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Direct Service:

From Moscow there are daily trains to Vladivostok, three weekly - to Mongolia, twice-weekly to China, and even bi-weekly to North Korea. Plus there are daily train from Irkutsk to Ulan Bator, twice-weekly - from Vladivostok to Harbin and every odd-numbered date from Kiev to Vladivostok.

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!

Connections:

Trans-Siberian terminus stations are busy transport hubs.

Moscow is rail linked to all its European neighbours and there are more than 15 trains a day to St. Petersburg. Combined with train travel from/to Europe the Trans-Siberian tickets are much cheaper option then first flying to/from Moscow and then catching the train.

From Vladivostok there is a ferry service to Japan and a train to China.

From Beijing trains go all around China and to Hong Kong and Vietnam (with possibilities to travel by train/bus to Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore). There is also a ferry connection to Japan from Shanghai

Stop Over :

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.

Irkutsk, (for Lake Baikal) is the most usual stop- over. 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.

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.

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 and are relatively expensive.