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Sorry if I am asking for information that is already out here, but I can not seem to find it....

I am looking for information on taking the train from China to Mongolia and on to Russia.

There are a lot of organisations offering the complete (but expensive) deal,
1) but how hard is it to book tickets ourselves once we are in China, Bejing?
2) What would be interesting steps to take from Bejing to Moscow?
3) Is it possible to get a visum for Mongolia and Rusia in China? And if yes, how?
4) Am I correct to asume that we can get our China visum (30 days) once we arive in Hong Kong?

It is especialy hard to find information on how to get a visum for Mongolia once your in China.
We are already traveling for a while, so we were not able to take care of visums before leaving our home country.
Maybe important information: we have Dutch pasports.

Hope that there is someone out there who can share some recent travel experiences that will help us find our way,
Thanks! iselin

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1

Your biggest problem is going to be the Russian visa. I think next to impossible in China without right to residency. For your sake I hope I'm wrong.

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1) but how hard is it to book tickets ourselves once we are in China, Bejing?

In china you can only book tickets for travel from China to your next country. And in Mongolia you can only book from Mongolia to Russia. One other issue, the international tickets for travel from China to Mongolia can not be purchased at the train station and MUST be purchased through an agency making them more expensive. There are alternatives but they take an extra day.

2) What would be interesting steps to take from Bejing to Moscow?

I assume that you mean stops. Where to stop depends upon your interests and how much time you have and when you are traveling. Without that information, I am not willing to make too many suggestions other than to say that I would spend 10-15 days in Mongolia and use the entire 30 days that you get with a Russian tourist visa assuming that you can afford this as Russia is NOT a budget destination.

3) Is it possible to get a visum for Mongolia and Rusia in China? And if yes, how?

You can get the Mongolian visa easily. If you haven't already left home, the Russian visa is most easily obtained at home and almost impossible to obtain in Asia. Hong Kong is a possibility but not a guarantee. Same for Kuala Lumpur. Beijing is almost certainly not possible and same for Shanghai. Read the links in my signature line for more information about how to obtain a Russian visa.

4) Am I correct to asume that we can get our China visum (30 days) once we arive in Hong Kong?

Check with Forever Bright Trading, an agency in Hong Kong. Their website isn't great but send them and email and they will tell you what is and what isn't currently possible. There are several EU countries for which it is difficult to obtain a China visa in Hong Kong and in fact, outside the country of your passport. Not sure if Dutch citizens are among those who have difficulty in Hong Kong.

It is especialy hard to find information on how to get a visum for Mongolia once your in China.

Have you tried searching the TT? There are lots of posts about the Mongolian embassy in Beijing, its location, hours, processing times, etc. Cost is is usually 495 yuan if I remember correctly.

Hopefully you have alternative plans as obtaining a Russian tourist visa may be impossible. Transit visa is possible in Mongolia. Tourist visa is difficult and costly but sometimes possible in Mongolia.

westwood - you aren't wrong. Getting the Russian tourist visa in Hong Kong is a possibility. Elsewhere is highly unlikely.

Ruth

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Well, I thought I would add my 10 cents in here. In about 96, I went to Beijing and bought tickets which took me to the border with Mongolia (Erlian Hot). Something like that. I stopped via Datong on the way. At the border to Mongolia (in china) you can purchase a Mongolian Visa for about $100 US, though that was back then. It may be cheaper or more expensive now. I would get that one before you go.

Russia as far as I know works on Invitations but that's probably changed too. Travel agents will send you an invite and you are supposed to pay them when you get there. I'll leave that one to your imagination.

China is the easiest place to get a visa.

So overall, take domestic trains to the China/Mongolia border. Take the bus accross the border to some border town (I think it was Zamyn Uud), nothing to see there. You cross the border in the morning and book another ticket in Zamyn Uud to Ulaan Bataar (excuse the spelling).

In Ulaan Bataar, you can make your way to Moscow, probably by booking a local train to the border. I'm not sure how difficult that is now. I didn't go to Moscow or Russia then. Don't try to buy a Russian Visa on the border like China/Mongolia as the train will head some way into Russia and you'll probably be arrested. (this happened to me some years later going from Kaz to Russia) haha..

It's a real pain in the neck getting anything done in China or Mongolia as the language barrier is huge (or it was anyway), so get your visas first if you want to save a bit of time.

Not sure if this will help.

Good luck with it all.

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4

Unfortunately, in spite of your good intentions, 1996 is too far back to compare with current time.

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