Trans-Siberian adventures with Korea Konsult (2024)

Our Railroad Tours

The list below is NOT complete list of our Trans-Siberian tours. If you cannot find the tour which suits your needs please contact us directly: postmaster@koreakonsult.com. We will be happy to assist you and prepare tailor-made itinerary for you.

PRICES

Please note that we don't have fixed prices for these tours. The price depends on how long in advance you book, season and some other conditions.

TRANS-SIBERIAN ROUTE: MOSCOW-VLADIVOSTOK (Russia)

TRANS-SIBERIAN ROUTE: MOSCOW-TUMANGANG (North Korea)

TRANS-MONGOLIAN ROUTE: MOSCOW-BEIJING (via Mongolia)

TRANS-MANCHURIAN ROUTE: MOSCOW-BEIJING (via Harbin)

Train Schedule

Make most of your Trans-Siberian adventure

There is no such train as the Trans-Siberian Express but a whole range of trains across Siberia, including countless Russian domestic trains plus a handful of direct international trains to Mongolia and China. You can plan your stops in cities alоng the way and book trains using the Trans-Siberian timetable above, or book one of our tours.

Moscow is connected by direct trains with Paris, Berlin, Helsinki, Nice, Prague, Vienna, Warsaw etc. It's also easy to travel from London to Moscow by connecting several trains - start your Trans-Siberian trip with Eurostar from London to Paris and then a ride on the excellent Paris-Moscow Express!

It can be a great idea to combine your Trans-Siberian journey with visiting other places along the way - be it Mongolia, China, South Korea, Japan or North Korea. We will be glad to help you get the most out of your time in this part of the world

When to go

You can go at any time of year as the Trans-Siberian Railway operates all year round. Naturally, the summer months from May to September have the best weather and the longest daylight hours so are the most popular. In winter (except for Christmas and New Year holidays) it's easier to get tickets, the trains are warmly heated and the Siberian landscape beautiful in the snow, but the hours of daylight will be shorter and stretching your legs at stations or visiting the cities will be chillier. In many ways it's the slushy thaw around April that's least attractive.

On board

On the regular public trains, bedding is supplied in first- and second-class carriages, the berths being folded into seats by day. Each sleeping-car has at least two western-style toilets and a washroom with sinks. The only public trains offering showers for a small fee are the Trans-Mongolian Moscow–Beijing train (train 3/4), and Rossiya Moscow-Vladivostok train (train 1/2) - these trains offer a shower hose in the small shared bathroom located in a special household carriage.

Each carriage has a (male) provodnik or more usually a (female) provodnitsa who cleans, maintains the samovar and puts out steps at stations, so it’s as well to keep on the right side of them.

The Trans-Siberian is safe for families or solo females - it's the way Russian families and women travel. Most trains in Russia have 3 classes of cabins to choose from:

• First class (SV) - is the most comfortable but is also the cost of the journey compared with a kupe. Each cabin consists of two sofas flanking each side of the compartment, which convert into beds for sleeping. On some trains such as the Trans-Mongolian, the first class compartments has private bathrooms.
• Second class (Kupe)- somewhat compares to the standard on Western European sleeper trains. These carriages are compartmentalized, with each compartment holding 4 beds. You will have to share the two lower bunks during the day. There are two shared bathrooms on each carriage, which are locked during stops at stations.
• Third class (Platzkart) - bears some resemblance to the hard sleeper class on Chinese trains. These carriages are in an open layout with two lower and two upper berths, and small, narrow corridor and another two berths that are located on the opposite side below and above the window. Some travellers like it as it is a taste of real Russia, and the price is usually 40–50 percent lower than kupe.

Food & drink

Food quality is generally adequate, though menus are limited, in Russia typically ham and fried eggs for breakfast, schnitzel and potatoes for lunch or dinner, with soups and salads for starters. Beer, Russian champagne, vodka, chocolate and snacks are sold at the bar. The Mongolian Railways restaurant car normally serves rice and mutton, while the Chinese dining car has a good variety of Chinese dishes.

In every train car there is a pot with boiling water available for making hot drinks (bring your own tea, but the water is free). Carriage attendants also sell tea and coffee, and it's usually possible to buy soft drinks and beer in the restaurant carriage to bring back to your carriage.

Stops at stations allow food to be bought from platform vendors or shops; fare depends on location and season, but usually includes fruit, bread, boiled eggs, pot noodles, beer and soft drinks. Be wary of cold meats and salads and always make sure you know how long each stop is (some are no more than five minutes) before venturing far from the coach – people have been left behind.

PAYMENT:

Please note that all payments are done in CASH only - in rubles in Russia, in tugriks in Mongolia and in RMBs in China.

Stops at stations allow food to be bought from platform vendors or shops; fare depends on location and season, but usually includes fruit, bread, boiled eggs, pot noodles, beer and soft drinks. Be wary of cold meats and salads and always make sure you know how long each stop is (some are no more than than five minutes) before venturing far from the coach – people have been left behind.

What to pack

Thin clothes in summer; thick and warm in winter (when temperatures can fall as low as -40°C) with scarves, gloves, warm hat and even thermal underwear if you are planning to spend any length of time outside. But the trains are warm all year round, so you’ll want lighter clothing as well. If travelling by service train, be ready to make the most of the unlimited supply of boiling water from the samovar at the end of each coach. Also useful are slippers, a money belt (worn inside), gaffer tape, ear plugs, clothes pegs, sunglasses (even in winter), sterilized wipes, a small torch, a universal bath plug and a folding umbrella. Spare camera batteries/recharger are vital in winter as cold weather quickly depletes the charge.