If you took the train non-stop from Moscow to Beijing, you would leave Moscow on a Friday evening, and arrive a week later, early-morning local time the following Friday in Beijing. Of course, there's a five-hour time difference en-route too, but basically, there are seven nights on board.
HOW FAR IS IT?
There are three different options, as you can see on the map above.
Moscow-Beijing Trans-Manchurian = 9001 km (5581 miles)
Moscow-Beijing Trans-Mongolian = 7685 km (4876 miles)
Moscow-Vladivostok = 9226 km (5720 miles)
WHAT'S THE ACCOMMODATION ON BOARD?
There are only two categories on International Routes:
Second-Class = 4-berth sleeping compartments
First-Class = 2-berth sleeping compartments
WHAT ABOUT EATING ON BOARD?
The restaurant car serves hot meals from around 0800 local time (wherever you happen to be) to 2130 or sometimes later. The menu consists of "superior cafeteria" food with prices to match - you can eat very cheaply, and sometimes quite well too! Typically you might get a soup or a salad, followed by Russian chicken cutlets with mashed potatoes and peas, and a sweet pastry with some tea or coffee. Alternatively, you can cut the already low prices massively by buying food from the "babushkas" who sell hot home-made food on the platforms at major stops. You can also stock-up in Moscow with snacks and drinks, and the truly sad Trans-Siberian passenger takes a complete supply of "pot noodles" with them, one for each day of the journey! Actually, for the price of the pot noodle you could have something much nicer bought on the platform!
WHAT ARE THE LOOS LIKE?
There are two wc/washrooms per wagon. In each - and the standard is the same whether you go First- or Second-Class) you will find a pedal-flush wc, and a handbasin. The handbasin usually has at least tepid water, and inventive use of a facecloth (essential luggage item 1) will keep you smelling sweet throughout the trip. If you are imaginative with your heatproof mug you can also wash your hair. There is a 220v socket (standard 2-pin European) in the bathroom which is supposed to be for shavers only, but we have heard of people succesfully using hairdryers - but please be careful! (There are not normally power-sockets in the sleeping compartments - if you need to recharge your video-camera, laptop computer or satellite phone, you will have to take an hour in the dead of night to sit with it in the loo or the corridor whilst it charges). The washrooms are shared between the rest of your co-passengers in your wagon. This means that in 2nd-Class one washroom serves 16 passengers, whereas the ratio is half this in First-Class. Cleaning of the washrooms - plus the compartments too once-daily - is done by the wagon-attendants, who also keep order, and make tea.
YOU'VE GOT SOME MORE QUESTIONS?
Please first read the FAQ's to see if your question is answered there. If not, Bridge The World staff have taken the train themselves, and you can send your questions to us here.
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