Siberia’s first great modern development was the Trans-Siberian Railway, constructed from 1891–1916, conveniently linking Siberia to rapidly industrialized Russia. Covering a distance of 9,289 kilometres, the Trans-Siberian Railway is one of the longest railways in the world. A full tour, starting from Moscow in the west, and journeying to Vladivostok in the east, takes 6 days and crosses 8 time zones while on Russia vacation.

Siberia features various major geographical zones, as well as rugged mountain ranges including the Ural Mountains, the Altai Mountains and the Verkhoyansk Range.

Siberia is home to Lake Baikal, the world's oldest and deepest lake. Lake Baikal is estimated to be around 30 million years old and is 5,387 feet (1,642 m) at its deepest point.

Novosibirsk is Siberia’s largest city and Russia’s third-largest in population. Located in the southwestern part of Siberia, Novosibirsk is situated on the banks of the Ob River.

Despite its reputation, Siberia is not just about cold snow. With its rich, natural resources and varied landforms, Siberia offers hiking, biking, alpine sports, cross-country skiing, whitewater rafting, and so much more to be experienced on Russian vacations.

TRANS-SIBERIAN RAILWAY

The Trans-Siberian Railway is a network of railways connecting Moscow with the Russian Far East and the Sea of Japan and is considered the longest railway in the world. There are branch lines to China through Mongolia and Manchuria, with service continuing to North Korea.

The Trans-Siberian Railway is often associated with the main transcontinental Russian line that connects hundreds of large and small cities in the European and Asian parts of Russia. At 9,259 kilometres (5,753 miles), spanning a record seven time zones and taking eight days to complete the journey, it is the third longest single continuous service in the world, after the Moscow-Pyongyang (10,267 km, 6,380 mi) and the Kiev-Vladivostok (11,085 km, 6,888 mi) service, both of which also follow the Trans-Siberian for much of their routes.

A secondary primary route is the Trans-Manchurian, which coincides with the Trans-Siberian as far as Tarskaya, about 1,000 km east of Lake Baikal.

The third primary route is the Trans-Mongolian Railway, which coincides with the Trans-Siberian as far as Ulan-Ude on Lake Baikal’s eastern shore. From Ulan-Ude, the Trans-Mongolian heads south to Ulaan-Baatar before making its way southeast to Beijing. This is the route the Tsars Gold follows … the travel idea Goway recommends

In 1991, a fourth route running further to the north was finally completed, after more than five decades of sporadic work.

Extend your Stay

Consider an additional stopover to your Russia vacation at one of Goway's other European destinations. You can choose from a Paris vacation, a London vacation or an Amsterdam vacation. This can be done stopping over en route to or from Russia.