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The Trans-Mongolian Railway

by Sarah Rajabalee

Travelling by train is a great way to get from A to B and what better way to get to Asia than to do the Trans-Mongolian Railway. You get to see the world go pass, see how people live and see the scenery change from the Siberian forest (that actually starts in Norway) to the grassy steppes of Mongolia that turns to the Gobi desert before you reach Beijing.

The Trans-Mongolian is one of the three lines that make up the Trans-Siberian Railway which in turn make up the massive Russian network that transports people and freight to and from the wilds of Siberia and beyond. The other two routes are the original line from Moscow to Vladistock and the Trans-Manchurian, which goes via Harbin.

The Trans-Siberian Railway is not a tourist line like the Orient Express, but a working line. The idea of a train track spanning the length of Russia was actually envisaged by visitors to the country, however it was only in 1881 that Tsar Alexander III gave the go ahead. Unfortuantly it was so poorly constructed and under-financed that in the nineteenth century, Prince Khikov launched a rebuilding project.

Getting a ticket is quite easy although you would need to do a bit of research to decide where you want to go, which stops to get of at and how long you want to stay there for. This is because you cannot jump off at a station and then get back on. Think of it as several journeys. To go straight through from Moscow to Ulaanbaatar will take you five days, however, many people decide to stop at places such as Irkutsk and Lake Baikal to take a look at the worlds deepest freshwater lake in the world. You will pass the lake very early in the morning.

There are three ways of getting a ticket. The price will depend how many times you want to break the journey and what class berth you decide you want. The cheapest and riskiest is to go to any station and ask. It can be time consuming and frustrating. Language will be a problem, so if you can get what you want written in Cyrillic or get someone who speaks Russian to ask, this will make your life a lot easier. Bear in mind that the Trans-Mongolian and Manchurian can get booked up weeks or even months ahead. Also be prepared to be shuffled from one office to another and make sure you get the class you want. The peak time is between May and September and if you plan to do this, be patient and flexible.

The second option is to go through a Russian agency. You will not pay a whole lot more than going to the station yourself and will save you a lot of hassle and stress. They will be able to arrange the tickets and help you with you visa. Remember that the Russian Railways only open their reservations 45 days before depature. It is worth looking online for some agencies. A good one is Real Russia.

The third, and most expensive, is to book at home. If you are travelling alone and are a bit unceratin, then this may be a good option for you, but you are paying for the convience. Companies like Russia Expereince and the Vodka Train specalise in packages on the Trans-Siberian and sometimes hotels and tours are included in the price. They can also help with you visas.

Allow plenty of time to arrange your visa if you are visiting serveral countries. It will be worth looking at their websites to check how long each visas take. The Russian one can get quite complicated as you need a letter of invitation, meaning that you need suppoting documents such as accomdation vouchers. It is probably easier for the agencies to handle this for you or try www.realrussia.co.uk. Getting your Mongolian visa is a case of going on the website of the Mongolian Embassy.

The Trans-Mongolian has three classes; first class deluxe two berth, first class four berth and second class four berth. Arguably the most fun happens down in the second class where the Mongolians travel, especially when the vodka starts flowing in the dining cart. Word of warning, the Mongolians do not mix their vodka, they drink it straight and they drink a lot. People and packages are stuffed into every available space while the traders shift their wares from one carriage in order to hang out of the windows at every stop to sell their handbags and clothes to the Siberian towns along the way.

At the top end of the carrige is the ladies toilet and and the other is the mens. However, the attendant in charge of their carriages like to lock the ladies and use it for themselves and their friends. Also the loos will get locked at each station. This is worth noting as the border crossings can take a few hours. Only the number 3/4 train will have a shower on board if you are lucky enough, so take some wet wipes.

There will be a dining cart on each train. Allow between £2.50 and £4 per meal; more if you decide you want to sample the local vodka with the Mongolians. It is a simple menu, or you can buy food off the platform. For the instant noodle fans out there, there is a constant supply of hot water throughout your journey and at some stations there are ATMs, so you will not be short of money.

