31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A generally good guide with what to see and historical context, but why is LP now targetting only the wealthy?, May 22, 2007
I used the first edition of Lonely Planet's TRANS-SIBERIAN RAILWAY guide on a Trans-Manchurian journey three years ago, and picked up the second edition (April 2006) for a Trans-Mongolian journey I'm embarking on tomorrow. The book is a very useful resource for this great train journey, especially for those planning to disembark in the many cities and towns en route.
The guide covers all three traditional Trans-Siberian lines and the cities along them: Moscow-Vladivostok, Moscow-Ulan Bator-Beijing, and Moscow-Harbin-Beijing. It also covers the Baikal-Amur Mainline, a northern Siberian route that is still little-used by Western travelers (or even by Russians, for that matter). The reference material is substantial, with plenty of information on the food and drink of the countries one can visit, and a good history of the railway from its construction through all of the political turmoils since. The listings of large cities such as Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Ulan Bator, and Beijing are abridged extracts from the RUSSIA, MONGOLIA, and CHINA guides, respectively, with only a couple of days worth of sightseeing, and one main walking tour selected.
What don't I like about the book? Well, as with every Lonely Planet title since they changed their philosophy a few years ago, I'm unhappy with the lack of budget advice and the inclusion of hotels and restaurants priced for a crowd with enough money that they'd probably look to other publishers anyway. For pete's sake, the "Author's Choice" for Moscow lodging, the Golden Apple Hotel, is nearly three hundred euro a night! Despite what you may have heard, Russia is indeed a budget destination, especially if you choose to stay for free with hosts from hospitality associations and self-cater or eat at student canteens. It's a pity that Lonely Planet no longer gives meaningful advice on lodging and food to any but the wealthiest of travelers.
A further problem is that the book was kept a little too slim for a Lonely Planet guide. Obviously minor cities on the route like Yoshkar-Ola have been left out, that's understandable. But it's odd that the authors are so passionate about the variant Moscow to Yekaterinaburg through Kazan, and yet give Kazan awfully meagre coverage. Twice interesting hikes are mentioned (one in Ulan Bator and another along the Great Wall), but without enough details to comfortably set off, or even for a local to know what it's about and give you pointers. And some things present in the first edition are no longer here, such as the little box explaining how there are no passenger crossings from Siberia to Alaska.
The other big Trans-Siberian guide is Bryn Thomas'
Trans-Siberian Handbook (Trailblazer Publications, 7th ed. 2006), which has been around for a long time and sees a new edition fairly frequently. Ideal for those in love in train travel, not just those looking to get from point A to point B, Thomas' guide contains things to look out for according to the kilometer markings along the railway. If your backpack isn't already too heavy, I say get that book as well.
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22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
A poor second, June 19, 2002
I recently travelled on the Trans-Sib via Mongolia and so was very keen to see Lonely Planet's new release but having looked through it seems a very poor second as a travel companion to Bryn Thomas' handbook.
It seems to lack the detail you really need when on the train but does give some useful guides to places along the way, however lacks the concise detail that Thomas' guide gives.
Glossy, but not the definitive guide and why take two?
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good, but fast outdated!, March 27, 2004
We've used the book in july/august 2002 for a trip from Beijing to Helsinki. Much information in the book, but a lot of it is copy-past'ed from the country guides.
Another reviewer remarked on the rapidly changing circumstances in the countries... no guide can outrun those.
We visited Beijing, Irkutsk, Listvanka, Jekaterinaburg, Moscow and Saint-Peterburg. Most of the time we found accomodation from the book. At that time, the Trans-siberian handbook (Thomas Bryn - ISBN 1873756704) was older.
We had both books: LP fresh of the press and Thomas Bryn's book - THE guide to have.
Thomas' had a new edition in february 2004. Best to take the most recent editions of guidebooks. The handbook is more interesting to read, so that's a must. You'll have plenty of time to read!
The trip is recommended to anyone: we found a british couple with 2 kids doing it! Don't be too easily discouraged, try to take the east-west trip (to avoid wagons full of tourists!).
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