Booking accommodation for Transsib trip

BOOKING ACCOMMODATION FOR TRANS-SIBERIAN

  If you are planning to travel along the Trans-Siberian Railway with stopovers, unless you are planning to just get off a train in the morning and then back on another train in the evening, you will need accommodation. Along the 9,300km of the Trans-Siberian there are many types of accommodation, from hostels and homestay to 5-star hotel chains. As train tickets generally go on sale only 60 days before the trip, you will probably book accommodation first and then your train tickets later. This is not actually an issue normally as you are more flexible with accommodation than with train tickets - however some hotels charge a booking fee and a cancellation fee.


WHEN TO BOOK


Baikal view hotel on the Olkhon Island  - Lake Baikal

  As soon as you know the dates of your trip you should start booking your accommodation. The earlier you start the better, especially if you are planning your trip in summer as some destinations are extremely popular with few good hotels. However some hotels do not accept bookings earlier than three months before arrival, especially now with the unstable rouble rate.

View on the biggest railway station along Transsib from Marins Park hotel.

  If you have booked a hotel more than three months in advance you should check your booking is still on the system before departure, especially if you booked a hotel directly. Since the rouble lost value against the dollar and euro in the end of 2014, many Russians are holidaying within Russia, which makes it more important to book as early as possible due to the high demand. Some hotels require a deposit to confirm the booking especially in small towns and villages. These hotels do not usually accept bank cards so you would need to book such hotel through a travel agency.


BOOKING


Economy room in the Ural hotel in Perm.

  A wide range of accommodation choices is available on popular online booking sites, the leading two being booking.com and ostrovok.ru. In the most of cases Rusmania can offer you better prices for accommodation and more flexible cancellation policy. Please note that some accommodation options are not available online, especially inexpensive Soviet-era hotels and homestays which often have their own charm. You can book these options directly if you can speak Russian otherwise you can book them via a travel agency, including through Rusmania.


CHECK-IN


Hotel Sagaan Morin in Ulan Ude

  The standard time for check-in at hotels in Russia tends to be between 12:00 and 14:00 and check-out is generally at noon the next day. If you arrive in a city early in the morning you can usually leave your luggage at a special luggage room at the hotel. Sometimes hotels will let you check in before the standard check-in time if the room is free, so it is worth asking, but many hotels charge a fee for this - sometimes an hourly rate or half a day rate.


REGISTRATION


Khabarovsk City Boutique hotel

  According to the Russian immigration law you should be registered within 7 working days of arriving in Russia. As you will change your location rather frequently you don't technically need to be registered in every city you stay in (unless you stay there for more than 7 working days). However if you stay in a hotel you will be registered anyway. Some hotels will ask you to show registration from your previous place of stay, but according to Russian law you are not obliged to show them this document. As a rule registration is not checked when boarding a train but you can be asked to show your registration at the airport, although it is not officially the duty of the custom service to check - it is only the job of the migration service. You can show train tickets to prove you have been travelling by and staying on trains if need be.


TYPE OF ACCOMMODATION


Hyundai hotel in Vladivostok.

  Travelling along the Trans-Siberian Railway is a real adventure especially if you do not travel on a tourist train and have time to meet local people and find out about local culture. The best way to do so is of course by staying at homestays. Russians have the reputation of being gloomy and unkind but if you get beyond the first meeting with them you will realise they are on the whole very friendly and welcoming people. Staying at a homestay and seeing first hand the daily life of Russians from the inside will undoubtedly enhance your Russian trip, but to be able communicate you need to speak Russian or find a Russian host who speaks your language which is not that easy. If you live at homestay you will most likely not be registered.

Homestay in a flat in Irkutsk.

  Staying at a hotel won't give you these opportunities but they do offer you better conditions of stay, which might be especially welcome after several nights sleeping on a train.

Vysotsky hotel in Yekaterinburg - the highest accommodation along Trans-Siberian. 

  For example at hotels you have more chance of finding foreign-language speaking staff, restaurants, Wi-Fi, and other services. The price of hotels can be significantly higher than at a homestay, but some homestays can also be rather expensive depending on the conditions of the flat where you will be staying - this is often the case in the eastern part of Russia.

Bencharov Guest house - a world famous accommodation for backpackers.

  A third option is staying at a youth hostel which is good in terms of price and gives you the opportunity to meet fellow travellers. However you should bear in mind that the youth hostel scene is still developing in Russia and some hostels are little more than a flat with lots of bed. Good western-style hostels do though exist and you should be able to find their websites online or on the standard travel sites, so you can read their reviews beforehand.

More information of types of accommodation in Russia can be found in RusMania's Accommodation Section.


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