r/travel • u/AutoModerator • Oct 03 '19
Advice r/travel Region of the Week: 'Eastern Russia - Siberia'
Hey travellers!
In this new series of weekly threads we want to focus on regions that have a lot to offer to travellers: the towns, nature, and other interesting places whether they are lesser or more known. If more known provide more in depth suggestions like tours, things to do, places to eat, etc.
Please contribute all and any questions / thoughts / suggestions / ideas / stories / highlights about this travel destination, whether it be places you want to see or experiences you have had.
This post will be archived on our wiki destinations page and linked in the sidebar for future reference, so please direct any of the more repetitive questions there. Please click here for list and dates of future destinations. If you notice an area of a region is not listed it is likely it will be a future topic or it may have been a prior topic as a country or city. Please focus on the specific regions in the submission unless it was not a prior or future topic.
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Example: We really enjoyed the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California. It was $35 each, but there's enough to keep you entertained for whole day. Bear in mind that parking on site is quite pricey, but if you go up the hill about 200m there are three $15/all day car parks. Monterey Aquarium
Unhelpful: Read my blog here!!!
Helpful: My favourite part of driving down the PCH was the wayside parks. I wrote a blog post about some of the best places to stop, including Battle Rock, Newport and the Tillamook Valley Cheese Factory (try the fudge and ice cream!).
Unhelpful: Eat all the curry! [picture of a curry].
Helpful: The best food we tried in Myanmar was at the Karawek Cafe in Mandalay, a street-side restaurant outside the City Hotel. The surprisingly young kids that run the place stew the pork curry[curry pic] for 8 hours before serving [menu pic]. They'll also do your laundry in 3 hours, and much cheaper than the hotel.
Undescriptive I went to Mandalay. Here's my photos/video.
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7
Oct 03 '19
Very strange that’s the region of the week! I’m currently planning my trans Siberian route starting as Moscow and heading to Beijing in January! (Cold I know)but I’m proper excited for it and still figuring out my stops!
Anyone got any stops I should stop at? I’d love to have some more ideas.
Thanks in advance guys
5
u/Darthlentils Oct 03 '19
I started in St Petersburg (highly recommended) and then visited Moscow - Krasnoyark (for Stolby nature reserve, cool to see a city in the middle of Siberia) - Irkutsk (went to Olkhon Island on Lake Baikal) - and Ulan Ude before heading to Mongolia and then China. But it was in August/September so my experience was probably really different from yours.
4
u/dasazz Oct 05 '19
If you haven't already booked the tickets, I'd recommend going from Vladivostok to Beijing instead of from Moscow. It's certainly the less conventional route but the more beautiful one. The stretch from Moscow to Krasnoyarsk is the more boring part of the Moscow Vladivostok line because it's on less elevated tracks and mainly though fields and forest, where there is not much to see. Siberia on the other hand has more elevated track, allowing you to see above the trees and has the more spectacular landscape in general.
2
Oct 06 '19
Thanks for the comment and thought! I’m on a crazy budget getting to Russia. A flight to Kyiv and a overnight bus to Moscow is how I’m getting into Russia!
I was tempted to go to Vladivostok and then to Beijing from there instead of going through Mongolia?2
u/dasazz Oct 06 '19
I've only done the part Moscow to Vladivostok myself, but I know a few people who did the part through Mongolia and really liked it. I'd recommend just looking at some photos online and to decide from that. Those are two very different kind of landscapes. However, going directly to Beijing is probably cheaper.
Which class are you buying tickets for the train? Personally, I'd recommend third for the most authentic experience. If you're thinking about second for example, here's an a bit crazy idea: Why not instead book third class and go Moscow - Vladivostok - Beijing all more or less on one go? It depends on how much time you have, obviously. And it's a really long trip.
1
u/CheeseWheels38 CAN --> FRA/KAZ Oct 09 '19
Anyone got any stops I should stop at? I’d love to have some more ideas.
Which ones are you looking at? Is Astana along that route? It's certainly different from most other places in the area.
6
u/ForeverAclone95 Oct 04 '19
Is Khabarovsk a good place to visit? The military museum sounds interesting, and I can fly there pretty cheaply from Japan.
9
u/Fulcrum89 Oct 04 '19
I'm currently living in Khabarovsk (I was literally in Japan yesterday on a trip with my wife, S7 does cheap flights from Narita). If you come before 15 Nov this year I'll gladly show you around including the military museum and some other places. PM me if you're interested.
5
u/hockeyjoker United States Oct 03 '19 edited Oct 03 '19
Has anyone gotten out to Primorksy Krai? I am exploring a big trip/trek in that area to try to spot some wildlife
edit: obviously if anyone knows of companies or guides that operate in the area and/or out of Vladivostok, that would be truly appreciated!
6
u/byredo Oct 04 '19
I just did the Trans-Mongolian (Moscow to Lake Baikal and then down to Beijing) train trip last week so if anyone has any questions I’d be happy to answer if I can. We chose to ride straight through without stops but would love to go back sometime when we have more time to explore
3
Oct 05 '19
I'd love to hear more!
How long did it take? What did it cost? Did you enjoy the experience?
