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CRIMEAN ADVENTURER RAIL TOUR
6 September - 19 September 2010 (FULL)
NEW DATE 2nd May 2011 to 15th May 2011
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Our own private "Dzherelo" train - the unique way to travel in Ukraine!
Complete with our own entertainers, doctor and security throughout the tour.
ITINERARY: |
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Day 1 - 6th September:
Arrival at Borispol Airport, Kiev. Bus transfer to Hotel Ukraina overlooking Independence Square, the "birthplace" of the Orange Revolution. Once settled into your rooms overlooking the Square, we take the bus to the Restaurant "Khata Karasya" for a welcome dinner, complete with Ukrainian folk entertainment provided by a local ensemble. Overnight at the hotel.
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Day 2 - 7th September:
Following breakfast at the hotel, we enjoy an interesting morning tour programme of Kiev's highlights by bus, returning to our hotel around lunchtime. You will be free to choose your own lunch at one of the many restaurants in the underground shopping complex beneath the Square,or in the Hotel, before returning to the hotel for bus transfer to Kiev Passenger Railway Station, where we join our private "Dzherelo" train. Once settled in your comfortable sleeping berths, we will all adjourn to the Restaurant Car for dinner as the train leaves the city and on into the Ukrainian countryside. After dinner, extra drinks may be purchased in the Bar Car as we listen to our on-board entertainers, who remain with us throughout the tour, before returning to your berths for overnight travel. |
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Day 3 - 8th September:
Morning arrival at Odessa main station. Breakfast on the train before we check in at our very comfortable 4-star Londonskaya Hotel. We then leave the hotel for our own private tram journey (11:00 - 16:00) to acquaint us with the city, taking in the city centre, Arcadia Beach - where we have a lunch stop - then back to Vokzal (tram station) before returning to the hotel. The rest of the afternoon and evening will be free time to spend as you please in this Black Sea resort. Overnight Londonskaya Hotel. |
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Day 4 - 9 September:
Breakfast at the hotel. Morning bus transfer to Odessa Harbour for a boat trip on the Black Sea around the Odessa coastline. On return from our short cruise, we can enjoy some free time in the centre of Odessa along the well known Derebasovskaya Street, which has a wealth of small restaurants, café/bars, artists and souvenir shops. Here you are free to do shopping and take your own lunches wherever the spirit takes you! Later we return to our hotel to collect our luggage ready for transfer back to our awaiting private train, where we will have dinner on board as we proceed overnight to Nikolaev. |
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Day 5 - 10th September:
Breakfast on the train. Morning bus tour around the city, which has the Theatre of Ukraine Drama and Comedy, Museum of Arts, Church of Nicholas and a Museum of Shipbuilding among the more usual sights. We rejoin our train for lunch as we make the short journey to Kherson Port (City of Brides), which was founded by Catherine the Great. This is one of the "green" cities of Ukraine with several urban parks. Lenin Park still has a statue of Lenin in situ. Here we will de-train and make a short, interesting tour of the old city centre on foot before returning to our train for evening departure to Yevpatoria, travelling overnight. Dinner on the train. |
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Day 6 - 11th September:
Morning arrival at Yevpatoria. Breakfast on the train. We again have our own private tram for a tourist guide of this town before returning to our train for lunch. The afternoon is free for you to visit the pleasant beach or to explore the town. Around 18:00 hrs we will make an evening departure on our train for Sevastopol. Dinner on the train. |
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Day 7 - 12th September:
Early morning arrival at Sevastopol, the home of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. Here we will make a city tour and visit to "Panorama" - a 'must-see' item,set in the old fortifications above the city - a 360-degree painted masterpiece of the besieged city in great detail, the monument to the epic struggle for Sevastopol in the Eastern Crimean War. Our next stop is a visit to Khersones to view the ancient Greek temples and surrounds, which are up to 2000 years old, before going on to an afternoon visit by bus to Balaclava to view the place of the infamous "Charge of the Light Brigade",now a pleasant valley!. It was here also that Florence Nightingale - 'The Lady of the Lamp' - became famous. We then make the journey by bus to Yalta, enjoying the Crimean landscape as we travel. Dinner at Yalta. Overnight at the comfortable 4-star Hotel Oreanda. |
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Day 8 - 13th September:
Breakfast at the hotel. Today we travel by bus to visit Livadija Palace, a wonderful Italian Renaissance-style palace built of white Crimean granite - the place where Lenin, Churchill and Roosevelt divided up Europe after WWII, and formerly the Summer residence of Tsar Nickolay II. Then on to Swallows Nest, the beautiful fairytale castle built by Baron Shteingel in 1912 and now the symbol of Crimea. These days it is a rather unique, upmarket restaurant and café, where the coffee and cakes are to be highly recommended! After lunch we go on to visit Chekhov's House/Museum - the great man of Russian literature - before ending the day with a visit to "Massandra" Winery for tasting the Crimean vintages. Although not widely recognised in Europe, they are remarkably good! We return to Yalta for another night at the Hotel Oreanda. The evening is free to check out the night life of Yalta!
