Monday 9^th October – Ho Chi Minh City

• Group 1 members arrive at your own leisure at Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) in Vietnam
• Meet your YPT guide at our centrally located hotel at 2:00pm
• Head straight into history with a walk past South Vietnam’s Presidential Palace, now the Reunification Palace, to the War Remnants Museum, complete with scenes from the French occupation of Indochina, US military equipment from tanks to planes and vivid descriptions of the effects of Agent Orange and other leftovers from the war on Vietnam still today
• Dinner of Vietnamese pho – rice noodles – and other dishes before we grab a cold Saigon beer, a plastic stool and sit on the street for some refreshment and people watching, before seeing where the night takes us!
• Overnight in Saigon

Tuesday 10^th October – Ho Chi Minh City

Morning

• Head out after breakfast to the Cu Chi Tunnels, where we see and experience the tunnel warfare carried out by the Viet Cong against the US military in South Vietnam
• Drive back into the city for some street food, we’re particularly fond of the famous Banh Mi thit pork sandwich!

Afternoon

• Visit the Ho Chi Minh Museum
• Head to the old American Embassy and see if we can climb up to “that place” where the last evacuations happened!
• Check out the war surplus market. YPT does love a good Soviet market but we’ll make do with looking for Vietnam War trinkets!
• Gather supplies for the train and head for our farewell dinner in the notorious District 1 of Ho Chi Minh City – The original Saigon
• Our first major train journey, the relatively short trip from Saigon to Nha Trang, in our 4 berth private cabins
• Overnight on the HCMC – Nha Trang train

Wednesday 11^th October – Nha Trang

Morning

• Morning arrival in Nha Trang – have an early check-in into our hotel, so will have some time to relax and freshen up before heading out for the day.
• Breakfast in the hotel before we go for a walk through the backstreets of Nha Trang – the best place to see the real city far from its beachfront – up to the Po Nagar Cham Towers, built in the Cham Civilisation between the 7^th and 12^th centuries and which is located on a hill with good views
• Walk back through a traditional Vietnamese fishing village, and remind ourselves that fish definitely does smell like fish

Afternoon

• After lunch walk past Nha Trang Cathedral and visit the Thanh Dien Khanh Fortress, an old citadel designed by a French officer in the late 18^th century
• Dinner and drinks — we might just head to Crazy Kim bar, because we like the place and the name!
• Overnight in Nha Trang

Thursday 12^th October – Nha Trang

Morning

• After a relatively late rise, we will head out on a short drive to Bai Dai beach, getting away from the city and into one of the best coastal areas of Vietnam.
• Stop on the way for a jungle walk and a dip in a waterfall pool

Afternoon

• Swim in the sea or relax on the beach with a cocktail or two
• Head back to Nha Trang, grab supplies and head for dinner by the sea, before heading up to pick up our bags and supplies
• We are treated to another relaxing, and beautiful train journey with our overnight trip in private 4 berth cabins from Nha Trang to Hue
• Drinks and overnight on the train to Hue

Friday 13^th October – Hue

Morning

• Morning arrival in Hue, the old imperial capital of Vietnam where we transfer to the Jade Hotel
• After a bite to eat we head to Hue’s main attraction – the Imperial Citadel. It’s huge, and we’ll wander around the rooms and gardens for a few hours taking in different parts of ancient Vietnamese history

Afternoon

• After lunch, we head out for a slice of more modern history, hiring motorbikes and heading to Phu Bai Airport, built and garrisoned by the Americans in this key part of former South Vietnam
• Grab our motorbikes again for some countryside exploration. It just wouldn’t be Vietnam without motorbikes and rice paddies, and the countryside around Hue is some of the most beautiful in the country, and its people the most welcoming
• Head back in Hue and go for dinner and drinks in this bustling Vietnamese town, starting of course and unavoidably at The DMZ Bar
• Overnight in Hue

