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0The Trans-Siberian Railroad is an epic rail trip, a journey of a lifetime and a contender for top spot on many bucket lists.
However, planning the perfect Trans-Siberian railroad trip is a complex task as you’ll cross two continents, up to three countries and a ton of timezones. Add a couple of kids to the mix and planning the trip seems even more impossible.
Traveling the Trans-Siberian Railroad has long been a dream of mine, but I was nervous about doing it with a young child. My daughter was 3.5 when I finally decided I was ready to give it a go, and I am so glad we did.
In this article we’ve included our top tips to planning your perfect Trans-Siberian Railway trip with kids. If there’s something you don’t see in our guide, ask away in the comments below and we’d love to add it if we know the answer!
Use these helpful links to navigate to specific sections of the article, or continue reading for a comprehensive look at how to plan the best Trans-Siberian Railroad journey with kids.
1. Choosing a Route
2. Buying Tickets
3. Train Classes on the Trans-Siberian
4. Where to Stop
5. Other Details to Consider
Choosing the Best Route to Travel the Trans-Siberian Railroad with Kids
Nowadays there is no one route that is designated the “Trans-siberian Railroad” but rather there are several routes. There’s 3 that are mainly used but there’s also branches off of these such as the Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM). The three most common routes are:
Original Trans-Siberian Express Railway Route
The traditional “Trans-Siberian” Route would take you from Moscow (or St. Petersburg) all the way across Russia to Vladivostok on the Pacific Ocean. This is the original route of the Trans-Siberian Express, so traditionalists might find this is their top choice. Even though this is the original Trans-Siberian route, it remains the least popular as many travelers are choosing to take the Trans-Manchurian or Trans-Mongolian route instead to see a couple more countries during their trip. The most popular train taken by those going straight through is the Rossiya (Russian train number 2/1). You’ll cover more than 6100 miles (more than 9200 kilometers) and it would take 7 days to travel this route non-stop. Some of the major benefits of traveling this route are that you don’t need to cross any international borders on the train as you are in Russia for the duration of the trip, you’ll also only have to adjust to one culture/currency/language during the trip and you’ll be following in the tracks of the original Trans-Siberian Express travelers – which is pretty cool.
The Trans-Mongolian Route
The shortest of the three main rail routes on the Trans-Siberian railroad is the Trans-Mongolian route. You will travel from Moscow to Beijing via Mongolia and will cover 4,735 miles or 7,621 kilometers during your trip. If traveled non-stop, the route takes about 5 days from start to finish. Benefits of choosing this route include the most varied scenery of all of the route options, the opportunity to see more countries, and, as mentioned, the shortest travel time of all of the routes – this can be a big bonus when traveling with kids. The biggest downsides of this route are the need to secure multiple visas (depending on your home country), and the need to cross two international borders. You’ll cross the Chinese/Mongolian border at Zamyn-Uud/Erenhot and the Russian/Mongolian border at Naushki/Sukbaatar. Both border crossings can add a lot of hours to your total “on-train” time during the trip.
Trans-Manchurian Route
Even though they both travel from Moscow to Beijing, the Trans-Manchurian Route is much less popular than the Trans-Mongolian route because it bypasses Mongolia. You’ll cross from Russia into China at Zabaikalsk/Manzhouli and pass through Harbin on your way to Beijing. If you are doing the Trans-Siberian Route during winter (which we wouldn’t actually recommend doing with kids unless you are all very used to cold temperatures), it does give you the chance to stop at the amazing Harbin Ice & Snow Festival which is tons of fun for children and adults alike.
Buying Tickets for the Transiberian Railroad
One of the easiest (but certainly not the cheapest) ways to book tickets for your Transiberian Railway journey is through a reputable travel agent. A number of travel agents have popped up offering tickets for sale. Some agencies offer E-tickets and others offer paper tickets delivered worldwide. Real Russia is known as a reputable agent and while they are not the cheapest option, their Transiberian planner is superb and they are quite responsive to email. Also, if you book travel through them, they will waive the cost of your invitation letter to Russia which can be a significant savings for a whole family.
