Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Panic Button]

Anyone ever done this or tried it?

Planning on doing it when my contact's up this autumn, via Beijing and the trans-siberian.

How much cash and time would the seasoned travellers amongst you allot to such a voyage?

[soviet_man]

STEP #1 - BEFORE THE TRIP:
You will need 4 visas: ones for China, Mongolia, Russia and Belarus. The Chinese and Mongolian ones are easy to obtain in Seoul before the trip. Any ROK travel agent can get them for you. Expect on paying 90,000 won for both of them (50,000 for China and 40,000 for Mongolia). Visas for Russia and Belarus are easier to obtain in China, once you have Russian train tickets in hand.

STEP #2 - INCHEON TO TIANJIN BY SHIP (25 HOURS)
The "Jinchon Ferry" has two crossings per week (Tues & Fri) from Incheon to Tianjin. Cost is 250,000 won. http://www.chinahotel.co.kr/ct/ferry3_english.html

STEP #3 - TIANJIN TO BEIJING BY RAIL (2 HOURS)
There are frequent (hourly) Chinese trains between Tianjin and Beijing. Cost: about $30 (US) one way. Perhaps less.

STEP #4 - RUSSIAN + BELARUS VISAS + ACCOMMODATION IN BEIJING (1 WEEK)
Realistically it will take 4 days to get a Belarussian visa in Beijing. You will probably need to stay in a hostel while this is being processed (add an extra $100 to your budget for that). On the plus side, you will have time for sightseeing. The Belarus visa in Beijing costs $65 (US). A Russian visa can be done in two business days in Beijing, with full invitations and all paperwork for 127 Euros. This agency can do the lot for you: (www.monkeyshrine.com).

STEP #5 - TRAIN TICKETS IN BEIJING & TRAIN TO MOSCOW (6 Days)
Train number 3 (Beijing to Moscow) via Mongolia. Wednesday departures only. Again, www.monkeyshrine.com will get everything for you for 395 Euros. Arrival in Moscow 5 days later on Monday with one night accommodation included. If you can't speak Russian/Chinese and buy tickets yourself, this is probably the easiest way.

STEP #6 - NEXT TRAIN: (MOSCOW-MINSK-WARSAW) (22 hours)
Two departures from Moscow daily. Train no. 11 or no. 25. Via monkeyshrine.com the cost is 178 Euros and tickets can be purchased in Beijing along with everything else.

STEP #7 - NEXT TRAIN: (WARSAW TO COLOGNE) (11 hours)
The 'Jan Kiepura' train. 43 pounds. (Easy to buy this ticket yourself).

STEP #8 - NEXT TRAIN: (COLOGNE TO BRUSSELS) (2 hours, 15 mins)
Thalys train. 36 Euros. (Easy to buy this ticket yourself).

STEP #9 - NEXT TRAIN: (BRUSSELS TO LONDON) (3 hours)
Eurostar. 149 pounds. Multiple daily departures. (Easy to buy this ticket yourself).


IN CONCLUSION:
The total price (if my maths is correct) will be equal to about 1,720,000 Korean won using today's exchange rates.

It would take about 2 weeks to complete the trip (depending on how fast you can get through Beijing). The 4 visas clearly increase the price a great deal. However keep in mind you are passing through about 7 countries en-route so that was to be expected.

[Panic Button]

Big up yo'self Soviet Man, that is a massive massive help...

Hadn't really taken into account the visa issues. I'm assuming from your knowledge that you've made the trip before. What was it like? Best bits? Any reccomendations?

Cheers

[Swiss James]

woah- great info soviet_man. I'm thinking about the same trip myself (although the time needed to get the visas might be a stumbling block) and that's really useful info to have all in one place.

From the research I've done it's not possible to just get off the train in, say, Mongolia and have a day or so there- you'd need to buy two tickets.
Also I think that when you get to the eurostar stage it's actually cheaper to buy a return if you book in advance- there's a lot of advice about the european stage of the trip here
http://www.seat61.com/Russia.htm#Moscow

[tzechuk]

You are the second person I know who is wanting to do this trip!

A friend is already doing it as we speak! He must be crossing the siberia now!

[laogaiguk]

I don't know what the requirements for stickys are, but this must come close (with the good info given so far)

[tzechuk]

Found this, btw, if you are interested.

Train times for Tianjin to Beijing, in ENGLISH!

http://english.enorth.com.cn/system/2001/11/14/000189713.shtml

It's not 30 USD - I didn't think it was, 30 USD for an hour and 15 mins is way too much for Chinese. It's 30 RMB (that's about 2 quid)!

[u26sjb]

Check out http://www.monkeyshrine.com/ for info on the trans-siberian.

They are based in Beijing and can arrange visas for Mongolia and Russia.
They have different options regarding stopovers and extra trips.

[mattferrara]

How long are those visas valid for? I'm starting to plan an overland trip starting in Singapore, going through Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Viet-Nam, China and then the Trans-Siberian route. If I spend too long in Southeast Asia, I imagine the visas will expire before I get to where I'm going, right?

[davai!]

you can easily go around Belarus by taking the train to Riga, Latvia (16 hours, about 50 USD) then a bus to Vilnius, Lithuania (6 hours, about 20 bucks) then an overnight train to Warsaw (8 hours, about 30 bucks, every other day)

Alternatively, you can now go direct Moscow-Kiev (13 hours, forget price) and then take the train to Poland (don't know...)

Citizens of US and EU no longer need entry visas for Ukraine! Don't know about Canada, though...


good luck!

davai!

[johndoe]

Yer Butts gonna be sore!

[ed4444]

I did a longer version of this trip from Singapore to Ireland via Beijing, Mongolia and Siberia overland.

I don't see any reason for going through Belarus. Just go from St Petersburg to Finland or Estonia and you can avoid it easily.

Another ploy we used which worked well was to not take the traditional transsiberian express. Take the train from Beijing to Hohhot (Inner Mongolia) and then the local inner Mongolian train to Erlian, cross the border yourself and grab the daily train inside Mongolia to Ulan Bator. It will give you flexibility because the transsiberian is way overpriced, irregular and very busy. On the route we took we didn't see a single non-asian person.

Also when in Siberia if you can try to grab the Mongolian rail train that starts in Ulan Bator and goes to Moscow it can work well. It is an old and slow train but it will be way less crowded and therefore more comfortable for long journeys.

I prefer 10 extra hours on a quiet train with a few Mongolian traders ahead of a journey on a train full of tourists anyday. If you want more information let me know.

[Summer Wine]

Second on the sticky, this info is well worth keeping. Any other long distance trips that people have done and how to do it is good to know and keep as well.

[ed4444]