The Trans-Siberian Train Moscow – Vladivostok

The trans-Siberian railway passes through the most interesting places in Russia. On its way there are 87 cities, of which the most attractive for tourists, in addition to Moscow and Vladivostok, are Yaroslavl (or Nizhny Novgorod, depending on the route), Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk and Irkutsk. The Trans-Siberian surrounds Lake Baikal from the south, and you can enjoy it from the train window. In addition to gradually changing the landscapes of Central Russia, the Urals, Siberia, Transbaikalia and the Far East.

The Trans-Siberian railway crosses 16 major Russian rivers, including the Volga, Kama, Ob, Yenisei, Irtysh and Amur. The bridge that crosses the Amur River is the longest on this railway: approximately 2 and a half kilometers. On the train route, depending on the route chosen, from 70 to 160 stop points, the parking will last from 1 to 40 minutes, but on average, around 20.

Travel in Trans-Siberian to Vladivostok without stops

Direct trains connect Moscow and Vladivostok with 2 trains: the Rossiya brand (No. 002 – from Moscow, No. 001 – from Vladivostok), which lasts 6 days, and train No. 100 (No. 99 – from Vladivostok, in Wrong Way).

Tickets for the second train are cheaper between 1.5 and 2 times cheaper, but travel one more day and the comfort level is lower: air conditioners and power outlets may not work on cars, and the Cleaning may not be as thorough. The Rossiya train passes through Nizhny Novgorod, and the number 100 through Yaroslavl.

Prices

• For a soft 4-seater compartment on the “Russia” train you will have to pay around 35,000-45,000 rubles ($ 500-700), on trains No. 99 or No. 100 – 16,000-18,000 rubles ($ 250-270) .
• A place in a reserved car (54 seats in a car with almost no partition between them) will cost around 10,000-12,000 rubles ($ 150-170) on the Rossiya train and 6500-7500 ($ 90-110) on the No train .100.
• Also on the “Russia” train you can buy “CB” seats – these are two-seater coupons for more comfort. But the price will also “increase”, of 60,000 rubles ($ 950-1,000).

The road with stops

Some tourists decide to make their tour of the country more in depth and divide the train trip into separate segments, staying in the cities that interest them for one or several days. In this case, a separate train ticket is purchased for each leg of the trip: you cannot get off the train and then board another one, even if your ticket goes to another destination.

Tourists usually stop in Yekaterinburg (the capital of the Ural region), Irkutsk (near Baikal) and Novosibirsk (the largest city in Siberia and the third largest in Russia). It is also worth visiting Ulan-Ude (the capital of Buryatia with beautiful Buddhist temples), Nizhny Novgorod or Yaroslavl (ancient Russian cities).

However, local trains (including branded trains) connect most of the major Russian cities with each other, therefore, when moving between segments, you can travel along the southern direction of Trans-Siberia. It differs from the main one in that the trains pass through the old Murom and Kazan to Yekaterinburg, and after Novosibirsk they also call Novokuznetsk. More stops to Vladivostok almost coincide.

There is also a “historical” address through Ryazan, Samara, Ufa, Zlatoust, Chelyabinsk, joining the main one after Novosibirsk. It was once called the Great Siberian Way. All these cities are also quite interesting. There is no direct train to Vladivostok in the southern and historical direction, therefore it is convenient to travel along them only in segments.

Of course, buying individual tickets will increase transportation costs, but not catastrophically. Above all, this will affect the reserved seat: with the Moscow-Yekaterinburg, Yekaterinburg-Novosibirsk, Novosibirsk-Irkutsk and Irkutsk-Vladivostok segments, you will have to pay around 18,000 rubles for all tickets for the reserved seat. A coupe, with the right luck, will cost almost the same price or only 5000-10000 rubles more.

Communication

Surrounding yourself with interesting and very different partners are an important part of traveling through a country as big as Russia. People who travel from large cities to their small homeland, enthusiastic travelers, dreamers, merchants or military personnel: the contingent of neighbors can be varied. But the fact that he has an interesting neighbor next to him (and sometimes not one) is a fact. Even the most reserved passengers during a long trip socialize and start conversations with their neighbors, even despite the language barrier.

People on the train are generally open to communication, they are attracted to spiritual and philosophical conversations. Also, don’t be surprised if you’re ready to share the food you eat along the way. Treating the neighbors of the compartment (or at least offering their food) is a kind of “good manners” among the Russians.

However, no one is obliged to offer their food or accept that of another person. Although, sometimes, some may be offended. Or, if you refuse to try sodas, persuade persistently instead of saying “no” becomes impossible. A similar situation is with alcoholic beverages: if you don’t feel like it, it’s better to find a reason (better than a medical excuse) why you should refuse.