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Train: Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express
Train Type: First-Class
Introduction/History:
The new, all-ensuite Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express launched in April, 2007 to much fanfare in Moscow. The train has Gold and Silver Class accommodations, both with en-suite bathroom, as well as two dining cars and a lounge car. The train plies the famous Trans-Siberian route between Moscow and Vladivostok.
New! One New Heritage sleeping car, with only eight compartments, has been added to all Golden Eagle departures for 2010. Price-conscious travelers will be glad to see added to the consist.
Accommodations
Gold Class
Gold Class compartments, at 77 square feet, have five compartments per car and are the most luxurious and spacious on the train. Gold Class compartments feature underfloor heating, DVD/CD player, audio system, individual air conditioning, recessed lighting and wardrobe space. Showers in Gold Class bathrooms have curved, sliding glass door. The lower bed is double-bed width; the upper bed is a twin. Both are among the most comfortable beds we have enjoyed on a train. We loved our wake-up coffee, flowers and gift of vodka in our room.
Silver Class
Silver Class cars have six compartments each. Features include DVD/CD player, audio system, individual air conditioning, recessed lighting and wardrobe. The Silver Class shower occupies the same space as the sink and toilet; to take a shower, the passenger draws a curtain around him- or herself. Each compartment is 60 square feet.
New Heritage Class
Select 2009 and most 2010 departures of the Golden Eagle will offer one New Heritage Class car. This car has eight private cabins, each with an upper/lower berth (lower berth is a double bed; upper is twin-sized). There is a sink in the cabin; at the end of the carriage is a shower room. There is also a toilet at each end of the car. Each compartment is 39 square feet.
Dining
The two new, 64-seat restaurant cars are sumptuously appointed. The “Gold” diner is decorated with a surfeit of brass, elaborate indirect lighting, gleaming wood and glowing overhead lights. The “White” diner is arrayed in shades of white and cream. Highlighted with gold medallions, mirrors and intricate carvings, it’s like a rococo wedding cake on wheels.
Lounge Cars
The ornate bar car is the train’s social center. It has no official closing hours, and includes a piano and pianist.
Other
If the train seems unusually spacious, it is: it’s amazing what an extra three-and-a-half inches of track gauge can do to enlarge a passenger compartment. (Russian railways operate on a five-foot gauge, unlike the U.S. and most other countries’ four-foot, 8 1/2-inch gauge).
Most trips include one or two dining cars, comfy lounge with bar/piano (and pianist), laundry facilities (and laundress), English train doctor, translator, train/tour manager, day and night staff (who are friendly but speak just a few words of English). Everything is included except bar liquor. In all, 64 staff members cater to the needs of up to 132 passengers.
Golden Eagle add-on: Begin or end your tour with a side trip to St. Petersburg: To travel all the way to Russia without seeing the city of Peter the Great would be a shame. As of April 26, 2009, convenient and luxurious overnight rail service between Moscow and St. Petersburg is available on the "Alexander Nevsky," which runs three times weekly in each direction. Please email us for details. We have lots of ideas for expanding your journey.
Journeys Available on this Train
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