Trans Siberian Railway

[sickofmorons]

My Girlfriend and I are planning on doing the trans siberian/mongolian railway next year, does anyone have any advice/ particualr places of interest/ outstanding beauty, safety tips, tips on the best time of year to go etc, etc?

[jno]

I went in midsummer years ago (so long ago it cost about �100) - can't remember many of the details except it was a good time of year; there's still permafrost by the line in parts of Siberia, but the weather was mainly warm and sunny. Lake Baikal was a highlight.

[mkt]

other than that theres a book called '100 journeys to take before you die' that i saw in Whsmith and included this journey

[thugulike]

Don't go out of season. I went in October and there were only 2 westerners on the train. It was desperately dangerous and at one point I had a Chinese smuggler removed from the train at gunpoint. Unfortunately he had mates still on the train. Not a fun trip at all. When you get to Ulan Bator there are no taxis, only private cars. Do not allow them the take your luggage in a separate car. Seems obvious but we'd had a 36 hour journey with little sleep and we almost fell for it. Good luck!

[onslow1]

My wife and I went on the trans siberian railway from Ulaan Bataar to Moscow about 18 months ago. We loved it, however we also had trouble with a Mongolian smuggler trying to hide in our compartment, (he ran off when the conductor appeared ) but dont let that put you off. It was a great trip . Stop over at Irkutsk, the people are friendly and lake Baikal is a must see. We also stopped at Ykaterinburg just to break the journey. Interesing to see the spot where the Tsar and family was executed however not much else there.

Take plenty of snacks as the food service on the train varys markedly, but frequent stops allow you to top up your beer supply! Buy the "Trans Siberian Handbook" by Bryn Thomas and you can't go too far wrong.

[sickofmorons]

Thanks for all your advice it still sounds fantastic despite, Chinease drug dealers and Mongolian smugglers- All I have to do know is convince my Girlfriend!