How easy is it to take a train from Western Europe (say, Paris) to Russia?

Answer 1

Ok, everybody says yes, sure its easy, but look at what they have posted and what you have to do. The answer is most deffinatly NO, it is NOT easy. How do I know this? Because I was in Europe this summer and I was planning on taking a train from Prague to Russia (closer than Paris) and logistics were a nightmare.
First of all, the most direct trains go through Belarus. This is a problem because if you travel on a train through Belarus you need to get a transit visa. This is just as difficult as getting a Russian visa (a huge pain in the ***, and you should start early... make sure you have all the correct paperwork and expect long lines every time you have to go to the embassy, which will be more than once. Oh, and dont forget this isnt cheep either.) That being said, I make it sound like you shouldn't go to Russia, but thats not what I'm saying. It was hard and costs money, but I wouldnt have taken back my time in Russia for anything.
Secondly, trains tend to take a VERY long time. We were looking at a lot that would take 44 hours and keep in mind that is from Prague which is closer. Not to mention they dont run every day, so if you have a time crunch, it is no good either.
Oh, and thirdly, trains to Russia arn't that cheap either, so be perpared to take out your check book.
So then, how do you get to Russia?? It depends on your budget. If you have a little more money and less time, then I would suggest looking around a little and finding a cheap flight directly there. If you are on a little tighter budget and have a little more time, then I would suggest following something similar to what I ended up doing (as it was the cheepest, fastest way for me). It seems a little round-about, but it worked... first we took a train to Berlin (any hub for Easy Jet- Easyjet.com- flights to Riga works). We took a cheap flight to Riga and then took a night bus from Riga to St. Petersburg (but Moscow is also an option for about the same price and time). If you take this option you may also end up with a day (or more if you want) in Riga, which is absolutly beautiful. And also make sure to have a phrase book with you and be prepared to be slightly accosted at the boarder crossing. It was a little scary, but they ended up nice in the end, and it was a great experience. Feel free to contact me if you have any other questions, because I remember how difficult it was when we were trying to figure things out on our own.

And have an awesome time :)

Answer 2

Not hard... but it it long...

Consider:
(Day 1) Paris Nord - depart 15:55 to
Köln Hbf - Arr 9:45 - depart 21:18 to
(Day 2) Warszawa Wschodnia - arr 9:07 - depart 10:38 to
(Day 3) Moskva Belorusskaja - arr 9:20

or

(Day 1) Paris Est depart - 22:45 to
(Day 2) Frankfurt(Main)Hbf - Arr 7:02 - depart 7:13 to
Berlin Hbf - Arr 11:22 - deaprt 15:24 to
(Day 3) Moskva Belorusskaja - arr 20:30

There are many options... some with more changes than others.
(My personal choice of the above would be the second one. It's a tight connection in Frankfurt, but I would rather spend the nigth on a train into Russia that originated in Berlin than Warsaw... personal opinon based on my experiences.)

Be aware that you will need a visa for Russia AND Belarus... neither can be gotten quickly.

Happy traveling!

Answer 3

It is easy, but there are different railroad widths in Europe and Russia. So you would need to change your train at some state border, Ukrain or Belarus...

Answer 4

I would recommend taking a plane to there. Flights within Europe are usually very cheap, with prices as low as 20 Euros.

Answer 5

Easy enough.

http://www.db.de

Answer 6

pretty easy,you need cash,time and a valid passport
paris-cologne-berlin-warchawa-moscow.