WindowSeat123

I'm not sure which section to put this, as it covers both Europe, Asia as well as rail travel. But anyway, I'm just curious if anyone have been on the Trans-Siberian Railway, usually from Moscow, through Mongolia and into China (often Beijing being the end of the trip or vice versa). How was the overall experience like? Which route do you recommend? How was the price like? What time of the year is best for this? Would you recommend this trip to others?

planemechanic

Not personally, but a friend took it from Beijing to Moscow. He had a blast.

moondog

My cousin did it with Young Pioneer Tours a few years ago and really enjoyed it (they had an excursion to Chernobyl!). He somehow managed to loose his train ticket on the way back from their office in Beijing, but they helped him get a new ticket to join the tour in Ulan Bator (at his expense, of course).

GregWTravels

I did the route via Mongolia (trans-Mongolian) to Beijing in 2005. I did Paris to Hong Kong in 16 days, which included the trans-Mongolian portion.

Wrote about it in my blog and also in the trip report forum here. The two links above are focused on the trip, planning and costs. Not sure if the costs would still be accurate (there are now 7+ years old), but generally you can save a lot of money if you book in person at the train stations in Russia rather than buying in advance.

There is more detail and pictures in the individual entries in my blog for October 2005 and November 2005, but they are more focused on telling the story of the trip rather than advice.

So, to your specific questions...
How was the overall experience like?
I did the standard trains. I understand there is a more plush train, but the costs are very expensive. Standard trains are sleeping cabins of 4 (for the most part), with people coming and going at different stops. It was comfortable (if you can sleep in a room with strangers), but honestly got a bit boring over time. If I were doing it again, I would spend more time on the trip (say 3 weeks for entire Paris - Hong Kong instead of 2 weeks; or 2 weeks for Moscow to Beijing instead of the 8/9 days I did it in) and have more frequent and longer stops. Plus, I would have some showers along the way. The trains are pretty basic - a bunk to sleep in, hot water for drinks and a toilet that splashes out on the track.

What time of the year is best for this?
I think any time would be nice. I went in October / November, so got some of the cold, snowy Russian experience (though the weather was actually quite mild compared to historical averages). In summer it would be warmer and greener.

Would you recommend this trip to others?
Yes, conditionally. It is a great trip, and the people and scenery is awesome. However, you can get bored of the same thing, and there are times when you wish you could have the train stop to spend more time, rather than marching to the trains schedule. As I said, I think you need to split it up and not spend the whole time on the train. I did 4 days straight at one stretch, and was going stir crazy by the end.

WindowSeat123

Thanks for your great reply! You state that during your trip you missed some sights you wanted to see (i.e Lake Baikal, Volga etc). Is there a train schedule which allows you to see it? Is lodging near Lake Baikal generally acceptable in terms of price and safety (for a Westerner)?

invisible

You should read this thread

GregWTravels

Schedule-wise, definitely. You need to buy point-to-point tickets (rather than a Moscow-Beijing direct ticket), but you can stop at any station.

For lodging, there are hotels at various price-points, and there are major chains in the area as well.

Greg

trsny

I did the Moscow to Vladivostok route back in March/April 2012. I'd definitely recommend the trip. I booked the tickets from the RDZ website independently, so I didn't pay as much as if you booked it through a tour operator. I don't recall now the total price I paid for train tickets, but it was definitely under $500, strictly traveling third class (platzcart). I stopped in Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, Ulan-Ude, Khabarovsk, and Vladivostok. I booked all my accommodations through Hostelworld, except in Khabarovsk, where I slept at a hotel near the train station.

If I could do it again, I would spend more time in Irkutsk and around the Lake Baikal area. I would also bring peanut butter. After two weeks of train food from nearby supermarkets, the food gets monotonous and I was craving a little something familiar from home. Bring a good book because while the scenery is gorgeous and the sunrises are beautiful, a lot of the trip can be boring.

I highly recommend the Trans-Siberian Handbook.

WindowSeat123

Thanks for all the replies so far, it was very helpful.

I don't mind going "Lonely Planet" style with rail travel myself, that would be a cool adventure. But my significant other prefers a more comfortable (and maybe luxurious) travel experience on the Trans-Siberian. Which rail company would you recommend for that?

ViikRan82

Wow! It's my dream to travel in this train for end-to-end journey!

Ghentleman

I did Beijing - Moscow in 2006. Long stop (1 week) in Ulan Bataar, shorter stops in Irkutsk, Novosibirsk. Did have hostel in Beijing prebooked and the first Beijing - UB train. Also had some Couchsurfing places semi-arranged along the way. I remember arriving in Irkutsk without a hotel reservation and ending up in a old tired place.
I liked the experience, the train brings you into a certain rhythm. Took different trains along the way, all pretty much the same. The Mongolian train was a little better, especially the restaurant car.
Bring your own drinks, share with you compartment-comrades. The train stops frequently (every few hours) to change locomotive, driver and check the brakes. You have a few minutes to get out and stretch your legs on the platform where you can often buy food from the locals. Bring some emergency food nevertheless. I found that some wagons are entirely filled by groups of tourists who book through specialised agencies. Takes away a lot of the charm in my opinion. We always bought tickets for the next leg whenever we arrived at our stop.
I would recommend late spring (may, june) or early fall (september), especially if you want to visit Mongolia or Beijing (both recommended!!!).
+1 on the transsib handbook.

bcmatt

I did it back in October 1994(!). Worth breaking up the journey up rather than going straight through - the novelty does wear off. I had time to finish reading War and Peace. Lake Baikal region an obvious place and well worth exploring, others do Ekaterinburg (which is not particularly my favourite place) or Novosibirsk (which I am much more fond of).

As always with trains, Seat 61 is a good place to start for an overview: http://seat61.com/Trans-Siberian.htm It gives you are good feel what travel on the trains is actually like. They also mention some of the eye-wateringly expensive, once-a-month luxury private trains if money is no obstacle!

invisible

End-to-end would be from Scotland to Singapore.

GregWTravels

Actually, longest journey you can do solely by rail is Portugal to Vietnam, apparently. I read that in the Lonely Planet, if I recall correctly.

trsny

Perhaps there can be a compromise and you can both ride the regular trains (without paying for a private train tour), but book 1st class cabins instead. That way, you have privacy and a bit of luxury, but you're still getting a bit of the "Lonely Planet" style rail travel.

A short breakdown of train cabins can be found here - http://www.poezda.net/en/gb_trains