The Trans-Siberian Railway

The train that runs from Moscow to Vladivostok covers 9,289 kilometres, crosses seven time zones, and takes approximately six days and two hours on the flagship Rossiya service. The railway was 25 years in construction, completed in 1916, and changed the economic and political geography of Russia’s east more fundamentally than any other single infrastructure project. The Siberian birch forests visible through the window for hundreds of kilometres of the middle journey are monotonous in a way that becomes interesting once you stop resisting it and start paying attention to the variations in terrain.

Visa Situation for Western Travellers in 2026

Since August 2025, Russia’s electronic visa programme has been significantly expanded, covering 64 eligible countries including most EU nations, Japan, India, Mexico, and China. However, citizens of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand remain ineligible for the e-visa and require a traditional tourist visa processed at a Russian visa centre with an invitation letter.

Several Western governments currently advise against travel to Russia (the UK advises against all travel; the US maintains a Level 4 alert). The train itself is running and travellers who have completed the journey in 2025-2026 consistently report the route is safe, but the political situation requires individual assessment before booking. Western-issued credit and debit cards have not worked in Russia since March 2022; cash in Russian roubles is the only payment option.

For travellers for whom Russian visa access is restricted or inadvisable, the Trans-Mongolian route – boarding in Beijing, crossing Mongolia to Ulaanbaatar, and potentially continuing into Russia from there – is a more accessible option.

Classes of Travel

Kupe (second class) has four-berth locked compartments and is the standard choice for most travellers: private enough for sleeping, sociable enough for meeting people. The right choice for most long-distance segments.

Firmenny (Luxe/SV) offers two-berth compartments with doors. Worth paying for on the full Moscow-Vladivostok run if your budget allows.

Platzkart (third class) is open-plan dormitory with 54 passengers: cheaper, no privacy, significant noise. Many experienced travellers choose this deliberately for the social experience.

Key Stops

Yekaterinburg (26 hours from Moscow) marks the conventional Europe-Asia boundary. The Church on the Blood occupies the site of the house where Tsar Nicholas II and his family were executed in 1918.

Irkutsk (75 hours) is the logical stop before Lake Baikal, with a compact 19th-century city centre of Siberian wooden houses. From Irkutsk, Olkhon Island in Baikal is 6 hours by bus and ferry. Lake Baikal contains about 20% of the world’s unfrozen surface freshwater and reaches 1,642 metres at its deepest point.

Ulan-Ude (86 hours) is the capital of Buryatia with an enormous Lenin head sculpture (the largest in the world) and several active Buddhist monasteries nearby.

Vladivostok (6 days, Pacific terminus) is a steep hilly city on the Sea of Japan with a better restaurant scene than its remoteness suggests. Ferry connections run to Japan and South Korea.

The Trans-Mongolian Route

Branching south from Ulan-Ude, the Trans-Mongolian crosses into Mongolia at Naushki/Sukhbaatar and reaches Ulaanbaatar in approximately 36 hours from Irkutsk. Ulaanbaatar to Beijing takes another 30 hours, crossing the Gobi and entering China at Erlian.

The border crossings are slow because the track gauges differ between Russia, Mongolia, and China. At two borders, the entire train is lifted on hydraulic jacks while the wheel bogies are swapped out beneath each carriage. The process takes several hours and is something most passengers watch from the platform – strange and impressive to see.

Practical Considerations

Food comes from the restaurant car, from carriage attendants who sell instant noodles and tea, and from platform vendors at major stops who sell bread, smoked fish, dried fruits, and cooked food through carriage windows during 10-30 minute halts. Stock up at stops. A universal power adapter is essential. Bring more to read than you think you need. The willingness to sit still and watch the same landscape change slowly is more important than any specific gear.