Trans-Siberian/Mongolian Railway

Latvia, Russia, Mongolia & China

Key Information

Russia

Currency: ₽ Russian Rubles (₽100.00 = £1.26, £1.00 = ₽79.49)

Tipping: 10% for meals, $1 for porters, $2 for cleaners, round-up for taxis

Electricity: European plug converters needed

WiFi: Prominent and easily accessible in cities, slower in rural areas

Time Zones: Moscow and St Petersburg are UTC +03:00, then additional +02:00 in Yekaterinburg, then add another +03:00 for Listvyanka

Dining: A meal at an inexpensive restaurant typically costs around $5 per person

Notes:

• Prices are fixed in most places, however bargaining is acceptable in unpriced markets
• Women should cover their hair when visiting churches, cathedrals and monasteries
• Mind your pockets in the metros and train stations especially
• Warning, don’t agree to mind someone else’s luggage at any time

Mongolia

Currency: ₮ Mongolian Tögrög/Tugrik (₮10,000 = £3.03, £1.00 = ₮3,297.12)

Electricity: European plug sockets

Tipping: 10% is enough in restaurants. $10 a day for the driver and guides is fair

Cultural Etiquette:

• Yell, “Nokhoigoo!”, “Call off your dog!”, when approaching a ger settlement
• Place your right foot first when entering a ger, do not step on the threshold of the door and do not lean against the support column
• Do not refuse what a host offers to you and take what is being offered to you with your right hand, if not both hands
• If the host offers you vodka, drink it or soak the lips and return the glass so that it is refilled and offered to your neighbour on the left
• If you step on somebody’s foot, immediately shake their hand
• Fire is sacred, do not throw anything or point your feet toward it
• Gifts are offered traditionally at the end of the visit
• Avoid conversations relating to death or diseases, accidents or divorces

Summary of Plan

Day	Date	Plan	Accommodation
1	Fri 15-Dec	Travel to Gatwick	BLOC Hotel, Gatwick
2	Sat 16-Dec	Fly to Riga, then St Petersburg	Hotel Vesta, St Petersburg
3	Sun 17-Dec	St Petersburg City Tour	Hotel Vesta, St Petersburg
4	Mon 18-Dec	St Petersburg & Night Train	Train to Moscow
5	Tue 19-Dec	Arrive Moscow, City Tour	Maxima Panorama, Moscow
6	Wed 20-Dec	Moscow Free Day	Maxima Panorama, Moscow
7	Thu 21-Dec	Moscow & Night Train	Train to Ekaterinburg
8	Fri 22-Dec	Trans-Siberian & Ekaterinburg	Chekhov Hotel, Ekaterinburg
9	Sat 23-Dec	Ekaterinburg City Tour	Chekhov Hotel, Ekaterinburg
10	Sun 24-Dec	Husky Sledding & Night Train	Train to Irkutsk
11-12	Mon 25-Dec, Tue 26-Dec	Trans-Siberian Railway	On Train
13	Wed 27-Dec	Arrive Listvyanka, Village Tour	U Ozera Hotel, Listvyanka
14	Thu 28-Dec	Snowmobile Adventure	U Ozera Hotel, Listvyanka
15	Fri 29-Dec	Horse Riding	U Ozera Hotel, Listvyanka
16	Sat 30-Dec	Travel to Irkutsk	Angara Hotel, Irkutsk
17	Sun 31-Dec	Trans-Mongolian Railway (NYE)	On Train
18	Mon 01-Jan	Arrive Ulaanbaatar, Genghis Khan	Elstei Ger Lodge
19	Tue 02-Jan	Nomadic Experience	Elstei Ger Lodge
20	Wed 03-Jan	Return to Ulaanbaatar	Bayangol Hotel, Ulaanbaatar
21	Thu 04-Jan	Train to Beijing	On Train
22	Fri 05-Jan	Arrive Beijing	Fairmont Hotel, Beijing
23	Sat 06-Jan	Beijing Spa Day	Fairmont Hotel, Beijing
24	Sun 07-Jan	Beijing Shopping	Fairmont Hotel, Beijing
25	Mon 08-Jan	Fly Home	Home