Travelling by the Trans-Mongolian is a great expereince and a different way of getting across such a huge and vast country that is Siberia and to travel though Mongolia where the capital is suprisingly modern but out in the countryside, life has not changed much since the days of Gengis Khan.



Click here >> for the The Trans-Siberian Handbook
Click here >> for the The Trans-Siberian Railway from Lonely Planet

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Lucy's Recommended Route

This is a rough outline of my different routes around Russia. The most common destination for tourists is St Petersburg, followed by Moscow and the Golden Ring towns. The Trans-Siberian route which begins in Moscow and ends in the Vladivostock is also a favoured way to see Russia. Just make sure you get off at lots of different stations and don’t spend all your time on the train. Lake Baikal is a must.

Click here >> for lots more info about the Trans-Siberian.

Moscow as departure point. One year.
My favourite city in Russia. Because I was working here I made a lot of use of my weekends for trips away but there is so much to see in the city itself I never got bored or felt I had to leave. In fact there’s the risk you’ll spend so much time enjoying Moscow you won’t make it anywhere else.

Vladimir / Suzdahl / Bogoludovo. Weekend.
Not far from Moscow at all, a few hours by train. Vladimir town itself is not particularly interesting but has a lot of historical sights and is worth spending a few hours in before heading to Suzdahl which is another few hours away by bus. A very quiet, small place we spent our time walking around in the snow looking at the Kremlin and Churches. Quite touristy for Russia, so it’s advisable to book accommodation early; try and stay in the Kremlin itself. Returned to Vladimir the following day and went to the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl by taxi - much easier than busing it as it’s hard to get to and not that expensive if you bargain. A very picturesque spot, it is worth seeing, and you’ll get some good photos.

Rostov Veliky. Weekend.
A few hours away from Moscow by train we arrived in the middle of the night to a very backward little town. We were lucky to befriend a randomer who found us accommodation in the Kremlin grounds. They sell a lot of honey beer and the huge lake beside it was frozen over so we walked across it. Again not that much to see but we had a good time and it was very cheap.

Klin and Tver. Weekend.
North of Moscow, Tver is on the banks of the Volga. Klin is a very small uninteresting place except that Tchaikovsky lived there 1885-1893, but it’s on the way to Tver by train so get off for a while and look around. Three hours is plenty of time. We stayed overnight in Tver, not sure why as it’s fairly dull. Did a boat tour on the river and walked around.

St Petersburg. Four days.
Get the overnight train from Moscow, arrive early following day. Absolutely amazing place, everything you’ve heard about it is true. Has a very European feel to it. There is so much to do you really need to organise your time and get up early. You will do a lot of walking.

Voronezh. One week.
With a Russian outdoor tour company we did a camping and canoeing trip along the River Don. The countryside was beautiful, almost tropical forests shelter the river and we saw a lot of wildlife. Didn’t see much of Voronezh itself, only spent a few hours there waiting for a train to Moscow. It didn’t seem particularly interesting. The Lonely Planet generously describes it as prostitution capital of Russia.

Saratov as departure point. Four months (so far)
Russia’s fifth largest city; there is little to do but it is lovely in the summer as it’s so near the countryside and you can swim in the Volga (if you don’t mind a bit of friendly radiation). It has Russia’s first provincial indoor circus and the main pedestrian street Prospekt Kirova is quite nice; the rest of the city is fairly dilapidated. The newly-opened Irish bar ‘Papa’s’ keeps us all entertained.

Volgograd. Weekend.
Eight hours from Saratov by train. A city where not mentioning the war is impossible, everything is a reminder of and a memorial to the battle of Stalingrad. The city is clean and most of the buildings new, there are a lot of museums and the statue of the Motherland. Stayed for one night in a student hostel, we had a great night out in the White Horse Pub ‘Belie Loshad’, where a local band were doing U2 covers and thus delighted to discover we were Irish. Ask where it is.