train and visa info to get me started

If you want to travel cheaply, then fly to Beijing and take the bus to the border and then the train to Mongolia from there. I promise that it will cost less than getting the various visas and taking the train across Europe.

The prices you have been quoted are from which company? They include markups; whether you consider these markups to be excessive is for you to decide. I certainly can't tell you that they are ok. Despite my love of Russia and long distance train rides, I would personally never choose to spend 5 days traveling by train across Russia without making some stops.

Below are the actual costs for the visas; all this information was found on the website of each embassy in London. All of these actual costs are based on your delivering the paperwork and regular processing time, which is generally about a week for each visa.

Actual cost if you applied yourself for the Belarus transit visa is 63 pounds. (you must obtain the Russian tourist visa first)
Actual cost of the Russia tourist visa is 75.3 pounds plus 7.40 pounds if you want it returned by post
To obtain the Russian tourist visa you will need "support documents". These documents will cost you 15 pounds.
Actual cost of the Mongolian tourist visa is 40 pounds.
Actual cost of the Chinese tourist visa, double entry (not sure why you need double entry) is 79.50 pounds plus more if you need to have it mailed back to you.

2nd class train ticket from Moscow to UB is more difficult to determine that actual cost. I can't find an actual ticket price, but what you quote seems high. Svezhy Veter, a Russia based company, quotes a price of 376 USD which is about 230 pounds. Try contacting Russian Trains for more price information. I am pretty sure that they charge the actual price of the ticket plus a handling fee which is fixed.

There are only two trains per week from Ulan Bator to Beijing. One is the #4 which starts in Moscow and departs UB on Sundays and the K24 which departs on Thursdays. Tickets should be purchased at the train station, probably a couple of days in advance. If for some reason, there are no tickets, it is possible to take a local daily train to the border, cross the border and then take a bus to Beijing.

For a ger stay, try contacting a guesthouse or gertoger.org.

Ruth

Hello Ruth and thanks for the quick reply.

Yes I know it would be cheaper to fly but I just like the idea of getting the train from my home town and getting to where im going without flying, even if I am a little pissed off about the Belarus transit visa, and the 5 day train journey, well lets just wait and see how I get on with that!

So it looks like there taking a £20 mark up on each visa, but if I sent off for them myself I would have 4 lots of recorded delivery postage to pay instead of just one to this company, so looking at it this way it may not be to bad, as for the double entry visa (china) I was told I would need this if I was to go to Hong Kong then back into china.

As for the train ticket price, I will have to look into that as there is a £40 difference.

so you think I will have no problem getting a place on the train from UB to Beijing? Its just I don’t know how im going to handle the cold so I have no idea how long I will want to stay, I have read it will be -25oc in early February in UB?

Thanks again

Yep. February is the coldest month of the year in the northern hemisphere. Dress in layers. Be sure to have warm waterproof footwear, a hat and gloves with lines.

Yes. There is about a 20 pound markup per visa.

You could avoid the Belarus transit visa by taking the train through Ukraine or by taking the train to Gdansk and then taking a bus to Riga or Tallinn and taking the train to Russia from there. If you go to Vilnius and then to Moscow you still ned the transit visa but not if you go Vilnius to Petersburg.

I really would recommend stopping someplace in Russia, perhaps Irkutsk.

Yes, you need a double entry Chinese visa if you intend to go to Hong Kong and then back to China.

If you want to travel on a specific date from UB to Beijing then contact a guest house in UB to purchase tickets on your behalf or use a UB based travel agency.

It wasn't any difficult to get the visas myself from the embassies, like my visa to Mongolia arrived by post within 4 days. For get stay and train ticket UB - Beejing you'd better have them arranged by a tour operator in UB, as everbrite says.

If you make the effort and spend the money to get a Russian visa, why not see some more of it than just the train? You say you have a year sabattical, so it's not like there are time constraints. As comfortable as Russian trains are (at least in Kupe, not sure about Platskartny) , I wouldn't want to spend 5 days in a row on one. That would mean 5 days without a decent shower, for starters.

I would choose Ulan Ude over Irkutsk (more to see in the city and around, more pleasant generally, far less tourists). Ideally I'd see both. In any case make sure that you do the stretch from Irkutsk to Ulan Ude by train, as the view is stunning. Getting the Mongolian visa in Ulan Ude is easy, I believe you can get it in Irkutsk as well.

Between Moscow and Irkutsk the only place I've been to is Novosibirsk, which is nice even though there's not that much to see.

I didn't continue to China, but in summer it seemed impossible to get train tickets all the way to Beijing unless you had weeks or months to spare in Mongolia. Most people just took a bus to Erlian and continued from there. But of course in winter the train may not be fully booked.

Another thought: if you have a year off, why go to Siberia and Mongolia in winter???

Once again, thanks to all who replied for the info and tips.

Seraphim,
as I said, I like the idea of starting my year out leaving my home town and getting to where im going without getting on a plane that’s why im going through Siberia and Mongolia in winter.

but im pretty sure that part of the world will be a spectacular site in winter with the only down side being the cold, I have adequate winter clothing which I plan to post home when I reach warmer climates further south

Yes irkutsk may be an option, as I said im just at the start of planning this trip, the only thing that’s is booked at the moment is the time off!

Oh, and im sure I can handle 5 days without a proper shower, just this once.

I would definitely suggest heading first to Petersburg and then to Moscow and then to someplace in Siberia. The cost of a Russian tourist visa is the same whether you stay three days or thirty days so you might as well see something of the country beside the view from the train window.

I can suggest other stops depending upon your interests.

Ruth

I don’t think I pointed out I was planning to have 3 days in Moscow before getting on the train again, I like the idea of stopping off in Siberia and irkutsk would tick off that box with a trip to the lake,

but -50oc in February? I would have to say that’s a little bit chill for me, I thought it was cold when I was in Nepal doing a trek and that was only -15oc!

but I could get off the train there for 2 days before heading to UB but I do want to be there for the Mongolian new year on the 13th, its all possible time wise so I will have a think before I book anything.

Thanks again

Have you checked to see if there are specific celebrations for the NY in Mongolia?

Ruth