Trans-Mongolian Adventure: Self-Launched Moscow to Beijing by Rail

Land at Sheremetyevo or Domodedovo and take the Aeroexpress train into the city centre (~£7–8, 40–50 min) — far cheaper and less stressful than a negotiated taxi. Check into a hostel dorm in the Kitay-Gorod or Tverskaya area, then do a free-orientation wander down to Red Square at dusk. Buy a Troika card at any metro station (~£4 deposit, top up £5–8) — the metro is your transport for the next two days.

🚌Aeroexpress train from airport + metro

🛏Hostel dorm, central Moscow (£12–18/night)

• →Red Square at night (free)
• →Troika metro card purchase

Self-guided day using the metro. Buy a Kremlin and Armoury Chamber ticket online in advance (~£30–35) and walk in early — it sells out. Lenin's Mausoleum is free and St Basil's is best viewed from outside (the queue and ticket are only worth it if you love onion domes up close). Afternoon: ride the metro as a sightseeing loop — Komsomolskaya, Novoslobodskaya and Mayakovskaya stations are the showpieces. In the evening, consider a Bolshoi ballet standing ticket (~£10–25) booked weeks ahead via the theatre's own site. Confirm your train ticket collection at a station kiosk or online the same day.

🚌Metro (day ticket ~£3)

🛏Hostel dorm, central Moscow (£12–18/night)

• →Kremlin & Armoury ticket (~£32)
• →Lenin's Mausoleum (free)
• →Metro station architecture crawl
• →Optional Bolshoi ticket

Book a 2nd-class kupe (4-berth soft sleeper) Moscow–Irkutsk on the Rossiya or a comparable service — buy direct via the Russian Railways (RZD) site or a reseller like Real Russia, roughly £150–220 one way. Stock up at the station supermarket before boarding: instant noodles, bread, cheese, tea and a mug, since the samovar in every carriage gives free boiling water. Settle in and meet your compartment mates — this is the social heart of the trip.

🚌Trans-Siberian train Moscow–Irkutsk (kupe ~£150–220)

🛏Sleeper train, 4-berth kupe

• →Train station provisioning run
• →Samovar tea culture on board

Roughly 88 hours of rail between Moscow and Irkutsk. Use the time: read, play cards, eat in the dining car once or twice (~£6–10 a meal), and get off at any long station stops (usually 20–30 min) to stretch your legs on the platform. The Urals pass by in the first day, then birch-and-pine taiga fills the windows for hours.

🚌Trans-Siberian train (cost included above)

🛏Sleeper train, 4-berth kupe

• →Dining car meal
• →Platform stops
• →Cards and compartment life

Another full day rolling east. By late afternoon the line begins to follow the Angara river and skirt Lake Baikal — watch for the first glimpse of the lake on the final stretch. Keep your passport and Mongolian visa documents handy from tomorrow, and note your Irkutsk arrival time from the carriage timetable to arrange a guesthouse pickup in advance.

🚌Trans-Siberian train (cost included above)

🛏Sleeper train, 4-berth kupe

• →Angara river views
• →Baikal approach

Arrive Irkutsk in the morning and drop bags at a left-luggage locker at the station, then walk the historic centre self-guided: the 130 Kvartal wooden houses, Bogoyavlensky Cathedral and the Angara embankment — about 2–3 hours covers it. Take a marshrutka (shared minibus, ~£2–3, 1 hour) from the bus station to Listvyanka on the shore of Lake Baikal. Stay in a family guesthouse or the budget side of a Baikal lodge; many hosts cook dinner, and smoked omul fish from the market is the local ritual.

🚌Marshrutka Irkutsk–Listvyanka (~£3)

🛏Family guesthouse, Listvyanka (£18–25/night)

• →Irkutsk walking loop (free)
• →Baikal fish market

A free day on Baikal. Rent a banya (private sauna) for an hour or two (~£15–25 split between two or more people) and jump in the lake afterwards — invigorating is the polite word. Hike the shore path towards Bolshie Koty if the weather holds (free, 3–4 hours one way, or go part way). Small boat trips on the lake run from the pier in summer, roughly £10–20 per person. Ask your host to pre-book a shared car or marshrutka back to Irkutsk for tomorrow morning.

🚌Walking / local taxi to pier

🛏Family guesthouse, Listvyanka (£18–25/night)

• →Banya rental (~£20 shared)
• →Shoreline hike (free)
• →Optional lake boat trip (~£15)

Take the marshrutka or a local train to Irkutsk and board the Irkutsk–Ulaanbaatar train (roughly £45–75 in a kupe). There is no dining car on this leg — buy supplies first. Naushki/Sukhbaatar border formalities are slow, often 2–4 hours in the middle of the night, with passport checks and carriage changes. The scenery flips from forest to open grassland as you enter Mongolia. Most nationalities need a Mongolian visa or e-visa arranged in advance — check before you leave home.

