Travel with the Trans Siberian Express
- train number 6 from Moscow (Russia) - Ulaan Baatar (Mongolia) = train number 6 to Ulaan Baatar and number 1 to Vladivostok are the only russian trains where places can be booked straight out of Europe (or whatever other country you like). They are both very popular among western tourists, espessially during the summer, drawn to the mystic of the classic Trans-Siberian and -Mongolian Railways.Train number 6 rides only one time per week and is often full booked since months before, chances of buying a ticket for number 6 in Moscow during high season are slim. But there are lots of other trains that do exactly the same route to which you can easily find tickets all year around. - Irkutsk (Russia) - Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia) : there is one train daily, 40$, that departs at 1.43 (Moskow tijd), the tickets are for sale in the tourist till number 1 in Irkutsk. International train tickets can only be bought at a travelagency which are normally only open during office hours and certainly not at 21:00 when the Moscow-Irkutsk train arrives, but you can buy tickets until the border Russia-mongolia, Naushki.
- the cheapest, but most complicated way of getting from Irkutsk to Ulaan Baatar : Irkutsk-Naushki; platskartna 145 Rubel, Naushki-Sukhbaatar the bordercrossingand the most difficoult part since only two wagons will cross the border, 260 Rubel if the customs lets you travel this short distance standing and 360 Rubel if there is a vacant coupe place, no platskartna on this stretch. Sukhbaatar-Ulaan Baatar; 500 Togrog in platskartna and 6700 Togrog in sleeper. Notice; it's better buy your Togrogs in Naushki since in Sukhbaatar there is no exchange office only a cheaky blackmarket guy and you can not pay with Rubels here. Also keep an eye on your baggage in the train since there is a lot more theft in Mongolian trains than in the Russian trains.Don't let yourself be fooled to take the bus that is meeting up with the train in Naushki to the landborder in Kyakhta, the waiting time on the border can take a lot longer than the 280+140 minutes on the train crossing at it will work out the same in the end since if you go by bus you have to continue by expensive taxi on the Mongolian side of the border.
- Voor meer informatie over reizen in Mongolië, zie de Reisgids Mongolie.
