From Kuala Lumpur to Moscow by Train: An Epic Rail Odyssey

What if, instead of rushing to the airport and boarding a long-haul flight, you could glide slowly across a continent by rail? Imagine watching Southeast Asia’s tropical greenery melt into the Mekong’s calm waters, before trading them for the high plateaus of Yunnan and the endless steppes of Mongolia. This is no mere commute: it is one of the most ambitious rail journeys a traveller can undertake — from Kuala Lumpur all the way to Moscow, entirely overland, through six or seven countries, in trains that each tell their own story.

This is not the fastest or cheapest way to travel. In fact, it will test your patience, planning, and flexibility. But for those who yearn for the romance of rail and the thrill of crossing borders with a simple train ticket in hand, this odyssey offers something priceless: the chance to see the world unfold at ground level.

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How to take a train from Kuala Lumpur to Moscow

Kuala Lumpur to Padang Besar

The journey begins at KL Sentral, Malaysia’s bustling hub. Here, you board KTM’s ETS service, a modern electric train that shoots north along the peninsula. The ride to Padang Besar, a sleepy border town near Perlis, takes about five to six hours.

The scenery shifts as you move north: gleaming skyscrapers give way to quiet towns, and soon you’re gliding past paddy fields dotted with egrets. This is the easy, comfortable beginning — think of it as a prologue before the true adventure begins. By the time you pull into Padang Besar station, you’re already at the edge of another world: Thailand.

Also read: Kuala Lumpur: More Than Just the Twin Towers. Things to Do, See, and Eat

Padang Besar to Bangkok via Hat Yai

From Padang Besar, you cross into Thailand and connect seamlessly to its rail network. Many travellers hop on the short commuter shuttle to Hat Yai, then continue northwards. But for something more memorable, catch the international Special Express — an overnight sleeper service that leaves Padang Besar in the evening and arrives in Bangkok the next morning.

The full run to Bangkok takes about 16 hours. Fares vary by berth: upper bunks are cheaper, while lower bunks cost a little more and give you a window view. Expect to pay several hundred baht for the privilege of lying back as Thailand slides past in the dark.

This is where the journey begins to feel like travel with a capital T. The carriages rock gently, the clatter of tracks creates a rhythm for your dreams, and dawn arrives with mist drifting over sugarcane fields. By the time you roll into Bangkok’s grand Hua Lamphong station, you’ve already experienced your first true overnight on the rails.

Bangkok to Nong Khai

After a day or two in Bangkok, you head northeast. Trains bound for Nong Khai depart regularly, covering the distance in nine to eleven hours. Some are daytime expresses; others are overnight trains with sleeper options. Either way, the ride offers a fascinating glimpse into Thailand’s less-visited Isan region, where small towns and temples line the tracks.

Arriving in Nong Khai feels like stepping onto the threshold of another chapter. Here, the Mekong River marks the border with Laos. The station itself is unassuming, but the atmosphere is different: quieter, more expectant. You are about to cross from Southeast Asia into a land that looks northward, toward China

Nong Khai to Kunming via Vientiane

Border formalities at Nong Khai require patience. Thai officials stamp you out at the station itself, and then you board a short shuttle train across the Friendship Bridge into Laos — a journey of less than half an hour. Yet the symbolism is powerful: one world recedes behind you, another opens ahead.

From Vientiane, you now connect to one of Asia’s newest marvels: the China–Laos Railway. This high-speed line zips from Vientiane northwards through dramatic karst mountains, tunnelling and bridging its way across some of the most rugged landscapes in the region. In nine to ten hours, you arrive in Kunming, capital of China’s Yunnan province.

Unlike the older trains you’ve ridden so far, these carriages are sleek, fast, and futuristic. Watching bamboo forests blur past at 160km/h feels surreal after days of slower sleepers.

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Kunming to Beijing

At Kunming, you must decide: take the modern high-speed route to Beijing or slow things down with an old-style sleeper.

High-speed trains cover the 2,200km journey in about 10–14 hours, zipping through China’s endless cities and farmlands. They are fast, clean, and efficient — but for many overlanders, they lack romance.

The alternative is a conventional overnight train, which takes 34–36 hours. Here you’ll find hard and soft sleepers, the comforting smell of instant noodles wafting from carriage samovars, and windows that you can actually open. Watching the countryside roll by at a human pace is worth the extra time if you want to feel the continuity of the land beneath you.

