How to get to Dagestan

The best way to get to Dagestan is to take a train from Moscow (the Kazan train station, Казанский вокзал). The train timetable can be checked at the Russian Railways site). Tickets do tend to disappear, so better book them in advance via Internet for a small fee (we recommend a reliable Idealtour agency), and pick them up at the day of departure.

Even though the journey lasts about 40 hours (two nights and a day), it is not tiring. On the way you will pass Saratov, Astrakhan, cross the Volga River. Before reaching Astrakhan, the train enters the pre-Caspian steppes zone, where stately camels wander and chabans (shepherds) pasture hundreds of sheep, goats, and horses. When the train stops at roadside stations, the local salesmen come with such delicacies as smoked fish, boiled crayfish, pies, beer and other treats. While on the train, you can talk to other travellers, who would often offer you their treats, play cards or sing.

A ticket in a so-called platskartny vagon (Russian: плацкартный вагон) – an open sleeping carriage – costs about US$ 70, while a place in a separate 4-person compartment (Russian: kupe – купе) is twice as expensive.

You can also fly to Dagestan from Moscow or Saint Petersburg, but it’s going to be more expensive. In Dagestan, the airport is located in Kaspiysk, a dozen kilometres away from the capital city Makhachkala – you can get there by minibuses (marshrutka – маршрутка) or by taxi.

Another option is to take a bus from Moscow or some city in southern Russia (Rostov on Don, Astrakhan, Volgograd, Stavropol) or in the North Caucasus (Vladikavkaz, Pyatigorsk, Nalchik and other). However, bus journeys in the Caucasus are much more time-consuming and implicate numerous documents checks and on the road checkpoints.


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Tłumaczenie mini-przewodnika i nowe teksty na stronie polskojęzycznej o Dagestanie zostały sfinansowane w ramach progamu Polsko Amerykańskiej Fundacji Wolnosci "Przemiany w Regionie - RITA", realizowanego przez "Fundację Edukacja dla Demokracji".