Trans Siberian Rail Journey

You can take a virtual tour Of the Trans Siberian Railway where you are sitting in a seat watching the countryside of Russia pass by thry the train window, for the entire 9230 km of the journey on Google Maps. Starts in Moscow...ends in Vladivostok.

Search on Virtual Tour Trans Siberian Railway or try this link: http://www.google.com/intl/ru/landing/transsib/en.html.

I watched sections of this a few years ago; I tried to view again today and couldn't get it to load, but I have an old machine, have neglected to update my Flash Player and am still using IE8, so I suspect it's a User issue that is affecting me today..

I would look at a copy of a Transsiberian Rail guidebook-- Lonely Planet has one, and another called the "Trans-Siberian Handbook" appears to be popular. You can get a used copy for $11 plus shipping on Amazon, or look for a library that has one of these.

This page from The Man In Seat 61 is a very thorough overview: http://www.seat61.com/Trans-Siberian.htm#.U26-IijwO6I

I'm leaving for the Trans-Siberian on Sunday! Flying to Vladivostok!

Ian Frazier's recent book Travels in Siberia has a lot of information about the train and the region. It's not a guide but rather the story of his several trips to Siberia including on the train. I have to admit that his book did NOT inspire me with a desire to visit but the guys in my book club really enjoyed it.

I have always wanted to do the Trans-Siberian Railroad, but I have just returned from two weeks in Russis, one week in northern rural Russia and now I am not so sure this is something I want to do. I hope Andy T posts a trip report about his experiences. Since he has lived in Moscow for two years, he is probably fairly fluent in the language, and I am sure that will improve his experience.