Language Tips

Russian Phrases

English	Russian	Pronunciation
Hi	Привет	PriVET
Hello (formal)	Здравствуйте	ZDRASTvstvujte
Good Morning	Доброе утро	DObroe OOtra
Good Day	Добрый день	DObriy DYEN
Good Evening	Добрый вечер	DObriy VYEcher
Good Night	Доброй ночи	DObroy NOchee
Bye	Пока	Poka
See You Tomorrow	До завтра	daZAftra
Please	Пожалуйста	paZHAluhsta
Thank You	Спасибо	spaSEEba
Yes	Да	DA
No	Нет	NYET
Where is…?	Где…?	GDYAY…?
Do you speak English?	Говорите ли вы по-английски?	GavaREEtye lee VOY pah-anglEEskee?
I don’t speak Russian	Я не говорю по-русски	ya Ne gavarYOU pahROOskee
My name is…	Меня зовут…	meenYA zaVOOT…
What is your name?	Как вас зовут?	kahk vas zaVOOT?
I have a hotel reservation here	Я заказал номер	Ya zakazal nomer
I am looking for my driver	Я ищу моего водителя	Ya ishu moego voditelya
Where can I make a phone call	Как мне можно позвонить	Kak mne mojno pozvonit’
Can you please call this number for me	Наберите этот номер	Naberite etot nomer
It’s a pleasure to meet you	Очень приятно познакомиться	ochen’ priyatno poznakomitsya
This meal is delicious	Очень вкусно	ochen’ vkusno
How much	Сколько	Skolko
This is too much	Дорого	Dorogo
Pharmacy	Аптека	aptyeka
Museum	Музей	moozey
Bank	Банк	bank
Ruble	Рубль	roobl
Park	Парк	park
Post office	Почта	pochta
Restaurant	Ресторан	restoran
A small shop or store	Магазин	magazin
I am a tourist	Я турист	ya tooreest

Mongolian Phrases

English	Mongolian	Pronunciation
Hello (General greeting)	Сайн уу? Сайн байна уу?	Sain uu? Sain baina uu
How are you?	Юу байна вэ?	Yu baina ve?
Reply to ‘How are you?’	Сайн та сайн байна уу	Sain ta sain baina uu
Long-time no see	Удаан уулзсангүй шүү	Udaan uulzsangui shuu
What’s your name?	Таны нэр хэн бэ?	Tany ner khen be?
My name is…	Миний нэр…	Minii ner…
Where are you from?	Та хаанаас ирсэн бэ	Ta haanaas irsen be?
I’m from…	Би…ээс ирсэн	Bi…ees irsen
Pleased to meet you	Тантай уулзсандаа баяртай байна	Tantai uulzsandaa bayartai baina
Good morning	Өглөөний мэнд	Öglöönii mend
Good afternoon	Өдрийн мэнд	Ödriin mend
Good evening	Оройн мэнд	Oroin mend
Good night	Сайхан амраарай / Сайхан нойрсоорой	Saikhan amraarai / Saikhan noirsooroi
Goodbye	Баяртай	Bayartai
Good luck!	Амжилт хүсье	Amjilt husey
Cheers! Good Health!	Эрүүл мэндийн төлөө!	Erüül mendiin tölöö
Have a nice day	Өдрийг сайхан өнгөрүүлээрэй	Odriig saihan ongoruuleerei
Have a nice meal	Сайхан хооллоорой	Saihan hoollooroi
Have a good journey	Сайн яваарай!	Sain yavaarai!
I understand	Би ойлгой байна	Bi oilgoj baina
I don’t understand	Би ойлгохгүй байна	Bi oilgokhgüi baina
Please speak more slowly	Илүү удаан ярина уу	Iluu udaan yarina uu
Please say that again	Дахин хэлж өгнө үү?	Dahin helj ügnü üü?
Please write it down	Үүнийг доор бичнэ үү	Uuniig door bichne uu
How do you say… in Mongolian?	Монголоор…-г яаж хэлэх вэ	Mongoloor…-g yaj heleh ve?
Excuse me	Өршөөгөөрэй	Örshöögöörei
How much is this?	Энэ ямар үнэтэй вэ?	Ene ymar unetei ve?
Sorry	Уучлаарай	Uuchlaarai
Thank you	Баярлалаа	Bayarlalaa
Where’s the toilet?	Бие засах газар хаана байдаг вэ	Biye zasakh gazar khaana baidag ve?
I love you	Би чамд хайртай	Bi chamd khairtai
Get well soon	Хурдан идгээрэй	Hurdan idgereerei
Help!	Туслаарай!	Tuslaarai!
Call the police!	Цагдаа дуудаарай!	Tsagdaa duudaarai!