Saturday 14^th October – The DMZ

Morning

• Early rise and drive out to the old Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) between North and South Vietnam, at the 17^th parallel. The journey takes 2 hours, with us stopping at a war memorial on the way, as well as various other places.
• Lunch on the way to the DMZ

Afternoon

• Visit the Hien Luong Bridge that was the official border crossing for much of the war, with classic halfway point selfies a must.
• Vinh Moc Tunnels and museum, the main part of the DMZ Tour
• See Khe Sanh Combat Base, Camp Carroll, and The Rockpile, former US military bases and outposts
• Before driving back to Hue, we stop for dinner at a quiet seaside village for fish BBQ, and an amazing sunset.
• Stop back at the hotel for a freshen up and to pick up supplies for our last train journey.
• Night train to Hanoi in our private 4 berth rooms. This truly is one of the most stunning train journeys you can take in Vietnam, as we witness the countryside roll into what is the bustling capital city of Hanoi
• Overnight on the train

Sunday 15^th October – Hanoi

Morning

• Morning arrival in Hanoi
• Transfer to hotel and a super quick transfer to the highlight of our trip to Vietnam, by joining the hordes of people that line up daily to see the father of the nation, Ho Chi Minh, lying in state. People still take this very seriously, and it is a big deal
• Head straight to the Ho Chi Minh Museum for an in-depth look at his life

Afternoon

• Lunch of Pho Ha Noi – more savoury than Saigon’s version
• Visit the Museum of the Vietnamese Revolution, detailing history going right back to the struggle against the French
• We head to Lenin Park, complete with statue, before some people-watching then go for dinner and drinks in the Old Quarter, our last Vietnamese night out!
• Overnight in Hanoi

Monday 16^th October – Hanoi

Morning

• Free morning to gain up on much needed rest or to hit the markets in Old Quarter

Afternoon

• Lunch of Bun Cha Ha Noi
• Head out to Hoa Lo Prison, otherwise known as the Hanoi Hilton, where the French imprisoned and executed Vietnamese revolutionaries during the colonial period, and in which the US POWs captured by the North Vietnamese were kept, including a certain John McCain
• Group 1 members tour concludes
• Group B members continue to for dinner and grab last minute supplies for the train
• Catch the 9:25pm night train to Nanning, China, stopping and getting off at both borders
• Overnight on train

Tuesday 17^th October – Nanning and Xingping

Morning

• 9:30am arrival in Nanning, the capital of Guangxi province where we head for a late breakfast/early lunch before heading to Nanning East Railway Station

Afternoon

• Board our 12:48pm train from Nanning East to Yangshuo Railway Station arriving at 4:24pm
• Yangshuo Railway Station is actually located in the picturesque town of Xingping, which is where the picture on the back of a 20 RMB note is from. We head directly to our hotel in the old town, before doing a short city tour, followed by dinner and drinks in this amazingly picturesque old town
• Overnight in Xingping

Wednesday 18^th October – Yangshuo

Morning

• Morning transfer from Xingping to Yangshuo
• Here we head out on our Yangshuo Motorbike tour exploring the countryside and amazing karst geological scenery

Afternoon

• Lunch of local Guangxi food
• Carry on our motorbike tour, stop for beers by the river and spot cormorant fishermen or go for a swim yourself
• Head back to Yangshuo and go for dinner
• Overnight in Yangshuo

Thursday 19th October – Yangshuo – Guilin – Beijing

Morning

• Group 1 members tour concludes with morning transfer to Guilin
• Group 4 members board our flight departing Guilin to Beijing and continue tour
• Group 2 members meet your YPT guide and fellow group members at our hotel located in Qianmen of Beijing – right next to Tiananmen Square.

