Moscow
to Vladivostok - for train spotters and traditionalists! This 'original'
route is the worlds longest and most famous train journey, at more than
9000km, it crosses the whole country along the backbone of Russia and
finishes on the far east coast on the Pacific Ocean. Wind your way through
the Ural Mountains, cross continents from Europe to Asia, and find out
what Siberia is truly like.
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What is the Trans-Siberian?
The first thing to note is that there is no ‘Trans-Siberian Express’… There
is though a ‘Trans-Siberian Railway’, the line along which it goes, with three
main routings:
- Moscow-Beijing via Manchuria
- Moscow-Beijing via Mongolia
- Moscow-Vladivostok
If you are wondering why these trips are all generically known as the
‘Trans-Siberian’, it is because all three routes use the ‘Trans-Siberian
Railway’ - a stretch of track from Ekaterinburg to Ulan-Ude which crosses
Siberia. There's something you won't find in every guidebook!
These trips, which have been specifically designed for independent,
individual travellers (they are not group trips), vary from ten to nineteen
days, and incorporate a whole range of visits and activities, including family
stays, nomadic camping in Mongolia and trekking at Lake Baikal.
It's a spectacular journey and one with many options. It’s not just a train
journey!
Depending on the trip you choose, included will be many ‘off train’
options, which allow you to spend time off the train in different parts of the
countries you are travelling through. These not only break up your journey,
but also allow you the opportunity to experience the life, culture and scenery
of some of the most remote and interesting parts of the world, in an authentic
way. Spend time with the nomads of Mongolia in their traditional Ger Camps,
stay overnight with a local family on the shores of the largest freshwater
lake in the world, Lake Baikal, a lake the size of England which freezes over
in winter! And partake in all manner of activities local to their areas, such
as ice-fishing, husky dogsledding, relaxing in the real Siberian saunas, and
trips on snowmobiles.
Accommodation on board is in comfortable 2nd class, 4-berth compartments
and there are 8 compartments per carriage. The compartments are uni-sex, and
depending on how many people you booked with, you may be travelling with other
train passengers.
There are restaurant-car services on all international trains - provided by
whichever country you're in at the time. Some local trains are also used,
which do not have a restaurant car, but you can stock up with goodies before
you board. Don't expect haute cuisine! But you can get smoked salmon, and
sometimes caviar too, at bargain prices. The champagne ($3 a bottle) makes the
perfect accompaniment. Mix-and-match the restaurant car with snacks sold on
the platform, and you're there!
The journey is, in short, a unique journey of a lifetime. Travel overland
from one continent to another, through seven time zones, via the world’s
largest freshwater lake, past the longest and greatest man-made structure
ever, The Great Wall of China, and through the coldest place on earth,
Siberia, colder than either of the poles.
Experience extremes like nowhere else, on the Greatest Railway Journey in
the world.
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