Around the Planet

In my Introduction to the Trans-Siberian Railway, I spoke of the three possible routes that can be taken. Today I want to focus on the Moscow – Vladivostok route.

It is the Moscow to Vladivostok route that is the Trans-Siberian Railway proper, as opposed to the two other trans-Eurasian routes that end up in Beijing. The main route of the Trans-Siberian starts at Moscow, passing through Chelyabinsk, Omsk, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, Chita, Blagoveshchensk, Khabarovsk, before finally pulling into Vladivostok. This route takes seven days and covers an impressive 6,152 miles.

The train, called the Rossiya, is a busy train, and there are people getting on and off at each stop, with just a few people making the full journey as tourists.

Second class travel is in a four berth compartment, and costs about $320 one way. If you feel like a little extra comfort, then you might opt for first class travel at $630 one way, which is in a two berth compartment, with the added convenience of having both beds on the lower level.

Meals in the restaurant car are at a reasonable five dollars or so, but it can sometimes be difficult to get a seat, depending upon the number of passengers on the train at that particular time. There is a Russian samovar at the end of each carriage, which boils water that you can use to make hot drinks and soups, so you are not entirely dependent on the restaurant car for your drinks and snacks.

The train stops several times a day, for around ten to twenty minutes, so this gives you a chance to stretch your legs and take a few photos. At most of the stations there are vendors selling food and drink. The train has carriage attendants, who will generally try to make sure that you are back on the train by the time it sets off again!

In the summer you will find it is almost never-ending daylight, and, conversely, if you go in the winter you will find the daylight hours very short, but the snowy scenes quite magical.

Being Russia’s largest port on the Pacific, Vladivostok is an interesting city to visit in its own right, and from here you can get a ship to Fushiki, Japan which takes around 36 hours.

The Trans-Siberian is a wonderful way to get to the Far East, especially if you are not keen on flying.