Trans Siberian Railway
Although collectively referred to as the Trans- Siberian there are in fact three possible routes running across Russia. Perhaps the most impressive is the Trans-Siberian itself, which spans from Moscow to Vladivostock and is the longest single railway track in the world. The most popular route, however, is the Trans-Mongolian, which takes you from Moscow across to Irkutsk and Lake Baikal before heading south through Mongolia and onward to Beijing. Finally, there is the Trans- Manchurian Railway which covers most of Siberia before crossing the border into northeast China and continuing to Beijing via Harbin.
Travelling from West to East one gradually passes from a European to an oriental culture at a sedate enough pace for the mind to absorb the subtle changes. The landscape too metamorphoses from one of neatly laid out fields through the vast inhospitable birch forested Siberian taiga and the treeless Mongolian steppe to the grassland and mountains of China. But it is much more than just a train journey. Make the most of the trip and stop off from time to time en-route to explore different areas.