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From Times Online

June 23, 2006

How to book the Trans Siberian

Doc Holiday opens his travel clinic on a daily basis to answer your holiday queries. Today: the Trans Siberian Railway

Where can I book a tour that includes the Trans Siberian Railway? - Matthew Spalding, Sunderland

Doc Holiday responds: The epic 6,000-mile rail journey from Moscow to Vladivostok takes six days and crosses seven time zones. It's an ambition of some to experience the journey entirely aboard the train, but if you can make the time, it's far better to use a tour operator and have stops in cities and towns along the way. This not only breaks up the journey nicely, but also let's you sample some of Siberia's fascinating culture, history, and atmosphere.

The classic route is from Moscow to Vladivostok, but as Vladivostok is a relatively tricky and expensive place to travel into or out of by air, the most popular route is via the Trans Mongolian railways from Siberia down to Beijing. This route passes through the most stunning scenery too.

The Russia Experience has a large range of different tours featuring the express. For example, a 10-day classic trip starts from £609pp, including three days in Moscow and the train direct to Vladivostok.

Alternatively, a 14-day tour from Moscow to Beijing is from £885pp, which includes two night stops in Irkutsk and Ulaanbaatar on the way. Flights aren't included in the above costs, but STA Travel or Global Village have good deals for people using the express into Moscow and back from Beijing, from about £450. Or try On the Go which also has tours on the express.

Super luxurious trips are run by Great Rail Journeys which operates a private train from Hanover to Vladivostok, for about £5,000pp.

A couple of quirky sites, but with some good information, are Trans-Siberia.com (www.trans-siberia.com), and The Man in Seat Sixty-One (www.seat61.com ).

The Trans-Siberian Railway Lonely Planet guide (£14.99) is an excellent resource. Or for the experience captured in travel writing, there's the Trans-Siberian Express by Warren Adler, or The Gentleman from Finland: Adventures on the Trans-Siberian Express, by Robert M Goldstein.