Traveling by railway

Traveling by railway is becoming increasingly popular among the Russians, so in the next year and a half, the Russian Railways is going to launch a number of new railway tourist routes.

The romance of railway traveling is becoming more attractive to tourists. And the point is not even that the number of vacation trips has increased - the number of specialized routes is also growing aimed not at getting to the final destination but at sightseeing from the train window and during special stops in tourist destinations. The cost of vouchers traditionally includes the transportation by railway, a guided tour program, transfer and meals.

“You can choose now an interesting option for your train trip for the autumn and winter weekends or a long vacation trip by train. The choice is huge, from new routes to regular ones,” the press service of the Russian Railways company says in its special message.

What are the train trips offered to tourists?

First of all, I would like to say about news. Thus, in the few months remaining before the New Year, several new excursion train routes will be available from Moscow. The first one that is set to be launched on December 23 is called Moroz (Frost) Express. During the trip, tourists will not only see Veliky Ustyug, but also visit the residence of Father Frost.

The second new train excursion route is Ski Arrow, it is set to begin operating from December 27. It is clear from the name that the final point of the trip will be the Rosa Khutor resorts, and a separate service line will be the opportunity to purchase ski passes for the ski slopes directly from the guide. From December 29, a similar train will go to the northern slopes - comfortable carriages will take extreme sports enthusiasts to Khibiny Mountains. And you can spend New Year’s Eve on a train as part of the excursion tour Grandeur of the North where travelers will be treated to the Ruskeala Mountain Park, Arkhangelsk, and Veliky Ustyug.

In addition, as indicated on the Russian Railways website, 22 routes are under development for 2025. No need to indicate them all now, but it is worth noting that trips To the Mountains and Thermal Baths - to Adygea and Kalmykia - are among them where tourists can see how the steppe blooms in the spring. And, of course, train tours to Lake Baikal are offered, as well as to the cities of Pskov, St. Petersburg and a number of other destinations.

By the way, railway traveling segment offers also shorter, but very interesting trips. For example, between the city of Sortavala and the Ruskeala mountain park in the Northern part of Russia, the Ruskeala Express retro train runs (a steam locomotive-powered tourist train) that has even a first-class car consisting of four VIP compartments and a lounge area. Each compartment has a large table, cozy sofas and ottomans. The price includes champagne and fruit, as well as a certificate for 1,000 rubles that can be spent at its dining car. And one seat in a six-seat stylized compartment can cost 1,855 rubles only.

From Voronezh to Grafskaya station and back (the total travel time 8 hours 30 minutes) the Count Train runs, in which each compartment is unique and dedicated to historical figures of the 19th century who contributed to the construction of the railway and the development of the Voronezh Province. And passengers are served by train hosts in uniforms specially sewn according to old patterns.

And the routes of the Baikal Express, Irkutsk - Slyudyanka - Port Baikal - Irkutsk (the Irkutsk Region) and Ulan-Ude - Slyudyanka - Port Baikal - Irkutsk - Ulan-Ude (the Republic of Buryatia), were included by the National Geographic Traveler magazine in the top 5 routes in the world. And it is no wonder because each train car has a shower cabin, and toilet rooms are equipped with sensor taps for water supply, as well as electric hand dryers. While traveling, tourists can enjoy the views of Lake Baikal and also go through 39 tunnels and 17 separate galleries built more than a century ago.

The route Bologoye - Ostashkov in the Tver Region, in turn, can boast that the Seliger Train is the first steam-powered commuter train in our country. It was launched in 2018. The Russian Railways’ website informs that “at present, these sections have no equal in Russia in terms of historical preservation and integrity of the architectural structures and railway infrastructure facilities.”

The advantage of such trips is full board and a wide choice of excursion programs, says Sergey Pozdnyakov, an expert in tourism.

“However, there are also disadvantages. Firstly, you share the compartment with unknown people and, frankly speaking, it’s a lottery - what fellow travelers you can have. Another nuance is that many people are in the train, which means the buses are fully occupied. And the tours are rather short, that is, tourists have little time to see the attractions properly and ‘feel’ the place,” he explains.

Another distinctive feature of tours by railway is the sightseeing train’ staging tracks.

“It is important that the train is not put far from the station during stops, it is not very convenient to get to the tourist train when the travelers return to their train compartment on their own,” the expert emphasizes.

How can the popularity of such trips by trains be increased?

“The first and, perhaps, practically the most important thing is the price. Today, the costs of traveling by a tourist train and of sightseeing tours are quite high. Secondly, it is necessary to divide the people into groups to make the tours convenient and not to go on excursions or have meals at restaurants or cafes as a huge crowd. And, finally, the third thing is to organize convenient staging tracks for the tourist trains, in this case, railway sightseeing tours can be really popular with travelers,” Sergey Pozdnyakov sums up.