Trans-Siberian Train Costs
Author:
Dimitry Paranyushkin (on 02 Jun 2015)
The cost of Trans-Siberian train journey depends on the level of comfort and the number of stopovers you make along the way. The most typical journey from Moscow to Irkutsk (Baikal Lake) takes about 4 days and will cost approximately
€250-€380 one way if you're traveling 2nd class (a 4-berth private "coupe" compartment) and about
€130 one way if you're traveling 3rd class (common "platzcart" carriage you share with others).
Surprisingly, if you decide to travel further to Vladivostok without making a stopover in Irkutsk, it's almost going to cost the same. However, if you make a stopover in Irkutsk and then continue to Vladivostok or to Ulan-Bataar in Mongolia or to Beijing in China – the train will cost least €100-€150 more, so €250 to €450 one way for Moscow - Beijing / Ulan-Bataar.
If you're on a really tight budget, but need to get to Beijing / Mongolia, here's a trick: take 3rd class Russian trains up to the Russian border – to Naushki if you go through Mongolia or to Zabaykalsk if you want to go around Mongolia and go straight to China. The Russian leg of the Trans-Siberian train journey will then cost you about €180 and the Mongolian- Chinese one about €150 more.
You can find out more about the specific trains on the Trans-Siberian train schedules page and you can book your electronic / paper tickets online through our partner agency.
For those who want to get more savvy about the Trans-Siberian prices and to learn more about the special tricks to save money, read on below...
Types of Russian Trains
The cost of your Trans-Siberian journey will depend largely on what types of trains you take, which level of comfort you travel with, and how many stopovers you make. That's why you need to first learn about the different types of trains and only then plan the best route for yourself.
There are a few types of trains in Russia, the most important are passenger trains (called "passazhirsky", they are the slowest, and have numbers from 171 to 400), fast trains (called "skory" - have numbers from 1 to 170, 1 being the fastest, and 170 being the slowest), and "firm" trains (called "firmenny", which generally means that they are more comfortable and more expensive also. Usually, they may have any number, but almost always have a name).
So, for example, if you see a train #2, "Rossiya" (Moscow-Vladivostok), you will know it is a fast "firm" train, which means that is it quite fast and comfortable, but not the cheapest you can find. On the other side, a train #250 (Moscow-Irkutsk) is a standard passenger train, but as it is not "firm", there's a chance it won't be so clean, however, it is the cheapest.
Usually, the same train can have two numbers: the first stands for the direction towards Moscow, the second — for the direction from Moscow. For example, the train that circulates between Moscow and Irkutsk has number "9" when it goes from Irkutsk to Moscow, and number "10" when it goes from Moscow to Irkutsk.
There are three types of carriages: platzcart (a common sleeping carriage - russian "P"), cupe (a compartment with 4 berths - "K"), a sleeping wagon (aka "lux" or "spalny vagon" - "SV").
Platzcart is the cheapest option. It can be called 3rd class. There are eight opened compartments in the carriage, each providing 4 sleeping places and space for luggage, plus additional 2 sleeping places on the other side. Generally, platzcart carriages are not as clean as kupe, and is more noisy, but on the other side you have less chances to be stuck with unwanted neighbors and get an opportunity to meet many people.
Cupe is a moderately priced option, can be called 2nd class. There are eight cupe compartments in the train, each has a door with two locks. There
are 4 sleeping spaces in a compartment and space for luggage (more than in platzcart
). Cupe
carriages are usually cleaner and less noisy than platzcart
. The price of cupe
is usually about 50% more than platzcart
.
Sleeping wagon can be the most luxury option, let's call it 1st class. It is a compartment for two people, and the carriage itself is quite clean usually. People who travel in sleeping wagons are either quite wealthy, foreigners, or just want to rest for the whole trip, so you have the least chances of running into somebody who will piss you off. It is the most expensive option too —.it is about 50% to 100% more expensive than cupe.
All carriages in every class have a WC with a toilet and a bathroom. Platzcart carriages have quite dirty and stinky toilets, while cupe carriages in "firm" trains have toilets that are quite ok. A few long-distance trains have showers (you should pay about 30R ($1) for 10 minutes), for example, trains #1, #2 ("Rossiya": Moscow - Vladivostok), and #3, #4 (Moscow - Beijing).
There's a conductor in every carriage in every Russian train. It is very good, because he or she usually looks after everything, provides greater security, can solve all the problems, show you around the train, give the information you need, wake you up at a specific time, or just chat.
An exclusive thing about Russian trains is a tea-boiler. It works on real (!) fire, and always has hot water inside. You can buy teabags from the conductor, pour hot water, and have nice tea at any time of the day or night.
