Questions on Mongolia

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voyageo
voyageo

Hello,
I'm planning to travel to Mongolia in mid-May, and since I only have more or less a week there I have to plan my trip carefully. I've been trying to find the exact days of departure of the international train from Beijing to UB and vice versa, but it seems the more I do my research the more conflicting information I receive. Some say it's Monday and Tuesday while others say Wednesday and Saturday.
My questions are:
1) On which days does the international train leave Beijing for UB? And which days does it leave UB for Beijing?
2) Can I buy the ticket on my own in Beijing and UB? Or do I need to use a travel agent?
3) To apply for a Mongolian visa, do I need to attach a proof of train reservation?
4) I read in another post that an invitation letter is now required for a Mongolian visa, even for just a week's visit? Can anybody confirm this please?
Thanks so much!

J

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ellyse
ellyse

2) You cannot buy on your own, at least not in Beijing.
3) and 4) Please indicate your passport nationality.
Also please bother to read through previous posts on this topic. I believe at least 1) had been answered before.
Cheers!

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maemcdonald
maemcdonald

Hey Ellyse - let's keep it friendly, huh? You probably didn't intend it that way, but "please bother to read through previous posts" comes off as a bit testy. She mentioned that she'd already been doing her research. Maybe some of the conflicting information she found was on this forum! Wouldn't be the first time....

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everbrite
everbrite

1) Man in Seat 61
Trains are as follows
#3 Beijing to Moscow departs on Wednesdays
#23 Beijing to UB departs on Tuesdays usually. In summer beginning in June some time they usually add another train on Saturdays

#4 Moscow to Beijing passes through UB on Sundays
#24 UB to Beijing operates year round on Thursdays. In summer beginning in June some time they usually add another train on Fridays.

  1. You must use CITS or an agent for Beijing to UB. In fact, it would appear at present that these tickets are not available until 3 days before departure.

Try contacting CITS, http://www.cits.net or Richard Tian of Ocean Travel, whose email is [oceantravelcn@yahoo.com.cn] or [richards@public3.bta.net.cn]. Reportedly these companies are quite reliable about obtaining the tickets at a fair price and delivering them during the day to your hostel or hotel in Beijing. Be sure to add them to your address book so that your spam filter does not "Eat" their responses.

  1. No proof of train ticket but you might need an invitation from a travel agency or confirmation from a guest house. It depends upon your passport and where you are applying. Since you don't mention either, I can't comment further.

  2. It depends upon your passport and where you apply neither of which you mentioned. If you are applying in Beijing, yes, you will need an invitation even for one week.

Ruth

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firearm
firearm

comes off as a bit testy

That's just her way. I think it's kinda cute.

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chramirez
chramirez

Re. invitation letter, I am Colombian and got my visa at the Mongolian Embassy in Beijing last week. No invitation letter needed, although they have this as a requirement when you check their webpage.

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