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nonummy
Posted: 29 Mar,
10:37pm
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Ouch! Why is the Trans-Mongolian railway so expensive?
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I am looking into going from Bejing to Moscow via the Trans-Mongolian railway beginning in late May. Lonely Planet's own guide recommends going through a travel agent to book the tickets to avoid hassle, even though one may have to pay a large premium. But when I consulted the website of the most recommended agent, Monkey Business in Bejing, I was shocked to see how much they charge: over 500 euros ($600?!!) for a ticket that I think should cost half that.
So my questions are these:
1. Does anyone have an idea of the present cost of the ticket from Beijing to Moscow? Or, even better, does anyone know the present cost of buying individual tickets from key points, like Beijing to Ulaan Bator, or Ulan Bator to Irkutsk, Irkutsk to Tomsk, Tomsk to Moscow?
2. Also, has anyone bought their own tickets on this route, starting in Beijing? Was language a problem?
3. Lastly, can anyone recommend another travel agent (besides the very expensive Monkey Business), in Bejing or elsewhere, that can arrange tickets on the Trans-Mongolian railway starting in Beijing?
Thanks.
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noodleman
Posted: 29 Mar,
11:26pm
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my advice - NEVER use any agent for trans siberian tickets . I went t'other way in Feb ie Moscow - Beijing and did it all the DIY method - 150 quid end to end plus visas. sorry, cant advise more on your route as its in the opposite direction , but with some leg work you'll can save yourself a lot of cash. good luck
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Mr_Nev
Posted: 30 Mar,
2:44am
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Hi Noodle man,
I'm looking to do the route from Moscow to Beijing in a few months (taking in Mongolia for a month on the way), I hope you don't mind answering some questions for me.
Was that £150 sterling? Did you travel straight though or did you get off at places en route?
How much did you spend en route on food etc?
I'm curious because I'm waying up the pros and cons of doing the Trans-Siberia or flying direct to Mongonia.
Nonummy, sorry for hijacking your thread.
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everbrite
Posted: 30 Mar,
4:44am
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Have you considered that the TransMongolian train travels 7622 km? Also do you realize that travel agencies don't get any discount for seling train tickets and need to make money somehow?
All that aside, people travel this route all the time buying tickets themselves. Starting in Beijing is a bit easier because there are only two trains from Beijing to Ulan Bator and from Mongolia there are daily trains into Russia. There is only one place in Beijing to buy the tickets, CITS, so that piece is quite simple. Guest houses in Ulan Bator will assist you in getting to Russia and from there you won't have trouble if you bother to learn the cyrillic alphabet and the names of the cities where you want to go. There is a fair amount of information about this online and in the TransSiberian guide book by Bryn Thomas.
Train Prices in Mongolia
The International Railway Ticket Prices have increased since 1st of Feb.2004.
1USD=8.23Y
From Beijing to Damyn-ude: 369Y (343Y--2003) 45$
to Ulaanbaatar : 605Y (559Y--2003) 74$
to Irkutsk :977Y (900Y--2003) 119$
to Moscow :1744Y (1602Y--2003) 212$
There are two trains from the Beijing Central Staion on the first floor---07:40AM.
On Tue--T23
On Web--T3
Arrive the next day around 01: 15pm
1USD=1180T ( Tugric=Mongolian currency )
From Ulaanbaatar to Irkutsk : 35270T==everynight 30$
to Moscow : 96720T== two times a week 82$
Note that train prices within Russia will rise again in May when the railway resets their rates. Figure that each stop will increase your ticket costs about 20-25 USD.
#2 If you fly to Mongolia, you miss Lake Baikal. Seems to me that this lake is worth a stop since you are in the neighborhood. Consider flying from Moscow to Irkutsk and then taking the train from there. Airticket Moscow to Irkutsk should cost about 200 USD. Train ticket is about half that for a berth in second class, more if you take the #9/10 train, less if you travel third class or platskartney. Although you will need to eat for the 4 days that it takes to get there, it won't cost you 100 USD.
Please take a look at everbrite's Trans Siberian thread and the more complete and more up to date website I created: everbrite's travel pages for further information.
Then get back with more questions.
Ruth
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Mr_Nev
Posted: 02 Apr,
6:05am
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Thanks for the info Ruth, very helpful as aways!
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nonummy
Posted: 06 Apr,
1:26am
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Thanks from me also, Ruth. Your webpage was extremely helpful.
By the way, the reason for my initial posting was not that I begrudge a travel agent making money by charging above the base fares, but because I thought their charges were excessive. I'm all for paying someone to spare me from hardship, as long as they don't take advantage of me.
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