In a throwback to pre-revolutionary days, Russian Railways this week will kick off a regular train service between Moscow and Nice, a southern French city popular among Russian glitterati and wealthy businessmen.
The route operated during tsarist times but was canceled almost 100 years ago, according to Italia-ru.it, a web site for Russians in Italy, one of the countries included in the new train route.
The new train service, which will operate once a week, will leave from Moscow's Belorussky Station on Thursdays and arrive in Nice 50 hours later, Russian Railways' media outlet RZD-Partner said. The return train will leave Sunday afternoon and arrive in Moscow late Tuesday. The train will travel through Smolensk, Minsk, Warsaw, Vienna, Milan and Genoa.
The train has 12 carriages, including a restaurant car. The cheapest fare is 306 euros ($400), and the most expensive offer, which includes a large bed, a separate shower and a toilet, costs 1,200 euros.
Foreign cities already connected to Moscow via regular train routes include Beijing, Berlin, Budapest, Helsinki, Prague and Ulan Bator, Mongolia.
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