Superdave 84 and trains

Well, the prices on rzd.ru are official prices, the same as in the station.

That said, you'll not be able to book any ticket from Russia to Mongolia or China online. That can only be done there. You can buy tickets to Ulan Ude online alright which is the last main place before Mongolia.

There's also a daily train from there to Mongolia as well as the weekly train from Moscow to Beijing. Ulaan Bataar to Beijing is where there can be issues getting tickets but check out seat 61 on that.

Sound. The longest I could do is 3 weeks. So would go london > moscow > lake baikal > Ulan Bataar > Beijing.

it'll be 2017 at the earliest though before I get a chance to go on this trip.

pre Madonna wrote: How much, roughly, did it cost? Always fancied this myself.

Shedite wrote: We booked it as we went, just rocked up at the train station a day or two before we wanted to move on and booked it there. Had a few language issues but usually had some friendly local who would do the translation. Definitely worked out cheaper. Definitely go the Mongolia route, Mongolia is well worth a look, really different place. If ya can do 7/8 days there it's class. Beijing then is another cool city. Plenty to see and do, and some fantastic food.

I'd warn you against spending that long on a train (Moscow to Ulaan Bataar) without having taken any other night trains first. It's a long slog, and plenty of Russia isn't that scenic. I'd definitely break it up a bit, although Shedite can probably advise better on this. In particular, if you definitely aren't planning on taking the train to Russia (two nights, under £250, in all likelihood), a trip non-stop like Moscow to Mongolia is going to drag.

It's about £170 for the Paris to Moscow train, so add on the £40 for the Eurostar (cheapest advance ticket) and £15 for the Belarus transit visa, and it's about £225. It is marginally more than the flight (and it doesn't take you to St Petersburg) but I think it's a cop out to fly to Russia to save two days if you plan on spending the next ten days on the rails anyway. If nothing else, it gets you used to the routine of spending a long time on a train and used to sleeping on a train, without it being too long, like the five night trip to Mongolia.

Also, in terms of stopping over on Moscow to Ulaan Bataar, chances are it will work out marginally cheaper. As it is, the weekly Moscow to Beijing train is always sold out and the only place to buy tickets is from travel agents, who get access to tickets before the general public, buy them all up, and sell them on at a mark up (gotta love Russia, eh?). However, Moscow to Irkutsk / Ulan Ude is a different matter, with plenty of tickets available and plenty of trains. The same is true of the daily Irkutsk to Ulaan Bataar train, as far as I am aware, although these tickets can only be bought in Russia. Plus, you get to see Lake Baikal if you stop in Irkutsk or Ulan Ude.

Sounds like a good plan. Although I would throw in a stop in Irkutsk and a side trip to Lake Baikal, but that might just be a personal thing.

Yeah, I've looked at your timetable, and it's pretty tricky to work in time in Irkutsk, especially with having to make the Mongolia to Beijing train.

Claret Murph wrote: Hummm was very close to going to take the trans Sib when i was travelling as i had to make my mind up when i was in Beijing  as visas were needed . Now the fool which i am i decided the overland land route through China , Pakistan , Afganistan  Iran and Iraq was the way young Murphy would do it  . Now long story but was only undone by the Iranians in Pakistan as they told me to come back in 3 months time before my transit visa would be looked at again .  Never much liked them ever since , but as they say as one door closes another opens and i ended up in Italy that year , hey it was  1990 .............

Claret Murph wrote: Zinedine Kilbane 110 wrote: Claret Murph wrote: Hummm was very close to going to take the trans Sib when i was travelling as i had to make my mind up when i was in Beijing  as visas were needed . Now the fool which i am i decided the overland land route through China , Pakistan , Afganistan  Iran and Iraq was the way young Murphy would do it  . Now long story but was only undone by the Iranians in Pakistan as they told me to come back in 3 months time before my transit visa would be looked at again .  Never much liked them ever since , but as they say as one door closes another opens and i ended up in Italy that year , hey it was  1990 ............. Hahaha good story CM!!   We have just looked at the tempeartures in Russia, Mongolia etc.....  its gonna be f.airying cold!!!! plenty of Vodka required!! Funny maybe but all very true , backpackers never die we just get old but the story is always the same