DAY 01 [15/12/17] – UK to Gatwick

BLOC Hotel, Gatwick – night 1/1

Enjoy a full day at work on Friday before saying aurevoir to Jarpii, Lupine and the squeaky things for three weeks and travelling to the cosy BLOC Hotel in Gatwick.

Hotel check-in is from 4PM. WiFi is free, but no food is included so we should take a picnic or order a takeaway!

DAY 02 [16/12/17] – London to Riga to St Petersburg

Hotel Vesta, St Petersburg – night 1/2

Happy three-year wedding anniversary!

Wake up bright and early for a departure from Gatwick South Terminal with airBaltic on flight number BT 652 at 9:25 to Riga (RIX). This leg will take less than 2.5 hours although flightaware.com suggests it always departs and arrives quite a few minutes late!

If we land in Riga at or close to 14:20, we will take a 15 to 20 minute long taxi ride to the old town for 15 EUR, have a quick meal and take in the sights.

We should aim to catch a taxi back to the airport by at least 18:00 so we can depart on airBaltic flight number BT 444 at 19:40 to St Petersburg Pulkovo (LED) and land at terminal one at 22:00 without worries.

This final leg is super-short at just one hour of flight time and is significantly less likely to be delayed.

We will be met in the St Petersburg arrivals hall by a tour representative with a meeting board with our names on so that we can be transferred to Hotel Vesta, 90-92 Nevsky Prospect where we sleep for two nights and enjoy complimentary breakfasts.

Google leads me to believe it should take around 30 minutes to get to the hotel and according to the travel company, check-in apparently takes between one and two hours so it could be a very late night following a very long day! It’s worth noting the hotel will look a little whiter than the photos as St Petersburg is a snowy winter wonderland throughout December.

DAY 03 [17/12/17] – St Petersburg

Hotel Vesta, St Petersburg – night 2/2

After attempting to recover some beauty sleep, we will enjoy breakfast and then meet our guide for the morning to accompany us on a walking tour around the city. The guide will take us around the city on public transport to give us chance to familiarise ourselves with how things work and to find our way around.

Interesting & Useful Facts

• It rains 50mm over 10 days in St Petersburg and the average temperature is -5C
• It was the capital from 1712 to 1918 and has been called St. Peter, Petrograd and Leningrad
• It is considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world and has one of the deepest and the second most beautiful metro after Moscow
• 5.2m people live here

Places of Interest

Whilst in St Petersburg I’d like to see St Nicholas church, the 18th century canals, bridges and backstreets of the historical Kolomna, the Mariinsky Theatre, New Holland, the English Embankment, the Senate square and the Bronze Horseman, Church of the Savior on Blood, Troitsky cathedral and market, Vasilievsky Island, Peter and Paul Fortress and Catherine’s Palace. We also mustn’t forget the Hermitage Museum.

This city has the most bridges in Europe, over 800, so we should be able to get some interesting photos over the river and canals.

DAY 04 [18/12/17] – St Petersburg & Night Train to Moscow

Overnight Train – night 1/1

We have a long day today because we catch our first train at midnight so try to sleep in a little later than usual before we check out of the hotel. The hotel will keep our luggage for a small fee and we should be able to book a taxi to the station for when we return to collect our luggage.

Don’t forget to buy some water or soft drinks for the train journey this evening. We need to depart from Moskovsky Station to Moscow on Train #1 at 23:55, but shouldn’t get there too early as TripAdvisor users advise there are some questionable characters in the station! We will arrive in Moscow at 7:55 the following morning.

