How to book Trans Siberian Railway ticket online via RussianTrain.com

Recently, I succeeded to travel with Trans Siberian Railway across Eurasia continent.

To achieve this crazy journey, I booked a Trans Siberian Railway ticket via home page of Russian National Railway.

However, as I mentioned in the article, it was hard to make a reservation. Because English and Russian languages are mixed in the middle despite choosing language set as English … Though I managed to reserve it using Google Translate app on my smartphone, it will be tough without enough internet connection.

Meanwhile, I was told by a friend that there is a website that one can easily book railway ticket.

RussianTrain.com is where it is.

What is RussianTrain.com?

This is a website operated by a company founded in 2000 called VisitRussia.com ,where you can book Russian railway tickets instantly without any confusion.

Besides the Trans Siberian Railway tickets, you can also book tickets for railways in following connections:

• Helsinki ⇄ St. Petersburg (ALLEGRO)
• St. Petersburg ⇄ Moscow (SAPSAN)

You can also switch language in English, German, Italian, French and Portuguese.

I actually tried to use this page, and I was able to proceed reservation process more smoothly than the Russian National Railway homepage.

So let me share how I complete reservation method on RussianTrain.com. Hope this guide will help you book Trans Siberian Railway ticket easily.

How to book a ticket of Siberian Railway at RussianTrain.com

It was extremely easy.

On the top page of RussianTrain.com, just fill in the blanks as follows.

On the top page of RussianTrain.com, just fill in the blanks as follows.

This time, on July 31, I have searched for one way ticket arriving from Vladivostok to Moscow. After filling in all blankets, click “Search”.

On the next screen, candidate dates of the itinerary is displayed.

Unfortunately there were no routes on July 31, so the candidate day of the journey being operated was displayed instead.

If there are no candidate dates, choose “Click to try to find multiple destinations” below.

This time for the time being, I have selected the date :24.07.2017,  as departure day.

Then, the following screen is displayed. It shows the departing time option of selected date.  Here, you can filter departure/arrival time, seat grade, whether you accompany kids or not.

If you want to avoid early morning or late night departure, change the departure time here. Indication of “e” by the name of the railway means availability of electronic tickets (e-ticket).

After you choose seats, click “View Seats” to see further details.

From this screen you must decide the seat grade and whether you will sit at the top or sit at the bottom of the compartment. After deciding the seat, click “+” and enter the number of tickets you want to book. “1” indicates 1 seat and does not mean “single room” of the first or second class seats.

Following indicate may help you select options for seats.

• “Class” includes 1st class (first class), 2nd class (second class), 3rd class (third class)
• “Services” includes the upper seat (lower bunk) or the lower seat (lower bunk) of the compartment (room with a seat)
• “Price” is the price of each seat Is displayed

Click on the photo icon, then, the outlook of each seat will be displayed as follows.

The two-seat seats such as first class and 2nd class are looked like this despite the few difference of the seats that I was riding. May be the picture is old or is not  Trans Siberian compartment but other cars such as Helsinki ⇄ St. Petersburg.

The picture of the 3rd class was the same as I witnessed. This is not a private room so you not avoid people snoring while sleeping… Risking safety and privacy, the price is way cheaper than 1st and 2nd class.

Confirm the seat and enter the number of tickets, then click “Continue”.

In this screen, you just fill in passenger information from the top. Click “Continue with booking” to proceed further.

On the last page, please make sure all of the ticket information and enter the contact information and payment information.

The e-mail address to be filled in “Contact person” should be an e-mail address of the person who wants to receive the electronic ticket. In the column named “Comment”, you should write allergy to meals, rides with pets, etc.

Payment can be made by credit card or PayPal. After entering all of the required information, click “Complete Booking” to confirm the reservation.

From when can I make a reservation?

Through RussianTrain.com, one can book railway tickets within 45 days of departure. Regarding international connection e.g Finland to Russia, booking can be made within 60 days from the departure date. If you would like to make a reservation before this date, you should contact RussianTrain.comdirectly.

Should I print an electronic ticket (e-ticket) when getting ride?

Yes, you should.

An electronic ticket sent to a contact person after booking will be valid only as a printing paper. In other words, when taking train, you do not have to run into counter of station to change another new ticket.

The ticket I received looked like following. I printed it out and brought it to Vladivostok station, which was enough to get on the train.

You have to print and bring this e-ticket of Trans Siberian Railway to get start your journey

In the case of non-electronic tickets, it is necessary to have them exchange for tickets at the ticket gates or the automatic check-in booth at designated station.  Conductors will check the ticket and your ID with passport. Don’t forget to show passport to get on the train. 

What if I want to cancel or make itinerary change?

If the change is more than 3 days before the departure date, you can cancel it by paying $20 to Russian Railway.com. To change the itinerary, you should contact RussianTrain.com anyway.

Cancellation can be made from following link.

The itinerary change can be contacted from the following link.

My review on booking on RussianTrain.com

Compared with Russian National Railway booking page, it was overwhelmingly easy to navigate booking process. with RussianTrain.com I was able to proceed without any confusion and destruction like I experienced through Russian National Railway booking page, which sometimes does not translate page from Russian to English.

Not only clarity of English translation but also page guidance and given information on RussianTrain.com was transparent, which gives extra sense of security and certainty for booking. 

Is it cheaper to book on RussianTrain.com?

Which would be cheaper if comparing Russian National Railways and  RussianTrain.com?

To compare the price of Russian National Rail, which I actually reserved before, the prices of these tickets are shown as below.

＊ Currency converted from RUB to USD at the rate of 2017 – 08 – 19

Well, it is totally different. Overall, booking via RussianTrain.com is more expensive. Of course the traveling season is not the same, so it is hard to compare it precisely.

If the booking is made through RussianTrain.com for first class seat, it will be nearly 1,500 USD, which is more expensive than that of through Russian National Railway booking page. The difference is almost 1000 USD between the two. In the case of the lowest 3rd seat, there is only 100 USD difference. In the case of second class seats, the gap is nearly 400 USD.

However, considering the overall usability of the website and clarity of navigation and English translation, I would rather book ticket through RussianTrain.com. While RussianTrain.com gives description on electronic ticket and other relevant information of the reservation change, I could not access these info on the Russian National Railway booking page, so the feeling of certainty is completely different. I was worried that bringing electronic ticket was really okay to be on board until I finally got on train.

If you are going to take a third class, you should make a reservation on RussianTrain.com even if you pay 100 USD more than Russian National Railway page because the 1st and 2nd class seats are so different in price. You need accept some anxiety and troublesome when make a reservation from Russian National Railway booking page.

If you can afford it, I think the answer is clear. Just make a reservation on RussianTrain.com, which will give you necessary information and customer support in English.

Reservation from here

You can make a reservation from following link.

Make a reservation below

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Have a great journey on Trans Siberian Railway trip!