Either way, by the time you reach Beijing, you’ve travelled thousands of kilometres from Kuala Lumpur. And still, the longest, most storied leg lies ahead.

Beijing to Moscow

Now comes the crown jewel: the Trans-Siberian family of routes. Two choices present themselves:

• The Trans-Mongolian Railway: This route leaves Beijing, passes through the Great Wall’s foothills, and enters Mongolia. After a stop in Ulaanbaatar, it heads across the vast steppe before reaching Russia and eventually Moscow. The full ride takes about five days, with multiple nights in a sleeper compartment.
• The Trans-Manchurian Railway: This option bypasses Mongolia, heading instead through Harbin before crossing into Russia at Manzhouli. The journey takes five to six days, with long stops for border checks and even wheel-gauge changes.

Both routes are rich with atmosphere. In your compartment — whether a four-berth second class or a more private two-berth — you share space with locals, long-distance traders, or fellow adventurers. Meals are eaten in the dining car or assembled from supplies bought at station stops. Samovars dispense endless hot water for tea and noodles. Outside the window, the scenery shifts from Chinese plains to Mongolian deserts, and eventually to Siberia’s endless birch forests.

When you finally roll into Moscow’s Yaroslavsky station, you’ve crossed the breadth of Asia by train. The moment is both surreal and deeply satisfying.

Also read: Singapore to Europe by Land: It Took Me 7 Weeks & S$3,000

How long does it all take?

If you stitched together the fastest possible connections, the whole journey could be done in 10 to 12 days. But very few travellers attempt that. Most will want to pause in Bangkok, Vientiane, Beijing, or Ulaanbaatar, stretching the trip to two to four weeks.

This is not a holiday you measure in days off; it is an odyssey you savour in chapters. Each border, each overnight ride, each conversation in a dining car becomes part of the story.

Visas and immigration

The practical side is not to be underestimated. Depending on your nationality, you may need visas for Thailand, Laos, China, Mongolia, and Russia. Some of these can be obtained online or on arrival (Thailand and Laos are relatively simple), but others — especially China, Mongolia, and Russia — usually require advance applications.

Border formalities can take time. At Nong Khai, you must complete Thai exit procedures before boarding the Lao shuttle. On the China–Russia line, expect long stops of several hours while passports are checked and train wheels are adjusted to the Russian gauge. Factor these into your schedule, and build buffer days into your itinerary.

Total cost

Here’s a rough estimate of fares (one-way, per adult):

• KL → Padang Besar: RM 70 to 120 (≈ S$20 to 35)
• Padang Besar → Bangkok: THB 800 to 1,200 (≈ S$30 to 45)
• Bangkok → Nong Khai: THB 600 to 1,000 (≈ S$22 to 37)
• Nong Khai → Vientiane: THB 20 to 30 (≈ S$1)
• Vientiane → Kunming: CNY 500 to 600 (≈ S$95 to 115)
• Kunming → Beijing: CNY 400 to 900 (≈ S$75 to 170)
• Beijing → Moscow: USD 700+ (≈ S$960+)

Total rail fares: S$1,200 to 1,400 (economical sleeper choices), up to S$1,800 to 2,000 (higher classes). Add meals, stopovers, and visas, and the full budget will likely range S$ 2,000 to 3,000+.

Is it worth it?

Flying from Kuala Lumpur to Moscow takes less than 12 hours. Why, then, spend two or three weeks riding trains across half the world?

Because speed is not the point. The point is to experience the gradual, tangible transition between cultures and landscapes. To feel the humidity of Malaysia give way to the cool mountain air of Yunnan, and then the crisp winds of the Mongolian steppe. To share a cabin with strangers who become companions, to wake in the night to the sound of rails singing beneath you, to collect stamps in your passport that tell of a journey few have attempted.

The last stop

So, when the train finally rolls into Moscow and you step onto the platform, you’ll carry with you more than a collection of tickets and stamps. You’ll have a tapestry of landscapes, meals, encounters, and memories stitched together across 11,000 kilometres of track. 

This is not just a route across continents, it’s an invitation to adventure, proof that the world is still wide open for those willing to follow the rails. And the best part? The journey doesn’t have to end in Moscow. Once you’ve travelled this far by train, the rest of the world feels within reach.

Why not make this the year you trade airports for train stations and begin your own journey of a lifetime?