Transiberian Railway

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The Transsiberian Railways

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> Non-Stop
> Stop-Over
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It is a classic way from Europe to Asia (and vice versa) for more than 100 years. It is not about the speed, but all about the EXPERIENCE: ¼ of the Globe trough mighty Siberian taiga forests, wild Gobi desert and rice fields of China, up to 10267 km / 6365 miles in one go, up to 185 hours in the same train! It is NOT EXPENSIVE, because it is a regular rail service for 0,001 €/km. And it is CULTURAL: there are 12 sites from the UNESCO World Heritage List along the way plus millions of Russians, Mongolians and Chinese around. It is also COMFORTABLE: there are cozy compartments for 2 or 4 people, blanket and pillows are provided, no cold at the winter, no heat at the summer, the onboard restaurant is attached and many babushkas are waiting your train on the platforms with homemade food. Important to know that it is SAFE: no train collapses, no criminals, no hassles. Indeed it is NICE trip: take a book for reading and a pen for writing, do not forget smile for new friends and hugs for old ones, prepare your nose for strange smells and mouth for unknown tastes, and finally try pickled Russian cucumber for after-shots.

Routes

There are three main routes to take

Route 1, classical Trans-Siberian:
way to Russian Far East, Nord Korea and Japan


	Route 2, Trans-Mongolian: way to Mongolia, China and Vietnam


	Route 3, Trans-Manchurian: way to China, Nord und South Korea, Vietnam

Non-stop travel

Travelling on the non stop service is like taking a sea- cruise: sleeping, eating, chatting, watching and being watched. There are not much to see in the windows, except endless trees and industrial suburbs of big cities, before reaching Irkutsk but after it landscape changes dramatically with beauty shores of Lake Baikal, colourful yurts of nomads and villages with Mao statues and Buddhist temples. The trip from Moscow takes 5 days to Mongolia, 6 days to China and 7 days to Vladivostok.

Bear in mind choosing your way that there are two routes into China. The Trans-Manchurian train links Russia and China directly, for Trans-Mongolian one all westerns need transit visa (but not Poles and US Americans) even if they just cross the country without stopping there. Don’t forget to check the date when your train crosses the Russian border and to check the expiry date of your Russian visa before booking your tickets!

Timetable and Fares in Euro (incl. booking fee, ticket delivery and Russian visa support)

Route 1

Station	Day	Time	Duration	Train #
Moscow Yaroslav.	on odd days	dep 21:25	146:23	2
Vladivostok	(01.01…29.01)	arr 23:48*		´Russia´

Moscow Yaroslav.	on 11th & 25th	dep 21:25	210:00	2
Pyongyang		arr 21:25

* Vladivostok time is + 7 hours to Moscow time

Ticket		Single journey
from	to	Adult
		1st class	2nd class
Moscow	Vladivostok	€ 495	€ 295
Moscow	Pyongyang	-	€ 495

Route 2

Station	Day	Time	Duration	Train #
Moscow Yaroslav.	Tu, We, Thu	dep 21:35	100:55	4/6
Ulan Bator	Su, Mo, Tu	arr 07:30

Moscow Yaroslav.	Tu	dep 21:35	131:29	4
Beijing	Mo	arr 14:04

Ticket		Single journey
from	to	Adult
		1st class	2nd class
Moscow	Ulan Bator	€ 395	€ 295
Moscow	Beijing	€ 545	€ 395


	Route 3

Station	Day	Time	Duration	Train #
Moscow Yaroslav.	Fr	dep 23:55	144:36	20
Beijing	Fr	arr 05:31		´Vostok´

Moscow Yaroslav.	Fr	dep 23:55	157:35	20
Pyongyang	Fr	arr 19:30

Ticket		Single journey
from	to	Adult
		1st class	2nd class
Moscow	Beijing	€ 695	€ 495
Moscow	Pyongyang	€ 645	€ 445

Stop-over travel

Break up the journey and see something of Siberia and Mongolia. There are also several towns along the way, which are well worth to visit for a day or two and send a postcard to your family, friends and us.

Irkutsk (for Lake Baikal) and Ulan Bator are the most usual stop- overs. The 3.15-million-ha Lake Baikal is the oldest (25 million years) and deepest (1,700 m) lake in the world. It contains 20% of the world's total unfrozen freshwater reserve. Known as the 'Galapagos of Russia', its age and isolation have produced one of the world's richest and most unusual freshwater faunas. Irkutsk itself is also pleasant city to explore.


