April 12, 2007

Asia | Europe | Russia | Moscow

A Bolshevik Ride for the Bourgeoisie

By Mark Jolly

Reach Russia's remote eastern clutches on a stylish new rail.

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Recently we told you about the world’s fastest train service. Now brace yourselves for the world’s longest. On May 6, the Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express makes its inaugural 14-day journey from Moscow, snaking through 6,000 remote and beautiful miles to its final destination of Vladivostok, on the Sea of Japan. It’s the same old route in a whole new style. Seven years and $25 million in the making, Russia’s first luxury train consists of 21 private carriages featuring 12 state-of-the-art sleeper cars. (Gold class boasts large en suite cabins with power showers, underfloor heating and plasma screen TVs.) Operated by private rail specialists GW Travel, the service runs from May to November. To this day, however, the route remains the only year-round land link between European Russia and the Russian Far East.