'''Vanino''' (Russian: _B_p_~_y_~__) is a town in Far Eastern Russia, and an important Russian pacific port, with ferry connections to and from Sakhalin. The city has a population of 18.900 people. It is also the most eastern city on the Russian railway network, although the Baikal-Amur Mainline has one more stop 10 minutes south of Vanino in Sovetskaya Gavan.
Get in
By Train
Vanino station located on the hills above the port, is a station on the BAM line (Baikal Amur Mainline), Although the main connections (trains #351/352) to and from Vanino, actually runs south on a branch line to the major far eastern cities; Khabarovsk (23 hours) and Vladivostok (40 hours) on the main Trans Siberian line. Railway enthusiasts can travel on the badly serviced, but exotic BAM line, by switching trains in Komsomolsk, where there are a daily #963/964 postal train to Tynda.
By Bus
'''Khabarovsk''' Minibusses for Khabarovsk connect with the ferry._@While probably cheaper than the train, they are rather crammed, and road conditions are bad.
By Ferry
'''Kholmsk, Sakhalin''' Daily overnight ferries plow across the Tartar strait to Kholmsk on Sakhalin Island (18 hours, from 600 RUB). Tickets are bought at a ticket window inside the railway station. Beware! issuing the tickets is a slow and tedious bureaucratic procedure, and the queues are long and loud - be prepared for long waits. People have reported being stuck here for half or sometimes even full days. One option is to have a travel agent (e.g. in Khabarovsk) prebook your tickets, which allows you to bypass the queue. Once all tickets have been issued, a bus shuttles passengers to the ferry from the parking lot north of the train platform.
'''Otaru, Japan''' according to various sources, the monthly freight service between Vanino and Otaru on Hokkaido, Japan via Kholmsk takes on passengers. But very little information is available. It is probably not worth the hassle, since there is a regular passenger service one-to-two times a week during the summer, between Korsakov on Sakhalin and Wakkanai. To get more information contact SASCO tel.: 7 (42433) 66109 or consult their [http://www.sasco.org/index.php?content=services&lang=en&route=japan website]
Get around
'''Port''' - A bus shuttles passengers between the station and the ferry through the off limits port area. The bus departs from the parking lot north of the train platform, but there is no fixed timetable, it seems to be leaving whenever the que for ferry tickets have been emptied. Tickets are bought along with your ferry tickets, and are mandatory.
See & Do
Vanino is by local standards a quite pleasant town, with hills and good views of the harbour. However other than a couple of lighthouses, there is little to offer the occasional tourist. One option is to catch a Marshrutka bound for Sovetskaya Gavan for some good views over the jagged coast.
Buy
'''Supermarket''' - There is a Russian style supermarket available close to station, pass the tracks on the pedistrian bridge and it will be on your left when you walk off the bridge.
Eat & Drink
There is a few cafes scattered around the station with the usual variety of station foods, along with a restaurant next to the supermarket (see ''buy'')
Sleep
Hotel Vanino. Chekova Street. 7473) 512-28. located above the train station, is not particulary attractive, but it's the only hotel in town
Another option if the situation is desperate, is to catch a Marshrutka, and overnight in Sovetskaya Gavan, 30 minuttes away, where there is a newly renovated hotel in the city center.
Sovetskaya Gavan Hotel. 4 Pionerskaya Street. 7238) 467-83.
<!--ca:{{subst:PAGENAME}}-->
<!--de:{{subst:PAGENAME}}-->
<!--eo:{{subst:PAGENAME}}-->
<!--es:{{subst:PAGENAME}}-->
<!--fr:{{subst:PAGENAME}}-->
<!--fi:{{subst:PAGENAME}}-->
<!--he:{{subst:PAGENAME}}-->
<!--hi:{{subst:PAGENAME}}-->
<!--hu:{{subst:PAGENAME}}-->
<!--it:{{subst:PAGENAME}}-->
<!--ja:{{subst:PAGENAME}}-->
<!--nl:{{subst:PAGENAME}}-->
<!--pl:{{subst:PAGENAME}}-->
<!--pt:{{subst:PAGENAME}}-->
<!--ro:{{subst:PAGENAME}}-->
<!--ru:{{subst:PAGENAME}}-->
<!--sv:{{subst:PAGENAME}}-->
<!--zh:{{subst:PAGENAME}}-->
<!--Wikipedia:{{subst:PAGENAME}}-->
<!--Dmoz:{{subst:PAGENAME}}-->