Afternoon

• Lunch near Tiananmen Square of delicious warm dumplings
• Head straight out for a tour around the Qianmen Gate, through Tiananmen Square to the Forbidden City. We also take in China’s Modern History Museum which tells the tale of China’s rejuvenation after 100 years of humiliation at the hands of foreign powers.
• Watch the sunset over the Forbidden City from the top of Jingshan Hill, with a bottle of baijiu liquor to warm the cockles
• Peking Duck for dinner and drinks in Qianmen
• Overnight in Beijing

Friday 20th October – Beijing – Dandong

Morning

• We get an early start to watch the flag raising ceremony in Tiananmen Square and join the lines of people that queue every day to see Chairman Mao lying in state – whilst it is quite different to other mausoleums you will see people getting genuinely worked up at the final resting place of the founder of modern China.

Afternoon

• Lunch nearby of Beijing Zhajiang noodles.
• Check out of hotel, collect our luggage and make our way to the Zhong Gu Hotel for the pre-tour meeting for the North Korean part of our journey.
• Catch the 5:27 pm overnight sleeper train to Dandong, the border city with North Korea
• Dinner and overnight on train

Saturday 21st October – Dandong – Pyongyang

Morning

• 7:00 am arrival into Dandong, we jump off the train and head straight down to the banks of the Yalu River, getting our first glimpse of North Korea on the opposite bank and the ‘Broken Bridge’, standing half demolished across the river which was bombed by the US during the Korean War
• Board the train again departing Dandong and heading to Pyongyang.
• Arrive in Sinuiju to go through DPRK entry procedure
• Continue the train ride onto Pyongyang and enjoy the beautiful countryside along the way.

Afternoon

• Optional lunch on the train (50RMB extra)
• 6:45 pm arrival in Pyongyang to be met by your local North Korean guides.
• Evening city tour of Pyongyang, including us stopping at Kim Il Sung Square for a walk and pictures.
• Dinner at a local Korean restaurant on Ryomyong Street.
• Check-in and overnight at the Sosan Hotel.

Sunday 22nd October – Pyongyang

Morning

• Visit the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun – the mausoleum for the Great Leader President Kim Il Sung and the Dear Leader Kim Jong Il. Whilst our 3 weeks will take us to lots of Mausoleums nothing comes even close in scale to this.
• Walk through Mansudae Fountain Park and see the mosaic pictures of President Kim Il Sung and the leader Kim Jong Il
• Visit Mansudae Grand Monument – the two large bronze statues of President Kim Il Sung and Leader Kim Jong Il overlooking the city. (Optional extra- you can present flowers if you wish: 40RMB or 5 euros)

Afternoon

• Lunch in the KITC restaurant to try the famous Pyongyang Cold Noodles or Korean Bibimbap.
• Visit Kim Il Sung Square and a short walk to the Foreign Language Bookshop – shopping central for books, pins, DVD’s, CD’s and periodicals in English and other foreign Languages
• Pyongyang Metro – ride 5 stops on the famous Pyongyang Underground!
• Exiting at the Arch of Triumph – the largest Victory Arch in the world, built to celebrate the triumphant return of Kim Il Sung after the anti-Japanese war.
• Visit the recently renovated Korean War Museum. Let the expert local guide show you around the enormous museum featuring dioramas, locally used weapons, tanks, etc., and captured American equipment!
• USS Pueblo – the only US Naval Ship still held captive by another nation
• Juche Tower – a monument to the everlasting Juche Ideology (optional 40RMB or 5 euros to go to the top)
• Visit Kwangbok department store – here we can buy locally made items and exchange our foreign currency into local DPRK Won!
• Mansugyo Beer Bar – seven different microbrews on tap, 10RMB each
• Dinner at the National Restaurant with a performance!
• Spectate the Mass Games – The world’s largest performance. Tickets can be purchased with cash only and reserved whilst on tour in North Korea.
• Overnight at the Sosan Hotel

Monday 23rd October – Pyongyang – Dandong

Morning

• Check out of hotel
• Slow drive to the train station stopping at a few interesting places for last photos
• Board the 10:10am train to Dandong

Afternoon

• Optional lunch on the train (50RMB extra)
• Go through DPRK exit formations and arrive into Dandong at 4:30pm
• Grab dinner and board the overnight sleeper train back to Beijing departing at 6:30pm

