phone cards, plus the vibrant community life of Kosovo’s biggest city.
• Short bus ride to Mitrovica, a town divided by a river into Kosovan south and Serbian north – scene of intense fighting in 1999 and troubles as late as 2013.
• Afternoon spent in the south surrounded by Albanian flags.
• Transfer to northern side to check out the interesting Serbian graffiti and pick up some great postcards and t-shirts from a very interesting and slightly pro-Serbian gift shop.
• Return to Pristina for dinner and drinks
• Overnight in private apartment.

Saturday 21st November 

• Pristina to Tirana by bus.
• Arrive in Tirana at about 6pm and check into Freddy’s Hostel, where we share 2, 3, or 4 to a room in an apartment style accommodation.
• Head to local restaurant for dinner and drinks.
• Last big night out in Tirana, where we check out the uber-cool Hemingway Bar and a local club that specializes in Albanian/Balkan style live pop acts.
• Overnight in hostel.
• End of Group 5 with international flight options to most major European destinations, ferries to Italy, and major road links.

GROUP 6 Tirana – Podgorica – Belgrade – Sarajevo – Zagreb – Ljubljana

Sunday 22nd November 

• 9am trip to both the newly opened bunker (an incredible throw-back to Hoxha’s reign) and following this, visit the grave of Hoxha (extra cost).
• Catch the direct mini-bus at 2.30pm from Tirana to our hostel in Montenegro.
• Arrive at our hostel at around 6pm.
• We will take the short walk to the local restaurant and try some incredible Montenegrin cuisine.
• Drinks in town.
• Overnight at hostel.

Monday 23rd November

• Do a tour of the beautiful Montenegro coastlines! We will see Saint Stefan, Budva, Kotor and other little villages around the area. This really is one of the most beautiful parts of Europe but is still relatively untouched.
• Following some quick dinner, we will jump on our overnight train to Belgrade.
• As this train has no dining cart, we will stack up on drinks and snacks before we depart and can happily drink the night away on board.

Tuesday 24th November

• 10am arrival in Belgrade.
• Check into Hedonist Hostel. It may be too early to check in but we can go for some traditional Serbian breakfast in the meantime!
• At 2pm, we will explore this incredibly fascinating city! We will do a city walking tour and take in such sites as the Republic Square, Bohemian Quarter, Kalemegdan Park, and the Belgrade Fortress (based on tips).
• In the evening, we will go back to the hostel to freshen up before once again going out to sample the delicious local cuisine. Tonight, we will go to Skadarlija – the pedestrian street through in which old Belgradian music constantly travels. As if the bars, restaurants, and music weren’t enough to keep us entertained on this street, it is also home to incredible artwork which adorn the blank-walled buildings on the south side.
• Stay out as late as you desire – Belgrade has many, many busy party spots on a Saturday night!
• Overnight in Belgrade.

Wednesday 25th November

• Wake relatively early to catch the trolly bus out to the fascinating Mausoleum of Tito. There is also a great gift shop here where you can buy many hard to find Yugoslavian souvenirs.
• At 3pm, we will catch a bus to beautiful Sarajevo and arrive at Sarajevo City Hostel at about 8pm (private apartments).
• Rest and wash up before heading back out to town to warm ourselves up with traditional burek (meat pie) and local wine.

Thursday 26th November

• Free morning to grab breakfast and generally explore.
• At 1pm, we will do our Sarajevo Siege Tour. The tour will include the main sites of the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian architecture and show the unique line where east meets west. As we walk through the town, we will enjoy the scent and taste of both fresh coffee and hookah and we will hear the sound of the church bells mixed with the call from the Minarets. We will also see first-hand the devastating effects of the war that literally pitted family members against each other.
• As part of the tour, we will see the tunnel that allowed the people of Sarajevo to survive during the Siege and we will head to Mount Igman to explore the abandoned and crumbling bobsleigh track ruins from the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympic Games.
• We will return from Mount Igman and have dinner at one of the many pizza restaurants dotted around Sarajevo.
• We will return to the apartment to pre-game before heading out into the Sarajevo nightlife.
• Overnight at Sarajevo City Hostel.

