Railways
Historic Train Journeys
The Trans-Siberian from Moscow to Vladivostok is 9,289 km long and takes 7 nights without changes. On the standard Rossiya train (No. 1 east, No. 2 west), you cross 8 time zones, 87 cities, and the Ural Mountains. Berths are 4-person 'kupé' compartments with hot tea from the carriage samovar; the stops are 15 minutes long; the babushki sell smoked omul fish on the platforms at Lake Baikal. The journey was completed in 1916.
These eight railway journeys are working passenger services, not heritage steam tourist runs (with two exceptions). They are some of the most ambitious infrastructure ever attempted, and they still run because nobody invented anything better.
Below: the carriage class to book, the seat side, and the section to stay awake for.
Late afternoon light, looking east. Photo by our regional correspondent.
Why This Place Matters
Trans-Siberian Railway (Moscow → Vladivostok) — 9,289 km, 7 nights, completed 1916. Best segment: Irkutsk → Ulan-Ude around Lake Baikal.
Bernina Express (Tirano → St Moritz) — UNESCO World Heritage railway, 122 km in 4 hours via the Brusio Spiral Viaduct and the 2,253 m Bernina Pass.
The Ghan (Adelaide → Darwin, Australia) — 2,979 km in 54 hours through the Red Centre, named after the 19th-century Afghan camel drivers who originally crossed the route.
A Short History
The Trans-Siberian was built 1891–1916, including the Circum-Baikal section that goes around (not through) Lake Baikal because the original ice-track failed.
The Glacier Express (Zermatt → St Moritz) is sometimes called 'the slowest express train in the world' — 8 hours for 291 km, crossing 291 bridges and 91 tunnels.
Sri Lanka's Colombo–Badulla line was completed by the British in 1924 to bring tea down from the hill stations; the section between Ella and Demodara crosses the Nine Arches Bridge (1921, made entirely of stone and brick with no steel, because of wartime shortage).
What You Will Actually See
Trans-Siberian — Lake Baikal sections, Yekaterinburg (the Romanov execution house), Ulan-Ude with its giant Lenin head statue (largest in the world at 7.7 m).
Bernina Express — book left side leaving Tirano for the Brusio Spiral Viaduct (km 1.5); right side from St Moritz southbound.
The Ghan — pre-book the Outback Explorer Pass, includes off-train tours at Marla, Alice Springs, and Katherine.
Glacier Express — sit on the south side from Zermatt for the Matterhorn glimpses; on the north side from St Moritz for the Landwasser Viaduct.
Belmond Royal Scotsman — 36 guests max, four nights round-trip from Edinburgh through the Highlands; £4,800 pp.
Sri Lanka Ella–Demodara — the 9-Arch Bridge, the carriage doors that open onto tea plantations.
Reunification Express, Vietnam (Hanoi → Saigon) — 1,726 km, 35h, the segment between Hue and Da Nang on the Hai Van pass is the photogenic one.
Coast Starlight, USA (Seattle → Los Angeles) — 35h Amtrak journey along the Cascades and California coast.
The kind of detail you only notice on the second visit.
Interesting Facts
A few quick notes on historic train journeys before the section below.
These are the details our correspondents most often get asked about by readers planning a trip.
Practical Information
Trans-Siberian — buy via RealRussia.co.uk; second-class kupé in summer is around $600 Moscow-Vladivostok. Stop in Irkutsk for at least one day for Baikal.
Bernina Express — book seat reservation (CHF 32 extra in summer) on Rhaetian Railway website; the panoramic cars sell out 3 weeks ahead in August.
The Ghan — book 6+ months ahead for the Platinum or Gold service; the basic Red Service has been discontinued.
Royal Scotsman — sells out 18 months ahead; check Belmond website.
Interesting Facts
- The Trans-Siberian Railway is the longest single railway journey in the world at 9,289 km from Moscow Yaroslavsky to Vladivostok.
- The Bernina Express's Landwasser Viaduct (1902) is 65 m high and 142 m long, curving directly into a tunnel mouth at one end.
- The Ghan was named after the Afghan cameleers who used the same route from the 1860s until the railway opened in 1929.
- The Nine Arches Bridge in Sri Lanka was built in 1921 entirely from brick and stone (no steel) because of WWI material shortages.
- The Belmond Royal Scotsman accommodates only 36 guests in restored 1960s carriages, each with original Edwardian-style interior.
Most travellers walk straight past this corner. Stop and look up.
How To Visit
Trans-Siberian: starts from Yaroslavsky Station, Moscow.
Bernina: starts from Tirano (Italy) or St Moritz (Switzerland), both reachable from Milan by 3-4 hour regional connection.
The Ghan: starts from Adelaide Parklands Terminal.
Royal Scotsman: starts from Edinburgh Waverley.
Final Thoughts
Train journeys are slow on purpose. The destination is only a pretext.
Bring: paperback books, a paper map for the route, a power bank, and a metal cup (the Trans-Siberian samovar makes coffee weak in paper cups).
If you have one week and one journey: Vladivostok to Irkutsk segment of the Trans-Siberian. Five days, Lake Baikal in the middle, the smoked-fish platform vendors at Sludyanka.
If you read this article and noticed something we got wrong, please write to us. Reader corrections shape what we publish next.
Inara Korhonen
Regional correspondent for WIGO Trips. Writes about overlooked places and quiet histories.
