Traveling by train in Russia is usually a very rewarding experience–unless you happen to be traveling third class.
Third class is the cheapest rail option in Russia and decidedly the worst according to Yasha Levine. The Exile staff writer recently took a 17-hour jaunt from Izhevsk to Moscow in the third class carriage and lived to document his experience in The Exile’s typical raunchy fashion.
His article is not for the easily offended, but it does provide a very accurate account of life aboard the dreaded platzkart and all the stink and drunkenness which accompanies it. I’ve traveled second class throughout Russia and have always loved the experience and the opportunity it provides to really get to know your fellow travelers. But second class has berths with only four beds in it, not 54 as is the case in third class. I’ve ridden the platzkart in China however, and cringe at the memories of too many people trying to sleep crammed into too small of a place.
The Chinese, however, were well behaved; the Russian platzkart, on the other hand, seems to be nothing more than an excuse to party for so many of its passengers.
If you’re really anxious to jump into the lower-economic fray and become one with the down-trodden masses which frequent the platzkart, there is no better way to do so than buying a third-class ticket and jumping on board. Try the week long, Moscow to Vladivostok train that only costs $50. You’ll be a changed person by the end of it. I promise.