Train Information and Facts

• We are on a Firmeny train which means high-quality and these trains have cool names like ‘Krasnaya Strela’ which translates as ‘Red Arrow’
• The train #1 we are on was the premier train in the soviet era
• After departure, the provodnik will take our tickets and small bedding fee (<£1)
• A glass of black Russian tea (chai) costs about 15p
• Unlimited free hot water is available at the end of the corridor
• A two-course meal with a drink should cost around £7 each
• The distance we will travel between St Petersburg and Moscow is 649.7km

DAY 05 [19/12/17] – Moscow

Maxima Panorama Hotel, Moscow – night 1/2

We arrive in Moscow at 7:55 after a full night on the sleeper train. A driver will meet us in Kievskiy Station to take us to the next hotel, Panorama 3 hotel, Maxima Panorama, 4 Masterkova Street for two nights with breakfast.

Interesting & Useful Facts

• It rains 70mm over 6 days in December in Moscow and the average temperature is only -6C
• Moscow is named after the river Moskva, has been the capital since 1918 and is home to 11.5m Muscovites which is the biggest population of any city in Europe
• The Moscow Kremlin is the world’s largest medieval fortress
• Moscow claims the largest number of billionaires in the world. Per Forbes, there are 84 billionaires in the city
• Moscow is also home to the most beautiful underground in the world
• A taxi from the hotel to the Red Square should only cost £6, ₽460

Similarly to our time in St Petersburg, a local expert will meet us at the hotel around 10am to take us on a three hour walking tour to see the city highlights and become familiarised with public transportation.

We’ll then return to the hotel around 2pm for check-in which will take between 1 and 2 hours.

Places of Interest

Whilst in Moscow I’d like to see Gorky Park (m: Park Kultury), Red Square, Lenin’s Tomb (o: 10am-1pm, m: Ploshchad Revolyutsii), The Kremlin (m: Biblioteka Imena Lenina, a: R500), St. Basil Cathedral, The Old Arbat area (m: Arbatskaya / Smolenskaya), Cathedral of Christ The Saviour, the GUM department store, the cat cafe, Moscow State Circus and Bolshoi Theatre.

DAY 06 [20/12/17] – Moscow

Maxima Panorama Hotel, Moscow – night 2/2

Today is at leisure so we should make certain we’ve seen everything we would like to and plan to visit the circus or theatre of our choosing. The tour company recommends the Pushkin Fine Arts Museum, or a boat trip along the Moskva River.

DAY 07 [21/12/17] – Moscow & Night Train

Overnight Train – night 1/1

We check-out at 12 today, but have no formal arrangements until 15:10 when a pre-booked driver will take us from the hotel reception to Kazansky Station and will also help us to board the Ekaterinburg bound train Tr#60 which is departing at 16:40 and will be our home for almost 27 hours so we better not forget to buy snacks and drinks.

DAY 08 [22/12/17] – Trans-Siberian & Ekaterinburg

Chekhov Hotel, Ekaterinburg – night 1/2

Today is our first full day onboard a train, and what better place than the beautiful Ural Mountains?

Arrive in Ekaterinburg (Yekaterinburg) at 20:10 where we will be met by our driver for a transfer to the hotel Chekhov where we stay for two nights with breakfast.

Interesting & Useful Facts

• It only rains for one day in December, but it rains 30mm so hopefully we’ll miss that!
• The city has the total population of 1,349,772 which makes it the 4th largest in Russia
• The time zone of the city is UTC+06:00
• The tallest skyscraper in Russia, Vysotsky is here
• It’s only 15 minutes’ walk North from our hotel to the centre

DAY 09 [23/12/17] – Ekaterinburg

Chekhov Hotel, Ekaterinburg – night 2/2

After breakfast, we go on a walking tour around Ekaterinburg to see the historical centre of the city, where the scene of the assassination of the Romanov Royal Family was and where Church of All Saints now stands. We’ll also witness Ekaterinburg’s involvement in Russia’s military history and the last half-hour will be spent at The Museum of Gems before the tour ends in the downtown area after confirming the route back to the hotel and discussing some sightseeing options!

DAY 10 [24/12/17] – Husky Sledding & Night Train

Overnight Train – night 1/2

After breakfast, we go on our most adrenaline-filled day thus far. We are out the city for 6 hours today to travel to the Ural Mountains to take part in Siberian husky dog sledding for 4 hours.