The cheapest way to purchase tickets is through the official Rzd.ru website. The site used to be in Russian only which made the purchase of tickets much more difficult for non-Russian-speaking tourists, however the site now has an English option available and for the most part you can book it (with just a bit of a reliance on Google Translate).
We’ve written a step-by-step guide to booking tickets using the rzd.ru website which you can find here. All necessary Russian translations are made for you in this article to make booking your tickets easier!
The site can be a bit buggy and using US Credit cards can be problematic at times. We were successful with using our US-issued Visa on a few of the legs but then hit a snag and had to book tickets elsewhere. However, if you are able to persevere, the savings can be very significant!
Trans-Siberian Child Fares
Children under age 5 can ride the train for free (with no seat) when accompanied by a parent. Children 5-10 get a discounted child fare. To be honest the idea of sharing a train bed with my child sounded just fine when I was at home in my comfortable house, however in actuality, halfway through the first leg we realized it was impossible. I slept the St. Petersburg-Moscow leg sitting with my feet in my husbands bed, and then on the next leg we decided to make her a floor bed! We piled some blankets and pillows in the floor and everyone slept safe and sound! Note: this only works if you have a train compartment to yourself, which, as mentioned below is probably my number one tip to happily traveling the Trans-Siberian with small kids is to have a compartment to yourself!
Note: If you are unable to “purchase” the free child tickets when you book your tickets, you will need to have a paper ticket issued at a train station inside Russia. We were able to do this with no issues. The official line from Russian Railways is that you must have the child’s original birth certificate and a Russian translation of it, but we took our chances (with a back up plan of getting the birth certificate translated before our train journey) and got the ticket issued with only her passport.
Train Classes on the Trans-Siberian Railroad
There are three main train classes you’ll encounter on the Trans-siberian railroad. In the past 10 years I’ve tried all of the various train classes in Russia and they all have their place. For family travelers, I’d recommend at least booking the first or second class cabin if your budget allows, however if your children are older, and your family is up for the adventure, the third class cabin can be a great way to save money.
Since we were taking the Trans-Siberian Railroad with a young child, we decided to splurge on the first class cabin for a bit of additional privacy and space to stretch our legs (and to burn off toddler energy). This also ensured that we had a train compartment completely to ourselves for the entirety of our journey – which was key to our sanity and happiness during the journey.
1st Class/Lux Cabin
The First Class Cabins on the Trans-Siberian Railroad sleep only two adults, so there are two lower berths. The first class ticket also includes a meal on most legs and “bio-toilets” which means that the toilet is available all the time and is something akin to an airplane toilet. Whereas in 3rd class you’ll often be looking down the toilet directly onto the tracks. Some cars even have showers available! These are the most expensive tickets on the Trans-Siberian, however, for us (2 adults and a small child), it was the only way we were going to go. I wasn’t keen to share the compartment with two other strangers and my daughter isn’t the best at going to sleep, so I needed fewer distractions for everyone’s sanity!
2nd Class “Kupe”
Traveling 2nd class or “kupe” is easily the most popular option with tourists completing the Trans-Siberian route. However, you must remember that if your family doesn’t fill all four beds in your cabin, that it could be filled with another train guest. for our small family, traveling with a toddler, we didn’t think this was a great option. Not only do we appreciate a measure of privacy, but we didn’t want to annoy other train guests who were trying to sleep when our 3.5 year old may not be. If you were a family of 4, this would be a perfect option. The compartment features two lower bunks and two upper bunks with a closed door.
3rd Class “Platzkart”
If you are up for a real adventure, and have older kids, traveling 3rd class, known as Platzkart, can be a great way to save money. These tickets are significantly cheaper than others, but with that great price you sacrifice privacy and some creature comforts. Years ago I traveled from the south of Russia to Moscow on a Platzkart train and it was definitely memorable. Russians are often masters of conversation, and traveling 3rd class is a great way to get a chance at meeting real locals, probably trying a bit of dried “stinky fish” and having a really unique experience. I would never be brave enough to try this with a toddler… the fear of her wandering off the train without a door stopping her is enough for me to fork over the extra money, however if you do it successfully, please let me know in the comments!
