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How to check Russian train
times & fares...
There are
several ways to check train times & fares for journeys
within Russia, Ukraine,
Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and the other ex-Soviet
republics:
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Use the Real Russia online booking system below.
This links directly to the Russian Railways database for
train times & availability, although the prices shown are
those charged by Real Russia, which include their booking
fee (usually 15%-23% above the ticket office price).
You can use this to book online with Real Russia, a good
option.
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Use the
Russian Railways website, www.rzd.ru. This shows
up-to-date train times & availability, plus the actual
Russian Railways price that you'd pay at the ticket office.
The catch is that it's in Russian, but if you know the
Russian alphabet you can still use it even if you don't
speak Russian,
following this step-by-step guide.
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www.poezda.net is another useful resource for Russian,
Ukrainian, and other ex-Soviet states train times.
Travel tips...
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Train fares in
Russia are not particularly expensive, although there have
been significant price rises over the last few years.
In 2009, Moscow-St Petersburg on a
top-quality 'firmeny' sleeper train such as train 1/2 'Red
Arrow' costs around 2,200 roubles (£47). On a lower
quality Moscow-St Petersburg overnight train such as train
56, you can find
kupé tickets for as little as 1,750 rubles (£37),
platskartny berths for 580 rubles (£12), though I'd still
recommend taking the better trains.
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Look for trains
described as 'firm', short for 'firmeny' which is the top
quality category of long-distance fast train with the most
modern coaches and a high standard of on board service.
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Russian fares
vary by season. Higher fares are charged at Easter,
New Year, July & August, lower fares in January & February.
Higher fares are charged for the fast high-quality 'firmeny'
trains, lower fares for slower unnamed low-quality trains.
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On the best
trains you can buy tickets either 'without services' (no
meals) or 'with services' (meals included, either served in
the restaurant or in your compartment). An example of
the sort of meal served can be seen in
these photos from the Moscow-Irkutsk-Vladivostok 'Rossiya'.
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Children:
In Russia, one child aged 0 to 4 travels free, children aged
5 to 9 travel at half fare, children aged 10 and over must
pay full fare.
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Moscow-St
Petersburg is the most popular route in Russia. This trip
has traditionally been made overnight by
comfortable sleeper train (with a hotel bill saved!), though
high-speed daytime trains are about to make their appearance.
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The most
historic Moscow-St Petersburg overnight train and still one of the
best is the 'Krasnya Strela' or 'Red Arrow', train 1
southbound, train 2 northbound, see the photos below. This was Russia's
premier train in Soviet times, and still leaves both Moscow
(Oktyabrskaya/Leningradski station) & St Petersburg (Glavny/Oktyabrskaya/Moskovskaya
station) at 23:55, arriving around 08:25 next morning.
It has high-quality 2-berth an 4-berth sleepers, plus an
expensive deluxe sleeping-car with 2-berth en suite
compartments. Ticket office fare around 4,400 roubles
(£93) in spalny vagon (1st class 2-berth) or 2,200 roubles
(£47) in kupe (2nd class 4-berth). It's now been
joined by a couple of other quality 'Firmeny' trains running
to very similar timings, train 3/4 'Ekspress' and train 5/6
'Nicholaevsky Express'.
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There's now also a privately-run luxury train between St
Petersburg and Moscow overnight, the 'Grand Express'. Fares start from about 3,300
rubles (£65 or $110) for
the cheapest of four classes of sleeper, all with in-room TV
(note that solo passengers must pay for two tickets for sole
occupancy, they cannot share a 2-berth room). The most
expensive rooms have a private shower and toilet.
Their website is
www.grandexpress.ru, also see
www.cinderellatravel.com/russia_grandexpress_train.php.
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New from 18
December 2009: The first 'Sapsan' high-speed
daytime trains will be introduced between Moscow & St
Petersburg taking just 3 hours 45 minutes. The Sapsan
trains are based on the superb
German ICE.
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How to check
fares & times using the Russian Railways website
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Book Moscow-St Petersburg trains
online with Real Russia
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| Above:
Train number 1, the famous Krasnaya Strela (Red
Arrow) from St Petersburg to Moscow. Photo
courtesy of Chris Sparks |
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Above:
A first class 2-berth sleeper on the Krasnaya Strela, from Moscow to St Petersburg. Photo
courtesy of Chris Sparks |
Buy Russian
train tickets online...
You can't buy
Russian train tickets online direct from Russian Railways,
at least not in English, but you can buy them online in
English from Real Russia using this booking system.
This system is good for checking Russian train times, too,
even if you plan to buy tickets at the ticket office.
