10 Days Independent Trans-Siberia Train Travel

A Brief Introduction: 
There are two lines starting from China, the starting station is Beijing, one leaves China from Erlian, which will pass Mongolia and then to Russia. While the other one leaves China from Manzhouli Port, but will get to Russia directly without Mongolia section.

There are three trains from Beijing to Ulaanbaatar every week. They leave Beijing at 07:27 every on Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday and arrive in Ulaanbaatar at 14:35 on the next day. The train will stop for 4-6 hours after arriving at Erlian at 20:18 on the day, and can continue to leave after changing the track. Passengers can sit in the car and watch the whole process of changing tracks, during this period, passengers can't get off again until the whole process is finished. Or they can get off and have a look at the station, walk around, have dinner or exchange small amount of Mongolian currency.

From the other side in Russia, there are eastbound trains to Mongolia and China with certain departure days every week.

We offer an economical way today to buy train tickets in sections. The train stations in Mongolia only sell domestic tickets on the day, while only 1-2 days in advance for international trains. I you travel in high season, we suggest you purchase tickets from an agency to guarantee the availability.

About Visa:
If you plan to visit Russia through Mongolia and stay less than 10 days, you can only apply for the transit visa of Mongolia, which is cheaper than a tourist visa. If your stay in Mongolia exceeds 10 days, a tourist visa is required. Please check the specific information with your local embassy.

The bus station is 900 meters away from Erlian railway station. The earliest bus to Zamiin uud departs at 11:30 every day, please do remember the license plate number, which is needed when filling in the entry form.

When the bus arrives at the border, passengers need to take all their luggage and go into the inspection building for customs clearance. After returning to the car, continue to the border inspection office of Mongolia. Zamiin-Uud arrives soon.

Zamiin-Uud train station is about 200 meters away from where you get off the bus, you can buy train ticket to Ulaanbaatar on the second floor at a lower price than that sold in China. Train 275 leaves Zamiin-Uud at 18:05 and arrive in Ulaanbaatar at 08:45 the next morning with daily departure. We suggest you take the lower soft sleeper berth.

Accommodation: On the train - sleeper berth

The train arrives at Ulaanbaatar at about 08:45. If Russia is in your travel list, then do remember to buy tickets at the station. Trains to Irkutsk are available on every Monday, Friday and Saturday, and the terminal on Friday's train is Moscow. For the train K3 running on Thursday, tickets can only be sold one day before departure.

A hotel near the Sukhbaatar Square is highly recommended for its perfect location and the convenient transportation. It was renamed Genghis Khan Square in 2013, but changed back to its original name Sukhbaatar Square in 2017. With the government buildings in the north, Mongolian National University in the northeast corner, the National Theatre and Cultural Palace in the east, and the Central Post Office in the southwest, all important gatherings and celebrations in Mongolia are held here.

Gandan Monastery is about 2km away from the square in the west, and the main sightseeing spot, shopping malls and the museums are densely distributed near the square. Walking is the best choice because of the frequent traffic jams.

The public bus station is next to KFC，and the public bus No. 8, 52 and 55 have stops to Bogda Khan Palace Museum and Zaishan Hill Memorial, the ticket is MNT500, please prepare your change. Make notes for where you will get off or show the picture of the sightseeing spot to the driver, so that he can remind you when the bus arrives at the certain point.

Take public bus No. 3, 16, 22, 44, 46, 57 and 59 to Dragon Bus Terminal, which is located at 8km west of Ulaanbaatar, two buses leave here to Karakorum every day at 11:00 and 14:00. During the 6-hour journey, the bus will stop once or twice for break and lunch.

If time permits, it is recommended to spend some time to climb the hills for the gorgeous views and sunset.

Erdene Zuu Monastery is the main site of Karakorum. It was first built in 1586, the materials were taken from the abandoned ruins of the old capital at that time. The return buses leave for Ulaanbaatar at 10:00 and 14:00 every day.

If you'd like to explore the further areas like Tovhon Temple and Orhon Waterfall，we suggest you join in a group from your guesthouse. It's usually a two-day trip at the price of US$250 per car. The more travel mates you have, the lower price you get. Moreover, a one-day quick trip is also possible.

The train leaves at 15:22 and takes about 22 hours to get to Irkutsk. You can prepare some supply in the morning. The train arrives at Mongolian border Sukhbaatar at 21:50, and will stop here 80 minutes for the exit formalities. It continues the journey and arrives at the Russian border Naushki at 01:45, the security check and customs take 110 minutes. Passengers do not get off the train, the frontier inspection staff on both sided will board the train themselves. Inspection in Russian side is very strict, passengers will be asked to open their luggage.

The train will arrive at Irkutskat 14:37. If you want to visit the Lake Baikal, then take taxi or take tram No. 1 to get to a stop named Big Market, where you can find round-trip Iveco to tourist center in Listvyanka, they are available every hour. The 70 kilometer journey takes about one and a half hours. Check in at your own booked hotel and have a good rest.

There is a tourist train travels around the lake, and you also can explore Olkhon Island by car. Or, hiking along the GBT route. GBT(Great Baikal Trace) is a world-class hiking route with a one-way journey of more than 20 kilometers. It generally takes 8 hours, we highly recommend a single boat trip to Panda Village to start hiking, or vice versa. However, the ship is available between May and September. If you travel in other seasons, you can hire a boat by yourself or gather some travelers at the hotel to share it. The entrance to GBT is next to the fish market.

Take the minibus back to Irkutsk. The transportation in the city is convenient with tram tracks covered on the ground. You can take public bus No. 35, 4K, 4C or minibus No. 64 to Стадион Динамо to visit the Cathedral of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. Afterwards, you can visit other interesting sites or walk along the Angara River.

The train between Irkutsk and Moscow takes 3 days plus 15 or 16 hours. It is really a long journey, but what comes into sight is always the picturesque scenery. A sleeper lower berth is more comfortable and convenient. Flight between these two cities take about 4 hours. The train will arrive at Ekaterinburg on the third day, passengers who plan to visit this city can buy tickets for this section. The train will arrive at Moscow at 13:58 (Moscow local time) on the 4th day. We wish you a nice trip!