Single track of the Circum-Baikal Railway running along the shore of Lake Baikal below a rock cliff

Trans-Siberian Railway: Route, Stops and Tickets

Seven days nonstop, two to three weeks done properly, and the ticket and visa questions that come first.

5,772 mi · 6 days · Easy
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Photo: Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0

The Trans-Siberian is one railway of 5,772 miles (9,289 km) from Moscow Yaroslavsky station to Vladivostok, crossing seven hours of clocks. You can ride it without leaving the train: train 2, the Rossiya, takes 6 days 22 hours, with a stop of 20 to 30 minutes every few hours. Almost nobody should. The line is a chain of cities a day apart by train, and the interesting version stops in them.

Plan 2 to 3 weeks. Seven nights in a carriage is the same view for seven days, and the best days are in the cities: Moscow, Yekaterinburg, Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk and Baikal, Ulan-Ude and Vladivostok. Train 2 stops in all of them, and you can book each section on its own, which is why the long sales window matters. Kazan is not on the route train 2 takes (via Yaroslavl, Kirov and Perm). Trains from Moscow's Kazansky station reach Yekaterinburg by way of Kazan instead, so if you want the city, take one of those and treat it as an alternative first leg.

The decisions that matter come before the train. Russia is a hard destination today, with government advice against travel, cards that do not work and a visa to arrange. And the Trans-Mongolian and Trans-Manchurian branches to Beijing, the classic dream version of this trip, have no through train from Moscow today (details under Ulan-Ude and in the questions). Allow time for the visa, buy tickets with a method that works for you, and read the advice for your own passport.

The Route on the Map

Each day in its own color, with the start and every night's stop numbered along the way.

Loading map...

Route line: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), simplified.

Day by Day

6 legs and 5 nights on the way, each in a different place.

  1. Day 1

    Day 1: Moscow to Yekaterinburg: across the Urals

    Moscow Yaroslavsky railway stationtoYekaterinburg railway station

    Distance
    1,128 mi 1,816 km

    The first section is 1,128 miles (1,816 km) and takes about 33 hours on train 2, which leaves Moscow around midnight and runs through Yaroslavl, Kirov and Perm. Kirov is the first long stop, and Perm sits on the Kama River. Trains from Moscow's Kazansky station reach Yekaterinburg by way of Kazan instead, on a different line that the map does not draw.

    On board, each carriage has an attendant, the provodnitsa, who checks tickets and hands out bedding (about 100 RUB, $1.20, when the ticket does not include it). A samovar at the end of the carriage gives free hot water. The dining car is expensive for what it serves, with a main dish around $6 to $9, and platform vendors sell eggs, fish, bread and fruit at the 20 to 30 minute stops, for rubles only.

    Yekaterinburg is on the dividing line of Europe and Asia and is the natural first night. See 3 Days in Yekaterinburg. The guide for the capital you start from is 5 Days in Moscow.

    Sleep
    Yekaterinburg, or your berth on train 2 · Town
    Water
    Free hot water from the samovar in each carriageReported Nov 2026, verify before you go
  2. Day 2

    Day 2: Yekaterinburg to Novosibirsk: the West Siberian plain

    Yekaterinburg railway stationtoNovosibirsk-Glavny railway station

    Distance
    924 mi 1,487 km

    This is 924 miles (1,487 km) and about 22 hours on train 2, through Tyumen and Omsk. It is the flat, forested stretch that gives the railway its reputation for sameness, and it is the one most people are happy to sleep through. Novosibirsk is on the Ob River, and the Turkestan-Siberia railway branches south from here.

    Sleep
    Novosibirsk, or your berth on train 2 · Town
    Water
    Free hot water from the samovar in each carriageReported Nov 2026, verify before you go
  3. Day 3

    Day 3: Novosibirsk to Krasnoyarsk: the Yenisei

    Novosibirsk-Glavny railway stationtoKrasnoyarsk railway station

    Distance
    473 mi 762 km

    The shortest section is 473 miles (762 km) and about 14 hours on train 2, so it is the one that fits a night in a berth and a morning in the city. Krasnoyarsk is on the Yenisei River and has its own guide, 3 Days in Krasnoyarsk.

    Sleep
    Krasnoyarsk, or your berth on train 2 · Town
    Water
    Free hot water from the samovar in each carriageReported Nov 2026, verify before you go
  4. Day 4

    Day 4: Krasnoyarsk to Irkutsk: toward Baikal

    Krasnoyarsk railway stationtoIrkutsk Passenger railway station

    Distance
    676 mi 1,088 km

    This is 676 miles (1,088 km) and about 19 hours on train 2, past Tayshet and Nizhneudinsk. Irkutsk is the city to stop in for Lake Baikal: allow at least two nights, and see 5 Days in Irkutsk for Listvyanka, the Circum-Baikal railway and Olkhon.

    The Baikal stretch begins past Irkutsk. On train 2 the timetable shows Slyudyanka, where the line reaches the lake, at 19:40 Moscow time, which is 00:40 local, and the shore stretch beyond it passes after midnight. That means a nonstop eastbound traveler sees the lake in the dark. The lake lies north of the tracks along the south shore, so it is on the left side of an eastbound train. If you want to see it in daylight, stop in Irkutsk and take a daytime train or the tourist train along the shore (Circum-Baikal tourist train).

    Sleep
    Irkutsk, or your berth on train 2 · Town
    Water
    Free hot water from the samovar in each carriageReported Nov 2026, verify before you go
  5. Day 5

    Day 5: Irkutsk to Ulan-Ude: around the south shore

    Irkutsk Passenger railway stationtoUlan-Ude railway station

    Distance
    312 mi 502 km

    The 312 miles (502 km) takes about 9 hours on train 2 and goes through Slyudyanka, Baikalsk and Mysovaya along the south shore of the lake. Ulan-Ude, the capital of Buryatia, is where the Trans-Mongolian branch leaves the main line. See 3 Days in Ulan-Ude.

