Basics - The Rough Guide to Beijing - page 33

You'll need tourist visas for Russia, and possibly Mongolia too if you use the Trans-Mon-
golian train (US citizens don't need these). For detailed, up-to-date information on all ways
to get tickets, check seat61.com .
Sorting out your travel arrangements on your own from abroad is a complex business and
usually more trouble than it's worth; simply turning up in Russia and buying a ticket from
a train station is unlikely to succeed as tickets sell out quickly. British travellers can cut
the complications by using the online booking system offered by Real Russia ( realrus-
sia.co.uk ) ; they mark up prices by about 20 percent but do save you a lot of hassle. A second-
class Moscow to Beijing ticket booked with them costs around £550 - and of course they will
then help you sort out your visas for a small fee (as will all other agencies). They also offer
tours , as do a number of Russia-based agencies.
It's also possible to reach Beijing by train from other neighbouring countries. There are dir-
ect trains from Hanoi in Vietnam (2 weekly; 40hr), and daily services via Nanning. From
Kazakhstan there are weekly services from both Astana and Almaty; you'll have to change
in Urumqi. There's also a weekly service from Pyongyang in North Korea , though you'll
only be able to take this as part of a tour, and even then it's usually prohibitively expensive.
Airlines, agents and operators
AIRLINES
Aeroflot aeroflot.ru .
Air Canada aircanada.com .
Air China airchina.com .
Air New Zealand airnewzealand.com .
British Airways ba.com .
China Eastern Airlines flychinaeastern.com
JAL (Japan Airlines) jal.com .
Lufthansa lufthansa.com .
Malaysia Airlines malaysiaairlines .
Qatar Airways qatarairways.com .
Royal Brunei bruneiair.com .
Singapore Airlines singaporeair.com .
South African Airways flysaa.com .
United Airlines united.com .