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.
Moscow can be reached by train from anywhere in Europe. Fares from London (one-way) start at around __200. [http://www.eurolines.com/ Eurolines] operate the European coach system, and fares from London start from around __60. [http://www.aeroflot.com/ Aeroflot] is the principal airline operating into and out of Moscow.
Ferries run throughout the year between Vladivostok and Fushiki, Japan. The trip takes about two days. Arrangements can be made through [http://www.bisintour.com/ Business Intour Service], who have offices in Tokyo and Vladivostok. Ferries also run from Sokcho, South Korea. '''Aeroflot''' and Vladivostok Air [http://www.vladavia.ru/] serve Vladivostok, amongst others.
Beijing is served by numerous international airlines. It can be quite easily reached overland from anywhere in China or the Far East.
Most travelers will need visas for all three countries.
China and Mongolia are fairly straightforward. The best way to obtain a visa is through 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''(Note: For the moment it is not recommended to apply for Chinese visas in Mongolia, due to tightened regulations.)'' Americans (90 days) and Israelis (30 days) do not need Mongolian visas.
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 or Harbin last 10 days and require no invitation. This would be enough time to make the trip with no stops along the way and spend a couple of days in Moscow. The Beijing consulate is open from 9:00 to 11:00 but remember that many Chinese nationals are also trying to acquire visas with you, so show up early. The cost varies for each nationality, but Americans can expect to pay $250 for same-day service or $150 for the five-day service. Upon arrival in Moscow you have ''four nights'' valid on your transit visa, which allows for one or two nights in Moscow, an overnight train and one or two nights in St. Petersburg respectively, but you must be across the border before midnight on the final day of your visa. There are many exits from St. Petersburg, including buses to Helsinki, Tallinn, Riga, Kiev and various other places in Europe, but be wary that nearly all nationalities need a transit visa (or tourist visa) for Belarus (see [http://www.mfa.gov.by/en/consular/visa/ here] if unsure) so be ''sure'' to be prepared with a visa if your plans take you through Belarus. It is generally assumed that border police stationed at bus routes that exit the country are less likely to make a fuss versus the police on trains. A Russian transit visa cannot be extended under any circumstances. If you arrive from Beijing you can register your visa after arriving in Moscow. If you have a 10 day Transit Visa and ''do not stay in one place'' (i.e. go to Saint Petersburg) ''you do not have to register your visa''. Unfortunately, if you encounter police officers they might not have the same opinion and you could be faced with a "fine." Have your ticket ready as proof that you've been unable to register sooner and keep all receipts from hotels and/or hostels from places where you haven't registered. Israelis do not need Russian visas (90 days).
There are three ways of buying tickets for the trip. You can purchase them from a travel agent in your own country (or online), a travel agent in the country from which you will start the journey or turn up and buy tickets yourself. The first option is the safest but the most expensive, the last the cheapest but riskiest. Popular trains can be sold out well in advance, particularly in peak season.
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. The difference occurs not because of the different price paid for the ticket (it is indeed fixed for particular route, train, and carriage class), but because the ticket may (or may not) include travel insurance. Whether insurance will be included by default is determined by the location and the cashier tiself, though you always have the option to opt-in or opt-out: just say ''bez strahovki'' (_q_u_x _______p_____r_{_y, without the insurance) or ''so strahovkoi'' (____ _______p_____r_{___z, with the insurance). The ticket itself is issued on two layers of orange paper, insurance (if included) is a pink paper of the same size.
In some stations there are still special windows for selling tickets only for foreigners, although the price of tickets should now be the same for foreigners and local people.
Tickets are normally individual, with name and passport number written on them, so you may need to show passports for all travelers when you pay (although usually a passport photocopy is enough.) Also, if you plan to buy tickets on more than one occasion, it may be useful to keep handy a piece of paper with the travelers names written in the Cyrillic alphabet instead of transcribing them each time.
In Beijing you must buy tickets in person from a hotel travel agency nearby Beijing's main train station.
'''International'''
''Stations are listed in order from west to east''
'''Russia'''
''List of major stations listed in order from west to east''
Fares are widely variable, but difficult to predict exactly. Fares for Russian trains are subject to seasonal changes, with mark-up for high season being up to 40%. Rough ideas would be
Reports show that the government has raised prices recently. Prices will be cheaper if you deal directly with them instead of resale agents, but that rules out English help and visa sponsorship, so be confident in your Russian if you deal directly with the government agency.
[http://www.eng.rzd.ru/ Russian Railways] has all Russian train schedules[http://www.eng.rzd.ru/wps/portal/rzdeng/express?STRUCTURE_ID=46], as well as some of the international trains departing from Russian destinations (e.g. Moscow - Beijing train). Only actual availability is shown, which is released 45 days prior to departure for all Russian trains except for the passing-by ones and 30 days for most international trains. You will need to use alternate spellings for some destinations. Beijing is called ''Pekin'', Moscow is ''Moskva'', Saint Petersburg is ''Sankt-Peterburg'', Yekaterinburg is ''Ekaterinburg'' or ''Sverdlovsk'' (old name of the city), Ulan Ude is ''Ulan-ude'', Ulaanbaatar is ''Ulan-Bator'', and Khabarovsk is ''Habarovsk''.
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 five 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 as they become virtually worthless once abroad, unless you want to take them as a souvenir. There are a couple of black market money changers in front of the station that 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.).
Coming from Beijing via Mongolia into Russia there are still the same rip-off exchange touts, but most if not all platform vendors in Mongolia and Russia take US Dollars or Euros. However, they only take bills (or notes), so know the exchange rate and buy a lot if you are using a five Euro note. Always ask the attendant how much time is available before you rush off into a station to find a Bankomat (ATM), because the train will not wait for you. If you are not spending time in Mongolia, don't worry about acquiring Mongolian togrog. They are worthless virtually everywhere else, and the export of togrog is theoretically forbidden. Therefore, spend Dollars or Euro, but get Roubles ASAP because Russian vendors are more likely to fabricate exchange rates than Mongolian or Chinese platform vendors. Dont forget to buy a lot of vodka while in Russia!
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. The carriage attendants (Provodnitsa, Provodnik if male) will often have cold drinks, snacks and even freeze-dried meals available for sale at slightly inflated prices.
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, and it's usually possible to buy soft drinks, beer and vodka in the restaurant carriage to bring back to your carriage.
All tickets for long journey trains are for sleeping places. Trains between Moscow and St. Petersburg have seating places. Most trains in Russia have 3 classes of cabins to choose from;
Note that sometimes 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 washroom and mix the water you get there in the second one.
The journey on the Moscow-Vladivostok route seems to be very safe, especially if you travel in groups 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.
Cabins can be locked from the inside with two locks. One can be opened from outside with a special key, the other cannot be opened from outside, and when locked allows the door to open no more than 5 cm (2 inches).