This is the Yekaterinburg to Krasnoyarsk chapter from Lonely Planet’s Trans-Siberian Railway guidebook.

This leg of the journey starts in the Urals with the historically important city of Yekaterinburg. The train then moves into Siberia and eventually on to its buzzing capital, Novosibirsk. Both cities are worth a stop.

• trace the historical contours of the murder of Russia’s last tsar and his family at the Church upon the Blood in Yekaterinburg
• maps
• explore Siberia’s old capital, Tobolsk, with its glorious snow-white Kremlin and old town
• transport
• take time out in Novosibirsk, Siberia’s capital, with its bustling bars and varied muse-ums
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Yekaterinburg, Tyumen, Tobolsk, Omsk, Novosibirsk, Tomsk.

This chapter contains the History, Siberian & Far East Travellers, Russia Today, Russian Culture & Cuisine, Mongolia Today, Mongolian Culture & Cuisine, China Today, Chinese Cul-ture & Cuisine, Landscapes & Wildlife, Directory A–Z, Transport, and Health chapters from Lonely Planet’s Trans-Siberian Railway guidebook.

All the info you need on everything from history, landscapes and culture to flights, public transport, climate, money, the internet... you name it. Get tips for women travellers, gay and les-bian travellers, travellers with disabilities, and travellers with kids. And get the most out of your conversations with a handy language guide and glossary.

• a rundown on history, people and cultural events
• info on the diverse landscapes you can expect to see including the taiga, desert, steppe and mountains
• full coverage for travellers to Siberia
• details on the range of food and drink you’ll come across

Coverage includes: History, Siberian & Far East Travellers, Russia To-day, Russian Culture & Cuisine, Mongolia Today, Mongolian Culture & Cuisine, China Today, Chinese Culture & Cuisine, Landscapes & Wildlife, Directory A–Z, Transport, and Health.

This is the Ulan-Ude to Vladivostok chapter from Lonely Planet’s Trans-Siberian Rail-way guidebook.

The Trans-Siberian’s last leg covers a staggering 3648km as it rolls into Russia’s ‘wild east’. This region has always lived by its own rules. The people, like the countryside, are a bit wilder and more rugged than their Western brethren.

• discover the Russian Far East’s most interesting and cosmopolitan city, Vladivostok
• maps
• enjoy a scenic riverside stroll, admire grand architecture and then join in the nightlife of the student town of Khabarovsk
• transport
• take in exquisite tsarist buildings by the Amur River in the old Russian frontier town of Blagoveshchensk
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Chita, Blagoveshchensk, Birobidzhan, Khabarovsk, Vladivostok.

This is the Trans-Mongolian Route chapter from Lonely Planet’s Trans-Siberian Rail-way guidebook.

The Trans-Mongolian route is the most diverse leg of the cross-continental journey, cutting across three distinct cultures, landscapes and languages. It includes some of the most awe-inspiring sights of the long journey.

• hike or horseback ride in the hills and valleys near Ulaanbaatar, in Gorkhi-Terelj National Park
• maps
• walk the prayer circuit around Gandan Khiid, the country’s largest monastery, in Ulaanbaatar
• transport
• learn about Mongolia’s ancient past at the impressive National Museum of Mongolia
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Darkhan, Ulaanbaatar & Around, Sainshand, Zamyn-Üüd, Dàtóng & Around.

This is the Trans-Manchurian Route chapter from Lonely Planet’s Trans-Siberian Rail-way guidebook.

For connoisseurs of obscure rail routes, the Trans-Manchurian Railway ranks high on wish lists. It’s not on the main line to Vladivostok, nor does it take the ‘tourist route’ via Mongolia; rather, it chugs through China’s rust belt, where foreign faces are few.

• snap a selfie beside the giant matryoshki in quirky Russian Doll Park
• maps
• brave the cold to see the spectacular ice sculptures carved at the Harbin Ice & Snow Festival
• transport
• contemplate Harbin’s past at the Church of St Sophia, the largest Orthodox church in the Far East
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Manzhouli, Harbin, Chángchun, Shanhaiguan.

This is the Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM) chapter from Lonely Planet’s Trans-Siberian Railway guidebook.

Most people know the Trans-Siberian Railway, but how many can say they’ve heard of the ‘other’ Trans-Sib, its poor country cousin, the BAM? As great railway journeys go, this is a Soviet epic, a rail-clanging odyssey you’ll never forget.

• cross Lake Baikal for a dip in the isolated hot spring of Khakusy Spa
• maps
• pull on your boots for the long-distance Siberian hiking route, the Frolikha Adventure Coastline Trail
• transport
• tour the classical architecture and Soviet monuments of the BAM’s nicest town, Komso-molsk-na-Amure
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Tayshet, Bratsk, Severobaikalsk & Around, Tynda, Komsomolsk-na­Amure.

