Trans-Siberian Railway - Lake Baikal (Chapter)

This is the Lake Baikal: Krasnoyarsk to Ulan-Ude chapter from Lonely Planet’s Trans Siberian Railway guidebook.

If you’ve made it this far from Moscow or Beijing, this 1500km ribbon of rail and sleeper is where things get interesting. Arguably the most varied stretch of the line, bid farewell to your provodnitsa (carriage attendant) along its length for some of the most memorable experiences Siberia has to offer.

• Walking, cycling or hitching a lift across frozen Lake Baikal
• Mooching with the monks at Buddhist temple Ivolginsky (Ivolga) Datsan
• Gazing out across the southern shores of Lake Baikal from a slow train between Irkutsk and Ulan-Ude, possibly the most attractive section of the entire Trans-Sib line.
• maps
• Taking the ultimate Trans-Sib branch line trip on the Circumbaikal Railway for some stunning Baikal vistas
• transport
• Admiring the ostentatious 19th-century architecture of Irkutsk, once known as the ‘Paris of Siberia’
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Around Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk, Around Irkutsk, Western Lake Baikal, Listvyanka, Port Baikal, Bolshie Koty, Olkhon Island, South Baikal & The Tunka Valley, Ulan-Ude Улан-, Around Ulan-Ude and Eastern Baikal.