Traveling by train to Mongolia is often a dream for many people and a reality for few. In any case it is an adventure in itself which is well worth the experience. There are a number of options available to the traveler who takes the time to travel. The trains generally run between Moscow and  Beijing. While all the trains leave Moscow and arrive in Irkoutsk in Siberia there are then three options available. The first is to carry on with the Trans-Siberian and go on to Vladivostok, the second option is to take the trans-Manchurian which goes to the north of Mongolia in Siberia and then curves around to China without entering Mongolia to end up in Beijing. The third option is to take the Trans-Mongolian which goes in a direct line Irkoutsk – Ulaanbaatar – Beijing. 

There are various classes of travel available on the train, 1st class is usually a comfortable 2 bed cabin, often with small washing facilities and maybe even a television if you are very lucky. In china the first class is known as “soft sleeper class”. There then is a second class which consists of either 4 or 6 beds in a cabin, this is generally shared with a Chinese/Russian/Mongolian family and can provide for an amusing if sometimes noisy and drunk distraction. This class is known in China as “hard sleeper”. The third class of travel is a large dormitory with approximately 46 beds in one compartment, this is taken by the locals and is often a very happening place and gives you a great insight in the life’s of the  region you are travelling in. Don’t expect to get any sleep or rest in the class but in return you will have amazing stories of gambling, corruption, deceit, drunken behaviour, violence, love, spontaneous demonstrations of joy and anger, in short, all the ingredients for an undying friendships with the local smugglers, soldiers and peasants. This class is known in china as “hard seater”.

Irkoutsk - Ulaanbaatar

The journey between Irkoutsk and Ulaanbaatar is a stunning one. The train leaves Irkoutsk in the afternoon and glides seemingly effortlessly around the abrupt cliffs of the Baikal Lake as the sun sets over it. This leg of the journey is accompanied by the many legends and tales surrounding the construction and logistics of the most difficult few miles of the trans Siberian express. At first the train was loaded at the village of Baikal on two enormous British made ships to be taken to the other side of the lake, but at the first try the ship sunk with its train, the second ship never left the harbour. After this first failure, tracks were laid over the ice in winter so that the train could cross the lake, sadly the first train to attempt the crossing rejoined the other one at the bottom of the lake. It then became obvious that the only way of doing it was to blast an impossible track along the edge of the lake. This resulted in one of the most breathtaking train journeys in the world. The journey takes about 1 day and 2 nights arriving in Ulaanbaatar early on the morning of the second day. It is of course possible to go the other way, Ulaanbaatar – Irkoutsk. Please remember that all trains travelling in Russia travel at Moscow time, which is very different to the time in Siberia. This means that your ticket would say departure from Irkoutsk at 10:20 but this is Moscow time, the real departure time would be at 16:20 Irkoutsk time. This system has caused many travellers to miss their trains so beware and ask at the train station well in advance to confirm departure times and actual time zones. There is slight wait at the border as passports are checked and the trains restaurant wagon is switched between the Russian one to the Mongolian one (the Mongolian one is considerably better)

Ulaanbaatar – Beijing

The Beijing – Ulaanbaatar route is a bit more monotonous then the one described above but is nonetheless interesting. The train departs from Beijing in the afternoon and travels out of Beijing more or less following the path of the great wall. There is a stop on the way to admire the wall and then onwards towards Mongolia. The train reaches the border in the middle of the night and the wait at the border is tediously long with endless forms to fill in and the constant questioning of the Chinese border guards. Next morning the train crosses the wide expanses of the Gobi before reaching Ulaanbaatar later that same afternoon.


Please note that it can be extremely difficult to obtain train tickets in July and August as there are a limited amount of trains on the line and most tickets are booked very long in advance by large tour groups. If you plan on using the train to Beijing or Ulaanbaatar book well in advance. A single way ticket to either one of those should cost no more than 200USD in 2nd class.