Guides

Choosing Your Ideal Trans-Siberian Railway Journey
For Australian travellers, the Trans-Siberian railway is less a single holiday than a family of long-distance journeys. The route can mean a direct crossing of…
The colors of autumn in Russia along the Trans-Siberian
Autumn transforms the Trans-Siberian Railway into a moving gallery of gold, copper and deep green. As the train travels east from Moscow, birch forests…
Learning Cyrillic for Russian Rail Travel and Local Dining
A few Cyrillic letters can make a long railway journey across Russia, China, or Mongolia feel far less mysterious. You do not need fluent Russian to recognise…
How Foreigners Can Reserve Train Tickets Online
Planning a long-distance rail journey through Russia, Mongolia or China involves more than choosing a departure time. Foreign travellers must match the correct…
Trekking In The Sayan Mountains: A Short Detour From The Main Line
The Sayan Mountains offer a rewarding change of pace for travellers riding across Siberia. Instead of spending every day beside a railway carriage window, you…
Beijing to Moscow by Rail: Vignettes of a Six-Day Odyssey
The Beijing–Moscow railway journey unfolds at a human pace. Over six days and five nights, the landscape changes from northern Chinese cities to Mongolian…
Aboard the Irkutsk to Moscow night train: a rolling window on Siberia
There is a particular hush that falls over a Russian platform about twenty minutes before a long-distance train pulls in. Worn suitcases lean against cold…
Russian Souvenirs at St. Petersburg Fairs: Avoiding Tourist Traps
St. Petersburg has long been Russia's cultural window to the West, a city of imperial palaces, broad canals, and a souvenir trade catering to visitors for…
Gobi Desert Packing Guide: Overnight Camping and Camel Trekking Tips
Australian travellers heading from Sydney or Melbourne toward the southern fringes of Mongolia find that the Gobi operates on its own seasonal rhythm. While…
Altai Mountains Jeep Adventures From the Trans-Siberian
A journey across Russia by rail can be shaped around far more than the famous stops. Travellers taking the Trans-Siberian east from Moscow may add an optional…