Did I get it right on
your page
that you as a Russian get the train ticket cheaper than me as a tourist???
No, I get a better price not because I am Russian but because I am a competent
Russian who knows all the tricks how to do it.
The way how Russian railway charges for the tickets is worse than Greek even to
many Russians. There are many nuances which can make the final price of the
ticket between 2 cities 10 times different. If you do not know about them, it
means that the choice will be done for you by the ticket office girl. She will
not ask you questions (not mentioning that she is not paid for the extra efforts,
speaking with a foreigner is already a stress for her so she will try to get rid
of you the quicker the better). Most probably you will get the most expensive
ticket as foreigners are traditionally perceived in Russia as the money-bags.
But even for Russians the rule sounds as follows: if you want something
(i.e. optimal price or convenient departure/arrival time) it is your task to
explain yourself, not the ticket office girl's to ask you questions. SHE DOES
NOT EXPLAIN THINGS AND DOES NOT ADVISE. And certainly she does not care how much
you pay. Just to give you an idea check what determinates the price:
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Train can be "special" ("firmenny" in Russian) or not. You will pay
double price for the "special" one. Sometimes it makes sense,
sometimes - no. It depends on the destination and the time you are
going to spend in the train.
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In the same train there are wagons "with services" and without.
Services usually mean that you will not need to pay extra for the
bed linen plus you will find in your compartment a box with food
(breakfast). You will pay for this about 20-25 USD extra.
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Sometimes the price for the places within the same wagon is also
different - in 1,7 times (!!!). Those who travel in the compartments
in the middle of the wagon pay more than those who go in the
compartments in the beginning or in the end.
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It is not all you need to know if you want to travel at the best price.
Some Russians simply ask for the cheapest possible ticket. I would not recommend
you this tactic. You risk to get a place in a night sitting train what is a real
torture.
Not to forget - besides railway station where you buy tickets at the net price
you can also go to any of the numerous agencies. Sometimes it is nice - less
time spent in line and there is a chance that the lady who sells the tickets
will speak English. But agency charge up to 50% of the ticket price for their
service (the exact figure depends on the agency).
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