INTRODUCTION
PART 1: PLANNING YOUR TRIP
Routes and costs
Route options 9 – Costs 9 – Breaking your journey 13
When to go 14
Bookings and visas
Organized tours or individual itineraries? 15 – Route planning 16 – Visas 18 – Making a booking in Britain 24, in Continental Europe 27,
in North America 32, in Australasia 34, in South Africa 36, in Asia 36
What to take
Clothes 41 – General items 42 – Money 46 – Background reading 46
Health precautions and inoculations
Inoculations 50 – Medical services 51
PART 2: RUSSIA
Facts about the country
Geographical background 52 – Historical outline 53 – Economy 61 – The people 62 – Religion 64
Practical information for the visitor
Documents 65 – Crossing the border 66 – Where to stay 67 – Tours 69 – Local transport 70 – Buying rail tickets 71 – Electricity 75 – Time 76 – Money 77 – Post/telecommunications 77 – Magazines and newspapers 79 –Public holidays 79 – Festivals 79 – Food and drink 80 – Where to eat 85 – Entertainment 85 – Shopping 87 – Crime 89
PART 3: SIBERIA AND THE RAILWAY
Historical outline
Early history 90 – The nineteenth century 93 – The exile System 94 – Early travellers 99
Building the railway
Plans for a Trans-Siberian railway 105 – The decision to build 106 – Railway construction 107 – The first rail travellers 111 – The railway in the twentieth century 116
Riding the Trans-Siberian today
The train 117 – Life on the train 124 – Steam locomotives in Siberia 127 – Other railway lines 128
PART 4: CITY GUIDES AND PLANS
St Petersburg History 132 – What to see 139 – Excursions from St Petersburg 144 – Local transport 146 – Orientation and services 146 – Where to stay 149 – Where to eat 151 – Moving on 153
Moscow History 155 – What to see 157 – Excursions from Moscow 175 – Local transport 176 – Orientation and services 177 – Where to stay 180 – Where to eat 183 – Moving on 187
Sergiev Posad History 189 – What to see 192 – Practical information 193
Rostov-Yaroslavski What to see 194 – Practical information 198
Yaroslavl What to see 199 – Practical information 204
Vladimir History 205 – What to see 206 – Orientation and services 208 – Where to stay and eat 208 – Excursions from Vladimir 209
Suzdal History 211 – What to see 211 – Practical information 214
Nizhny Novgorod What to see 217 – Practical information 218
Vyatka (Kirov) What to see 221 – Practical information 222
Perm What to see 223 – Practical information 225
Yekaterinburg History 226 – What to see 228 – Orientation and services 232 – Where to stay 233 – Where to eat 234 – Moving on 234
Tyumen What to see 235 – Practical information 236
Tobolsk What to see 238 – Practical information 241
Omsk What to see 242 – Practical information 243
Novosibirsk History 246 – What to see 247 – Orientation and services 248 – Where to stay 249 – Where to eat 252 – Moving on 252 – Excursions from Novosibirsk (Akademgorodok 253)
Tomsk What to see 255 – Practical information 256
Krasnoyarsk What to see 259 – Orientation and services 260 – Where to stay 261 – Moving on 264 – Excursions around Krasnoyarsk 264
Irkutsk History 265 – What to see 267 – Orientation and services 273 – Local transport 274 – Where to stay 274 – Where to eat 275 – Moving on 276
Lake Baikal Getting to Lake Baikal 278 – Listvyanka 280 – Port Baikal 283 – Bolshie Koty 283 – Hikes around Lake Baikal 284
Other Siberian excursions Bratsk 286 – Severobaikalsk 287 – Nizhneangarsk 287 – Yakutsk 288
Ulan Ude History 289 – What to see 290 – Ivolginsky Datsan 292 – Orientation and services 293 – Local transport 293 – Where to stay 293 – Where to eat 294 – Moving on 295
Chita History 296 – What to see 296 – Practical information 297
Birobidzhan What to see 302 – Practical information 302
Khabarovsk History 303 – What to see 304 – Orientation and services 308 – Where to stay 308 – Where to eat 309 – Moving on 310
Vladivostok History 312 – What to see 313 – Orientation and services 315 – Local transport 318 – Where to stay 318 – Where to eat 319 Moving on 321
Ulan Bator History 322 – What to see 323 – Orientation and services 329 – Local transport 331 – Where to stay 331 – Where to eat 333 – Moving on 335 – Excursions from Ulan Bator 336
Harbin What to see 339 – Practical information 342
Beijing History 344 – What to see 345 – Orientation and services 350 – Local transport 350 – Where to stay 353 – Where to eat 354 – Moving on 356
PART 5: ROUTE GUIDES AND MAPS
Using this guide 357
Trans-Siberian route 359 (Maps 1-27)
Moscow–Vladimir–Nizhny Novgorod–Vyatka–Perm–Yekaterinburg–Tyumen–Omsk–Novosibirsk–Krasnoyarsk–Irkutsk–Ulan Ude–Chita–Bureya–Birobidzhan–Khabarovsk–Vladivostok
Trans-Mongolian route 417 (Maps 28-30)
Ulan Ude–Naushki–Sühbaatar–Darhan–Ulan Bator–Erlyan–Datong–Beijing
Trans-Manchurian route 427 (Maps 31-35)
Chita–Zabaikalsk–Manzhouli–Angangxi–Harbin–Changchun–Shanhaiguan–Tianjin–Beijing
PART 6: DESTINATIONS AND DEPARTURES
Tokyo 435 – Hong Kong 437 – Helsinki 438 – Berlin 439 – Budapest 440 Prague 441 – Warsaw 442 – Minsk 443 – Tallinn 444 – Riga 446 – Vilnius 446
APPENDICES
Alternative route via Yaroslavl 448 – Timetables 450 – Siberian fauna 459 – Bibliography 461 – Phrase lists 462
INDEX
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