Questions about the Slovakian CityStar ticket to Russia

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My only "window of opportunity" is from July 20th to August 23rd, because I have hollidays then. Spring wouldbe nice, winter even nicer with the snow, but summer is the only time I can go, so - no discount for me

...Or if you don't mind traveling by plackart. It can be fun

@rasha - Actually, I was planning on travelling in platskartny on several parts which are about 24h long:

Moskva - St.Peterburg (8:32)
St.Peterburg - Moskva (9:13)
Kazan - Volgograd      (24:18)
Volgograd - Moskva    (21:37)

I think that the longest part (Kazan-Volgograd) is not so long to travel in 3rd class, and after all it is something I would definitely like to try

@tUt - I was doing some calculating, and it seems cheaper to go from Volgograd to Moskva and then onward to Kiev on CityStar, than it is going over Harkov or Dnepropetrovsk. Also, it is far simpler and less time consuming.

I was doing some calculating, and it seems cheaper to go from Volgograd to Moskva and then onward to Kiev on CityStar, than it is going over Harkov or Dnepropetrovsk. Also, it is far simpler and less time consuming.

Let's count and find out
First of all your plan: Volgograd-Moscow segment if not to travel by the most expensive #1 trains, then platskartnyi will cost you around 1100 RUB now (or a bit more during summer) + difference between sleeper reservation Moscow-Bratislava vs. Kyiv-Bratislava for RZD carriage should be around 8-10 EUR. In case of time it should be something like 21 hours till Moscow, then, as far as we understand, you'll wait another 9 hours there to catch #15 (Moscow-Uzghorod) with Bratislava carriage (if to count the latest arrival to Moscow with #15 Volgograd-Moscow)+ 14 hours for Moscow-Kyiv segment, thus in total around 35 hours (including 9 hours stop in Moscow) and roughly 34-36 EUR for route Volgograd-Moscow-Kyiv.
Volgograd-Eastern Ukraine-Kyiv plan: since most of the trains from Volgograd towards Ukrainian border depart in the morning, you can use instead a bus for a short overnight leg Volgograd-Lugansk (there are at least two of them, both cost app.700 RUB, one of the buses actually go further to Kharkiv-Poltava-Kyiv). They depart 20-21 Russian time and arrive early morning. Then you can either stay in Lugansk and wait for direct #20 train (as of now 180 UAH for 'kupe' or 110 UAH 'platskartnyi') or, for instance, continue to Kharkiv, still have like half of the day for sightseeing and then catch any overnight train to Kyiv. In any case it will be <35 hours for such trip + about 32-33 EUR (counting 'kupe' from Lugansk)+ time for sightseeing whether in Lugansk/Kharkiv etc.+ up to 5 hours in Kyiv till arrival of #15 train.
Obviously option via Moscow seems a bit less hassle, while option via Eastern Ukraine is a bit more exotic and allows to check out few places in Ukraine. Anyway the choice is yours 

Big price increase for City Star ZSSK - RZD from today:

via UZ, RZD<1500 km - 129,36 EUR
via UZ, RZD>1500 km - 165,36 EUR
via PKP-BC, RZD>1500 - 245,5 EUR

Big price increase for City Star ZSSK - RZD from today

As usual, thanks for the info, rasha. We already updated info about those CityStars on Slovakia and Russia pages.

Did you happen to hear anything about new fares for reservations?

Reservation fares are the same for RZD, UZ are slightly cheaper, for BC I don't know.

Unfortunately, no more Kiev/Lvov - Bratislava direct coaches. Even afternoon cross border train Chop - Cierna goes earlier so it's impossible to change from train 7 Kiev - Chop to cross the border to Slovakia. There is additional Moskva - Bratislava coach during summer, and Moskva - Košice during winter.

Great (and updated!) source of information:
http://dijszabas.uw.hu/dijszabas/index.php

Is it a problem to buy the CityStar ticket during the weekend? Just wondering since if not, I need to take a day off to get to Bratislava on a working day. How long before can I buy them anyway? 92 days as with DB or less/more?

Is it a problem to buy the CityStar ticket during the weekend?

Not a problem at all, ZSSK anyway sells now everything via computer, thus any working ticket counter with access should do fine. For instance official Client Centre in Bratislava Hl. works on weekends (http://www.zssk.sk/sk/informacie-o-cestovani)

How long before can I buy them anyway? 92 days as with DB or less/more?

In this part of Europe usually it's 60 days (same with any East-West ticket), and other ZSSK CityStars are also sold from 60 days in advance, so with ZSSK-RZD it's hardly different

p.s. sorry for a bit late reply, we got carried away by the holiday season 

Hello  ,

here are a lot of information, that i don`t really get i think. 

1. To buy the City Star ticket I have defenitly go to the check republik and buy it there 60 day in advance on a workday?
    I want to go with my wife on the 6th or 7th of August to Vladivostock and back, so can i buy it in a station near the german boarder on the
    7/8 of June? No online booking? My check is not even bad, it is worse.

2. Where do i find the T3 or T4 availibilty in the trains i wanne ride? and can I make the reservations online or the same way in the CR?

