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The
Trans-Siberian Railway is the longest railway in the world. It was
built
between 1891 and 1916 to connect the Russian capital Moscow
with the Far-East city of Vladivostok. En route it passes
through the cities
of Perm, Yekaterinburg, Omsk, Novosibirsk,
Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk, Chita
and Khabarovsk.
Today the Trans-Siberian
Railway is the name given to the
three rail routes that traverse Siberia
from Moscow.
The three routes are -
- The Trans-Mongolian
goes from Moscow to
Beijing,
China
via Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
- The Trans-Manchurian
travels through Siberia
and Chinese Manchuria to Beijing.
- The
Trans-Siberian proper
goes from Moscow to
the Pacific
terminus of Vladivostok.
Trans-Siberian route map.
www.seat61.com
Times
The Trans-Mongolian Express (train #3/4)This
is arguably the most interesting Trans-Siberian route to
take. It is serviced by
rolling stock and staff of
Chinese Railways. Cutting over 1000 km
off the Trans-Manchurian (7867 km), the 'new'
route
to China was built in the Soviet times. The train goes around Lake
Baikal,
stops in Ulan Ude and then turns down to Ulaan Baatar and further to
Beijing.
#4, dep. Moscow 11:42 pm
(Tue), arr. Beijing 3:33 pm
(next Mon)
#3, dep. Beijing 7:40 am (Wed), arr. Moscow 2:10 pm (next Mon)
The Trans-Manchurian Express (train #19/20) goes from Moscow
across Siberia to Lake
Baikal, then branching east, around the ancient borders of Mongolia via
Harbin,
to Beijing (9000
km
in total). This train is serviced by Russian Railways.
#20, dep. Moscow 10:26 pm
(Fri), arr. Beijing 5:30**
am (next Fri)
#19, dep. Beijing 11:10 pm (Sat), arr. Moscow 6:09 pm (next Fri)
'Rossiya' Express (train #1/2) - the Trans-Siberian
route to Russian Far East,
Khabarovsk and Vladivostok. This famous train offers the best
opportunity to
travel along the world's longest route (9289 km),
with is purely domestic.
#2, dep. Moscow 3:26 pm (odd
dates), arr. Vladivostok
6:53 am (on the 8th
day)
#1, dep. Vladivostok 3:14 pm (odd dates), arr. Moscow 5:00 pm (on the
7th day)
*
E.g. if you go
from
Moscow to Beijing with stopovers in Irkutsk and Ulaan Baatar, the price
for the
whole trip will be:
Moscow
- Beijing direct ticket price + $20 + $20
*
*
Arrival and departure times are local Timetable may change - check it
in
advance!
Tickets
and Fares
The train has second class
four-berth compartments (called "kupé") and first class two-berth
compartments (called "spalny wagon"
or "SV") and a restaurant car.
One-way fares start at about
$250 in a
four-berth sleeper or $320 in a two-berth sleeper.[ Prices increase dramatically if
additional stops are
needed or it is peak season.
Tickets can be purchased only 45
days in advance. You can
purchase tickets from a travel agent in your own country or the country
you intend to start the journey in. This maybe the easiest option but
the more expensive.
Several European railway companies
(notably Germany's Deutsche
Bahn, Czech Railways, Polskie
Koleje Państwowe)
sell tickets/reservations for
long-distance domestic trains, since the German train reservation
system is
linked with their Russian counterpart system. Return tickets from
Central
Europe to Vladivostok and back can be as cheap as €230.00 with so called CityStar or
Sparpreis Europa special offers.
In addition a reservation
supplement for
long-distance trains is mandatory, the prices range between €30.00 to
€60.00
each way for trains in four-berth sleeper on the Trans-Siberian
railroad.
Overall, buying tickets for Russian trains in Germany, the Czech
Republic or
Poland can be cheaper and easier (language-wise)
than in Russia.
