How to get to Baikal from Moscow: features, route and recommendations

Lake Baikal is sacred to many peoples and tribes. With this amazing miracle of nature, a large number of legends and legends are associated, and local shamans consider the lake a real place of power and it is here that they hold their secret rites. For many Russians, to visit Baikal is the most cherished dream. But here its implementation for some reason is always put off in a long box. Our article will be useful to those who decided to drop all their business and finally go to the shores of the ancient lake. About how to get from Moscow to Lake Baikal, we will tell as much detail.

The distance dividing Moscow and Lake Baikal

The most important reason why a journey to a sacred lake is usually postponed for an indefinite period is the distance separating the central part of Russia from Baikal. It seems to be significant even to experienced travelers who have hundreds of roads and countries behind them.

By averaged estimates, Muscovites can be on Lake Baikal, having overcome five thousand three hundred kilometers. Depending on the chosen mode of travel, the path can be increased by about five hundred kilometers. Of course, not everyone will decide on such a journey, which is fraught with many surprises. But all the tourists who visited the sacred lake, say that the impressions and emotions from the trip can not be compared with anything.

If you are still interested in information on how to get to Baikal from Moscow, we are ready to give you the best routes. And also orient on the approximate cost of the trip.

Lake Baikal: how to get from Moscow

In summer, the route from the capital to the most beautiful lake in the world becomes very popular. After all, the best time to visit Lake Baikal is during the summer months. July and August are the most comfortable, although in this period there are frequent changes in temperature.

Those who are considering how to get to Baikal from Moscow usually consider the following travel options:

• Air travel;
• Railway;
• Own car.

Each of these methods has its own peculiarities, and it is necessary to know about them both for novice travelers and experienced tourists who have repeatedly conquered the overseas distances.

Baikal: how to get from Moscow by plane

This is the fastest and most convenient way to be on the shores of the sacred lake. If you are in Moscow, the nearest settlements to Baikal for you will be the following Siberian cities:

• Irkutsk.
• Ulan-Ude.
• Severobaikalsk.

With each of the above cities, Moscow has air traffic. But an unpleasant surprise for tourists will be the fact that it is rather irregular. It is best to choose the destination airport of Irkutsk, here flights from Moscow fly several times a week, and getting to Baikal will be very convenient.

Bear in mind that air travel is not the cheapest way to get to Irkutsk. A return ticket for an adult person will cost at least fifteen thousand rubles. On the way you will spend about five and a half hours. It is not necessary to save and choose flights with transfers: they are usually not so cheap to prolong the trip for another five to six hours.

If you book tickets in advance, they will cost about twenty percent less than the normal price. In addition, the chances of getting into stocks and sales are increasing.

From Irkutsk it is most convenient to go to the following places:

• Olkhon.
• Arshan.
• Listvyanka.
• The Circum-Baikal Railway.

You can get here by taxi or minibus. Seventy kilometers you will cover in a couple of hours.

Traveling by train

So, you decided that it's too expensive to go on an airplane to Baikal. How to get from Moscow by train? There is nothing complicated.

When planning a trip by train, you need to take into account the fact that without transplants from the capital you can get to the same cities that we have already listed - Irkutsk, Listvyanka, Ulan-Ude. But in this case the journey will take about three days.

This fact is a significant disadvantage of the trip. After all, not all perfectly feel on the train for such a long time. But the ticket price for many can compensate for some inconvenience in the way. The average price of a reserved seat in one direction is five thousand rubles. In addition, it is necessary to take into account that in the season tickets in this direction are bought up, like hot cakes. Therefore, you need to be as quick as possible to take tickets round-trip.

If you choose the destination Ulan-Ude, then from here you can go to the eastern coast of Lake Baikal. Here the most popular among tourists are Chivyrkuisky Bay and Barguzinskaya Valley.

If you are a fan of wild places, where there are not too many tourists, then take train tickets to Severobaikalsk. From this city they usually leave for the northern part of Lake Baikal. Here are very beautiful taiga places, where it is best to come with tents and all the necessary supplies for rest.

From any of the listed cities to Baikal there are buses, minibuses and, of course, taxis.

A trip to Baikal on your own car

Many Muscovites dream of a real adventure, planning to go on their own car to Baikal. How to get from Moscow by car? Here everything is not so simple. Of course, the direction itself is known and quite lively, but such a long road is fraught with great difficulties.

First of all, tourists should bear in mind that the quality of roads on some sections of the path leaves much to be desired. And this is already leading to breakdown of the car. In addition, it is necessary to carefully plan the stops and possible visits to other major cities along the federal highway.

By the way, you can make a route to Lake Baikal in two ways. Muscovites have a choice between the Volga routes (M-7) and Siberia (M-53). On the way, travelers will meet different cities, there will be an opportunity to meet new people and interesting places. It is interesting that for these five thousand kilometers travelers will have to change five time zones, which will affect the duration of the day's journey. Experienced auto tourists in Russia advise newcomers to always spend the night in specially designated places, which along the trails are sufficient. After all, fatigue and lack of sleep adversely affect the health of the driver, which will increase the risk of getting into an accident.

The cheapest way to get to Baikal

Of course, many residents of the capital think about how to get to Baikal from Moscow cheaply. Unfortunately, we will not disclose to you the secret of the most budgetary way to overcome such a considerable distance. Do not discount the fact that every person has his own concepts of high cost and cheap. For example, it is easier for some people to spend fifteen thousand rubles on air travel than to lose a few days on the road. For this category, wasting time is an unforgivable luxury. But others are ready to spend a couple of weeks on the road, but save.

Therefore, every potential tourist should decide for himself how to get to Baikal from Moscow is cheaper and more comfortable. And we, in turn, have gathered all the features and nuances that you will need to take into account when embarking on the road.

Travel Features: general recommendations

Each trip should be carefully planned, and our current information based on the recommendations of experienced travelers can help in this:

• The best time to visit Baikal is July and August;
• In the second half of the summer from Irkutsk to the lake can be reached by water - by motor ships;
• When building a road route, it is necessary to take into account the congestion of the federal highway;
• After arriving in Irkutsk, it is better to spend one day to inspect the city and only afterwards with new forces to go to Baikal;
• During travel most of the money must be kept in cash, because not all small towns can quickly find an ATM.

We hope that our advice will be useful to you. Have a nice trip to the sacred Lake Baikal!