Russian Rail

How To Book Tickets And Travel On Russian Rail

Russian rail services are very popular, as Russia is a vast country with many miles between each of the major cities. Driving between cities would be a nightmare, as the journey would take such a long time you would have to keep stopping for breaks. Even then, it would be very expensive unless you had several people in the vehicle to reduce the cost. You could fly from city to city, but flights are still considerably more expensive than the obvious option of using the train. Locals in Russia are seasoned train travelers, and, thanks to the demand, prices are kept at a reasonable level.

When you visit Russia, you are going to have to do just a little more research than you would with most other countries within Europe. The vast majority of this huge country is rural, and even twenty years after the fall of communism there is very little English spoken. The younger generations are learning it, as a necessity for doing business in the new commercial world, but there are still many thousands of people who don’t speak a single word. Russian itself is a very difficult language for a Westerner to learn.

In the major cities, you will find more English spoken, as Russia has had to attract international travelers and businessmen to kick start the economy following the fall of communism. Nevertheless, it is unwise to leave too much of your planning until you arrive in Russia. This applies especially to travel arrangements, and with the Russian train system it is unnecessary. The best way is to buy the tickets you need from the Internet using pages which have been translated into English, and then use them for easy travel.

Popular Russian Rail Trips

One of the most popular and enduring trips on Russian trains is the Trans Siberian tour. This is not, as many might think, one train traveling one long winding route, it is a network of lines used by many local trains as they cover a vast distance. Over nine thousand kilometers of track make up this huge section of Russian rail, and to travel it all would be one of the great trips of your lifetime. Even tickets on these networks can be bought online before you travel.

You can even use the Trans Siberian tour network to visit Mongolia and China, if you want to take this even further. There are so many possible side trips you can make that you really could spend every vacation of your life just getting to know this one area. If you are new to Russia, it will probably be better to incorporate a short trip to the area into a wider vacation designed to take in all of the many different aspects of Russian life. When you know more about the country, you can return with more specific goals in mind. Whatever you do, remember to travel using Russian rail.