London - Moscow - This is the first step, with daily
trains taking 48 hours.
Moscow - Almaty or Astana (Kazakhstan) - This is the direct option, take this
train if you want to head straight for China.
Moscow - Tashkent (Uzbekistan) - Alternatively, take this train if
you want to start by visiting Uzbekistan.
Tashkent -
Samarqand - Bokhara & Urgench for Khiva - Trains link Tashkent with
3 of Uzbekistan's
most remarkable cities.
Moscow - Bishkek (Kyrgistan)
Almaty or Astana - Ürümqi - The next step on the route to China.
Ürümqi- Xian - Beijing
- The final train ride into Xian & Beijing.
It's easy to travel
from London to Moscow by train, in 48 hours with comfortable
sleepers for the overnight sections. For times, fares, how to
buy tickets and Russian visa information, see the London to Russia page.
Direct sleeper trains also run to Moscow from Amsterdam,
Paris, Vienna,
Prague, Warsaw, Berlin, Budapest, Helsinki and many other
cities, just use
http://bahn.hafas.de to check train times. You
will need a Belarus transit visa & Russian tourist visa,
see the visa section on the
Russia page.
Moscow -
Almaty or Astana (Kazakhstan)...
Two direct trains
link Moscow with Kazakhstan every second day, the
'Kazakhstan' to Almaty (also written Alma-ata) and the 'Tselina'
to Astana. Of the two, the Moscow-Almaty route offers
the best train, as it is a quality 'firmeny service.
Both trains are safe and comfortable. A couple of
other trains which link Moscow with Astana on the way to
somewhere else are not shown here.
Moscow ► Almaty
& Astana
|
|
Almaty
& Astana ► Moscow
|
|
Each train runs every 2 days |
Train 8
'Kazakhstan': |
Train 72
'Tselina' |
Train 84 |
Each train runs every 2 days |
Train 7
'Kazakhastan |
Train 71
'Tselina' |
Train 83 |
|
Moscow |
depart |
22:50 day 1 |
22:45 day 1 |
22:45 day 1 |
Astana |
depart
|
- |
07:35
day 1 |
11:05
day 1 |
|
Yaisan (Kazak frontier) |
arrive |
13:04
day 3 |
| |
| |
Almaty |
depart
|
06:19
day 1 |
| |
| |
|
Kustanay (Kazak frontier) |
arrive |
| |
22:55 day 3 |
22:55 day 3 |
Kustanay (Russian frontier) |
arrive |
| |
20:10
day 1 |
20:10
day 1 |
|
Almaty |
arrive |
06:51 day 5 |
| |
| |
Yaisan (Russian frontier) |
arrive |
01:07
day 3 |
| |
| |
|
Astana |
arrive |
- |
11:57 day 4 |
08:42 day 4 |
Moscow |
arrive |
10:30 day 4 |
15:30 day 3 |
15:30 day 3 |
Train 7 & 8
'Kazakhstan': Train 8 departs Moscow (Paveletskaya
station) on odd dates (1st, 3rd, 5th etc of each month, but
not the 1st following a 31st). Train 7 departs Almaty
on even dates (2nd, 4th, 6th etc). The train is a
quality 'firmeny' service with spalny vagon (2-berth sleepers), kupé (4-berth sleepers)
&
platskartny (open plan dormitory cars) plus restaurant car. The train passes from Russia into
Kazakhstan,
but briefly transits another part of Russia before
re-entering Kazakhstan. However, it is reported that
you just need single-entry visa for Russia and a
single-entry visa for Kazakhstan to travel on this train.
Multiple-entry visas for Russia and Kazakhstan are not
required just because of this (but please double-check
this). Moscow to Almaty is 4,017 km.
Trains 71 & 72
'Tselina': Train 72 departs Moscow (Kazanski
station) on odd dates (1st, 3rd, 5th etc of each month, but
not the 1st following a 31st). Train 71 departs Astana
on odd dates (1st, 3rd, 5th etc of each month, but not
31st). The train is a 'fast' service (but not a
'firmeny' top quality service) with spalny vagon (2-berth sleepers), kupé (4-berth sleepers)
&
platskartny (open plan dormitory cars) plus restaurant car.
Moscow to Astana is 3,105 km.
Trains 83 &
84: Train 84 leaves Moscow on even-numbered dates.
Train 83 leaves Astana on even dates. Spalny
vagon (2-berth sleepers), kupé (4-berth sleepers) &
platskartny (open plan dormitory cars) plus restaurant car.
You can double-check train times and
days of running using
the Real Russia online system below or
www.poezda.net. Train 8 is sometimes shown as
train7!
Fares: Moscow to Almaty
costs £200 in 4-berth kupé,
booked with Real Russia.
Moscow to Astana costs £200.
How to buy tickets:
You can book train travel in
Russia, including this train, through several reputable Russian
agencies, including:
You can make
arrangements for trains, hotels and tours in Kazakhstan
and Uzbekistan through local agencies such as
www.tourasia.kz. You will need Russian & Kazakh
tourist visas for this journey. For information on
Russian visas, see the visa
section on the Russia page.