3
u/Ascetic_r Oct 08 '19
I have just come back from trip to Northern part of Krasnoyarsk region in Russia, around Norilsk city. So the main goal of our team was a 250 km long hiking expedition through Putorana Plateau. It is a very wild region with next to no infrastructure around, and pretty much impossible to inhabit because of a very harsh terrain of the Plateau itself. So if anyone is up for an adventure, it might be an interesting choice to consider! A bit of info about my trip, and links to photos and longer descriptions in case the area interests you:
We started off in Krasnoyarsk, and first made a 4 day long pram ride through Yenisei river, which covered about 1700km. We made this choice because we were to be dropped to our expedition starting point via Kureika river, and there is just no real cheap other option to get to it, and the pram ride is kinda interesting. It is a German pram built around 1954, still used as a main transport between small villages in that area. A link to description of the pram ride:
Yenisei pram ride
Next, we hired two small motorboats which delivered our 5 person group Through Kureika river to Dyupkun lake (about 500km), where we started hiking. In 16 days we covered about 250 km through Putorana Plateau. It is a pretty cool 1000m high plateau cut with deep canyons. To get there legally, you need two permissions: one for Putorana National Park, other one for accessing restricted areas of Krasnoyarsk(as there is a power plant on Kureika, and restricted industrial zone in Norilsk). Getting those from the police office is hopeless, you probably have to get some local tour agency to make it. Photos of the expedition:
Putorana expedition
And finally, after the expedition we were brought by another boat to Norilsk, a famous industrial town, one of the biggest ones in the world so far north. We were picked up from Lama Lake, where there is a kind of small tourist station. The tourist station itself is in pretty bad state, very expensive, but there is a very nice museum about local indigenous people put together by the owner of that station. From Lama you can get straight to Norilsk through one of the rivers. Norilsk is the opposite of touristy place. Firstly it is hard to get permissions for it, and secondly it is very far north, so few people would ever want to go there. Interesting to see such an industrial place. Some photos:
Norilsk
So, if anyone interested, I can answer the questions about moving around in the region, things to see and permissions.
2
u/thedome26 Oct 07 '19
A lot of people who do parts (or all) of the trans Siberian stick to the mainline. That's fine and all, but the baikal-amur mainline is a cool detour; farrrr fewer tourists go this way. There are also some other spur lines worth checking out.
2
u/marpocky 120/197 Oct 07 '19
Eastern Russia is one of the places I most want to go back to. Absolutely beautiful country. Just need Russia to do another easy-visa event like the World Cup haha
2
u/garlenlo Oct 10 '19
For those interested in taking the Trans-Siberian railway... I spent 30 days going from St Petersburg to Vladivostok, and explored 15 cities/towns. My top picks are highlighted.
- St Petersbug - Must see for its Russian Empire architecture/history eg. Hermitage
- Mosocow - Must see for its communist architecture/history eg. Museum of Cosmonautics
- Vladimir
- Suzdal - Most magical small town I've ever visited
- Nizhny Novgorod
- Perm
- Yekaterinburg
- Tobolsk
- Tyumen
- Novosibirsk
- Irkutsk
- Olkhon Island - Lake Baikal, beautiful rugged island, and Buryat culture
- Ulan-Ude
- Khabarovsk
- Vladivostok
What made it particularly special for me was that I couchsurferd with locals at each of my stops, so I often had a friendly guide show me around, which is especially nice/helpful when travelling alone.
For those thinking about doing the Trans-Siberian train journey, I've put together a video detailing a breakdown of my costs (just £200 in third class!), where and when to buy tickets (easy-peasy online), practical tips I learned from my mistakes (don't book a bed by the toilet!), and generally I have tried to capture a realistic sense of what it's like undergoing this epic train ride.
Hope this helps somebody: https://youtu.be/ziUSe9s3LQA
1
u/Alkazard Oct 08 '19
(Not just limited to the eastern side, but figure a good place for advice).
We plan to begin(late January) in St Petersburg, head to Moscow, and then either Volgograd or somewhere like Kazan/Ufa/Perm. Following through to Irkutsk for a few days and finishing in Vladivostok (assuming the China visa is going to be impossible for us).
Any advice on where to stop or not? St P/Moscow/Irkutsk is a lock, but outside of that up for suggestion.
We have 30 day visas and plan around 5 in St P/Moscow and maybe 4(?) in Irkutsk. Rest to split amongst travel/few overnights wherever we stop.
1
Oct 10 '19
I’m planning a to drop everything and backpack to many places around the world and I’m seeking tips for things like packing before I leave, and finding jobs, and just tips for traveling in general. Anything helps, thanks
19
u/GrumbIRK Oct 03 '19
I want to vouch for Irkutsk. I spent almost an entire year there and it is my favourite city in Russia so far. Lake Baikal is an unreal sight, especially in winter. The weather in Irkutsk in summer is gorgeous and perfect to check out the nature around the city.
Definitely isn't as modern or upkept as Peter or Moscow but it's considerably cheaper and the city's size, personally, made it more enjoyable and easier to take in. Some very incredible architecture and just walking along Angara River can make up a days sight seeing. There is also a small population of expats and I think most people would get along without Russian language
Irkutsk is also close to a lot of other places that are worth seeing like Buryatia - I went to Arshan in the mountains that were gorgeous.