	Outside of Ulan Bator, the capital of Mongolia, you may get the feeling you've stepped into another century rather than another country.

Timetable and Fares in Euro (incl. booking fee, ticket delivery and Russian visa support)

Route 1 Moscow - Irkutsk - Vladivostok

Station	Day	Time	Duration	Train #
Moscow Yaroslav.	on odd days	dep 21:25	75:38	2
Irkutsk	(01.01…29.01)	arr 01:03*		´Russia´

Moscow Yaroslav.	on even days	dep 23:25	76:42	10
Irkutsk	(02.01...30.01)	arr 04:07*		´Baikal

Írkutsk	daily	dep 01:33*	70:15	2/8
Vladivostok		arr 23:48**		´Russia´

* Irkutsk time is + 5 hours and **Vladivostok time is + 7 hours to Moscow time

Ticket		Single journey
from	to	Adult
		1st class	2nd class
Moscow - Irkutsk-Vladivostok		€ 595	€ 395
Every extra Stop-Over		+ € 100	+ € 50

Route 2 Moscow - Irkutsk - Ulan Bator - Peking

Station	Day	Time	Duration	Train #
Moscow Yaroslav.	please see timetable for Route 1
Irkutsk

Irkutsk	Sa, Su, Mo	dep 00:13*	26:17	4/6
Ulan Bator	Su, Mo, Tue	arr 07:30

Irkutsk	daily	dep 16:50*	32:20	362
Ulan Bator		arr 06:10

Ulan Bator	Thu, Su	dep 08:05	29:59	4/24
Beijing	Fr, Mo	arr 14:04

* Irkutsk time is + 5 hours to Moscow time

Ticket		Single journey
from	to	Adult
		1st class	2nd class
Moscow - Irkutsk - Ulan Bator		€ 595	€ 395
Moscow - Irkutsk - Ulan Bator - Beijing		€ 695	€ 495
Every extra Stop-Over		+ € 100	+ € 50


	Route 3 Moscow - Irkutsk - Beijing

Station		Time	Duration	Train #
Moscow Yaroslav.	please see timetable for Route 1
Irkutsk

Irkutsk	Thu	dep 03:39*	68:52	20
Beijing	Fr	arr 05:31		´Vostok´

* Irkutsk time is + 5 hours to Moscow time

Ticket		Single journey
from	to	Adult
		1st class	2nd class
Moscow - Irkutsk - Beijing			€ 295
Every extra Stop-Over

Besides Irkutsk and Ulan Bator we highly recommend stopping over in the following cities and towns:


	Yaroslavl (on the UNESCO World Heritage List) is an outstanding example of the urban planning reform Empress Catherine the Great ordered for the whole of Russia in 1763.

Vladimir, once a Russian capital, is the gateway town to Suzdal, one of the prettiest and most charming towns in Russia. This architecturally protected town is also on the World Heritage List of UNESCO.

Nizhny Novgorod, the Russia’s ‘third capital’ is situated on the banks of ‘Mother Volga’, one of the nation’s most enduring and endearing symbols


	Kazan, heir to the Tatar Khanate, has an intriguing atmosphere redolent of Central Asia. It is famous for its historic kremlin (a UNESCO World Heritage site), ancient mosques and lively marketplaces.

	Kungur is famous for its unique Ice Caves with year round frozen waterfalls and underground lakes.

	Tobolsk with its handsome Kremlin, wooden houses and photogenic, crumbling churches is the most memorable old city in Siberia.


	Tomsk, one of the most charming Siberian spots, is a delightful city combining endless examples of fine wooden mansions and some grand century old commercial buildings

Ulan Ude is the centre of Buddhism in Russia and the capital of indigenous Buryat people of Siberia.

		Datong is a gateway city to the awesome Yungang Caves containing some 50 000 Buddhist statues carved between AD460 and 494.

Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk and Krasnoyarsk are useful transport hubs with some interesting museums, best concert halls and theatres, and are plenty of cosmopolitan bars and eateries, but they lack of architectural interest.

Timetable for other trains

To know train timetable for stop-over journey please check online timetable at http://bahn.hafas.de (in English, German, Dutch, Turkish, French, Italian, Spanish, Danish and Polish) . However it is an automatic system giving sometimes strange connections in the middle of the night or offering too many interchange stations while in reality it is possible to change trains only ones. Remember to check the days of running of your train, as many long-distance services don't run every day. You can check the timetable within Russia using the Russian Railways website, http://www.eng.rzd.ru All timetables in Russia are set on Moscow time.