Moscow
- Tashkent (Uzbekistan)...
There
is a train running 3 times a week from Moscow to
Tashkent in
Uzbekistan. This is the 'Uzbekistan', with Spalny Vagon (2-berth sleepers), kupé (4-berth sleepers) and
platskartny (open plan dormitory car) plus restaurant car.
The train passes from Russia into Kazakhstan, briefly
transits another part of Russia before re-entering
Kazakhstan,
then it enters Uzbekistan. You will need a Russian visa, Kazak transit visa and
Uzbek visa. However, it is reported that
multiple-entry visas for Russia and Kazakhstan are not
required just because this train transits part of Russia
after entering Kazakhstan (please double-check this). You can check train times
&
days of running using
the Real Russia online system below or at
www.poezda.net.
Moscow ► Tashkent
|
|
Tashkent ► Moscow
|
|
The "Uzbekistan" |
Train 6: |
The "Uzbekistan" |
Train 5: |
|
Moscow |
depart |
23:25 Mon, Wed, Fri |
Tashkent |
depart
|
19:35
Tue, Fri, Sun |
|
Yaisan (Russia/Kazakhstan frontier) |
arrive |
10:36
Wed, Fri, Sun |
Yaisan (Russian frontier) |
arrive |
07:51
Thur, Sun, Tue |
|
Tashkent
(Uzbekistan entry point) |
arrive |
19:05
Thur, Sat, Mon |
Moscow |
arrive |
14:10
Fri, Mon, Wed |
Fares: Moscow to Tashkent
costs £295 in 4-berth kupé or £385 in 2-berth spalny vagon,
booked with Real Russia.
How to buy tickets:
You can book train travel in
Russia, including this train, through several reputable Russian
agencies, including:
You can make
arrangements for trains, hotels and tours in Kazakhstan
and Uzbekistan through local agencies such as
www.tourasia.kz. You will need a Russian tourist
visa, Kazakhstan transit visa and Uzbekistan tourist visa
for this journey. For information on Russian visas,
see the visa section on the
Russia page.
Tashkent ►
Bokhara / Urgench
|
|
Bokhara /
Urgench ►
Tashkent
|
|
Train
number: |
2* |
10 |
50 |
56** |
662 |
Train
number: |
55*** |
49 |
9 |
1* |
661 |
|
Tashkent |
depart |
07:05 |
08:20 |
19:05 |
19:25 |
20:10 |
Urganch |
depart
|
15:15 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Samarkand |
arrive |
10:30 |
12:00 |
23:50 |
00:33 |
01:43 |
Bokhara |
depart
|
| |
- |
08:05 |
- |
19:10 |
|
Bokhara |
arrive |
- |
14:45 |
- |
| |
06:50 |
Samarkand |
arrive |
04:33 |
07:05 |
11:10 |
17:00 |
00:49 |
|
Urganch |
arrive |
- |
- |
- |
13:22 |
- |
Tashkent |
arrive |
09:13 |
12:25 |
14:39 |
20:30 |
05:55 |
Urgench (also known
as Urganch) is the railhead for Khiva, 35km or 30 minutes
away. A taxi will cost around $9. There are no
direct train from Bokhara to Urgench, as they are on
different lines.
* Runs on Mondays,
Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays.
** Runs on Mondays,
Tuesdays, Fridays. *** Runs on Tuesdays,
Wednesdays, Saturdays.
Train 1 & 2 'Registan'
consists of luxury air-conditioned cars.
Train 9 & 10 'Sharq',
air-conditioned, runs daily.
Trains 49/50 &
661/662 run daily, with spalny vagon 2-berth sleepers & kupé
4-berth sleepers.
Trains 55/56 runs 3
times a week with spalny vagon 2-berth sleepers & kupé 4-berth
sleepers.
You can check
times and days of running
using the Real Russia
online system below or at
www.poezda.net (Bokhara = Buhara 1)
There are several
other irregular trains between Tashkent & Samarqand.
Fares: Tashkent to Samarkand costs around £20 in kupé or £30 in
spalny vagon, if bought through Real Russia.
How to buy tickets: You can buy tickets at the station, or from
outside Uzbekistan
using the Real Russia
online system below.
 |
|
 |
|
Above: The 'Registan'
air-conditioned express from Tashkent to Samarkand.
Photos courtesy of Helmut Uttenthaler. |
Tashkent - Almaty
There is no direct train service
between these cities, though it's possible to go by train,
changing at Arys, or by train+bus via Chimkent. Use
www.poezda.net to check train times. Traveller
Helmut Uttenthaler reports "It's possible to go by train
with changing at Arys. We did this, we had 53 minutes for
our connection from daily train 23 (to Aktjubinsk) to the
twice-weekly train 381 (Ufa - Tashkent). Although train 23
left Almaty with 40 minutes delay, we arrived at Arys on
time. The connecting train was also on time, so no problem.
