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Everyone has different questions about the Trans Sib. Because staff
at Travel Nation have actually done this trip, we can answer your queries
with first hand knowledge. Our customers tell us that this makes all
the difference.
When you have booked your trip with us we will also give you a complete
dossier of information - including detailed explanations of all the
points below.
No ! Apart from the many stopover options that break the journey, most
people love train life. You can watch the scenery, read, play cards
/ board games, eat, relax, drink some beer and vodka and best of all,
socialise. No one is going anywhere! Making friends with other Westerners
and locals is easy.
That said, it would be fair to say that if you go for the budget option
and go straight through for 7 days, you would be ready to get off at
the end ! Stopping en-route brings this trip alive.
That's not quite how things work out there ! Visas are city and date
specific and the train is usually full. You have to sort out your stops
in advance. We are here to help you with this. There are dozens of options
to choose from.
We do this for you.
We use an overnight courier service to return your passports and final
documents to you. The documents must be signed for, although not necessarily
by yourself. If you work full time please specify your work address
as the delivery address. If you need us to return your passport before
the booking is complete (e.g. for other unrelated visas) we are happy
to do so, but there will be a charge to cover the extra courier costs.
Living outside the UK? Not a problem!
We can process visas here in London much quicker than private individuals
going to your local Embassies. Courier or secure-airmail your documents
to us, and one delivery can do ALL your visas. There will be a charge
to courier them back to you. Sorry but we cannot trust ordinary international
mail to deliver passports. We usually use DHL who charge approx. £30
for deliveries in Europe.
Click here
to download the visa application forms.
Not necessarily. We will however need at least 4-6 weeks to process
your visas. Some trips can be prepared more quickly than that, although
there might be express fees from the Consulates concerned. If you want
to travel over the peak months (June-Sept) we would recommend booking
further in advance to be sure of getting your first choice of dates.
You will often find other Russia Experience passengers on your train,
or in your hotel, especially during the busy summer months.
At Lake Baikal the village is very small. Often if there are plans for
a picnic or other activities you will be asked if you wish to join up
with other clients. Our Mongolian staff will do the same, especially
at the Ger camp or if there is the possibility of organising evening
entertainment. You are of course under no obligation to do so, but we
usually find that as friendships have already been formed on the train
people do prefer to link up and impromptu parties are a regular occurrence
- the staff there like to party too!
Moscow is around London prices, St Petersburg a little less - but after
that there is little to buy on the train except meals. Our Siberian
stops include all meals, and our Mongolian stops include 2 meals - so
it can be cheap if you want it to be. Don't cheat yourself on visiting
the Kremlin (GBP7/US$11) or the Hermitage (GBP6/US$10) - do you really
need that pizza more than all that culture?
Mongolia and China are relatively low-cost destinations, although both
take the opportunity to try to charge a "western-level" price
for attractions of specific interest to foreign visitors. When you book,
you receive an Info Pack. This has a whole page on money questions.
They only seem that way. The non-stop fare (only) is regulated by an
international agreement which the Chinese stick to and the Russians
cannot break (although they want to). Trips with stops are more expensive
not because of the huge cost of the accommodation at the stops - but
because the ticket-set for the journey costs more.
Levels of sexual aggression towards women are remarkably low in Russia.
The train carriages are unisex so if you are travelling alone, we would
recommend that you don't travel in first class as you will be sharing
with one other person.
Whilst you can try to change to an all female compartment when you board,
if you are travelling in a pair and don't want to share with men, you
would have to book in first class or book out a whole 4 berth second
class cabin.
We have had no negative feedback from gay couples who have done the
Trans Sib. The hotels and stop-over hosts we book certainly don't get
sniffy about requests for double beds.
Most trains now have showers and you can use this for a small local
payment around 5 USD.
The classes on-board are 2-berth and 2nd class which is 4 -berth). All
our trips are based on 2nd class, but we can upgrade you. There's another
difference - certain trains have higher-category status (applying to
the whole train, not just 1st or 2nd class), called "firmenny"
trains. They have on-board Security, better conditions and newer rolling-stock.
2 Berth class prices vary according to the itinerary and the prices
are not necessarily logical!.
As you would expect in Moscow and St Petersburg, there are plenty of
good places to eat. If you stay with a family, you will sample some
old fashioned Russian home cooking - which is wholesome if plain.
On board, in addition to taking pleny of snacks and treats, the food
served in the restaurant cars can range from simple and filling to mouth
wateringly delicious.
Is this trip a vegetarian's worst nightmare?
No. But since vegetarianism isn't well understood in this part of the
world you will need to be prapared for the occasional slightly odd or
dull meal! Take along a bottle of your favourite condiment.
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