Destinations > Siberia

Trans-Siberian Railway

The Trans-Siberian railway, formerly known as the “Great Siberian way”, is the longest railway in the world, more than 9,000 km, and 146 hours. It crosses 2 continents and 7 time zones. Perhaps traveling along the Trans-Siberian railway is the only way to see entire vast Russia at one go. Exciting and such an epic train journey across one-third of the world!

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Project of the century

The Most

Famous Railway in the World

Trans-Siberian Railway, which the locals call “Trans-Sib”, is the longest and legendary network of railways in the world. It connects Moscow and Saint Petersburg with the largest cities of the Russian Far East, crossing enormous territories of Russia from west to east. And afterwards, it connects Moscow with China and Mongolia. Its length from Moscow to Vladivostok is 9298,2 km and it passes through 87 cities (5 of them – with a population of over 1 million people) and 16 large rivers on its way. This road was built for a quarter of a century, but it brought development and prosperity to the cities of Siberia and the Far East.

The Romanovs and continents’ border

Yekaterinburg

The main city of the Ural region and industrial capital of Russia is Yekaterinburg. It amazes by its versatility, the combination of a high level of development of industry, science, culture, and art. Of course, first of all, Yekaterinburg is notorious as the place of execution of the Imperial family. A spectacular cathedral, Church of All Saints, was built in honor of the Romanov sainthood.

Sevastyanov house, one of the most striking buildings in Yekaterinburg, is actually a visual guide for demonstrating architectural styles: a classicistic composition, complex decor in gothic forms complemented by baroque elements.

The newest attractive point of the city is Boris Yeltsin Presidential Center, a museum dedicated to the first Russian president. The permanent exhibition of the Center — interactive halls that tell about perestroika, the putsch, and the formation of Russia.

The architectural highlight of Yekaterinburg is the monuments of constructivism. Among them — the Town of chekists, which was built for the NKVD in the thirties. Another famous attraction of Yekaterinburg is a borderline between Europe and Asia as you will have a unique opportunity to stand on two continents at the same time.

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Gigantic theatre and scientific capital

Novosibirsk

From Yekaterinburg, your way lies to the capital of huge Siberia — Novosibirsk. A small village of bridge builders over a century has grown into a huge metropolis with a population of one and a half million, the third-largest in Russia, and one of its main scientific centers. Novosibirsk is the most continental metropolis in the world: the city is more than three thousand kilometers from any real sea.

A classic building decorated with columns and a wide cupola illuminated at night, posters of theatrical performances

A massive orthodox cathedral of byzantine style made of red brick with gilded domes

Two red modern leaning towers with a lot of windows

An old but beautiful two-storey wooden house

A train on the way in beautiful landscape, green fields

Photos provided by www.turizm.nso.ru

Novosibirsk is known for its developed cultural and social life. Here you will find the gigantic Opera and Ballet theater, which was founded by Meyerhold. The architecture of the theater, made in the style of constructivism, enriched with classical examples, is strict and fascinatingly beautiful.

Novosibirsk has its own Silicon Valley. This is what locals call Akademgorodok, a district of the city that is also a separate scientific center. Akademgorodok is surrounded by greenery, in any park you can meet a squirrel and feed it with your hand. By the way, one of the symbols of the city is the pine nut, don’t forget to bring it as a souvenir!

Unique natural reserve

Krasnoyarsk

The next stop is Krasnoyarsk. Krasnoyarsk is competing with Novosibirsk and some other large cities for the name of the capital city of Siberia. Maybe Krasnoyarsk is not the biggest, but definitely the most beautiful one: it is located on two sides of the Yenisei river – the number one full-flowing and the second-longest river in Russia. Each of the districts of Krasnoyarsk has its unique attractions, while the Communal Bridge over the Yenisei is its main symbol.

Photos provided by VisitSiberia.info

There are plenty of things to see in Krasnoyarsk. But the main attractions of the region are not made by man. People come here to enjoy marvelous nature. “Stolby” Nature Sanctuary is an absolute must-see landmark. It is famous for the rocks of unusual shapes located all around the park of total 47,219 hectares. Rocks or “pillars” as they are called in Russian are of volcanic origin, they appeared millions of years ago, shaped by wind, sun, and rain.

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The legendary lake

Irkutsk

Moving on to Irkutsk. Around Irkutsk, there are vast meadows and the most beautiful pine – birch forests.

One of the main advantages of the city is the proximity to the clearest lake in the world – Baikal, which can be reached in 30-40 minutes.

Lake Baikal is the lake with the greatest volume in the world, containing roughly 20% of the world’s fresh water supply. It is the deepest (max depth is 1,642 meters) and one of the clearest at the same time lake in the world.

When the lake is calm, you can see what’s happening in the depth of 40 meters and what kinds of fish got caught in the fishing nets!

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Almost China

Khabarovsk

The final part of the trip covers Khabarovsk and Vladivostok. Khabarovsk, the largest Russian city closest to China, is located on the Amur coast. China can be seen from almost any high point, it is only 20 kilometers away or an hour and a half on a small boat. Most Khabarovsk residents know at least a few words in Chinese.

In Khabarovsk, many pre-revolutionary buildings have been preserved, primarily in the center. For example, on Muravyov-Amursky street, you should definitely pay attention to the building of the former city Duma.

White massive cathedral with five gilded domes on the square, obelisk and stairs in front of the cathedral, red flowers in the foreground

Train tracks crossing a village, beautiful sky with the sun

A pink and white flower of a lotus against the sky

But the main reason why you should go to the Khabarovsk territory is nature. In summer, for example, you need to visit it for the sake of seeing the blooming lotuses.

The edge of the country

Vladivostok

The amazingly attractive city and port of Vladivostok is located among the hills and rocks in the bay of the Sea of Japan. It is Trans-Siberian Railway’s final destination. The sandy quay together with the architecture of the old town is the jewel of the city. Vladivostok has an unforgettable atmosphere and is considered the only European city in Asia. Such a combination of Russian culture, military power, and trade activity is not found anywhere else.

One of the most famous landmarks is the museum called “Vladivostok fortress.” According to history, the museum played the role of a commercial port, a naval base, and a military post. Another outstanding landmark is two lighthouses. One is located in cape Tokarevskaya Koshka, the other – in Basargin’s cape. They are still functioning and determine a point where the Pacific Ocean starts.

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