A Practical Guide To Trans Siberian Rail Journey

By Author: Seenu Mathew
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With thousands of years of fascinating history and historical cities, beautiful landscapes, rich folk culture, art, magnificent architecture Russia is attracting tourist from all over the world all through the year. In the late 19th century Tsar Nicholas II thought that it would be a great idea to build a train service from Europe across the whole of Russia, and this project became the Trans Siberian Railway one of the star attractions of Russia Tour Packages.

TRANS SIBERIAN RAIL JOURNEY
For some tourists who visit Russia, to travel on the longest railway in the world is a dream come true. The Trans Siberian Railway connects Moscow to the majestic and unknown Siberia, passing though the beautiful towns of Russia. The Trans Siberian railway tour from Moscow to Vladivostok, a city near Russia’s border with China and North Korea is a major attraction of Russia Tours. This guided tour on tracks will take you through the important nine cities of Russia. The journey and the scenic beauty of the Russian terrain witnessed from the train are mesmerising. The train features first, second and third class sleepers with private bathroom .The breathtaking sight of the frozen Lake Baikal will leave you awe struck. From the comforts of your carriage you will speed pass almost every landscape on earth, from mountains and snow to deserts, forests and lakes. The journey from Moscow covers 8 time zones, 87 cities and 2 continents, 6000 miles in 2 weeks. You can spend your time in the train, reading, napping, lounging, and eating surprisingly good food in the dining car, chatting at best with the locals who know very little English, getting off briefly at the various stops, to absorb the local flavour and soul of Siberia. Each town has a special product representing its culture.

SOME USEFUL TIPS

• It will be wiser to break your trips into small legs and stay in some major cities hotels or home stay on every couple of days during the trip. The reason being there are no shower facilities in the train and also the journey won’t become boring and you will get to visit several destinations.
• Regardless of the class you choose, fresh linens are provided.
• Just remember that the further you are from Moscow, fewer people on your way will speak English. The train attendants are not English speakers. However Rossiya Train is recognised as tourist friendly and employs only English speaking attendants.

SOME FAMOUS DESTINATIONS

IRKUTSK
This charming city is hone to multiple universities and research facilities. Buildings IN Irkutsk and in most of Siberia are made of wood. The city is also closest to Lake Baikal a two hour drive away though.

LAKE BAIKAL
Apart from being the deepest lake in the world, it is also the prettiest and the cleanest, and the largest fresh water lake. If you can tolerate low temperatures, a visit during winter is recommended. The most beautiful section of this journey is when the tracks run beside Lake Baikal for a few hours.

ULAN UDE
It is a small town on the east coast of Lake Baikal. The villages are beautiful marked by the serene Uda River. The other main attractions are the world’s largest statue of Lenin’s head.

You can go on this journey either during the colourful fall or during winter, making Russian Packages memorable.