Sadly, we’ll need to check out of the room by 21:30 to catch Tr#70 at 22:20.

DAY 11-12 [25-26/12/17] – Trans-Siberian Railway

Overnight Train – night 2-3/3

We spend two nights on the trans-siberian train over Christmas taking in Siberian scenery as the deciduous forests of the Ural Mountains slowly give way to Siberian pine forests. The major landmarks are the great rivers you cross, including the River Ob at Novosibirsk (one of the most famous bridges on the route), and the gigantic Enisei River (at Krasnoyarsk).

DAY 13 [27/12/17] – Irkutsk to Listvyanka

U Ozera Hotel, Listvyanka – night 1/3

We disembark the train at 08:45 on arrival in Irkutsk. A driver will meet us at the end of the platform, holding a meeting board displaying “Russia Experience”. We’ll then be driven for an hour, 70km through the forest to Listvyanka Village to our hotel, U Ozera Hotel which translates as “At the Lake Hotel”. Check in is at 13:00, but they’ll let us leave our luggage with them if there’s not a room available straight away.

We have a small chance to have breakfast before setting off on a walking tour around Listvyanka Village which includes a visit to the Limnological Museum (this is an exhibition about the Lake, its formation, wildlife etc. including multimedia presentations, information about the creatures which live in the darkest depths, and also an aquarium with living aquatic species, including the unique freshwater Baikal seals) and also a small wooden village Russian Orthodox Church dating back to the C18th.

We’ll return to your hotel at the end of the walk, with time to relax and enjoy the lakeside surroundings and perhaps experience real Siberian “banya” (sauna).

Interesting & Useful Facts

• Very weirdly, it rains for zero days in December, but apparently rains 68mm so that’s interesting. It did snow everyday last year however. It’s -11°C on average
• Lake Baikal is located between Irkutsk and Ulan-Ude and is recognized as both the world’s oldest (25 million years old) and deepest (1,642m) lake
• It has a surface area of around 12,248 square miles (31,722km2). It’s bigger than Belgium and contains a fifth of the world’s fresh water!
• Omul is a local fish speciality which we’ve been told we should try. Hmmm

DAY 14 [28/12/17] – Listvyanka Snowmobile

U Ozera Hotel, Listvyanka – night 2/3

We have a snow mobile trip with a local guide through the forest or over the frozen lake today. This takes around two and half hours and the tour guide recommends a dip in the lake to add between 5 and 20 years to our lives, we’ll see!

DAY 15 [29/12/17] – Listvyanka Horse Riding

U Ozera Hotel, Listvyanka – night 3/3

Today is a free day which I think we should fill with horse riding.

DAY 16 [30/12/17] – Irkutsk

Angara Hotel, Irkutsk – night 1/1

Today we go to Irkutsk city and check into the Angara Hotel with breakfast.

The tour company will give us a map and recommendations of interesting places to visit. We need to buy some provisions for the next leg of our journey because there is often no dining car.

DAY 17 [31/12/17] – Trans-Mongolian Railway (NYE)

Overnight Train – night 1/1

This morning we’ll transfer to the station for the Ulaanbaatar bound train Tr#6 08:08.

We’re on board all day heading down towards Mongolia. We’re officially on the trans-Mongolian line now. It’s NYE, but we’re scheduled to make the border crossing into Mongolia at midnight so should prepare the passport etc.

DAY 18 [01/01/18] – Ulaanbaatar & Genghis Khan

Elstei Ger Lodge – night 1/2

We arrive in Ulaanbaatar at 06:50 this morning where our driver and guide will meet us at the end of the platform whilst holding a meeting board with our names on.

We transfer from the station to a hotel to freshen up and have a snack, before departing for our city tour. Gandantegchinlen Monastery, National History Museum.

After the city tour, we travel to the enormous monument to Genghis Khan. We will take the elevator to peak of the 10 metre high monument and visit the exhibition hall with a panoramic view over the complex area and the scenery beyond.

