Trans Siberian Railroad

I did the Trans-Mongolian in 2004. What do you want to know? (My description of the trip is here: http://tinyurl.com/3dswcqc ) BTW, the Trans-Siberian doesn't go through Mongolia, it stays in Russia, although you could do a side trip. Officially it starts in Moscow, though no reason you can't choose to start in St. Petersburg - consider stopping off in Novgorod if you do.

I've looked at a couple of tours and they are very expensive. How hard is it to do on your own if you don't speak Russian? What itinerary would you suggest? I plan to do it in 3 weeks. Also the only airlines I could find to/from Vladivostok was Korean Airlines and their seats are small for such a long flight (flown them before) who did you fly on? I'm open to any suggestions you have.

I didn't fly in, the Trans-Mongolian was part of a much longer train trip - Scotland to Saigon. I think there's still a ferry from Japan if you'd rather fly into Japan. I speak no Russian, but I did learn the Cyrillic alphabet, which helped a lot. I booked through Passport Travel in Australia (http://www.travelcentre.com.au/ ) - they arranged my train tickets, my homestays (I don't advise doing that - stick to hotels), some transfers and some sightseeing. See the link in my previous post for my itinerary. If you're seeing very high prices you're probably looking at sites like MIR. Try reading the Lonely Planet thorntree "sticky" on Russian train travel. Take a look at: http://www.trans-siberian.co.uk/ http://www.sundownersoverland.com/ http://www.monkeyshrine.com/
http://www.intrepidtravel.com

I took the Trans Sib from Moscow as far as Irkutsk on Lake Baikal, but this was in 1992 and the country has changed considerably since then, of course. Are there specific questions about the trip that concern you?

Thank you Cathy for those sites. Matt my concerns are the language and to be honest safety. I've travelled quite a bit but never a long train trip like this. I'm not sure what to see between the East and West coasts of Russia. The middle of the country is a mystery to me. Also I would like to see Mongolia which I realize is a side trip. I know you both travelled awhile ago but roughly what would be your guess as to a reasonable budget in the middle (not staying in 5 star hotels nor sleeping under a park bench).

Moscow at least has gotten a LOT more expensive since I was there. I bought my accommodations as a package from Passport Travel so I can't give you a breakdown. I bought food for the train from supermarkets and that was pretty cheap. I highly recommend that you get one or both of the Lonely Planet and Trailblazer guides to the Trans-Siberian - that's what I used. They have language sections in the back, but a phrase book would be a good idea. As I said, you need to learn the alphabet - some words, like restaurant and supermarket, are then very easy to read. The sites I posted should give you an idea of the budget to mid-range prices. What you see on sites like MIR are prices for special tourist trains, not the ones the locals ride. See also http://www.lonelyplanet.com/russia

Mariann,
Even though I studied Russian in college for four years, I still have trouble with the language. I tend to pick up languages easily, but Russian is a tough one. My recommendation is to concentrate on getting the alphabet straight. Once you do that, reading signs becomes easier even if you don't know a word of Russian. (PECTOPAH suddenly becomes RESTORAN and is much easier to figure out it's where you'll eat). Then learn a few phrases (hello, goodbye, thank you) and a phrase book will get you by. Personally, I've traveled to Russia only with tour groups (first a student group and then a second time through a company called RTB, Russian Travel Bureau, out of New York. I'm not sure if they're still around.) Even with my knowledge of Russia and Russian, I am glad I went that route. Traveling with a guide and some new English-speaking friends made the trip much easier. One thing RTB did was book four-bunk wagons for only two people. So each of us had only one roommate and enough room to spread out over the journey. Even though it costs more to reserve two bunks per person, it might be worthwhile to do this, just to have some privacy and some space. It's been too long since I've been there for me to comment on cost, and I've ready conflicting reports about the safety of the trip. (I think it's improved in recent years?). For sure, there is no need to bring flashy jewelry or too many nice things aboard the train. Russians often zip themselves into one track suit that they wear the whole voyage. It's definitely casual or at least it was when I went.

If you want a peek at what the train is like, rent the 2008 movie 'Transsiberian'. It's a pretty decent Hitchcock-type mystery too.

Also see http://www.google.ru/intl/ru/landing/transsib/en.html

Like Kathy suggested, go to your local library or a book store and buy the LP guide to the Trans Siberian Rail and start your research there as to how you want to plan and allocate your time for the trip. As to Korean air: you could use them just to get from Vladivostok to Seoul from where you have lots of different airlines to get you back to LA.

Thanks everyone, good thoughts. So now I'll start with the library and learning the Russian alphabet...did I mention I'm 69 years old, hope the old brain can retain the funny looking letters :-)

Yes the tours are really expensive. That said on a tour you don't have to apply for a visa on your own. When we looked into doing this 3 or 4 years ago the individual visa application, among many many other things, wanted to know what magazines we had EVER subscribed to. My husband is 68 and I'm 60. He speaks some Russian and reads it rather well, but basically we said screw it. 10 years ago it wasn't a problem. Fly in, trot about, sight see, no hassle, Well, at least that was our impression 3 or 4 years ago. Someone on this board may have more up to date info.

"10 years ago it wasn't a problem. Fly in, trot about, sight see, no hassle" - really? That would be 2001. My copy of Rick Steves' "Russia and the Baltics", copyright 1998, says that you need a visa, and for that you need a visa support letter from a hotel or travel agent, just as I did in 2004. I find it hard to belief that things were magically easier in between. If you were on a tour it is certainly possible that the company shielded you from the process. And have you ever seen the application form for an American visa?

I agree with Kathy...when was this magical hassle-free travel to Russia time? Please don't tell me Russians could travel everywhere without a visa then, too -- I would be sad to have missed that :)

Don't know about Russia but have to agree with the girls if only because the year was 2001 and nothing was easy for travelling. Last year I was in China and that was no cake walk. Also I wanted to go to Tibet and didn't even know until we arrived in Beijing whether or not we had been given a visa for Tibet by the Chinese (no one would tell us ahead of time).