Thomas, B: Trans-Siberian Handbook

INTRODUCTION Why take the train? 7 Routes and costs 10 When to go 15 PART 1: PLANNING YOUR TRIP Bookings and visas Individual itineraries or organised tours? 17 - Route planning 18 National holidays and festivals 20 - Visas 23 - Making a booking 28 What to take 37 Health precautions and inoculations 44 PART 2: RUSSIA Facts about the country 46 Practical information for the visitor 58 Essential documents 58 - Arriving in Russia 59 - Where to stay 60 - Local transport 62 - Electricity 64 - Time 65 - Money 65 - Post & telecommunications 66 - Food and drink 68 - Where to eat and drink 73 - Toilets 74 - Magazines and newspapers 75 - Photography 75 - Crime and annoyances 76 - Entertainment 77 - Shopping 79 PART 3: SIBERIA AND THE RAILWAY Historical outline 81 Early travellers 90 Building the railway 96 Riding the Trans-Siberian today The train 112 - Life on the train 121 - Buying a train ticket for Russia 124 - Buying a train ticket in Mongolia - 130 - Buying a train ticket in China 130 PART 4: CITY GUIDES AND PLANS St Petersburg 136 Moscow 168 Sergiev Posad 206 Rostov-Velikiy 211 Yaroslavl 217 Vladimir 224 Bogolyubovo 229 Suzdal 230 Nizhny Novgorod 237 Perm 244 - Kungur Ice Cave 249 Perm-36 250 - Khokhlovka 251 Yekaterinburg 251 Tyumen 262 Tobolsk 266 Omsk 271 Novosibirsk 274 Akademgorodok 282 Tomsk 282 Krasnoyarsk 288 Stolby Nature Reserve 295 Irkutsk 297 Lake Baikal 308 Listvyanka 311 Hikes around Baikal 316 - Olkhon Island 317 Ulan-Ude 319 Ivolginsky Datsan 326 Chita 327 Birobidzhan 332 Khabarovsk 334 Vladivostok 342 Ulaanbaatar 353 Excursions 373 Harbin 377 Beijing 384 Day trip to the Great Wall 407 Bratsk 409 Severobaikalsk 410 Around Severobaikalsk 414 Yakutsk 415 Lena River excursions 417 Tynda 418 Komsomolsk-na-Amure 420 Vanino 424 Sovetskaya Gavan 425 PART 5: ROUTE GUIDE AND MAPS Using this guide 426 Trans-Siberian route 428 Moscow - Vladimir - Nizhny Novgorod - Perm - Yekaterinburg - Tyumen - Omsk - Novosibirsk - Krasnoyarsk - Irkutsk - Ulan-Ude -

Written by Bryn Thomas, the first edition of this book was shortlisted for the Thomas Cook Travel and Guide Book Awards. In 1991 he set up Trailblazer, to produce the series of route guides for adventurous travellers that has now grown to over 40 titles. Fully revised and expanded, this 9th edition is updated by Anna Kaminski, a Russian-UK national who is a professional guide-book writer also working for Lonely Planet and Rough Guides.