However, getting tickets in advance from Arys to Tashkent on
train 381can be difficult. Free places for getting on
at Arys are very rare and appear in the "express" booking
system only a few days before departure (as the train comes
from Ufa in Russia). We were three people, and when we
booked our trip to Arys 8 days ahead it was not yet possible
to buy tickets from Arys to Tashkent. Some days later
(4 days ahead) we tried it again and now just 3 free places
appeared for Arys-Tashkent. Two in platskartny, one in kupé.
We bought all of them... However, if we had failed to buy
tickets or had missed our connection we would have made the
way from Arys to Tashkent by taxi, as it's only about 150
km. From locals we heard that they usually take the
train to Chimkent and from there a bus to Tashkent.
But we wanted to go by train all the way."
A twice-weekly train links Kazakhstan with China, starting
in Almaty once a week and Astana once a week and running to Ürümqi. The
Almaty-Ürümqi train is called the 'Zhibek Zholy' and it has modern
air-conditioned soft class (4-berth sleeper compartments)
and hard class (open-plan bunks). A Kazak restaurant
car runs Almaty to the frontier at Druzhba, and a Chinese
restaurant car runs from Druzhba to Ürümqi. Train
53/54 Astana-Ürümqi uses Kazak coaches.
Almaty ► Ürümqi
|
|
Ürümqi ► Almaty
|
|
|
Train N896 |
Train 54 |
|
Train N895 |
Train 53 |
|
Almaty
II |
depart |
22:58 Sat |
- |
Ürümqi |
depart
|
23:58 Mon |
23:58 Thur |
|
Astana |
depart |
| |
15:55 Tues |
Kazak frontier |
arrive |
09:20
Tue |
09:20
Fri |
|
Chinese frontier |
arrive |
22:10
Sun |
22:10
Wed |
Astana |
arrive |
| |
13:55
Sat |
|
Ürümqi |
arrive |
08:58
Mon |
08:58
Thur |
Almaty
II |
arrive |
06:40
Wed |
- |
Fares: Almaty to Ürümqi costs £123 in 4-berth or
£138 in 2-berth, booked
with Real Russia.
How to buy tickets: You can book these trains
in either direction
using the Real Russia
online system below or (for eastbound journeys) through
a local agency such as
www.tourasia.kz.
|
|
 |
|
Above right: The Chinese Almaty-Ürümqi train
at Almaty
Photo courtesy of Mikhail Utkin
Above left: The Kazakh train
to Ürümqi en route
Photo courtesy of Helmut Uttenthaler.
|
Train T69/T70 has soft class (4-berth sleeper
compartments) and hard class sleepers (open plan bunks).
There are other trains available between Ürümqi and Xian and
between Xian and Beijing, see the China
page.
Ürümqi ► Beijing
|
|
Beijing ►
Ürümqi
|
|
Eastbound: |
Train T70 |
Train 1044 |
Westbound: |
Train T69 |
Train 1043 |
|
Daily |
Daily |
Daily |
Daily |
|
Ürümqi |
depart |
20:03
day 1 |
23:58 day 1 |
Beijing |
depart
|
18:44
day 1 |
- |
|
Xian |
arrive |
01:08
day 2 |
11:26 day 3 |
Xian |
depart |
07:09 day 2 |
21:25 day 2 |
|
Beijing |
arrive |
13:38
day 3 |
- |
Ürümqi |
arrive |
10:50 day 3 |
07:18 day 3 |
Fares:
Ürümqi to Beijing costs around RMB 970 (£105) in soft
sleeper or RMB 630 (£70), if bought at the station.
A twice-weekly train, the 'Kirgizia' with 2-berth and 4-berth sleepers &
restaurant car, links Moscow with Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan.
Moscow ► Bishkek
|
|
Bishkek ► Moscow
|
|
The "Kirgizia" |
Train 18: |
The "Kirgizia" |
Train 17: |
|
Moscow |
depart |
23:25 Thur & Sun |
Bishkek II |
depart
|
10:07
Mon & Thur |
|
Yaisan (Kazak frontier) |
arrive |
10:44
Sat & Tue |
Kaindy (Kazak frontier) |
arrive |
13:09
Mon & Thur |
|
Kaindy (Kirgiz frontier) |
arrive |
22:50
Sun & Wed |
Yaisan (Russian frontier) |
arrive |
07:41
Wed & Sat |
|
Bishkek II |
arrive |
02:41
Mon & Thur |
Moscow |
arrive |
14:10
Thur & Sun |
Fares:
Moscow to Bishkek costs £251 in 4-berth kupé, booked with
Real Russia.
How to buy
tickets: You can book this train in either direction Real Russia
online system below.
Silk Route &
Central Asia resources...
To check train
times (and days of running) in any of the ex-Soviet states,
use the Real Russia
online system below or
www.poezda.net.
An excellent personal account:
www.johndarm.clara.net/silkroute
