Ride the rails from St. Petersburg to Moscow in über luxury aboard the private Golden Eagle train with Seattle-based tour operator MIR Corporation (in Russian, the name translates to “peace” and “world”). The 12-day itinerary includes Catherine’s Palace and the legendary Amber Room, along with the Hermitage and St. Isaac’s Cathedral in St. Petersburg. Stroll the famous Nevsky Prospekt before boarding the train, where you’ll be served a delectable signature caviar dinner while heading north across the Arctic Circle. The route includes a Northern Lights viewing with a guest astronomer in the Norwegian town of Kirkenes, a visit to the Snow Hotel and a dogsledding expedition.

In Murmansk, there’s a tour of the Lenin, the world’s first nuclear-powered icebreaker, and an outing on a hovercraft across Lake Onega in Petrozavodsk to Kizhi Island, the site of a UNESCO-listed open-air museum (weather permitting). Other stops include the Russian Golden Ring towns of Vladimir and Suzdal, home to some of Russia’s most notable historic churches, and time in Moscow to tour Red Square, the Kremlin, and the Armory Museum and its exhibition of historic Russian treasures. The Arctic Explorer by Private Train expedition takes place Dec. 29, 2016–Jan. 9, 2017. Prices begin at $11,995.