    South of here the Trans-Mongolian line runs to Ulaanbaatar and Beijing, and the Trans-Manchurian leaves the main line near Tarskaya for Zabaikalsk, Manzhouli and Harbin. As of 10 November 2026 there is no through Moscow to Beijing train on either (details in the questions below), so Beijing means connections.

    Sleep
    Ulan-Ude, or your berth on train 2 · Town
    Water
    Free hot water from the samovar in each carriageReported Nov 2026, verify before you go
  6. Day 6

    Day 6: Ulan-Ude to Vladivostok: the long run to the Pacific

    Ulan-Ude railway stationtoVladivostok railway station

    Distance
    2,258 mi 3,634 km

    The last section is 2,258 miles (3,634 km) and about 70 hours on train 2, the longest stretch without a big city. It passes Chita, Skovorodino, Belogorsk and Khabarovsk, climbs over the Yablonovy pass at 3,510 feet (1,070 m), the highest point of the railway, and ends at the Pacific. The train reaches Vladivostok at 06:17 local time after 6 days 22 hours since Moscow; see 3 Days in Vladivostok.

Permits

No permit is required

Getting There and Back

How to reach the start of the Trans-Siberian Railway, and how to get home from the end.

The start

Moscow Yaroslavsky station, the terminus of the line. Train 2 (the Rossiya) leaves from here for Vladivostok, around midnight or shortly after according to timetable sites, so you board in the small hours. Departure time and days change, so check them for your date on RZD. Tickets: RZD sells on its site and app, and RZD announced in September 2023 that long-distance trains are on sale 90 days before departure; cross-border trains have a shorter window. Foreign bank cards may be refused on the Russian site. Options that are reported to work: a Russian Mir card, an agent that charges your own card for an extra 30 to 50 percent, or the ticket hall at a big station, in rubles. Classes: SV is a two-berth compartment, kupe a four-berth compartment, platskart an open carriage of fold-down bunks. Fares are dynamic and move with date and demand, so the real price for the whole run is what the booking engine shows.

The end

Vladivostok station, the last stop of the 5,772 miles (9,289 km). The Rossiya arrives after 6 days 22 hours, at 06:17 local time. Vladivostok is 7 hours ahead of Moscow, and since 1 August 2018 RZD tickets and station boards show local time, so the clock changes as you ride east. Some timetable sites still print Moscow time for trains inside Russia, so read the label on your ticket.

Safety

  • The UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to Russia (last updated 30 October 2026), citing drone attacks, short-notice airspace and airport closures and very limited consular help, and warns that insurance may not cover you. The US State Department rates Russia Level 4, Do Not Travel. Read your own government's advice before you pay for anything that cannot be refunded.

  • The clock changes between stops, and platform stops last as little as 1 or 2 minutes at small stations. Look at the stop time on your ticket in local time, stay within sight of your carriage and board when the attendant calls, because the train leaves on time.

  • In winter the platform is the cold part: Irkutsk January averages are about -2 F (-19 C). Keep your coat and shoes by the door for the 20 to 30 minute stops, and do not walk off to a market you cannot get back from.

  • Visa and money are the delays. Foreign bank cards are widely reported not to work inside Russia, so plan for cash and carry rubles for the platform vendors.

  • Timetables, route and cross-border services change at short notice. Check train 2 and your onward connection on the RZD site again a week before you leave and the day before each leg.

Trans-Siberian Railway: FAQ

How long does the Trans-Siberian take?

Train 2, the Rossiya, takes 6 days 22 hours from Moscow to Vladivostok without a break. With a night in each of the big cities, two to three weeks is a better plan, and it lets you book each section on its own.

Do the trains to Beijing run now?

No through train from Moscow to Beijing runs (trains 3 and 4, the Trans-Mongolian, and 19 and 20, the Trans-Manchurian, were suspended in 2020, as of 10 November 2026). Mongolia asked Russia and China in November 2025 to restore Moscow to Ulaanbaatar to Beijing. A weekly Beijing to Ulaanbaatar train was reported back on 3 June 2025, and press reports in February 2026 said a train between Zabaikalsk and Manzhouli (353 and 354) would restart on 8 March with through cars from Irkutsk. Check RZD, Ulaanbaatar Railway and China Railway before you plan anything on this branch; see 5 Days in Beijing for the Beijing end.

How far ahead can I buy tickets?

RZD announced in September 2023 that long-distance trains are on sale 90 days before departure. Cross-border trains have a shorter window, so check each one.

Can I pay for RZD tickets with a foreign card?

Often not. The Russian site may refuse overseas cards, and the reports disagree on whether any foreign card works today. Options reported to work: a Russian Mir card, an agent that charges your own card for an extra 30 to 50 percent, or the ticket hall at a station in rubles.

Which side of the train is the best for Lake Baikal?

On an eastbound train the lake lies north of the tracks along the south shore, so it is on the left. Train 2 passes it after midnight, though, so for daylight stop in Irkutsk or Slyudyanka first.

Is the Trans-Siberian better in summer or winter?

Summer has the long daylight and the green taiga; winter has the snow and the empty trains, with sunset around 16:50 in Irkutsk on the shortest day and a January average of about -2 F (-19 C). The carriages are heated, so both work.

Do I need a visa and a registration in every city?

Most visitors need a visa. Citizens of 64 states can apply for the e-visa on the official portal, issued within 4 days; check the list of entry points. Ask your hotel how registration works where you stay, and check the rule for each stop before you go.

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