Lake Baikal Summer Tour5 Days | Irkutsk, Baikal, Listvyanka

Arrival in Irkutsk, meet your driver, and transfer to the hotel to begin your Lake Baikal Summer Tour. After meet your guide for a sightseeing tour of Irkutsk. This city, considered the heart of Siberia, boasts more than 100 significant monuments. Your tour starts at Irkutsk’s most important streets, Karl Marx Street and Lenin Street, where unique wooden architecture coexists with majestic stone buildings inspired by the streets of St. Petersburg and Moscow. There are also many theatres in this area, including the Musical Theatre and the Drama Theatre. Stroll past the 17th century Spasskaya Church, which is the city’s oldest brick building and played a prominent role in its history, and the Polish Cathedral, the only Gothic building in Siberia. This Roman Catholic church was built for political exiles from Poland and their descendants. Pass through Kirov Square, where the Cossacks built the fortress that laid the foundation for the city. Continue along Gagarinsky Boulevard, an embankment along the Angara River with many cafés and terraces and an ideal place for walking. Visit the market, which the townspeople call the “bazaar”, including its fish stalls that sell fresh catch from Lake Baikal. Behind the bustling market is an old area of the city with typical Russian architecture, including traditional wooden houses with carved shutters and window frames. Walk through Irkutskaya Sloboda (130th Quarter), a recently renovated district with several historical architectural gems. The tour ends at the Museum of the Decembrists, which is dedicated to the participants of the December 1825 uprising that aimed to abolish serfdom and force a transition to a constitutional system. The uprising was brutally suppressed, and many participants were sentenced to exile in Siberia. The museum includes the old estates of two Decembrists, Prince Trubetskoy and Prince Volkonsky, and their personal belongings, documents, and household items. Return to the hotel. Free time. Overnight at the hotel.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 5 hours

Collect a packed breakfast from the hotel and transfer to the Irkutsk railway station to take the 07:40 train to Slyudyanka (166 km, 2h 30 min). During the train’s brief (30 min) stop, take the opportunity to admire the only station in the world that is built entirely of white and pink marble. Spend the rest of the day on the Circumbaikal Railway, with excursion stops at: Angasolka Station (149 km) – 30-50 minutes, Kirkirei Station (123 km) – 30-40 minutes, Polovinnaya Station (110 km) – 30-50 minutes, Italian Wall (102 km) – 15-30 minutes, Ulanovo Station (97 km) – 1 minute (technical stop). Lunch on the train. At 17:03, arrive at the Circumbaikal Railway’s last station, Baikal, and transfer to Listvyanka to check in to your hotel. Overnight at the hotel.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 11 hours

After breakfast, take a walking tour of Listvyanka, which is the closest lakeside village to Irkutsk and is known as the “Baikal Riviera”. Climb the Chersky Stone, which offers a beautiful panoramic view of Lake Baikal and an excellent opportunity to take impressive photographs. Then visit the Baikal Limnological Museum, the only museum in the world that focuses on the study of Lake Baikal and its flora and fauna. The museum also has aquariums hosting omul, whitefish, sturgeon, seals, and other examples of the lake’s fauna. After visiting the museum, enjoy free time in Listvyanka to relax and experience summer at the lake. If you don’t mind cold water, you can even take a dip! Overnight at the hotel.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 5 hours

During your free time, we offer the following optional activities (at additional cost):
Virtual immersion in a bathyscaphe to the bottom of Lake Baikal (at the Baikal Museum);
Visit to the Nerpinarium;
Excursion to the Sledding Sports Centre.

After breakfast, check out of the hotel and transfer to Irkutsk (70 km, 1h15min). On the way, visit the Taltsy Architectural and Ethnographic Museum. Explore the old wooden buildings of this open-air museum and learn about the life of the Baikal region’s indigenous peoples. Free time in Irkutsk. Overnight at the hotel.
Duration of sightseeing tour: 3 hours

After an early breakfast, check out of the hotel and drive to the airport. Departure. End of Lake Baikal Summer Tour.