Travelling on the Trans-Siberian Railway

In 2006, we travelled on the Trans-Siberian Railway from Moscow to Beijing, via Mongolia. What a journey! We didn't have a blog at the time, but we have many memories. Every now and then we get questions about the trip, so we thought we'd tell you a bit more about it. After all, it's one of our coolest trips ever!

Start in Moscow

You can choose to travel Moscow - Vladivostok (Trans-Siberian) or Moscow - Beijing (Trans-Mongolian). We chose the latter route. Tickets for the train journey and excursions were booked through the travel agency Bas International, who were very helpful.

All the stops we wanted to make had to be booked in advance. You can't "get on and off" as you like, but each ticket is valid for the route and date you booked. We first flew to Moscow and stayed a few nights at the Hotel Ukraina.

Many days on the train

Then it was finally time to get on the train! The entire train journey from Moscow to Beijing takes about seven days. If you choose to get off here and there, of course, it takes longer, but regardless, it is the same time on board. So what is it like on the train? And what do you do?

For most of the journey we had our own compartment, and for one stretch we shared a compartment with some Norwegian oil rig drillers ... Much of the time we spent reading, listening to music or enjoying the view and the meditative movement. The compartment was excellent, and in each carriage there was a toilet, a hostess and a samovar with hot water.

Food on board the train

We ate in the restaurant car once a day (except in Mongolia when they forgot to connect the restaurant car...!). In Russia it is Russian restaurant car, in Mongolia Mongolian and in China Chinese. The food was ok, though not fantastic. In Russia it was often some creamy salad for starters and some simple food, like schnitzel and mashed potatoes, for the main course. The staff did not know English, so it was what it was simply ...

We also carried Hot Cup soups which we ate by taking hot water from the samovar in our carriage. In addition, the train stopped here and there, and you could often buy from baby cows running on the platforms - everything from bread and pies to fruits and herbs.

Irkutsk - The Paris of Siberia

After several days on the train, we arrived in Irkutsk - the Paris of Siberia. During the 19th century, artists and nobles were deported here after the uprising against Nicholas, making the area an intellectual centre. We walked around a bit and shopped for clothes - and were fascinated by how incredibly well dressed everyone was! Then we went to Lake Baikal. What an amazing place! Cold and clear air and then this deep, deep lake, where the blind (but good!) fish omul lives.

From Siberia to Mongolia

The next part of the journey was from Irkutsk in Siberia to Ulan Bataar in Mongolia. On this leg, we shared a compartment with some Norwegian oil platform workers. Which turned out to be lucky! We had no food with us (except Hot Cup soups) and the dining car was forgotten. In this difficult moment we got help from the Norwegians - who offered us alcohol and hard bread with "Kallen kaviar"!

Mongolia

Our next stop was Ulan Bator, the capital of Mongolia. We spent one night in the city and one night in a yurt in one of the national parks. It was really cosy in "our" yurt.

We were also invited to a family living in a yurt and got to try some different specialities made from horse milk. Not insanely good, but it was just to smile and look happy. The landscape of the national park was beautiful, with animals roaming freely and beautiful colourful temples. If the horse had not stepped on our camera, we would have had more nice pictures...

From Mongolia to China

The final leg from Mongolia to Beijing included a fascinating wheel change - when the train was hoisted up and the wheels changed to fit a different track width. Once in China? Then we found a hotel and took up the Norwegians' offer to join their bus to the Great Wall of China.