Where to Stop on the Trans-Siberian Railroad with Kids
There are tons of stations to choose from across the various routes when traveling the Trans-Siberian railroad. No one has time to see them all, so you’ll want to take some time to consider where to stop. We’ve listed some of the most popular, and our favorite stops here for your inspiration.
Moscow, Russia
Moscow, Russia’s capital is where most people begin their Trans-Siberian journey. Red Square with it’s iconic St. Basil’s Cathedral and the Kremlin is one of the most important spots. The underground metro is one of the most impressive in the world, and one could spend a full day visiting the various ornately decorated station. You’ll find numerous museums, beautiful parks, interesting architecture and loads of monuments throughout the city and could easily spend a week here if you wanted, although 3 nights was enough for us. We were visiting during the World Cup and found accommodations more difficult to handle than any other city in Russia. Expect to spend more for less here. As a rule of thumb, stay as central as you can afford to as metro travel times can be long – Moscow is very large (size-wise). A good higher-end accomodation option which still retains much of its Soviet charm is the Metropol while the Arbat House Hotel and the Budapest Hotel are solid choices if you are looking for something a bit more affordable.
St. Petersburg, Russia
While most travelers start or end their trip in Moscow rather than St. Petersburg, we personally feel like you’d be remiss to leave this one out. One of the most beautiful cities we’ve ever been, St. Petersburg is the cultural capital of Russia. The world-famous Hermitage Museum is amazing and you could easily spend a few days there without seeing everything. We’d recommend at least 2-3 nights in this beautiful city if you can manage. Other attractions include The Peter and Paul Fortress, The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, St. Isaac’s Cathedral, and the Peterhof Palace. From here you can reach Moscow in a few hours on an express day train or take a bit longer on a very nice overnight train. This leg of our trip had the nicest train of any on our Trans-Siberian journey.
Ekaterinburg, Russia
Ekaterinburg or Yekaterinburg was one of our favorite cities along the Trans-Siberian route. The surprisingly cosmopolitan city sits right near the foothills of the Ural mountains that divide European and Asian Russia. The also makes for a good stop during the winter time if you’d like to try out some winter sports as cross-country skiing and dog-sledging are both popular here. If you are interested in Romanov history it’s a must-stop. The Church Upon the Blood is a new church that sits on the spot where the Russian Royal Family were executed by the Bolsheviks. The cathedral is beautiful and the artwork inside is incredibly interesting. The Visotsky Building Center has a 360 degree observation deck on the 56th floor where you can enjoy the view of Ekaterinburg, the Ural Mountains and more. It was perfect at sunset. We also ate our favorite Pelmeni here at the Pelmeni Club.
We stayed at the Transhotel while in Ekaterinburg and were perfectly happy with our choice. It was fairly budget friendly, clean and located in an incredibly convenient locations – English speaking reception was a bonus.
Irkutsk and Lake Baikal
Easily one of the most popular stops along the Trans-Siberian railroad route, Irkutsk is the charming cultural capital of Siberia and offers the easiest jumping-off point to see Lake Baikal. Baikal is the deepest freshwater lake in the world. It is also incredibly clean and clear which makes it a fantastic place to dive. Hiking trails abound and numerous home stays in Siberian villages offer a taste of traditional life in Siberia. Irkutsk itself is a fun town with plenty of things going on and some interesting sites, so it’s worth spending a day or two there as well.
While traveling the Trans-Siberian with kids, the easiest way to see Lake Baikal is to go to Listvyanka which is the closest lakeside town to Irkutsk. Olkhon Island is a gorgeous place to take in scenery, but is too far to easily reach with small children. If you happen to visit in the winter time, there are options for both downhill and cross-country skiing at points around the lake. Hotel Mayak in Listvyanka is a nice accommodation option for convenience as it’s right in middle of town (there’s no public transportation in Listvyanka), but it tends to book up quickly so plan this one well in advance.
