Trans-Siberian - about the train

what is the train like?

Your journey on today's Trans-Siberian railway will certainly be comfortable, rather than luxurious! Leave the tux and party dress at home. Attire on the Trans-Siberian is definitely informal. Utilitarian, solidly built cabins, regulated temperatures and public areas are the flavour. That said, the train is cosy and warm particularly in winter, your cabin will offer enough space for comfort and importantly large windows for great views of the countryside rolling by.

what are the cabins like?

This program is based on 2nd Class 4-berth mixed - sex compartments. Despite the myth, neither 1st or 2nd Class offer shower or en-suite facilities! There is however a WC/wash basin at the end of every wagon. There is plenty of luggage space in the bins under the two lower berths and the cabin door can be locked by turning the door catch and pulling a metal catch out to the left of the door. Each cabin has a small table (with bottle opener underneath), a small fold-out ladder to help people to the upper berths and coathangers and hooks to allow you to hang stuff up.
All routes longer than 24 hours have a buffet/ Dining car service. Available to all passengers, you can sit down to cafe-style food paid for in local currency.

IS it safe to travel alone?

Yes but be fully aware that the Trans-Siberian adventure is emphatically not a 'tour'. It runs as an independent package combining the train journey(s), stopovers and accommodation (if any) and accompanying ground touring arrangements. You will not be travelling in a group and will not have a group 'tour' leader with you. If you travel alone you will share the 4-berth cabin with 3 other people - these will not necessarily be GOBUS passengers, you could be sharing with 2 Russians and a Mongolian. If you are in anyway nervous about taking this adventure alone then find a friend to travel with - you're covering a lot of miles so it's important you enjoy the experience!

what is there to eat onboard?

Don't panic - you won't starve! All the main Trans-sib trains have a Buffet/Dining wagon open generally between 09:00-21:00. The service is provided by whichever country you are crossing. Typical Russian meals include ham & eggs for brekkie, schnitzel and potatoes for lunch or dinner, with soups & salads for starters. You can also purchase beer, Russian champagne, vodka, chocolate and snacks. The Mongolian Buffet/dining wagon will invariably offer rice and mutton and other dishes. The Chinese buffet/Dining wagon will offer Chinese nosh such as noodles, fried rice, vegetable dishes & suchlike. You can buy snacks and drinks off a wagon which is sometimes wheeled through the carriage or alternatively you can buy fruit & vegetables from the many vendors on station platforms when the train stops. If you have a sensitive stomach it would be better to go for non-meat snacks from the platform vendors!

drinks onboard

There are loads of drinks available for purchase – vodka, beer, champagne & wine, brandy, water, soft drinks, tea, coffee to name a few! For those feeling really brave why not try the Airag – the most famous Mongolian alcoholic drink made from fermented mare’s milk….. hmmm, perhaps not!

what is there to do onboard?

When you get into a little routine aboard, you’ll actually be amazed by how quickly the time whizzes by. If you want to sit and do nothing, there’ll be up to 7 days (if heading straight through on our red express) to do as little as you want. You also have the option of reading yourself blind, writing, learning Russian (useful), conversing with any number of people, playing chess or cards, drinking tea, looking out for sights listed in your trusty Trans-Siberian handbook (invest in one), getting off at station stops and taking photos, eating all you want, watching the scenery slip by, or the Russian favourite - drinking yourself to a stupor on neat vodka!

trans-siberian etiquette

Smoking is not permitted at any time in the cabins. In fact, smoking is only permitted in designated areas between cars. Doors from the main section of the cabins separate these areas.

If tucking in to a snack in the cabin - offer some around. Eating is a primary diversion and it's fun to make a social event of it! If sharing a mixed-sex cabin, it is polite to exit, if your cabin-mate needs to get changed. This particularly applies if sharing a cabin with a woman or women. It also affords the person trying to get changed more space in which to execute the task.

Confine your belongings to your bunk/luggage space and try to keep things as tidy as you can in the cabin. Remember, you're sharing this small space with others! Lastly, don't get left behind. Never stray far from the train at designated stops. Check the length of stop before you get off the train, you don't want to be left behind!