Just imagine how much you can see from your compartment window over 6 days on the road, to the steady clatter of the wheels, all the while sipping tea from a glass in an atmospheric podstakannik tea-glass holder! And what is even more interesting is that you make a journey not only through space, but also through time.
The legendary railway route covers 9,288.2 km. Its starting point is the capital of our country, Moscow, and the final destination is Vladivostok, the capital of the Primorye Territory. Over the course of the journey you will cross seven time zones one after another.
The first time you'll have to set the clock forward is 1,100 km after departure, at Balezino station – a settlement located in Udmurtia. Local time here differs from Moscow time by one hour. So before you can even blink, an hour of your life has flown away! Well, on we go.
The second hour will rush by in the blink of an eye upon arrival in Perm. The city is located in the foothills of the Western Urals, right on the bank of the Kama River. So, over a day's journey you will outrun time by two hours! Major centers such as Yekaterinburg and Tyumen, which are on the train's route, run on this same schedule, but you are unlikely to get acquainted with them, since the train stops at these places at night and in the early morning.
At lunchtime the next day you again need to remember to change the time – the Omsk Region greets you, its residents stepping into the future three hours ahead of Muscovites. Here you can manage to admire the majestic Irtysh River.
And next, the largest city in Siberia awaits you – Novosibirsk. It is one of the main scientific centers of our country; the famous Akademgorodok is located right here. Local time already differs from Moscow time by four hours. You can keep your eyes on the scenery outside the window instead of on the clock, since in this time zone you will cross the Kemerovo Region and the Krasnoyarsk Territory. And there is plenty to gaze at here – the boundless taiga and Father Yenisei.
At Taishet station in the Irkutsk Region, set the clock forward one more hour. You will stay in this time zone the longest, but you will not regret it for a single moment. For it is right after Irkutsk that the beautiful Baikal reveals its stunning views to your eyes. Yes, amid such splendor you can definitely forget about time.
And what comes next? No, no, this is not the end of the road yet. You are in for an acquaintance with the Chita Region, the Trans-Baikal Territory and the Amur Region – harsh in climate but warm in hospitality – which are already a whole six hours ahead of Moscow. Welcome to the Far East!
In Birobidzhan you will have to worry about the time again, but you will need to do it for the last time. While residents of the Jewish Autonomous Region and the Khabarovsk Territory are hurrying home from work, Russians in the European part of the country are just beginning their working day – the time difference is seven hours.
While you sleep soundly, the reliable locomotive will whisk you through the Primorye Territory and bring you to the final destination, Vladivostok – Russia's main sea gateway to the Pacific Basin. Here you absolutely must take a photo on the platform by the commemorative kilometer marker 9288.
Whew, what a journey! So, behind you are six days on the road, fourteen regions, three territories, two republics, one autonomous region and one autonomous territory, more than 80 cities and 16 major rivers, the shores of Baikal and the Amur Gulf. It seems these impressions will stay with you for the rest of your life. We wish you good travel companions!
