Plan your trip to Irkutsk and Baikal

How do I get there?

You can get to Irkutsk by airplane or by train on the Trans-Siberian railway. There about 10 daily flights from many destinations: Moscow, Frankfurt (over Moscow), Japan, China and Mongolia.

By Trans-Siberian you can come from Moscow (4 days), Ekaterinburg (2,5 days), Vladivostok (3 days), Peking (2 days), Ulan-Baator (1 night). See further information below. The village of Listvyanka on the Baikal shore is an hour by car from the city of Irkutsk. From Listvyanka you can reach remote areas of the lake by hydrofoils or by private rental boats.

When is the best time to come?

Most tourists come in summer, when the temperature rises to as high as 35-40 degrees Celsius. Spring is a very nice and green time, when the endemic Baikal flowers are blooming and the Taiga smells so fresh. And you may want to consider coming in the magnificant Siberian winter with its ice patterns, bright sun, and vast blue skies. All public and private buildings have very good central heating, as do the trains on Trans-Siberian. Go fishing, wear furs and enjoy Russian winter!

Trains and planes

Trains

There are comfortable trains through Irkutsk on the Trans-Siberian Railroad:

Moscow-Vladivostok
Novosibirsk-Vladivostok
Ust-Ilimsk-Irkutsk
Simpheropol-Irkutsk
Kharkov-Vladivostok
Novokuzneck-Vladivostok
Gidrostroitel-Irkutsk
Moscow-Pekin
Moscow-Ulan-Bator
Chelabinsk-Chita
Tashkent-Irkutsk
Moscow-Irkutsk
Novosibirsk-Nerungri
Zima-Irkutsk
Moscow-Blagoveshensk
Irkutsk-Naushki
Zima-Ulan-Ude
Moscow-Ulan-Ude
Adler-Irkutsk
Moscow-Khabarovsk
Novosibirsk-Vladivostok
Ust'-Ilimsk-Irkutsk

For more detailed information see Siberian Railway Guide
Here you can find the latest train schedules from/to/though Irkutsk station
A nice image of Irkutsk railway station

Air lines

International

Anhorage - Khabarovsk - Irkutsk
Seattle - Khabarovsk - Irkutsk

Highly recommended flights are Frankfurt - Moscow - Irkutsk (about USD 800 roundtrip, USD 600 for students) with Transaero air company. Good service and reliabilty.

Domestic airlines

Irkutsk - Moscow                            Moscow - Irkutsk
Irkutsk-St.Peterburg                        St.Peterburg-Irkutsk
Irkutsk-Khabarovsk                          Khabarovsk-Irkutsk
Irkutsk-Yakutsk                             Yakutsk-Irkutsk
Irkutsk-Novosibirsk                         Novosibirsk-Irkutsk
Irkutsk-Vladivostok                         Vladivostok-Irkutsk
Irkutsk-Magadan                             Magadan-Irkutsk

Check www.itn.net or CAVS for schedule, prices and reservations

Russian Visum for Germans

We recommend this quick and reliable Visum service (no invitation required) by:

Viktor Spomer
Konsular Service
Postfach 1449
53584 Bad Honnef

Phone: (02224) 5061