We’re set to have a relaxed evening in the bar and after our included supper there are occasional impromptu performances of live Mongolian music, where you might hear the Morin Khuur (horse-head lyre), the cimbalom, or native Mongolian throat-singing.

We stay in a two-person Ger, Elstei Ger Lodge which is 70km away, tonight.

DAY 19 [02/01/18] – Nomadic Experience

Elstei Ger Lodge – night 2/2

Nothing planned today so we should go walking or horse riding with local nomadic horsemen. We’ve got meals included all day and a relaxing evening in the bar after supper where we can chat with the local guides and other travellers.

DAY 20 [03/01/18] – Return to Ulaanbaatar

Bayangol Hotel, Ulaanbaatar – night 1/1

At 10am we begin our return trip to Ulaanbaatar, the coldest capital in the world.

We check into the Bayangol Hotel and have free time all afternoon to explore.

The tour company recommend a visit to the Naraan Tull Market which is open until 8 and sells interesting things like traditional Mongolian costumes, boots and saddles.

Ulaanbaatar Facts

• The average temperature in January is -23, but there’s only 1% chance of rain!
• It’s worth saying again that this is the coldest capital city in the world
• The population is around 1.4m which is 40% of Mongolia
• The name Ulaanbaatar translates to ‘red hero’
• The location of the city has changed 28 times due to its nomadic history
• From 1639, the city was Orgoo, from 1706 as Ikh Khuree, Da Khuree or simply Khuree, then in 1911, the city’s name changed to Niislel Khuree before settling on Ulaanbaatar 1924

DAY 21 [04/01/18] – Train to Beijing

Overnight Train – night 1/1

Sadly we’ve an early start today as we must catch Tr#24 at 08:30. Hopefully we’ve not forgotten to buy drinks and snacks because we’re going to be on board until 11:40 the next morning. We ride through the Southern Gobi and travel through the border in the evening.

DAY 22 [05/01/18] – Arrive Beijing

Fairmont Beijing – night 1/3

Boo! This is the last day on the tour, but we need to wake up early, so we can see the best views of the trip, frozen rice fields and breathtaking mountains. We arrive in Beijing at 11:40.

We check in to one of our favourite hotels, the Fairmont Beijing.

Address: 8 Yong An Dong Li, Jian Guo Men Wai Avenue, Chaoyang, Beijing, 100022 (建国门外街永安东里8号, 朝阳区, 北京)

Then we should buy some amazing goodies from the bakery again and relax for the remainder of the day until the evening when we should visit Shichahai Ice Rink to rent an ice cart for 20 yuan. Shichahai is a stop on line 8 of Beijing’s subway, just follow the crowds once you leave the station!

DAY 23 [06/01/18] – Beijing

Fairmont Beijing – night 2/3

Shall we find ourselves a spa for the day to relax?

Maybe check out Guijie Street (Ghost Street) for some interesting food. Take subway line 5 and get off at Beixinqiao station or take subway line 2 or line 13 and get off at Dongzhimen station.

DAY 24 [07/01/18] – Beijing

Fairmont Beijing – night 3/3

Unfortunately this is our last full day abroad.

#MINISO? Let’s see what and where we feel like!

We could go to Pearl Market (Hongqiao Market, 红桥珍珠市场) or Xiushui Street (秀水街) has a silk market (open 9am to 9pm).

Or see Kung Fu Show: The Legend of Kung Fu, 5:15pm-6:30pm and 7:30pm-8:45pm for RMB 280, 380, 480 or even Beijing Acrobatic Theatres: Chaoyang Theatre, Dongtu Theatre for RMB 220, 300 or 380.

We could be crazy and visit the Wangfujing food street located beside Wangfujing street which is well known for strange snacks, roasted animal meat, scorpion meat, and other insects’ meat. Donghuamen Night Market also exhibits strange foods on the streets.

DAY 25 [08/01/18] – Home

Flight Home

Fly home at 3:30 this morning with Ukraine International Airlines, flight PS 288 to Kiev. We arrive in Kiev at 08:40 after 11 hours and 10 minutes of flying then only have 1.33 hours for our connecting flight, PS 111 to London Gatwick, departing at 10:00 landing at 11:25 after 3 hours 25 minutes flying.