Normally
it is possible to buy the tickets in any Russian
station, not necessarily one on the route of the train. It used to be
possible
to buy the tickets for Trans-Siberian routes (eg. Moscow-Irkutsk) in Belarus (eg. Brest), and it was
even cheaper there than in Moscow.
Tickets
are normally individual, with name and passport
number written on them, so you may need to have passports for all
persons you
are buying tickets for with you when you pay.
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Visa
Most
travelers will need visas
for all three countries.
China and Mongolia are fairly
straightforward. The best bet
is your own embassy or consulate, or in Hong
Kong. Visas for British citizens cost £30.
However, Mongolian visas can easily be obtained from the Mongolian
consulate in
Irkutsk
(Russia), and
Chinese visas in Ulaanbaatar
(Mongolia).
Russia is more problematic.
Invitations are generally required, and they must be registered in the
country
within 72 hours of arrival. However, Russian transit visas issued in Beijing last 10 days, and
require no invitation. This
would be enough time to make the trip with no stops on the way and
spend a
couple of days in Moscow.
If you arrive from Beijing
you can register your visa after arriving
in Moscow. Have
your ticket ready as a proof that
you've been unable to register sooner.
Travel
Advice (from
wiki travel)
Coming
from Beijing or Harbin,
the last stop in China is Manzhouli. The food being sold there is
quite expensive, but many Russians stock up on provisions (i.e. spirits
and
beer). Be aware that you can take a maximum of 5 beers (Harbin Beer,
0.3l) per
person into Russia or you will have to pay a penalty (read: bakshish)
to the
customs. Get rid of all your Chinese Yuan here, unless you want to take
them as
a souvenir as they become virtually worthless once abroad. There are a
couple
of black market money changers in front of the station which change RMB
to
Roubles at rip-off rates. To get Roubles you have plenty of time on the
Russian
side of the border (Zhabaikalsk). Walk to the ATM located at
the bank in town. Allow 30 minutes to go and come back. The train is
stopping
for hours (the bogies are being changed), so you can do some shopping
at the
local food markets (bread, cheese, etc.).
 Food
Trans-Siberian
train at the station.
On
the Moscow-Irkutsk
route (and possibly up to Vladivostok) the train stops for 20-30
minutes every 3-4 hours. Everybody can get out of the train, and there
are
always people on the platform that offer a variety of fresh food (eggs,
fish,
cheese, bread, fruits, meat or cheese in a cake, ...) and often some
drinks for
passengers. Prices are low; only Russian Roubles are accepted. Many of
the
trains have dining-cars, although if you do not speak any Russian,
ordering the
food will be an experience, to say the least. Since there is a samovar
(hot
water dispenser) in every carriage, your best bet is to have a stack of
dried
noodle soups and Nescafe ready. Just bring your own cup. A
highlight is the
smoked fish (Omul) being sold on the shore of Lake Baikal
(Station:
Slyudyanka - quick stop, so be ready).
Drink
In
every train car there is a pot with boiling water
available for making hot drinks (bring your own tea, but the water is
free).
Carriage attendants also sell tea and coffee.
Be
wary about drinking Russian Vodka that maybe offered to you on route.
It might be more useful for your car in winter.
Sleep
All
tickets for long journeys trains are for sleeping
places. Trains between Moscow and St Petersburg have seating places.
Note
that there is no shower in the train. Even in the 1st
class on K19 (Trans-Manchurian). You can have an asian-style hot shower
though
if you bring along 2 jars. Fill one up at the hot water dispenser, go
to the
toilet and mix the water you get there in the second one.
Safety
The
journey on the Moscow-Irkutsk route (train
Moscow-Vladivostok) seems to be very safe, especially if you travel in
group of
four (or multiples); then you will get a separate four-bed cabin. Every
train
car has one or two staff (provodniks/provodnitsas) that check tickets,
do
cleaning, take care of boiling water, etc.
There
are two locks inside the cabin. When both are used the door cannot be
opened from outside. If theres a knock on the door the latch lets the
door to open no more than 5 cm (2 inches).
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For additional information see
www.seat61.com
and www.wikitravel.com
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