Hope you have the time to help some slow minded german..

Hello  ,

here are a lot of information, that i don`t really get i think. 

1. To buy the City Star ticket I have defenitly go to the check republik and buy it there 60 day in advance on a workday?
    I want to go with my wife on the 6th or 7th of August to Vladivostock and back, so can i buy it in a station near the german boarder on the
    7/8 of June? No online booking? My check is not even bad, it is worse.

2. Where do i find the T3 or T4 availibilty in the trains i wanne ride? and can I make the reservations online or the same way in the CR?

Hope you have the time to help some slow minded german..

1. It's not Czech, it's Slovakian CityStar ticket. But, no problem, you can buy ticket even on the day of departure. So in your case, best option is to go Germany - Vladivostok via Slovakia.

2. You can buy reservations at train stations in Germany, 60 days in advance for international trains Slovakia - Russia, and 45 days in advance for inland Russian trains.

Also a few notes to add: in Czech Republic, if to be more detailed, you can't purchase CityStar to Russia, but all the tickets for Russia is 30% off East-West tariff. Obviously those -30% can't compete with such a bargain as Slovak CityStar ZSSK-RZD via UZ, but still. As well to note, T3 is only available on West/Central Europe-Russia connections, while in Russia (as well as Ukraine or Belarus) it's only about T4 (four bed 'kupe' sleeper) or double (so called 'SV')

p.s. since you are from Germany, there is one more option regarding 'tricky' tickets (including ZSSK-RZD CityStar), we sent you an email (via forum pm) about it

Reservation fares are the same for RZD, UZ are slightly cheaper, for BC I don't know.

Unfortunately, no more Kiev/Lvov - Bratislava direct coaches. Even afternoon cross border train Chop - Cierna goes earlier so it's impossible to change from train 7 Kiev - Chop to cross the border to Slovakia. There is additional Moskva - Bratislava coach during summer, and Moskva - Košice during winter.

Great (and updated!) source of information:
http://dijszabas.uw.hu/dijszabas/index.php

This new timetable messed everything up! I can now no longer enter into the Ukraine via Slovakia without spending an extra night either in Slovakia or in Hungary, so I must go throuh Chop via Budapest.

The timetable for the direct train from Split to Budapest is:

Code: [Select]

Split 21/07/2012.  18:46
Budapest 22/07/2012.  10:54
and for the train from Budapest to Moskva via Chop and Kiev is

Code: [Select]

Budapest 22/07/2012.  18:40
Chop    23/07/2012.  01:13
Moskva  24/07/2012.  09:55
Is it a problem if I buy the slovakian CityStar but don't actually use it within Slovakia? Please say no and save me 20€ for a hostel

I know that there is a 60% discount for return tickets from Croatia to anywhere in Hungary and that is what I am planning to use, but for the Zahony to Moskva part, can I maybe pay any less with some Hungarian tariff than with the slovakian CityStar?

Is it a problem to buy the CityStar ticket during the weekend?

Not a problem at all, ZSSK anyway sells now everything via computer, thus any working ticket counter with access should do fine. For instance official Client Centre in Bratislava Hl. works on weekends (http://www.zssk.sk/sk/informacie-o-cestovani)

How long before can I buy them anyway? 92 days as with DB or less/more?

In this part of Europe usually it's 60 days (same with any East-West ticket), and other ZSSK CityStars are also sold from 60 days in advance, so with ZSSK-RZD it's hardly different

p.s. sorry for a bit late reply, we got carried away by the holiday season 

No problem, there is time enough to discuss these details.

This 60 day thing, does that mean that if my first day of travel is July 23rd and the last is August 24th, that the 60 days start from May 23rd or June 24th? Logic dictates June, but that is maybe a problem because that would mean only 30 days between my first day of travel and the trains might be sold out. It is the midle of summer after all.

Is it a problem if I buy the slovakian CityStar but don't actually use it within Slovakia? Please say no and save me 20€ for a hostel

As far as we know, it is not a problem at all. Nothing forbids you to use your ticket only on parts of the route and definitely nobody in Russia checks for Slovak conductor stamps.

...but for the Zahony to Moskva part, can I maybe pay any less with some Hungarian tariff than with the slovakian CityStar?

Well, one way ticket+reservation 2/3 Budapest-Moscow cost roughly 100 EUR, from Zahony obviously slightly cheaper, but honestly we don't see any reason here. You still intend to travel further east from Moscow? If yes, then MAV East-West ticket isn't the best option, imho. Much cheaper will be either go with CityStar (and Chop-Moscow segment will cost you only sleeper reservation fare) or just point-to-point, thus cross the border to Ukraine (Zahony-Chop cost a few euro), then take advantage of the cheap UZ domestic fare, next as short as possible UZ-Moscow ticket and finally Russian domestic tickets.

This 60 day thing, does that mean that if my first day of travel is July 23rd and the last is August 24th, that the 60 days start from May 23rd or June 24th?

Obviously May, it's always period before first day of validity, thus formula is "your dep.date-60 days"