Special Sub-Topic: The Trans-Siberian Experience Click Here To Play: The Trans-Siberian Experience

At which station does the Trans-Siberian Railway start in Moscow (or finish if you're traveling west)?

Yaroslavsky. From here it is 9289km through taiga and mountains, across steppe and over rivers to Vladivostok in the Russian Far-East. The railway was built between 1891 and 1916 and remains a vital arterial link across Russia. A journey from Moscow to Vladivostok without disembarking would take you a week.

One of your first stops out of Moscow will be Vladimir, mediaeval Russia's capital. By what collective name are Vladimir and a number of other cities such as Suzdal and Yaroslavl known?

The Golden Ring. The cities of the Golden Ring are famed for the traditional architecture of their churches.

Marking the geographical boundary between Europe and Asia, which mountain range does the Trans-Siberian Railway cross?

Urals. The Caucasus also forms a geographical boundary between Europe and Asia but the Trans-Siberian does not cross it. Once over the Urals the train passes an obelisk which marks the official divide. Here it is possible to stand with one foot in Europe and the other in Asia.

On the timetable for the Trans-Siberian many stations still have their old Soviet names. So when you reach the station of Sverdlovsk, which city are you in?

Yekaterinburg. Yekaterinburg was named after St Catherine and in honour of Empress Catherine I, the wife of Peter the Great. It was renamed Sverdlovsk in honour of the Bolshevik revolutionary Yakov Sverdlov. It reverted to its former name after the end of the communist period. Yekaterinburg is probably most famous as the city in which the last Tsar and his family were imprisoned and later executed. Other cities which still appear on the timetable under their Soviet names include Nizhny Novgorod (Gorky) and Vyatka (Kirov).

Well into Siberia now you reach Omsk. Which writer spent a number of years in exile in Omsk?

Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Dostoyevsky was exiled here for five years for revolutionary activity. During the nineteenth century Siberian exile was a punishment commonly meted out to Russian criminals. Dostoyevsky's name is also seen transliterated into English as Fedor Dostoevsky or several other variants.

After the excitement of Omsk you've now come to the capital of Siberia. Which city have you arrived in?

Novosibirsk. Novosibirsk is the third largest city in Russia in terms of population.

After three and a half days on the train you decide to see some sights and disembark at Irkutsk. Which body of water is a short journey from Irkutsk.

Lake Baikal. Known as the Blue Jewel of Siberia, Lake Baikal is the deepest lake in the world (1637m at its deepest point) and contains 20% of all the world's fresh water - more than the North American Great Lakes combined. It also contains over 850 different species of animals and plants.

After some time relaxing by the lake you get back aboard the train. Your next stop is Ulan Ude. From here you can change trains and take the Trans-Mongolian railway all the way to Beijing. Ulan Ude also boasts a huge sculpted head of which Russian politician?

Lenin. This holds the distinction of being the largest Lenin head in the world. It's truly massive and dominates the main square of Ulan Ude.

A Russian explorer lends his name to two stops along the way. The first is Yerofei Pavlovich, what is the name of the second?

Khabarovsk. Yerofei Pavlovich Khabarov was a seventeenth century Russian explorer who did much to extend Russian influence east into Asia.

At last, after a week of travel, you reach the end of the line. The name of this city translates into English as Lord of the East. What is its Russian name?

Vladivostok. Built in 1860 and closed off to foreigners for many years during the Soviet period, when it was the home of the Russian Pacific Fleet, it is now possible to take a ferry from Vladivostok to Japan or Korea.