Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
See Lonely Planet's
Trans-Siberian Railway
for further details.
ROUTES
Trans-Mongolian Railway
Trains offer deluxe two-berth compartments (with shared shower), 1st-class four-
berth compartments and 2nd-class four-berth compartments. Tickets for 2nd-class/
deluxe compartments cost from around ¥4049/6527 to Moscow, ¥1430/2250 to
Ulaanbaatar and ¥3000/4800 to Novosibirsk. Ticket prices are cheaper if you travel
in a group.
» From Beijing: train K3 leaves Beijing train station on its five-day journey to Mo-
scow at 7.45am every Wednesday, passing through Datong, Ulaanbaatar and Nov-
osibirsk, arriving in Moscow the following Monday at 1.58pm.
» From Moscow: train K4 leaves at 9.35pm on Tuesdays, arriving in Beijing train sta-
tion the following Monday at 2.04pm. Departure and arrival times may fluctuate
slightly.
Trans-Manchurian Railway
Trains have 1st-class two-berth compartments and 2nd-class four-berth compart-
ments; prices are similar to those on the Trans-Mongolian Railway.
» From Beijing: train K19 departs Beijing Train Station at 11pm on Saturday arriving
in Moscow (via Manzhouli) the following Friday at 5.58pm.
» From Moscow: train K20 departs at 11.55pm on Saturday, arriving at Beijing Train
Station the following Friday at 5.32am. Departure and arrival times may fluctuate
slightly.
VISAS
Travellers will need Russian and Mongolian visas for the Trans-Mongolian Railway,
as well as a Chinese visa. These can often be arranged along with your ticket by
travel agents such as China International Travel Service (CITS).
Mongolian visas - either two-day transit visas (¥180) or 30-day tourist visas
(¥270) - take three to five days to process. Urgent visas can be arranged in one day
for a surcharge. A transit visa is easy to get (present a through ticket and a visa for
your onward destination). The situation regarding visas changes regularly, so check
with a Mongolian embassy or consulate.
Russian transit visas (one-week/three-day/one-day process US$50/80/120) are
valid for 10 days if you take the train, but will only give you three or four days in Mo-
scow at the end of your journey. You will also need a valid entry visa for a third