Tuesday 24th October – Beijing

Morning

• Arrive into Beijing Railway Station at 8:30am
• Group 2 members tour concludes
• Group 4 members head to Beijing Zhong Gu hotel to drop off luggage and freshen up
• Group 3 members meet the YPT guide and fellow travellers at the lobby of Zhong Gu Hotel at midday

Afternoon

• Visit Beijing’s Hutong’s at Gulou area for a classic Beijing lunch – the Jianbing.
• Explore Beijing’s oldest residential area lined with tiny alleys, bars and quirky stores.
• Dinner at Sanlitun – Beijing’s night spot for beers and drinks.
• Overnight at Zhong Gu Hotel.

Wednesday 25th October – Trans-Mongolian Day #1 Bejing

• Departure on K3 train at 7:27am for the six-day journey to Moscow via Mongolia, with your fearless YPT leader keeping everyone well stocked up and prepared for this absolute epic train trip.
• The dining car attached is the Chinese dining car where they’ll have classic Chinese drinks such as beer and baijiu available. The Chinese lunch is included on this aspect of the journey.
• Arrive at the border town of Erlian at 8:20pm for Chinese border formalities, customs and immigration. The train will depart at 1:00am.

Thursday 26th October – Trans-Mongolian Day #2 Ulaanbaatar

• Arrive at 1:15am at the Mongolian border town of Dzamyn Ude, for the second set of immigration and customs formalities usually lasting about two hours. Here we’ll have a chance to disembark and wander around this rural railway station. The Mongolian dining cart is attached and will be available to us from the morning.
• Arrive in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia at 2:35pm. Here we’ll have a 45 minute stop at the railway station to stock up on cheap Mongolian beers and snacks. Money exchangers are available to convert your Chinese Yuan to Mongolian tögrög.
• Arrive at Naushki at 6:55pm for Mongolian and Russian border formalities, customs and immigration. Train will depart at 8:45pm.

Friday 27th October – Trans-Mongolian Day #3 Irkutsk

• Be sure to wake up early and enjoy the breathtaking views past the world’s biggest lake: Lake Baikal, on your way to a 9:37am stop in Irkutsk to stick up on Russian vodka, bread and cheese!
• The Russian dining cart was connected during the evening where there’s a fair chance we’ll meet the Borsch King himself. Warning: do not challenge him or his girlfriend to a vodka contest.

Saturday 28th October – Trans-Mongolian Day #4 Novosibirsk – Omsk

• Arrive into Novosibirsk at 4:00pm for a 20 minute stop to stock up again
• Continue onto Omsk for a 20 minute snowball fight outside the train

Sunday 29th October – Trans-Mongolian Day #5 Tjumin – Ekaterinburg – Perm 

• Early morning stop at Tjumin at 6:30am for those who want to stretch their legs for 20 minutes
• Arrive at Ekaterinburg at 11:28am for a 30 minute stop – beautiful large station to walk around and photograph.
• Second last stop of the journey in Perm – here we’ll have 20 minutes to stock up for our last party evening on the train!

Monday 30th October – Trans-Mongolian Day #6 Moscow

• The grand finale! Arrive into Moscow, the capital of Russia and former capital of the USSR at 1:58pm.
• Transfer to our central based hostel in Moscow for the most amazing shower experience you’ll ever have.
• We head first to one of our favourite places for a stroll around the haunting soviet statues graveyard
• Dinner and night out in Moscow!
• Overnight in hostel

Tuesday 31st October – Moscow

• Our trip comes to an end with a morning jaunt to Red Square and our final mausoleum, that of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin
• We pay a visit to the Kremlin and maybe take a sneaky look in to the grave of a certain Josef Stalin too
• Group 3 & 4 members final lunch in Moscow and end of tour, YPT can help organise airport transfers and onward travel from Moscow or you can join us on our Eurasian Adventure. Next stop: Minsk in Belarus!

Read More