Trans-Siberian Railway 2015 #1

9000 km, 25 days, All by train

Xi'An -> Beijing -> Ulaan Bator -> Irkutsk -> Moscow -> St Petersburg

This is a several part series to document my journey on the Trans-Siberian Railway(TSR) in 2015. 
This wasn't an easy trip to plan. Hence the main purpose here is to pass on my knowledge to anyone else who wishes to go for this trip. 
This first post will highlight what you need to know when you start planning for your trip.

Content of this post:

1. What is Trans-Siberian Railway(TSR)?
2. Brief summary of my journey.

3. First thing to consider: When should you go?

4. Second thing to consider: How long do you have to travel?

5. Third thing to consider: What is your budget?
6. Should I go on this trip?

Taken from the train.

What is Trans-Siberian Railway?

The Trans-Siberian Railway is a network of trains that connects Moscow (West Russia) to eastern Russia. There are several branching off of the railway that goes past Mongolia and China.

Image from telegraph.co.uk

Although there are 3 routes to take, collectively this is still called the Trans-Siberian Railway. I took the Trans-Mongolian Route starting from Beijing, through Mongolia and then Russia. Impressively, it takes about 7-8 full days to travel from BJ to Moscow directly. The whole journey spans across seven time zones and is about 9000km. I don't think many people would try to do such a direct long journey since there are many places to visit on the way. 

Brief summary of my journey

Taken in Mongolia. A lone baby camel walking back to the nomad's camp.

• 8th May 2015: One day after my final exam in NUS, I left on a flight from Singapore to Xi'An China.
• 9th - 10th May 2015: Explored Xi'An and took a train to Beijing.
• 11th - 13th May 2015: Explored Beijing and embarked on the Trans-Siberian Railway. (Start of TSR)
• 14th May 2015: Arrived at Ulaan Baator Mongolia after a 27 hours train ride.
• 15th - 18 May 2015: Explored a region of Mongolia. Left for Irkutsk at night.
• 19th May 2015: On the train to Irkutsk.
• 20th - 24th May 2015: Explored Irkutsk and stayed on Olkhon Island for a few days.
• 25th - 27th May 2015: On the train to Moscow.
• 28th - 30th May 2015: Explored Moscow and left for Saint Petersburg(SP). (End of TSR)
• 31st May - 1 Jun 2015: Explored SP.
• 2 Jun 2015: Home.

Reasons for some travel decisions:

• Xi'An and SP are not part of the Trans-Siberian railway but they were some destinations that we personally really wanted to go. 
• I chose to start from Beijing because I wanted my trip to end near Europe. At that time I was considering to visit Turkey before flying back to Singapore. (in the end I did not)
• Month of May: Because we just ended our final exams in NUS and my work will start in late June.

Taken on the train. Cute Austrian neighbor.

First thing to consider: When should you go?

• February and March, for the frozen Lake Baikal (more on that later). However, you would have to take into account of the harsh weather.
• May. I went during the month of May and the weather was still a bit cold. On most days, I just had to don on a jacket or two to keep myself warm. As this was before the peak tourist season, we were able to have the whole 4-men train berth to ourselves for a few legs of our train journey.
• July seems to be the peak tourist season in Mongolia due to the festivities and good weather.
• You may explore other months too.

Second thing to consider: How long do you have to travel?

• Beijing: I think you will need about 3-4 days to visit the main attractions in BJ e.g. Great Wall, Tian An Men, Forbidden City, 
• Ulaan Baator, Mongolia: Ulaan Baator is the capital of Mongolia. Recommended days to spend in Mongolia is at least 1 week. If you have the luxury of time, you should spend at least 3 weeks because every part of Mongolia is very different.
• Irkutsk, Russia: 4-5 days because usually visitors will stay a few days on Olkhon Island.
• There are several other cities between Irkutsk and Moscow. However I don't think they will be your priority if you don't have a lot of time.
• Moscow, Russia: 3-4 days is enough for you to visit most of the attractions around the Kremlin. The museums are quite interesting although some of them are in Russian. There are also free tours organised daily(?). It is a nice gesture for you to tip them since they are usually quite good.
• Train rides: No matter where you decide to stop, it will still take you about 7-8 days from Beijing to Moscow. Do take this into account.

In total, I spent 19 days on the TSR. I will be breaking them down in my subsequent post. However I felt that 19 days were sufficient for me to visit most of the attractions (maybe I could have spent more time in Mongolia). 

Third thing to consider: What is your budget?

Taken on the train. This Mongolian man stayed in our berth and he gave us horse meat for lunch. 

• Air and train tickets
• Air Ticket: Depends on where you are flying from and flying to after the trip. I spent about SGD$1000 in total. (From Singapore to Xi'An and from SP to Singapore)
• Train Tickets: We booked 2nd class tickets for the entire TSR. We also spent about SGD$1000. Yes train tickets are not cheap and you can save much more if you bought 3rd class tickets. 
• Food and Accommodation: 
• This is a very personal decision based on your lifestyle and level of comfort. 
• We stayed in airbnbs and guesthouses.
• We ate bread and instant noodles on the trains and very few restaurants.
• In total we spent about < SGD$1000.
• Museum tickets and tours:
• We visited a number of museums in China, Mongolia and Russia. Do bring your student pass if you wish to enjoy the discounted tickets. 
• After doing some research, it is not recommended for us to rent a car and explore Mongolia on our own. Hence, we paired up with another two travelers on a tour in Mongolia and got cheaper tour prices. Approximately USD$62 per person per day which includes guide, accommodation, food and transport. We used the services by Khongor and it was a positive experience.
• We were also on a short paid tour in Olkhon island.
• Tours in Moscow and SP were free. However we paid for other walking tour in Moscow because we found the tour guide to be very good and approachable.

I spent approximately ~$3k SGD for this trip. More money could be saved if we chose 3rd class train tickets. Otherwise we were rather frugal in our spendings. 

Should I go on this trip?

• Yes, only if you have 3 or more weeks of holiday. Don't rush, take your time and immerse in your trip. 
• Yes, only if you have enough money. At least $3k SGD is required. Less if you buy 3rd class train tickets and avoid proper food altogether. 
• Yes, only if you can sit on a train for at least 3 consecutive days. Our longest leg (Irkutsk to Moscow) took us 3 days to complete. During that train ride, we read books, listened to music, ate bread/cup noodles, drank vodka and not much else.

I will be continuing the rest of this TSR journey in the subsequent posts.