🚌Train Irkutsk–Ulaanbaatar (kupe ~£45–75)

🛏Sleeper train, 4-berth kupe

• →Border crossing
• →Steppe views

Arrive in the capital in the morning and check into a hostel in the city centre (dorms are £7–12; private guesthouse rooms £18–25). Orient yourself on Sukhbaatar Square, then walk uphill to Gandan Monastery to see the giant Migjid Janraisig statue — entry ~£2, or a guided monastery tour ~£8–10 if you want context on Tibetan Buddhism. Stock up on cash: Mongolian banks and ATMs are reliable, but change foreign notes in good condition.

🚌Walking / city bus

🛏Hostel dorm, Ulaanbaatar (£8–12/night)

• →Gandan Monastery entry (~£2)
• →Sukhbaatar Square (free)

Getting to Terelj is easiest as a shared marshrutka ride from the Peace Avenue depot (~£3–5) — or split a taxi/day-hire car with hostel-mates for around £30–40 total each way. Most ger camps will also arrange a pickup for a small fee. Stay in a family-run ger camp (~£25–40 per person, with half board often negotiated in). Afternoon: hike the granite valley towards Turtle Rock, and ask about a horse ride or traditional archery at the camp (roughly £10–20). Dinner and the evening are with your host family — this is the 'local living' moment of the whole route.

🚌Shared minibus / split taxi to Terelj

🛏Family ger camp, Terelj (£25–40 per person)

• →Turtle Rock hike (free)
• →Optional archery or horse riding (~£15)
• →Overnight in traditional ger

Breakfast at the camp, then make your way back to Ulaanbaatar by shared ride. Spend the afternoon on Zaisan Hill for the city panorama and the Soviet-era monument (free). In the evening book seats for a Mongolian cultural show — throat singing, contortion, long-song and dance — via the State Academic Ensemble or a theatre box office, roughly £10–15. Ask your hostel to reserve the show and confirm tomorrow's Beijing train departure.

🚌Shared minibus back to UB

🛏Hostel dorm, Ulaanbaatar (£8–12/night)

• →Zaisan Hill viewpoint (free)
• →Mongolian cultural show (~£12)
• →Naran Tuul market visit

The Ulaanbaatar–Beijing train leaves four nights a week; book a kupe ticket early (roughly £90–140) through an agent like Legend Tour, who can courier the physical ticket in UB. There is a dining car. Border at Zamyn-Uud/Erlian involves a gauge change and long passport queues overnight. Eat well and get cash out (Chinese yuan) before you leave; you will not need your visa paperwork in hand, but keep it accessible.

🚌Train Ulaanbaatar–Beijing (kupe ~£90–140)

🛏Sleeper train, 4-berth kupe

• →Dining car dinner
• →Erlian gauge-change stop

Arrive Beijing in the afternoon and check into a hostel in the Nanluoguxiang or Gulou area — the hutongs are the whole point of staying here (£10–16 dorm, £30–40 private). Use the Beijing metro (buy a Yikatong card or use the app) and take a self-guided hutong wander: drum tower, bell tower, side alleys, and a jianbing or dumpling dinner for £3–6. Book a Great Wall transfer for the following morning through your hostel.

🚌Metro + walking

🛏Hutong hostel dorm (£10–16/night)

• →Hutong self-guided walk
• →Drum & Bell Tower exteriors
• →Local dinner

Skip the group bus: take the metro to Dongzhimen, then the 916 Express bus to Huairou (~£1–2, 75 min) and switch to a local minibus to Mutianyu (~£1). Entrance is ~£6, with cable car or toboggan down ~£12–14 each. Walk the restored stretches between towers 14 and 20 for the best ridge views. Return to Beijing by late afternoon, and consider an evening Temple of Heaven park visit (grounds ~£2) or a Wudaoying hutong wander.

🚌Public bus 916 Express + local minibus (~£4 return)

🛏Hutong hostel dorm (£10–16/night)

• →Mutianyu Great Wall entry (~£6)
• →Cable car or toboggan (~£13)
• →Temple of Heaven grounds (~£2)

Book a Forbidden City ticket online in advance (real-name registration required; ~£7–8) and arrive at opening via Tiananmen East metro. Tiananmen Square entry is free but needs an ID/security check. Spend 3–4 hours in the palace complex, exit north to Jingshan Park (~£1) for the classic roofline view. In the afternoon, a Hutong cycling tour (~£8–12) or 798 Art District — then a farewell Peking duck dinner if you're feeling flush (~£12–18) or a cheaper noodle shop at half that. Fly home on Day 16.

🚌Metro

🛏Hutong hostel dorm (£10–16/night)

• →Forbidden City (~£8)
• →Jingshan Park (~£1)
• →Optional hutong bike tour (~£10)