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What tickets
can this system sell? This system can sell
tickets for any mainline train journey within
Russia, Ukraine, Latvia, Estonia, Belarus,
Lithuania, Kazakhstan and the other ex-Soviet
states. It will also sell tickets for journeys
starting in those countries heading outwards, for
example Moscow to Berlin or St Petersburg to
Helsinki. Reservations officially open 45
days before departure, but Real Russia allow you to
request tickets up to 180 days ahead and they will
contact you for payment when the price is confirmed.
Can
anyone buy tickets using this system? Yes,
you can buy tickets online with a credit card
whether you live in the UK, USA, Canada, Australia,
or wherever.
How
are tickets delivered? Tickets can be
collected free of charge at Real Russia's offices in
Moscow or St Petersburg, or an e-ticket can be
emailed to you so you can collect the ticket from
most main stations in Russia. For journeys
starting in other ex-Soviet countries, tickets can be sent to UK or
EU addresses for a £12-£15 charge, or couriered to
any address worldwide, also for an extra charge.
Who run this
service? Is it reliable? This
service is provided by Real Russia, a reputable
joint UK-Russian company which has got very good
reports from users. Real Russia can also sort out your
Russian visa.
Booking tips: Look for a train marked 'Firm'
if there is one. 'Firmeny' trains are the best
'quality' trains, with modern coaches and good
on-board service. 'TBC' means the system
cannot provide a price for that particular train
automatically, but they'll contact you with a cost
by phone or email.
Is
it cheaper to buy at the ticket office?
Real Russia charge the normal Russian Railways fare
plus a 15-23% mark-up to cover their costs (all
agencies charge a mark-up, in fact Real Russia is
one of the cheapest agencies).
There's a 2.5% charge for credit card payments,
but you can easily avoid this by calling their UK office
to pay by debit card when your tickets are
confirmed. The fares shown include the
mark-up, but not the credit card charge. By
all means buy tickets at the ticket office if you're
flexible, but Russian trains can get fully-booked so
it's good to pre-book if you want a specific date
and train. Russian Railways offer online
booking but it's only in Russian, so it can be worth
the extra to quickly and simply organise your
Russian rail tickets in English. |
How to buy
tickets at the station...
The cheapest
place to buy Russian train tickets is at the station reservation office.
Here are some tips:
-
Remember to take
your passport, even if you only want a Russian domestic train
ticket.
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Russian train
reservations open 45 days before departure, you can't buy
tickets before reservations open.
-
Russian Railways
have an efficient computerised reservation system, and you can
book any journey within or out of Russia at the reservation
office at any Russian railway station.
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To avoid language
problems if you don't speak Russian, it's a good idea to learn
the Russian alphabet so you can write down the journey and
date you want to show to the ticket office staff. When
writing dates, use roman numerals for the month, or example
for '3 June 2008' write '3 VI 2008'.
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People often ask
me, "If I go to the ticket office the day before I want to
travel, will I find tickets available?". Well, if you
know the Russian alphabet, you can check how many berths in
each class are still available on any train on any date within
the next 45 days using the Russian Railways website,
www.rzd.ru,
following the
step-by-step guide below. So you could see how many
berths are left today on trains from (say) Moscow to St
Petersburg tomorrow or the day after. This will give you
a pretty good idea of how many places are likely to be
available if you ask at the station a day or two before
departure.
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Many main stations have a 'servis tsentr' (service centre) where you pay
a small fee (about 100 rubles) to book your ticket in a
relaxed air-conditioned environment. The extra 100
rubles can be well worth it!
Other agencies who can arrange Russian train tickets...
You
can also arrange train travel in Russia through several Russian agencies,
including:
Feedback from
'seat61' correspondents has generally been very positive about
the first three of these Russian agencies, nothing has yet
been received about the All-Russia agency. Remember that
Russian train reservations only open 45 days before departure,
so reservations cannot be confirmed before bookings open -
although obviously, you can contact the agency and arrange the
booking beforehand. Some agencies appear to operate a
waiting list system for key Trans-Siberian trains.
The three types of train...
There are three main
categories of long-distance train in Russia:
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Firmeny: These
are high-quality trains, often with a name such as 'Krasnaya
Strela' (Red Arrow), 'Rossiya' or 'Baikal'. They have the
most modern carriages, often painted in that train's own
special colour scheme, usually air-conditioned and with
good on-board service. These are easily the best
trains to go for, although the fare is a little higher
than for other trains. They usually have
low-numbered train numbers such as '1', '8' or '10', and
they usually have a restaurant car serving drinks,
snacks and affordable complete meals. They
generally have spalny vagon 2-bed sleepers, kupé 4-bed
sleepers and sometimes but not always platskartny
open-plan dormitory sleepers. See below for a
description of classes.