Almost every train has a carriage with a restaurant, but the food is usually of not very high quality and is overpriced (about 400R ($13) for a meal). You can always buy a snack or a beer from a conductor, or some real home made meals from the people who sell their food at the train stops along the way.
Trans-Siberian Train Types
It is highly recommended, and that's what most of the people do, to stop in a few cities along the Trans-Siberian, instead of just passing it all at once from Moscow to Beijing. The stops that all trains passing the Trans-Siberian do are usually only 15 to 20 minutes, and that is not enough to see a city. So, the best thing to do is to hop off in 3 or 4 cities along the way.
We recommend you to definitely stop for a few days (or at least a day) in Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, and Ulan-Ude, apart from Moscow, Beijing, and Ulan-Bataar. All these cities have very distinct features and will provide unforgettable experiences, if you know where to look for them. (See the Route section).
Below we provide descriptions and timetables of the most important trains on the Trans-Siberian. With these trains you can cover the whole Trans-Siberian and stop where you want.
"firmenny" trains
These trains include #1 and #2 (aka "Rossiya" - route: Moscow - Vladivostok); #9 and #10 (aka "Baikal" - route: Moscow - Irkutsk); #25 and 26 (aka "Sibiryak" - route: Moscow - Novosibirsk); #55 and #56 (aka "Enisey" - route: Moscow - Krasnoyarsk). These trains are quite fast (as little stops as possible) and "firmenny", which means they are relativel comfortable and clean. Of course, after four days it will depend on the cleaningness of the passengers, but the compartments in these trains get vaacumed and washed every day, and the service is quite good. Also, the WCs don't stink (normally), and there's even an electric plug in every carriage (so you can charge your mobile, shave, or whatever). The windows can be opened in Summer, which is good, because it might get quite hot, and there's air conditioning (in cupes and sleeping carriages). Train #55, #56 (Moscow - Krasnoyarsk) has 3 platzcart carriages, and that can be a good way to save some money.
There are all sorts of people in these trains, but generally, the public is quite calm and almost always in summer there are a few foreigners.
comfortable trains
Generally, the same as the the "firmenny" trains, but slightly less comfortable and less clean. However, they may still be a good option and allow to save some money (as they are not "firmenny", they are about 20% cheaper). Examples are trains #7 and #8 (route: Novosibirsk - Vladivostok), #43 and #44 (route: Moscow - Khabarovsk). They have more stops along the way, thus they are slightly slower.
international trains
These trains circulate between Russia and China or Mongolia. There are two routes: Trans-Mongolian, which goes from Moscow, through Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, Ulan-Bataar (in Mongolia) to China and Trans-Manchurian, which goes round Mongolia to the east of its border. If you're taking the Trans-Mongolian, you may require a Mongolian visa, check with Mongolian consulate.
Most of the trains are quite well looked after, but after 6 days it takes to get from Russia to China, they might become somewhat dirty. Most of the people traveling on these trains are traders of Chinese goods and foreigners.
The trains include: #3 and #4 (route: Moscow - Beijing (China) through Ulan-Bataar (in Mongolia)) - operated by Russian and Chinese staff alternatively; #19 and #20 (route: Moscow - Beijing (China) round Mongolia through Kharbin (China)) - operated by Russian staff; #5 and #6 (route: Moscow - Ulan-Bataar (Mongolia)).
cheap and rough
There are some trains you should avoid if you want a fast train with a comfortable and clean kupe. These trains are usually slow, stop on every
station, and operate on long distances. That's why they're not so comfortable. On the other side, you can save money traveling on these trains, because the price is about 10% to 30% less (for long distances) comparing to the trains listed in the above sections. But expect that your neighbors will be the people like you, who don't have enough money to afford a more comfortable option or who need to take a train urgently.
You can easily recognize these trains: usually they have a number higher than 171, which means "passazhirsky" train. For example, there's a train #240 going from Moscow to Chita, passing Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, and Ulan-Ude. If you take it to stop in Irkutsk, you'll pay about $30 less than normally for a berth in a kupe carriage. Another such train is #250 going from Moscow to Blagoveshchensk (Far East). It also passes Irkutsk and the ticket costs the same as in #240. However, first consider if you want to bear bad smell, dusty compartments, and lack of good ventilation for four days...
train schedules
You can see the timetables of the most important Trans-Siberian trains in the Transportation / Timetables / Trans-Siberian section.
Comments, Questions, Feedback?
If you have a question, please, post it in
Way to Russia forum or tweet @waytorussia.
For comments and feedback about this article, use the form below.
Most Recent Articles:
The main Trans-Siberian route starts in Moscow and terminates in Vladivostok (Far East, the shore of Pacific ocean), in all it is 9288 kilometers long.
The two main questions that people ask about the Trans-Siberian is if it's safe and if there's any internet.
When you spend more than two days in the train, it becomes like your second home.
