Something to celebrate this week – this is my 100th post at the Europe a la Carte Blog. In honour of making a century, I decided to post on one of my all-time favourite travel experiences in Europe (and beyond) – travelling on the Trans-Siberian railway across Russia.

A ride on the Trans-Siberian railway is the best way to reach the European part of Russia from the eastern side and is probably my favourite European journey.  It’s an iconic journey and there’s lots to know about it but today I was thinking with my stomach about the food options available from the track side vendors as you journey across Russia on the Trans-Siberian.

As you can see from the photo, a typical Trans-Siberian food stop is a pretty fascinating affair. During a typical  rail journey day, there are several timed stops which are about twenty minutes in length, meaning you have plenty of time to get off the train, stretch your legs, and stock up on the local food. And I mean local – the platforms fill up with locals who have cooked up a pot or two of Russian meals and snacks at home, brought down their little table and are ready to serve it up to you.

There’s probably nothing more authentic, and on my trip I soon learnt to ignore the official railway shops and head straight to the interesting conglomeration of locals ready to fill my stomach. Whether or not it’s true, I followed a Europe travel tip from a fellow traveller to seek out the “babushkas”, the old ladies, who were reputed to be offering the best food at the lowest price. I probably should have bargained but the prices were so cheap I usually paid whatever they asked for. From fresh berries from their gardens to heavy Russian meals full of potatoes, I never had a bad deal from a track side vendor on the Trans-Siberian, and I’d encourage you to try them too.

Tips for Things to do in Russia

We’ve lots more travel tips for what to do in Russia.