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Skory: Express
train. These usually have spalny vagon 2-berth
sleepers, kupé 4-berth sleepers and platskartny
sleepers, and many have a restaurant car. They
normally have one or two-digit train numbers, for
example '11' or '26'. Cheaper than travelling on a
Firmenny train.
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Passazhirsky:
Ordinary passenger train, often relatively slow and
usually using older carriages. They typically have
3-digit train numbers, for example '904'. They
usually have kupé 4-berth sleepers and platskartny, but
not usually spalny vagon 2-berth sleepers. The
cheapest option, but not recommended!
The three classes of
accommodation...
Long-distance trains within Russia and the former
Soviet republics have three main classes, all designed
for both daytime and overnight travel given the
distances covered by many trains:
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2-berth compartments, 9 compartments per coach,
with both beds at the lower level either side of the
compartment. Washrooms and
toilets are at the end of the corridor. It's twice the
price of travelling kupé, although you get twice the
space per passenger, so it's recommended for those who
want extra privacy and space and who can afford it. SV is also known as 'myagky' or 'lyux'.
On the best 'firmenny' trains you can often buy tickets
with or without 'service', meaning with or without
bedding and meals included. In addition to the normal 2-berth sleepers, the best
Moscow-St Petersburg overnight train (the 'Krasnaya
Strela or 'Red Arrow') also has two deluxe sleeping-cars
with 1- & 2-bed compartments with private toilet and
shower and TV / DVD entertainment system. These
deluxe sleepers were introduced in 2004. |
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4-berth
compartments, 9 compartments per coach. Washrooms
and toilets are at the end of the corridor.
Kupé is recommended as the class chosen by most visitors to Russia.
On the best 'firmenny' trains you can often buy kupé
tickets with or without 'service', meaning with or
without bedding and meals included. |
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Open-plan dormitory
cars. There are 54 bunks
per coach, arranged in bays of 4 on one side of the
aisle and bays of 2 along the coach wall on the other
side of the aisle. Recommended for the most
budget-conscious and adventurous visitors. |
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Strictly-speaking, you'll
also find basic seats on some long distance trains and
on local or suburban trains, known as 'Obshchi', but
this isn't intended for long-distance travel and is not
recommended. There are now a number of daytime
expresses between cities such as Moscow and St
Petersburg, and these have comfortable airline-style
seating in ordinary and 'business' classes rather than
the sleeper-based classes described above. |
Life
on board Russian trains...
Whichever
class of travel you choose, each coach is looked after by a
pair of attendants called a 'provodnik' (male) or 'provodnitsa'
(female). The provodnik will check your ticket at the
door to the sleeper when you board. Shortly after
departure, the provodnik will come round to take your ticket
and the small bedding fee (less than £1). You may be
asked if you would like a glass of black Russian tea ('chai')
- this costs about 15p. Bedding (two sheets,
pillowcase and towel) is then handed out in sealed packs -
blankets and mattresses will already be stacked in your
compartment. After a few journeys, you will become
quite proficient at making up your bed!
A samovar with unlimited free hot water is available at the
end of the corridor - pack some tea or coffee, sugar, cuppa
soups or water-based drinking chocolate and bring your own
mug. Most long distance trains have a restaurant
car serving drinks, snacks, and inexpensive full meals -
reckon on less than £5 for two courses and a couple of
bottles of beer.
Security.
Are Russian trains safe for families or single women?
Yes! There is no need to worry
unduly about security on
Russian trains, even for families or women travelling alone.
How do you think Russian families or solo women travel?
By train, of course, like everyone else! Just use common sense as
you would in a hotel, locking your
door at night and not leaving valuables unattended in your
compartment. In addition to the normal lock on the
compartment door, 'Spalny Wagon' and 'kupé' compartments
have a security latch which stops the door opening more than
an inch or two, and which cannot be released from outside.
There's also a safe place for your bags at night - if you
have a bottom bunk, there is a metal box underneath the bunk
which you can only get to by lifting up the bunk - in other
words, for anyone to get to your bags, they will have to
shift you off your bunk first..! Your provodniks will
probably also lock the access doors at each end of the
corridor at night to prevent unwanted guests. Men and
women share the same compartments in Russia, but it's
generally quite safe for women travelling alone. If you're a
woman and find yourself in sharing with three men that make
you uncomfortable, just ask the provodniks (carriage
attendants) if they can move you.
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Even if you don't speak Russian, if you can understand the
Russian alphabet you can use the Russian Railways (RZD) website
www.rzd.ru to
check current train times, fares & availability within Russia.
