Trans-Siberian Railway

The trans-Siberian railway is a must-do experience at some point in your life. The train officially starts in Moscow, but it is linked via St Petersburg to everywhere in Europe. It runs across Russia and Siberia to Irkutsk, considered the capital of Siberia, then around Lake Baikal. Baikal is the oldest and deepest lake in the world, holding as much water as all the great lakes in North America combined, and has its own unique fish and seal species. After Baikal the railway splits, either via eastern Siberia to Vladivostok, or via Mongolia to Beijing.

The experience is unique - don't expect great food (potatoes in the dining cart or whatever you can buy at railway stations) and don't expect to smell nice (showing facilities are minimal). But the five days of continual motion from Moscow to Irkutsk gives you plenty of time to think, the Russians on the train are all willing to have vodka with you, and the potential stops on the railway are all stunning sites.