While staying in Irkutsk we stayed at the lovely Rolling Stones Hostel which is a great budget option (with family-friendly private rooms) if you are okay with hanging out with the college crowd!
Ulaanbaatar
The capital of Mongolia, and the largest population center has become a thriving city in recent years, however the city itself is not what draws most travelers to stop here. Travel just a bit outside of the city and you can experience the enchanting Mongolian countryside where life still moves on in about the same way it has for centuries. Staying at a ger camp is a must when visiting Mongolia, and we’d suggest you get out into the countryside as quickly as possible. Elstei Ger Camp is located quite near the city and offers a fantastic experience of life in the Mongolian grasslands.
When staying in the city itself we’d recommend booking the Bayangol Hotel which is conveniently located near the main square, or The Blue Sky Hotel and Tower if you’d like to be a bit more comfortable.
Beijing
The final stop (or the beginning) of any Trans-Mongolian or Trans-Manchurian rail trip, the capital of China is starkly different than the landscape you will have seen while crossing much of Siberia. To have time to take in amazing sights such as the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square and the Great Wall, you’ll want to spend a few days here before traveling onward. If you’d like to start your journey from Beijing and head westward, check out this guide to traveling the Trans-Siberian Railway from Beijing to Moscow for even more inspiration.
Other Details to Consider when Traveling the Trans-Siberian Railway
Food on Board the Trans-Siberian Railroad
Usually only trains that are listed as Fast/High Level of Service have Restaurant cars. The restaurant will offer Russian and European dishes, alcoholic and soft drinks, snacks, cigarettes. For tea and coffee you can always ask the train attendant. You are also allowed to bring your own food. But please, keep in mind that there are no refrigerators on the train. There will be hot water in every car, so instant noodles and the like will be just fine. We packed packages of Easy Mac and instant mashed potatoes to make sure my daughter always had at least one option. Many of the train stops will have convenience-type shops on the platform and some train stations will have restaurants where you may be able to grab a quick hot meal if you are making a longer stop. Be sure to check the train schedule in your car and don’t be late for the train departure!
First class train service includes meals served in cabin and we found them to be good enough – comparable to airplane food. Even though we made a selection when booking the ticket, the train attendant, or provodnitsa, came and took our order shortly after boarding.
Luggage
There are overhead storage areas for luggage and most of the lower bunks open to store luggage (this is a more secure option). Make sure you carefully guard your valuables and money during the trip as petty theft isn’t uncommon, especially in the third-class cabins.
Bathrooms, Bed Linens, Showers etc.
There are bathrooms located at the end of each car on the train. Showers are available in long-distance trains in first class and some kupe cabins. Iff there is no shower in your car you can ask the cabin attendant/provodnitsa if you can use the shower in another car for a fee.
Bed linens are provided on the train. The price may be included in your ticket or there may be a small fee charged for the linens depending on the class you are traveling. Shortly before you disembark, the provodnitsa
There are two lavatories at each end of every car. The showers are provided on long-distance trains (more than 24 hours); only in kupe or 1st class carriages. If your train doesn’t have a shower, you can ask a conductor to allow you to use a shower in another carriage for a small fee.
Kid Friendly Trans-Siberian Tips
The key to having a happy time on the Trans-Siberian when traveling with kids boils down
to just a few things in my opinion. The first is that everyone needs to get enough sleep. Think about what might help your child sleep better on the train, whether it be a special stuffed animal, noise-cancelling headphones, or some familiar bedtime music, it would be well worth considering. Secondly, having plenty of activities to keep the little ones entertained is also key. The train gave us a kid’s activity bag on each leg of our trip. I’m not sure if this is only for first class cabins, but my daughter enjoyed it – even though we got the same bag five times! They also had a selection of kid-friendly items available for purchase. Lastly, i think taking frequent stops is really helpful for everyone’s sanity. The longest stretch of time we spent on the train was 30 hours. We found spending an overnight on the train one night and then 1-2 nights in a hotel to be the best balance for our family.
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