The most obvious excursion from Irkutsk is Lake Baikal itself — Listvyanka on the south shore is under an hour away and makes a fine half-day trip. For a longer journey, Ulan-Ude, the capital of Buryatia, is about 6 hours east by rail and offers a very different atmosphere: part Russian, part Mongolian, and home to the world's largest Lenin head on its central square.
Destinations
