Moscow to Beijing on the Trans-Siberian Railway
My recent trek on the Trans-Siberian Railway was the adventure of a lifetime. The one month trip beginning in mid-May was a wonderful opportunity to get to know the countries of Russia, Mongolia and China and the friendly people who live there. I flew from San Francisco to Moscow, took the Trains-Siberian Railway from Moscow to Beijing via Mongolia and then flew home to San Francisco, making a complete circuit around the globe. As one of the great train journeys of the world, the Trans-Siberian Railway from Moscow to Beijing is also one of the longest at about 5,800 miles.
Lots of Different Trains
The Trans-Siberian Railway is not a specific train that you get on in Moscow and get off in either Vladivostok on the eastern coast of Russia or in Beijing, China. Rather, it is a series of many trains that you can get on and off as you please, making it possible to tailor your own trip and make stops along the way. After a layover in Moscow, I set out on a Saturday morning for Vladimir, a beautiful little town in what is known as the Golden Ring, three hours away. The local train was packed with Moscovites heading out to the country for the weekend. Check out the video below for a taste of what the first leg of my trip on the Trans-Siberian Railway was like. In the next article, I will show my itinerary and the stops I made along the way, to help you in planning your trip.
Wow, what fun. I might need to add a trip on the Trans-Siberian Railway to my bucket list!