Friday 27th November

• Catch the 10.46am train from Sarajevo to Zagreb. As this train is during the daytime, we will enjoy incredible Balkan scenery as we make our way from Bosnia to Croatia.
• Arrive in Zagreb at around 20:00 – a perfect time to check in, wash up and head out for some food.
• We will walk from the hostel, through the Christmas market and pick up some mulled wine and food from the fair.
• After dinner, we will hit the bars for a night of partying. Zagreb is famous for its drinking culture, so we will be spoiled for choice! We recommend that you try rakija (local schnapps) – cheap, delicious and authentic!
• Overnight at Zagreb hostel.

Saturday 28th November

• Wake up and try some delicious Croatian breakfast!
• We will catch the funicular to the world famous Museum of Broken Relationships. (extra cost)
• Head out in Zagreb to explore both Gornji Grad (Upper town) and Donji Grad (Lower Town). Christmas time is a beautiful time to explore Zagreb as there are many open-air markets and fairs.
• Dinner at an open-air restaurant in downtown Zagreb.
• At 6.40pm, we will depart on the three-hour train to Ljubljana, Slovenia.
• After checking into our hostel, we will head out to explore the local scene in Ljubljana. Farewell drinks for Group 6.

GROUP 7 Ljubljana – Budapest – Bratislava – Prague – Warsaw

Sunday 29th November

• City walking tour of Ljubljana at 11am.
• Lunch in the city.
• Free afternoon to explore the city at your own leisure.
• Dinner in city.
• We board the 01.06 night train to Budapest! Typical YPT style sleeper carriage, with optional drinks on board.

Monday 30th November

• 10:26 arrival in Budapest and transfer to our centrally located hostel.
• Time for some R&R in the hostel before:
• Lunch in the city.
• Hit the ground running with a 3 hour communist tour of Budapest. This hits all important sites, such as where the 1956 Uprising occurred and is accompanied by an expert guide who will tell us about communist times.
• Night out eating and drinking around the old town and by the river.
• Night in hostel.

Tuesday 1st December

• We jump on the bus at Budapest Station and begin the three hour journey to Bratislava, capital of Slovakia.
• Arrival and transfer to hostel, chance for some quick R&R before we head out for some lunch.
• Sticking to the tried and tested formula, we head for the Communism and Bunker tour seeing all the major red sites.
• Walk around the old town for dinner and drinks.
• Overnight in hostel.

Wednesday 2nd December

• We jump on the super quick four-hour express EuroCity train from Bratislava to Prague.
• Afternoon arrival, today we take a rest from staying in hostels by renting our own private apartment, check into here, quick lunch and rest.
• After four weeks of almost non-stop communist watching, we decide to take a rest from all things red by indulging in our hedonistic side with a city bar crawl.
• Overnight in private apartment.

Thursday 3rd December

• We treat ourselves to a well-deserved lie in after our night out in Prague.
• Lunch in city.
• Walking tour of old Prague.
• We board the 23.08 train to Warsaw, sleepers and drinks again as standard.
• Overnight on train.

Friday 4th December

• 7:20 arrival in Warsaw, and transfer to our hostel.
• Free morning.
• 12pm we go on the Alternative Warsaw tour. See the only wild bank of a big European river and the bears walking along the street!
• Lunch in Warsaw.
• 3pm classic walking tour of Old Warsaw.
• 7 pm Warsaw Crime Tour. Visit the site of the assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler in October 1939, the creepiest ceremony ever, the robbery of the century and much more!
• Dinner and drinks in the city.
• Overnight in hostel.

Saturday 5th December

• We get up early to take the train to Krakow.
• Check into hostel.
• We take the train to Oswiecim and onward to the biggest mass extermination of the 20th century: Auschwitz Concentration Camp.
• We begin with a tour of Camp One, home of the iconic welcome sign, and the crematoria, before heading to Camp 2. This trip lasts the whole day and is a very physically and emotionally draining experience.
• On the train back to Krakow.
• We head out for final dinner and drinks in this extremely picturesque and Christmassy town.
• Overnight in Krakow.

Sunday 6th December

• We arrange an early morning trip to the Oscar Schindler Museum.
• Checkout and end of tour. There are a number of budget flights throughout Europe from Warsaw, as well as train connections for those continuing overland.

Price Inclusive of:

• All Transport
• All Accommodation
• Some local tours

Price Exclusive of:

• Transport to and from the tour
• Visa Fees – We can provide same day invitation letters to Russia.
• Food and drinks
• Personal expenses

*YPT terms and conditions apply to this trip.

Read More