1. "Ruskeala Express", Sortavala-Ruskeala
Petr Kovalev / TASS
You can get to Ruskeala Mountain Park on a branded retro train. The carriages are stylized to look like the late 19th century, but the "ER" steam locomotive from 1949 is the real deal. "Ruskeala Express" runs daily between Sortavala and the park.
2. "Seliger", Bologoye-Ostashkov
MT PPK
Every Saturday and Sunday from Bologoye station (175 km from Tver) runs a suburban train, pulled by a steam locomotive series "L" (late 1940s). Train drivers and conductors wear uniforms from the period, and sell vintage-style tickets. On the way back the train makes a 25-minute stop at the old museum station of Kuzhenkino.
3. Circum-Baikal railroad
Kirill Shchipitzin / Sputnik
There are different ways to reach the deepest lake in the world, but the most romantic one is to take a 1940s sightseeing train with a steam engine. It departs from Irkutsk in the morning and goes along the Circum-Baikal railway with several stops.
4. "3 epochs", Yaroslavl-Rybinsk
Russian Railways
On Saturdays the retro train travels from Moscow to the old Golden Ring cities, Yaroslavl and Rybinsk. Rybinsk is famous also for its branded pre-revolutionary signs in the center.
5. "The Urals Express", Yekaterinburg-Verkhnyaya Pyshma
Russian Railways
You can get acquainted with a unique museum of military and civil engineering in the suburbs of Yekaterinburg during this trip. It is one of the largest in the world! To make the trip more comfortable, car passengers are offered traditional Ural dumplings and pies in the restaurant car.
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