8. Irkutsk
Main gateway to Lake Baikal – ultimate destination on every Trans-Siberian journey.
The de facto capital of Eastern Siberia, pleasantly historic Irkutsk is by far the most popular stop on the Trans-Siberian Railway between Moscow and all points east. With Lake Baikal a mere 70km away, the city is the best base from which to strike out for the western shoreline. Amid the 19th-century architecture, revived churches, classy eateries and numerous apartment hostels, plentiful English-speaking agencies can help you plan anything from a winter trek across the lake’s ice to a short walking tour through the city.
9. Olkhon Island
Swim in the waters of Baikal, the most voluminous freshwater lake in the world, containing roughly 20% of the world’s unfrozen surface fresh water.
10. Ulan-Ude
Get a sighting of the most unusual monument to Vladimir Lenin, father of Russian communist revolution.
With its smiley Asian features, cosy city centre and fascinating Mongol-Buddhist culture, the Buryat capital is one of Eastern Siberia’s most likeable cities. Quietly busy, welcoming and, after Siberia’s Russian cities, refreshingly exotic, it’s a pleasant place to base yourself for day trips to Buddhist temples and flits to eastern Lake Baikal’s gently shelving beaches, easily reachable by bus. For some travellers UU is also a taster for what’s to come in Mongolia.
Founded as a Cossack ostrog (fort) called Udinsk (later Verkhneudinsk) in 1666, the city prospered as a major stop on the tea-caravan route from China via Troitskosavsk (now Kyakhta). Renamed Ulan-Ude in 1934, it was a closed city until the 1980s due to its secret military plants (there are still mysterious blank spaces on city maps).
To travel the Trans-Siberian Railway is a dream, lurking
in the back of the minds of many of us. It is the longest railway line in the
world, consisting of 9,288 kilometers, spanning 7 time zones and taking up a
week to reach your final destination. This guide suggests the best stops to
visit and the most beautiful things to see during your journey on the
Trans-Siberian Railway. It is your choice either to see the picturesque
mountains from the train compartment, or go out into wild Siberia and explore
its unique and hospitable cities and towns.