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Day 9 - 14th September:
Breakfast at the hotel before leaving Yalta by bus to visit Bakhchisaray, with photostops on the way and a visit to Uspensky Cave Monastery, founded by Byzantine Monks from seventh - ninth centuries and now a place of pilgrimage for Orthodox Christians. We take lunch on our train, which will have made its way to Bakhchisaray and will be stabled at the station awaiting us. After lunch we visit the 16th century Khan Palace and Museum, which displays numerous exhibits on life in the Crimea up to 200 years ago, when it fell into the hands of the Russians, before taking a ride on a local train to Simferopol, an Autonomous Republic!, to explore this town. Meanwhile, our own train will make its way there for us to rejoin it for dinner. Overnight on the train to Feodosia. |
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Day 10 - 15th September:
Breakfast on the train. We take a bus for a tourist programme of the sea resort of Feodosia, which also has ancient ruins, a castle, beautiful promenades, shopping centres and casino, before going on to Sudak, where we will visit the interesting Genoese Castle. A packed lunch, or Shashliek, will be provided today. On return to Feodosia we rejoin our train for an evening departure to Zaparozhye, travelling overnight. Dinner on the train. |
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Day 11 - 16th September:
Breakfast on the train. Zaparozhye is home for a large Jewish community, has several museums and a permanent circus. Here we can see the huge dam used for hydro-electric power and locks for sea-going ships. This has been created mainly by the Russians in a Grand Waterway scheme, but has been treated with distrust by Ukraine, who now has a form of mutual agreement over it. We will have lunch on Khortitza Island, or "Cossack Island", and make a visit to the Cossack Museum, where there is a fascinating history of these famous soldiers and horsemen, together with a replica of a Cossack fort. The island is now a nature reserve and the historic 'home' of the Cossacks. After this interesting day, we return to Zaparozhye to our train for evening departure to Kiev. Tonight we have a farewell dinner, where we can say goodbye to all the staff who have looked after us on our days aboard the train.
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Day 17 - 20th September:
Breakfast on the train. Morning arrival in Kiev. We will take a bus for a morning visit to Pechervsk Lavra Cave Monastery. This functioning monastery is situated picturesquely on high ground overlooking the Dniepro River. It has numerous domes and towers, and miles of underground tunnels and caves with ancient crypts. Later we transfer to Ukraina Hotel to your rooms overlooking the Square. The remainder of the afternoon and evening are free for shopping or more sightseeing. |
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Day 13 - 18th September:
Breakfast at the hotel. The entire day is free for shopping and sightseeing as you wish. If there is anything specific you wish to do, please let us know - we may be able to arrange it as an optional extra. Overnight at Ukraina Hotel.
Day 14 - 19th September:
Breakfast at hotel. Bus transfer to Borispol Airport for flights home.
END OF TOUR ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
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GBP |
USD |
| Tour price per person (excluding flights) |
£2415 |
$3520 |
| Single supplement per person |
£510 |
$800 |
| Deposit required with booking |
(£250) |
($380) |
| Please note: exchange rates may fluctuate |
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We believe that this unique tour is excellent value for your money in that we have use of our own private train for a fascinating itinerary to Odessa on the Black Sea and throughout the Crimea.A maximum of 25 clients,so no crowded carriages! Although we have included the opportunity to visit many places of interest along the way, the tour is not run on regimented lines and we try to give ample free time to 'do your own thing' wherever practical. We reserve the right to change the itinerary if, in our opinion, it would be unwise to visit any areas. In this instance, you would be notified of any changes before commencement of the tour. You will be pleased to know that this clause has not yet had to be exercised! Below are a few notes you may find helpful, but, if you have anything at all you'd like to discuss about the tour, please don't hesitate to contact us.
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Flights:
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US Citizens: |
There are now direct flights to Kiev from JFK.
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UK Citizens: |
We recommend Ukraine Travel, Oldham (www.ukraine.co.uk) for flights, which they can arrange at good rates from most major British airports.Altenatively www.cheapflights.co.uk also offers good alternatives,or from most Regional Airports via European Hubs.
i.e KLM via Schipol.Direct flights from London Airports. |
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Visas:
Please note that a visa is NOT now required to visit Ukraine for citizens of the European Union, United Kingdom, Switzerland, USA, Canada and Japan. If you are from a country still requiring a visa, please contact us as we can assist.
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Accommodation:
The hotels we use in the south are excellent quality and in prime positions. Whilst the Ukraina Hotel in Kiev is not of such a high rating as the others in which we stay, we make no excuses for using it, as it holds an historic position right above the Main Square where all the demonstrations took place for the Orange Revolution; it is a few steps from the deep underground railway system and huge underground shopping arcades (which will amaze you!); and it is an interesting hotel, still run on Russian lines with a "madam" (of the receptionist variety!) on each floor to guard your room keys.The hotel was being upgraded on my stay in 2009 and the square facing rooms are now much improved.English is spoken at reception.
Accommodation on the train is in comfortable 4 berth compartments,but only the 2 lower berths are used.The two upper berths can conveniently be used for extra luggage space or folded back.Toilets are at either end of the car and a shower at one end.This is NOT a luxury train as such trains do not exist in Ukraine(ex-Soviet Union),but it is comfortable.The Restaurant car with its pretty waitresses is very good and serves good food.As it is a fairly long tour we do also have some Hotel stays to break up the journey a little and enable full bathroom facilities. Smoking is normally only allowed in vestibule ends.
There is musical entertainment every night we spend on the train.
Meals:
All meals are provided while on the train and other meals where stated in the itinerary.
Electrical Supply/Battery Charging:
There are battery charging facilities on the train. These will be shown to you if required. Continental two-pin adapters are required.
Culture and customs:
The tour takes place in an Eastern bloc country and, consequently, standards of accommodation, transport, safety and mannerisms may be different from Western expectations. Likewise, food may be presented in a different form from that to which you are used. This is what makes a holiday different, but, if you have any concerns, please contact us to discuss them or talk to others who may have travelled to such areas.
Disabled Facilities:
We regret that, due to the lack of disabled facilities on trains and in Ukraine in general, this tour is unsuitable for wheelchair users or the physically infirm.Sorry!
Contact us: e-mail enquiries@eerailtours.eu
Telephone: 0044(0)1299861529 Fax: 0044(0)1299861058
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