Fares in Euro (incl. booking fee, ticket delivery and Russian visa support)

We give as example our fares for the most popular stop-over routes. Unlike other travel companies Railovution mostly sells railway tickets for the fares much lower that you get yourself at the station in Russia. You can compare yourself our fares with the fares of railway operators and other travel agencies at our Price Comparing chapter. If you know the Russian alphabet, you can check the fares using the Russian Railways website, www.rzd.ru

Ticket		Single journey
from	to	Adult
		1st class	2nd class
Moscow - Vladivostok with 2 Stop-Overs		€ 695	€ 445
Moscow - Vladivostok with 3 Stop-Over		€ 795	€ 495
Moscow - Yekaterinburg - Irkutsk - Vladivostok			€ 405
Moscow - Kazan - Yekaterinburg - Irkutsk - Vladivostok			€ 415
Moscow - Yaroslavl - Irkutsk - Vladivostok			€405
Moscow - Yaroslavl - Kungur - Irkutsk - Vladivostok			€ 415

Ticket		Single journey
from	to	Adult
		1st class	2nd class
Moscow - Tomsk - Irkutsk - Ulan Bator			€ 295
Moscow - Tomsk - Irkutsk - Ulan Bator - Beijing
Moscow - Vladimir - Tomsk - Irkutsk - Ulan Bator
Moscow - Vladimir - Tomsk - Irkutsk - Ulan Bator - Beijing
Moscow - Ekaterinburg - Irkutsk - Ulan Bator
Moscow - Ekaterinburg Y- Irkutsk - Ulan Bator - Beijing

Ticket		Single journey
from	to	Adult
		1st class	2nd class
Moscow - Tomsk - Irkutsk - Vladivostok			€ 295
Moscow - Vladimir - Tomsk - Irkutsk - Vladivostok
Moscow - Yekaterinburg - Irkutsk - Vladivostok
Moscow - Kazan - Yekaterinburg - Irkutsk - Vladivostok
Moscow - Yaroslavl - Irkutsk - Vladivostok
Moscow - Yaroslavl - Kungur - Irkutsk - Vladivostok

Start your trip in Europe

You can start (or finish) your trip not only in Moscow but in Europe, Baltic States, Finnland or St. Petersburg, too. More informations about the travelling from Europe by train you can find at our Getting West-East chapter. We give as example our fares for the most popular routes.

Fares in Euro (incl. booking fee, ticket delivery and Russian visa support)

From Western Europe

Ticket		Single journey
from	to	Adult		Child up 15 years
from	to	1st class	2nd class	1st class	2nd class
Berlin - Moscow -Vladivostok			€ 295	€ 315	€ 215

From Baltic States and Finnland

Ticket		Single journey
from	to	Adult		Child up 15 years
from	to	1st class	2nd class	1st class	2nd class
Moscow	Vladivostok		€ 295	€ 315	€ 215


	From St. Petersburg

Ticket		Single journey
from	to	Adult		Child up 15 years
from	to	1st class	2nd class	1st class	2nd class
Moscow	Vladivostok		€ 295	€ 315	€ 215

Baikal-Amur Mainline - BAM

The BAM splits from Trans-Siberian Railway at Taishet, some 700 km. west of Baikal lake, and passes the Baikal from the north ,then goes parallel to the Trans-Siberian Railway all the way to the Pacific Ocean. You can expect great landscapes, admirable views of Baikal lake and a lot of high bridges and tunnels. The BAM terminates at Sovetskaya Gavan, but most visitors opt to stop at Komsomolsk and head from there to Khabarovsk in order to rejoin the Trans-Siberian to Vladivostok.

Timetables and fares in Euro (incl. booking fee, ticket delivery and Russian visa support)

Station	Day	Time	Duration	Train #
Moscow Yaroslav.	on odd days	dep 21:25	146:23	2
Vladivostok	(01.01…29.01)	arr 23:48*		´Russia´

Moscow Yaroslav.	on 11th & 25th	dep 21:25	210:00	2
Pyongyang		arr 21:25

Ticket		Single journey
from	to	Adult		Child up 15 years
from	to	1st class	2nd class	1st class	2nd class
Moscow	Vladivostok		€ 295	€ 315	€ 215


	* Vladivostok time is + 7 hours to Moscow time

Conneting ferries and trains

For those who continue their journey overland we able to book the connecting ferries and trains. We give as example timetable and our fares for the most principal routes. We book connecting ferries and trains only if you are booking Trans-Siberian journey though us.

