As the main transport route running across practically the whole country, there are lots of options for side trips when travelling along the Trans-Siberian. Such trips increase the duration of the whole journey, but at the same time you will see much more because the most interesting places are away from the Trans-Siberian Railway and the main roads of the country. Below we list just a few of them: 

ST PETERSBURG

  St Petersburg - although the Trans-Siberian starts in Moscow, there is nothing stopping you from starting in or continuing on to St Petersburg, the Northern Capital of Russia, as it is just a night train or a 4-hour high-speed train from Moscow. 

GOLDEN RING OF RUSSIA

  Golden Ring - Russia’s popular tourist route of the Golden Ring historical cities is actually connected to the Trans-Siberian as both Vladimir and Yaroslav are located on the railway. Therefore you could combine a trip on the Tran-Siberia with some Golden Ring cities to learn more about the historical development of Rus before moving onwards to find out more about Russia’s conquest of Siberia.

TATARSTAN REPUBLIC

  Tatarstan - from Kazan you can explore more of the Republic of Tatarstan and some of the gems it has to offer. For instance the republic has two other UNESCO-protected sites - the architectural complex outside Bolgar and the island of Sviyazhsk with its monasteries. In addition, there is also the beautiful historical cities of Yelabuga and Chistopol. 

IRKUTSK REGION

  Irkutsk Region - the main reason for making a stop in Irkutsk and travelling further around the Irkutsk Region is to see more of Lake Baikal. The easiest way to get to Baikal is to go to the settlement of Listvyanka, which is located on the very shore of the lake and not too far from Irkutsk. However an even more intense experience is waiting for you on the island of Olkhon on Lake Baikal, but for this you will have to spend more time travelling from Irkutsk along roads which aren’t great in places. But it will be worth it to enjoy the island’s spectacular and varied nature.

BAM: BAIKAL - AMUR RAILWAY

  BAM - from the station of Tayshet in you could leave the Trans-Siberian altogether and continue your journey along the Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM). This railway was largely built in the 1970s and 1980s under a much-celebrated Soviet-wide project and runs through even more wild territory than the Tran-Siberian. From Tayshet you could travel to Tynda and then go south to rejoin the Trans-Siberian in the Amur Region, or travel further to Komsomolsk-on-Amur or even Sovetskaya Gavan on the Pacific Ocean. If you are interested in travelling the Trans-Siberian as you want to see untouched nature, then it might be worth considering a trip along the BAM instead as it traverses much more wild territory than the Trans-Siberian, with no major cities on the route but several spectacular natural sights. More information about the BAM you can find here.

SVERDLOVSK REGION

  Sverdlovsk Region - the region around Yekaterinburg is still known by the city’s Soviet-era name of Sverdlovsk. This region forms the centre of the Ural’s industry, but that doesn’t mean there is nothing here to interest tourists. The city of Nevyansk is famous for its leaning tower, Verkhoturye has the Urals’ only kremlin and its largest monastery, while Alapaevsk has a great open-air architectural museum and a monastery founded on the site where members of the Romanov dynasty were murdered. Also Nizhny Tagil may be infamous as a heavily industrial city, but it still has an interesting range of museums, including a factory-museum.

TOBOLSK AND POKROVSKOE

  Tobolsk and Pokrovskoe - also located in the Tyumen Region is the city of Tobolsk, which was once considered the centre of Western Siberian. Its kremlin still survives to this day and is the highlight of a visit. On the way to Tobolsk from Tyumen you pass the village of Pokrovskoe - the birthplace of the “mad monk” Grigory Rasputin and there is a museum here detailing the life of this fascinating figure.

ALTAI, KHAKASSIA AND TYVA REPUBLICS

  Altai, Khakassia and Tyva - these three Siberian republics each have something amazing to offer tourists: Altai is considered the Russian Switzerland with beautiful mountain scenery, turquoise rivers and crystal clear lakes; Khakassia is considered the cradle of Russian archaeology and even today you can still see hundreds of kurgan burial mounds dotted about as well as some larger monuments, including one called the Siberian Stonehenge;

while Tyva’s blend of Buddhism and Shamanism and the fact that it was an independent state until 1944 make it unique.

You could visit them via a train from Novosibirsk (or a flight from Krasnoyarsk) but you would need at least a week to see just part of what they have to offer.

KRASNOYARSK TERRITORY

  Krasnoyarsk Territory - from Krasnoyarsk you can go on further adventures around the territory. Just over 300km north is the quaint city of Yeniseysk, one of the oldest cities in Siberia. Slightly closer is the more modern city of Divnogorsk, which makes up for its Soviet architecture with a beautiful backdrop of the Yenisey and mountains. The city was built for the neighbouring Krasnoyarsk Dam and a hydroelectric station. It is also possible to take a cruise along the Yenisey all the way to Dudinka, from which you can travel to Norilsk (foreigners need special permission to enter Norilsk).

BLAGOVESCHENSK

  Blagoveschensk - a slight detour from the Trans-Siberian can get you to the city of Blagoveschensk. The city stands on the River Amur, which here forms part of the Russian-Chinese border. Although the city in itself is very pretty, what makes it so fascinating is the long embankment with views into the Chinese city of Heihe just a few metres away.

KOMSOMOLSK-ON-AMUR

  Komsomolsk-on-Amur - an overnight train trip from Khabarovsk will get you to Komsomolsk-on-Amur, which was developed in the 1930s as a Soviet showcase - a Leningrad of the East. The dream was never completely fulfilled but does still have some very interesting Soviet features, such as wide thoroughfares, oversized public buildings and lots of beautiful mosaics and Soviet-realism statues.

YAKUTIA (SAKHA REPUBLIC)

The Trans-Siberian is crossed by a section of a railway known as the Amur-Yakutsk Mainline (AYaM). It runs from Bamovskaya station near Skovorodino on the Trans-Siberian to Nizhny Bestyakh in the Sakha Republic. On the way, it also crosses the Baikal-Amur Mainline in Tynda. From Nizhny Bestyakh it is possible to get a ferry across the River Lena to Yakutsk, one of the coldest permanently inhabited places on earth. It certainly is a fascinating place to visit, especially if you take the opportunity to go on a day trip to the Lena Pillars - an extraordinary natural wonder and UNESCO World Heritage Site.