{"id":5404,"date":"2014-04-02T06:33:59","date_gmt":"2014-04-02T06:33:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/?p=5404"},"modified":"2018-08-16T15:57:14","modified_gmt":"2018-08-16T15:57:14","slug":"discover-russia-by-rail-pros-and-cons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/discover-russia-by-rail-pros-and-cons\/","title":{"rendered":"Discovering Russia by Rail"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Russia<\/a>

Russia by Train<\/p><\/div>\n

The distance between Mogilev, the city where I grew up, and Orenburg, the city where most of my family live, is roughly 1250 miles. Every summer my parents and I would take a train there so I can spend the summer with my grandparents. The train ride was about 32 hours long but I always enjoyed it because it allowed me to see new places, new faces, and create new memories. Being on a train for so long creates this new type of reality, a reality that is greatly dependent on who is traveling with you, how well you are able to mingle with people and how easily you can adjust to things. If you know what to expect, prepare in advance and leave the “high maintenance” traveler attitude at home, you can have an unforgettable experience discovering Russia by train.<\/p>\n

Generally, long distance trains in Russia have 3 types of cars: \u043f\u043b\u0430\u0446\u043a<\/b><\/span>\u0430<\/b><\/span><\/span>\u0440\u0442<\/b><\/span> (a car where the beds are on both sides, with no doors \u2013 cheapest), \u043a\u0443\u043f<\/b><\/span>\u0435<\/b><\/span><\/span> (car is split up into rooms, 4 beds in each room \u2013 more expensive), and \u0441\u043f<\/b><\/span>\u0430<\/b><\/span><\/span>\u043b\u044c\u043d\u044b\u0439 \u0432\u0430\u0433<\/b><\/span>\u043e<\/b><\/span><\/span>\u043d<\/b><\/span> or \u043b\u044e\u043a\u0441<\/b><\/span> (car split up into rooms, 2 beds in each room \u2013 the most expensive).<\/p>\n

In order to be able to enjoy a lengthy train ride, you definitely need to be in a \u0441\u043f<\/b><\/span>\u0430<\/b><\/span><\/span>\u043b\u044c\u043d\u044b\u0439 \u0432\u0430\u0433<\/b><\/span>\u043e<\/b><\/span><\/span>\u043d, \u0432\u0430\u0433<\/b><\/span>\u043e<\/b><\/span><\/span>\u043d \u043b\u044e\u043a\u0441 <\/b><\/span>or <\/b><\/span>\u0432\u0430\u0433<\/b><\/span>\u043e<\/b><\/span><\/span>\u043d \u043a\u0443\u043f<\/b><\/span>\u0435<\/b><\/span><\/span> \u0441 \u043f\u043e\u0432<\/b><\/span>\u044b<\/b><\/span><\/span>\u0448\u0435\u043d\u043d\u043e\u0439 \u043a\u043e\u043c\u0444<\/b><\/span>\u043e<\/b><\/span><\/span>\u0440\u0442\u043d\u043e\u0441\u0442\u044c\u044e<\/b><\/span> <\/b>(it all basically means a sleeping car for 2 or 4). I looked into prices for such seats here in US and they are through the roof! Luckily in Russia it is considerably cheaper. To give you a reference point, my ticket from Moscow to Orenburg (1000 miles apart) in 2013 was about $250 ($500 round trip) in \u0432\u0430\u0433\u043e\u043d \u043a\u0443\u043f\u0435 \u0441 \u043f\u043e\u0432\u044b\u0448\u0435\u043d\u043d\u043e\u0439 \u043a\u043e\u043c\u0444\u043e\u0440\u0442\u043d\u043e\u0441\u0442\u044c\u044e (a new sleeping car for 4). The price for these tickets is out of reach for a lot of Russian people so the cars rarely fill up. The room in the car sleeps 4 but usually the upper 2 are empty, like they were when I traveled with my son last year (see pictures below).<\/p>\n

\"train7\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"train-4\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"train-7\"<\/a><\/p>\n

You can also ask for the room that sleeps 2 but they will be a bit more, some trains, like the one I took, simply do not have them. Alternatively, you can buy cheaper tickets for \u043f\u043b\u0430\u0446\u043a\u0430\u0440\u0442 or \u043a\u0443\u043f\u0435 but I do not recommend doing so, unless you do not mind sharing 10 feet of space with other people.<\/p>\n

Here are some tips that you might find helpful if you decide to take a long train ride through Russia.<\/p>\n