This is the St Petersburg chapter from Lonely Planet’s Trans-Siberian Railway guidebook.

Beautiful, complex and imperious, with a hedonistic, creative temperament, St Petersburg is the ultimate Russian diva. Constantly in need of repair but with a carefree party attitude, Peters-burg still seduces all who gaze upon her grand facades, glittering spires and gilded domes.

• spend a day (or more) in the Hermitage, one of the world’s unrivalled art collections
• maps
• witness the amazing kaleidoscope of colours that is the Church of the Saviour on the Spilled Blood, the city’s most iconic church
• transport
• revel with locals during the ethereal endless daylight of the White Nights
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: History, Sights, Activities, Festivals & Events, Sleep-ing, Eating, Drinking & Nightlife, Entertainment, Shopping.

This chapter contains the Welcome to the Trans-Siberian Railway, Trans-Siberian Railway’s Top 16, Need to Know, First Time, If You Like..., Month by Month, Choosing Your Route, Itinerar-ies, Booking Tickets, Arranging Your Visas, Life on the Rails, and Journey at a Glance chapters from Lonely Planet’s Trans-Siberian Railway guidebook.

Your journey to Trans-Siberian Railway starts here. You’ll find the tools to plan your adven-ture: where to go and when, how much to budget, plus in-depth info on arranging visas and booking tickets.

• tailor-made itineraries, arranged by region, themes and events
• list of highlights and best experiences
• everything you need to know about choosing your route
• user-friendly country overview ensures you won’t miss a thing

Coverage includes: Welcome to the Trans-Siberian Railway, Trans-Siberian Railway’s Top 16, Need to Know, First Time, If You Like: Good Food & Drink, Hikes & Walks, Iconic Architecture, Majestic Landscapes, Multicultural Encounters, River Trips & Rafting, Views from the Train, Month by Month, Choosing Your Route, Itineraries, Booking Tick-ets, Arranging Your Visas, Life on the Rails, and Journey at a Glance.

This is the Moscow to Yekaterinburg chapter from Lonely Planet’s Trans-Siberian Rail-way guidebook.

For travellers, this section of the journey across European Russia will often be accompanied by the excitement of the journey ahead. It is a relatively densely populated section with three main routes.

• enjoy spectacular views over the Volga River in Nizhny Novgorod from the Cable Car
• maps
• ramble through bucolic beauty while church bells sigh in the distance in Suzdal
• transport
• admire the stunning simplicity of the tiny Church of the Intercession on the Nerl in Bo-golyubovo
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Vladimir, Suzdal, Nizhny Novgorod, Perm, Kungur.

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

This 1500km ribbon of rail and sleeper is where things get interesting. It is arguably the most varied stretch of the line, so bid farewell to your carriage attendant along its length for some of the most memorable experiences Siberia has to offer.

• gaze at the blue waters of Lake Baikal or get active on or around the Pearl of Siberia
• maps
• take a turn around Baikal’s rocky southern shore on the Circumbaikal Railway
• transport
• wander boulevards of haughty 19th-century architecture in Irkutsk
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk, Lake Baikal, Listvyanka, Port Baikal, Olkhon Island, Slyudyanka, Eastern Baikal, Ulan-Ude & Around.

This is the Moscow chapter from Lonely Planet’s Trans-Siberian Railway guide-book.

Moscow is the start or the end point for your train journey across Mother Russia. Soak it up. Examine the art; splurge on a ritzy restaurant; stay out till sunrise; get lost in the crowds. Once you get on that train, you may not get to do it again.

• explore 500 years of artistic mastery, political power and spiritual devotion at the Kremlin
• maps
• marvel at the multicoloured, multidomed spectacle of St Basil’s Cathedral on Red Square
• transport
• be as active or as lazy as you wish in the wonderfully gentrified and iconic Gorky Park
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: History, Sights, Activities, Festivals & Events, Sleep-ing, Eating, Drinking & Nightlife, Entertainment, Shopping.

This is the Beijing chapter from Lonely Planet’s Trans-Siberian Railway guide-book.

For weary Trans-Siberian travellers, Beijing feels like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. The 2008 Olympics transformed Beijing, and it brims with cuisine of every kind, daring modern architecture and a thriving arts scene.

• hike along the Great Wall, then bunk up for the night in a village guesthouse
• maps
• marvel at the splendour of the world’s largest palace complex, the Forbidden City
• transport
• watch the flag-raising ceremony at iconic Tian’anmén Square
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: History, Sights, Sleeping, Eating, Drinking & Nightlife, Entertainment, Shopping, Around Beijing.