Ferries to Japan and South Korea

The passenger ship sails from Vladivostok to Fushiki in Japan once a week all year round. The ship sails from Vladivostok at 22:00, arriving in Fushiki at 09:00 two nights later. Fushiki links to any station in Japan by rail.


	Trains in China China has one of busiest rail networks in the world. The best Chinese trains are safe, modern and comfortable. As example we give timetable and our fares for the most popular routes.


	Trains to Vietnam There is a twice-weekly train service between Beijing and Hanoi . There is also daily service Beijing – Nanning, then daily train Nanning – Hanoi.

Timetables and fares in Euro (incl. booking fee, ticket delivery and Russian visa support)

Ferry sailing dates 2009

03.01., 12.01., 19.01., 26.01., 02.02., 09.02., 16.02., 23.02., 02.03., 09.03., 15.03., 22.03., 30.03., 05.04., 13.04., 20.04., 18.05., 25.05., 01.06., 08.06., 15.06., 22.06., 29.06., 06.07., 13.07., 20.07., 27.07., 03.08., 10.08., 17.08., 24.08., 31.08., 07.09., 14.09., 21.09., 28.09., 05.10., 12.10., 19.10., 26.10.,02.11., 09.11., 16.11., 23.11., 30.11., 07.12., 14.12., 21.12.

Ferry + train-ticket		Single journey
from	to	Adult		Child up 15 years
		1st class	2nd class	1st class	2nd class
Moscow -Vladivostok			€ 295	€ 315	€ 215
- Fushki

1st class cabin - 2 beds upper desk, 2nd class cabin - 4 beds lower desk.

To travel to South Korea overland you need to take train 20 from Moscow to Tianjin and then a ferry from Tianjin to Incheon in Korea. There is daily service between Tianjin and Incheon. Trains link Incheon and Seoul frequently. Alternatively take a train 4 from Moscow to Beijing and then daily trains to Tianjin

Ferry + train-ticket		Single journey
from	to	Adult		Child up 15 years
		1st class	2nd class	1st class	2nd class
Moscow -Vladivostok			€ 295	€ 315	€ 215
- Fushki

Station	Day	Time	Duration	Train #
Moscow Yaroslav.	on odd days	dep 21:25	146:23	2
Vladivostok	(01.01…29.01)	arr 23:48*		´Russia´

Moscow Yaroslav.	on 11th & 25th	dep 21:25	210:00	2
Pyongyang		arr 21:25

Ticket		Single journey
from	to	Adult		Child up 15 years
from	to	1st class	2nd class	1st class	2nd class
Moscow	Vladivostok		€ 295	€ 315	€ 215


	1st class cabin - soft sleeper, 2 class cabin - hard sleeper, children - up to .140 cm .

Station	Day	Time	Duration	Train #
Moscow Yaroslav.	on odd days	dep 21:25	146:23	2
Vladivostok	(01.01…29.01)	arr 23:48*		´Russia´

Moscow Yaroslav.	on 11th & 25th	dep 21:25	210:00	2
Pyongyang		arr 21:25

Ticket		Single journey
from	to	Adult		Child up 15 years
from	to	1st class	2nd class	1st class	2nd class
Moscow	Vladivostok		€ 295	€ 315	€ 215


	1st class cabin - soft sleeper, 2 class cabin - hard sleeper, children - up to .140 cm .

Trains

The international trains to China and Mongolia have modern sleeping-cars with nine compartments each. In the 2nd class there are 4-berth compartments, in the 1st class - 2-berth compartments, Passengers travelling alone share a 2-bed or 4-bed compartment with other sleeper passengers of the same sex. Towels, soap and bed lines are provided. Washrooms and toilets are at the end of the corridor. There is no private shower in the trains except deluxe 1st class carriage on Moscow-Beijing train (train 3/4). On the Moscow-Irkutsk 'Baikal' (train 9/10) and on the Moscow-Vladivostok 'Rossiya' (train 1/2) there is shared shower that you have to pay for. A restaurant car serves meals, snacks and drinks, but always travels with some supplies of your own. More information about train travelling you can find at our Train Guide chapter.

1st class or SV

2-berth compartments, 9 compartments per coach. Both beds are at the lower level. Washrooms and toilets are at the end of the corridor.

Coach layout:

2nd class or Kupé

4-berth compartments, 9 compartments per coach. Washrooms and toilets are at the end of the corridor.

Coach layout:

Accommodation

You can easily book online your accommodation along the way through our Accommodation chapter at our website.

Recommended guide books

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