Hey Guys, I wrote down how to plan a backpacking tour through Russia. How to organize the Transsiberian Railway Route and I want to tell you how much money I spend for that!
At the beginning I googled how to get Tickets for Transs-Railway online. I made some thoughts which places I would like to visit and made a plan for my route on a map. My Route: Moscow - Yekateriburg - Novosibirsk - Irkutsk - Ulan Ude - Mongolia (Mongolia will be en extra post).
If I would do the same route again I would skip Novosibirsk, I did not like the city. I would rather visit Kazan (a tipp for you).
Online you can get really cheap prices for transs-train, but I did not trust them. I do not why, you have no secure and you never know if they just want to gamble you. I wanted to have a personal consultant. Btw online I could get Tickets for the whole Route just for 300 Euro. Pretty cheap. But as I wrote I was unsure about agencies online, imagine you would get stuck in Russia in the middle of Siberia, then you will be f*cked :P
Me in Moscow :)
I began to call travel agencies in Germany and wrote them Mails of my route. My requirements were: I do not want to travel with a tour group and I want just travel in the third class. I wanted to get to know the real life in Russia. I would suggest you, if you want to have adventure to travel not with a tour group and in a third class train. You will get to know Russia and their people pretty fast. Russians want to speak with you. But you need someone who can speak Russian. Usually Russians do not speak englisch. I traveled with my german friend Petra. I speak Russian and I translated everything to her :) We really get to know some funny and interesting people during our backpacking tour.
In the 3th class wagon you will sleep with 60 person together during your travel
I had really big problems to find a travel agency who wanted to sell tickets for me. They just said: "That is too much work for us and we do not get much for that work, we will not earn money with you! "However, I did not give up and was very persistent. That was my key to luck and I really found a german travel agency, and they wanted to make my dreams come true. If you want to contact the agency feel free to write me in steemit chat.
I visited a little village located next to Yekaterinburg. Almost every Russian citizen has a own cabin on the countryside
The next step is: "How to get a Visa for Russia?" - I made a post about it, cause it is not that easy to get a visa for Russia, but possible https://steemit.com/backpacking/@lenatramper/how-to-get-a-russian-visa
The Tickets for the Transs-Railway you will get 6 weeks before travel. I do not advise to buy tickets at the counter in Russia. It can happen after you have been in a long queue for hours that tickets are suddenly sold out. They attached just as many train wagons as many passengers have booked their sleeping beds. Long distance trains have just sleeping beds, no seats. But if you have lots of time feel free to buy tickets at the counter in Russia. I had just one month and wanted to be sure to get tickets.
Holly orthodox church in Yekaterinburg
The next though is: "Where can I sleep?" Tipp: If you have a long railway route -- use it as your sleeping place. You will save money for a accommodation and at the same time you are on the way to your next destination (use a overnight train).
I drove at midnight from Moscow Yeroslav Station to Yekaterinburg main rail station. I did not sleep in Moscow, that is why I came back again to Moscow in one of my other travel trips :) I slept in a hotel in Yekaterinburg. I met my local guide at the train station. I had just a photo of my guide, he was an old classmate of my dad in the former soviet union.
To travel to Russia you need an invitation from Russia. You can get this invitation from a Russian person who is living in Russia or through a Russian Hotel in Russia. For tourists it is just easier to book a hotel room, one night is fine and you will get automatically an invitation. I know it is not that easy to travel to Russia :D But not impossible :P
I wanted to find a hotel in Russia itself. Do not do it, cause some hotels are not allowed to take tourists. I do not why, but it is how it is and I just booked my hotel room in Russia already in Germany.
Novosibirsk
In Novosibirsk I slept in a hotel, too. That have been the only hotels I have been. Rest of the travel I slept at locals apartments / houses.
A local student from Novosibirsk, I met him in the in the bus
From Novosibirsk I traveled to Siberia. I jumped off the train in Irkutsk and met my local guides over there. They lived on the countryside in Siberia. I was able to sleep and to eat there. In general Russian people are very hospitable people with a big heart.
Me and some soldiers that were sleeping with us in the same 3th class wagon
How I get to know my local guides from Siberia. I just asked some Russians in Germany if they have some relatives in this area where I would be able to sleep. And I found a very kind family that were my hosts and showed me around.
Me and my hosts, driving around by boat. Lake Baykal, the deepest freshwater lake in the world
I was able to sleep in a typical tradition Siberian wood house
From Siberia I drove to Ulan Ude, Ulan Ude is located in Buryatia. Locals call this area the mediterran Siberia. I lived in a commune with three other Buryat girls. They showed me around. Feel free to bring some presents, they appreciate it and it is just to show politeness. I gave some money or invited them to a restaurant to have dinner.
Me in Buryatia
Cost for Train and 2 Hotels:
- Train Moscow to Yekaterinburg 3th class: 150 Euro
- Hotel per night in Yekaterinburg 60 Euro
- Train Yekaterinburg to Novosibirsk 3th class 150 Euro
- Hotel per night in Novosibirsk 65 Euro
- Train Novosibirsk to Irkutsk 3th class 145 Euro
- Train Irkutsk to Ulan Ude second class 120 Euro
See You Soon! Big Hug Lena <3 <3 <3