Way to Russia Talk Lounge

nc

I'm looking at volunteering on the Grand Baikal Trail construction project this summer for 2 weeks.

I will have to travel from the UK to Severobaikalsk.

Because I am a student of limited financial means, I will have to travel fairly cheaply, with a minimum of stopovers.

I will spend some time exploring after the project, around Baikalsk and/or in Moscow, depending mainly on costs.

Please can anyone give me some advice on what route to take and roughly how much the travel would cost?

JNH_2005 · Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2006 4:50 am Post subject:

It currently costs 337 GBP to go from London to Moscow by rail. It takes four trains and that price is ONE WAY only. Return would be double price (674 GBP). That does not include the onward price to Severobaikalsk.

So on that basis alone, I would say going by land would not be cheaper than flying.

Flying with Transaero Airlines the price is 466 GBP return (including tax).

Route: London to Irkutsk (via Moscow Domodedovo).

http://www.transaero.ru/en/index.html

Aeroflot may be a little cheaper than Transaero. However transiting in Sheremetyevo-2 (which is where you would end up) isn't exactly a desirable way to spend a day.

nc · Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2006 9:13 pm Post subject:

Thanks very much for that. Sorry I didn't reply sooner, I have been off the internet for the past week so couldn't reply!

Getting to Irkutsk seems fairly straightforward, a bit expensive compared to European holiday flights but it's not a common tourist destination from the UK.

How about the onward connection to Severobaikalsk?

Does anyone have any knowledge of the Lake Baikal hydrofoil? It seems a bit cheaper than taking a flight Irkutsk-Nizhneangarsk then a bus to Severobaikalsk. Is the hydrofoil a sensible alternative?

Thanks

brokev03 · Just Starting Joined: 27 Feb 2006 Posts: 6

Something you have to keep in mind is that the train cost from Moscow to Irkutsk or Severobaikalsk is going to be by far the longest and cheapest leg of the journey. A one way 3rd class platskart ticket from Moscow to Irkutsk could be had for about 3100 rubles last time I was at a ticket booth in Moscow (I assume Severobaikalsk wouldn't be too far off that figure). I think you could probably find some kind of flight to Moscow from London for around the 250 Euro. Maybe look at some student airfare services? I really think flying to Moscow and taking the train to Baikal would be the best choice in terms of price and experience. About the hydrofoil, I have not taken it yet. I've been told it takes something like 10 hours from Irkutsk to Severobaikalsk. I don't know if the ferry runs when the lake is frozen, when its season of operation is, or if it is all year round. I'll be making the trip to either Irkutsk or Severobaikalsk sometime this March, so maybe I can write more to you once I've done the trip myself (assuming you are arriving later than I, the 2 week volunteers usually start arriving in June?). BTW, I am also involved in GBT as an office intern, so maybe we'll run into each other?

Oh, I just thought of something. Typically, you take the train directly to Severobaikalsk from Moscow along the Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM), not to Irkutsk. There is no train route between Irkutsk and Severobaikalsk, so you are effectivlely adding the hastle of another leg to the journey by going to Irkutsk if Severobaikalsk is your destination (you might regret the choice of foregoing the godsend dependability of Russian trains for sometimes less reliable transportation). This is fine, however, if you want a chance to see Irkutsk.

I also just noticed this site has a thread in this Trans-Sib forum on some airfare deals between London and Moscow.

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