The fares shown on their site are the price's you'll pay at
the ticket office, useful for comparison with the prices which travel
agencies quote you.
www.rzd.ru may
also show availability for international trains, but will only
give prices for domestic Russian journeys.
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Step 1: Go to
www.rzd.ru,
and leave it in Russian. Don't click the 'English'
button as this takes you to a few information pages without a
journey planner. Look for the small journey planner box
at bottom left, leave it blank and click the grey search
button.
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Step 2: Naturally, as you left the form blank
you get an error message on the next page. But click the
'New search' button... |
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Step 3: Now we're in
business, as here's the full journey planner. To enter
the origin & destination stations, click the red buttons next
to each box. A pop-up appears with a small on-screen
Russian keyboard. Use it to type in the first few
(Russian) letters of the station name you want, it will then
suggest some station names, select the one you want, click the
left-hand red button in the pop-up box and the station
name will then appear in the relevant journey planner box on
the main screen.
For example, for
Moscow type 'MOCKBA', for St Petersburg type 'CAHKT' (= Sankt
= 'Saint').
Yekaterinburg is
still on the system under the old Soviet name, Sverdlovsk, so
type 'CBEP' as the first few letters.
If it offers you
a choice of stations, pick one with no station name after it,
for example 'MOCKBA (MCK)', as opposed to ones with specific
terminal names after the city name, as this will bring up
trains to any station within that city. Or pick one with
'PACC' (= 'Passenger station') after it.
When you've successfully populated
the journey planner box with origin, destination & date, click
the right-hand red button marked 'Zapros' (= 'search').
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Step 4: Now the
trains appear, with train number, origin-destination, and
available classes. The 'lamda' = lyux/spalny vagon, K =
kupé, the 'Pi' = platskartny.
Click on any of the class symbols
and the price screen will appear.
If you click on a
train's origin-destination, you'll see the complete timetable
for that train, showing all stops it makes.
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Step 5:
Now prices appear, in roubles, for each class (Lyux =
spalny vagon = 1st class 2-berth; Kupe = 2nd class
4-berth; Platskartny = 3rd class open-plan bunks).
These are the prices you'd pay at the ticket office.
There may be several prices in each class - these are the
price with and without services, which means with and
without meals. Obviously, the lowest price in each
class is the 'without services' price. If there's
something you don't understand, remember that Google's
'language tools' page will now translate Russian into
English.
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  There
are two truly remarkable books that are a 'must' for
serious overland travellers and an inspiration for
armchair travellers:
The Thomas Cook European
Timetable...
This is the European train
travel bible, with
train, bus and ferry times for every country in Europe,
including European Russia, Ukraine & Turkey as far as
Istanbul. It costs £13.99 from any branch of
Thomas Cook, or you can buy it online at
www.thomascooktimetables.com.
Alternatively, buy the independent traveller's edition
at Amazon.co.uk,
2009 edition (June to December 2009).
Still not convinced you need one?
More information
on what the Thomas Cook Timetable contains...
The Thomas Cook Overseas Timetable...
This is probably the most adventurous timetable ever
produced. It has train, bus & ferry times for every country in
Asia, Africa, North and South America and Australasia,
including non-European Russia, Asian Turkey, Mongolia, China and the
Trans-Siberian Railway. It costs £13.99 from any branch of Thomas
Cook or you can buy it online at
www.thomascooktimetables.com.
Alternatively, buy the
independent traveller's edition at Amazon.co.uk,
Overseas Timetable summer 2009 edition.
The Thomas Cook Rail Map of
Europe...
This is the best and most comprehensive
map of train routes right across Europe, from Portugal in the
west to Istanbul, Moscow & Ukraine in the east, from Finland
in the north to Sicily & Crete in the south. High speed
&
scenic routes are highlighted. Highly recommended!
Buy online
at Amazon.co.uk with worldwide delivery.
See an extract from the map
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You should take a good guidebook,
and a phrasebook can help too. I think the Lonely Planets
and Rough Guides are about the best there are for the
independent traveller, and you will not regret buying one of
these!
Click the images to buy
at Amazon.co.uk...
Or buy direct from
the
Lonely Planet website, with shipping worldwide.
    
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Hotels
in Moscow, St Petersburg or elsewhere in
Russia...
A guidebook like the Lonely Planet or Rough Guides will point
you at some good hotels in each town or city when you get
there, or you can pre-book a hotel using the search box below. This links to
www.hotelscombined.com, a free search tool
which checks all the main hotel booking sites (Expedia, Travelocity, LateRooms, Opodo, Venere,
Asiarooms and many
others) to find just about the widest range of hotels with the cheapest rates on the net. Set
up in 2005, it's an amazing system and probably the best place
to start for booking any hotel online in any country,
worldwide.
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