Ulan-Ude station is one of the major junctions on the Trans-Siberian Railway and the branching point for the Trans-Mongolian line south to Ulaanbaatar and Beijing. Built in 1898 and rebuilt several times, it is a low, neoclassical building with a grand central hall and rows of waiting passengers from the four corners of Eurasia.
For travellers passing through, the station is the city's first impression. The platforms are an interesting place to watch the rituals of long-distance Russian rail travel — the samovar carriages, the local food sellers, the bewildered backpackers comparing tickets. The walk into central Ulan-Ude takes about 25 minutes; a tram runs the route.