From the airport to the city centre Mongolia
The new airport is located 60 km from Ulaanbaatar. To reach the Mongolian capital, there are not many options: you can either take a bus or a cab.
Bus. There are two bus lines from the airport to the city center. The Express: 1 runs daily and takes passengers to the State Department Store. There are only eight departures per day, unevenly distributed between 7:10 am and midnight. As for the Express: 2 line that goes to the Dragon Center, there are only three departures per day from the airport, at 9am, 3pm and 9pm.
Cab. You will have no trouble finding a cab once you arrive at the airport. However, be careful to take a licensed vehicle. The fare is about T$80,000, or US$25. The trip takes between 35 and 60 minutes depending on the time of day and the traffic conditions.
Arrival by train Mongolia
Mongolia's rail network consists almost exclusively of the Trans-Mongolian Railway, which runs 7,621 km from Moscow to Beijing, crossing Mongolia from north to south. The railroad serves the Mongolian cities of Sükhbaatar, Darkhan, Choir, Saynshand and Zamiin Uud. The journey from Moscow to Ulan Bator takes five days, and from Beijing around 30 hours. So you can arrive in Ulaanbaatar by train from Russia or China and easily depart for these countries.
With the exception of the Naadam period (July 11-13), trains are rarely full. Getting tickets a few days in advance once you're there is usually more than enough. However, it is impossible to buy a return ticket for a foreign destination: only the one-way ticket is for sale. You'll also need to get your visa in advance, as China and Russia do not issue them at border crossings.
Note that the Russian and Chinese borders were closed several times during the COVID-19 pandemic between 2020 and 2022 to prevent the spread of the virus. They are likely to be closed again, so keep yourself informed before planning your itinerary from one country to the other.
From China. If you're in China and want to reach Mongolia by train, the easiest way is to pick up your tickets at China International Travel Service (CITS) in Beijing. This is the government travel agency. Its offices are located at the junction of Jinbao Street and Dongdan N. Street, one kilometer north of Dongdan station. If you're coming by train from China, we strongly advise you to take local trains to drastically reduce the cost of the journey. So cut the journey in half and first buy a Beijing-Erlian, the Chinese city on the border with Mongolia that also appears on maps as "Eren Hot". From there, take a cab across the border and, once in Zamiin Uud, buy a ticket to Ulaanbaatar. There are night trains that allow you to make this journey in comfort in a couchette. On these trains, there are only two classes: the first, which consists of compartments with two berths, and the second, whose compartments have four beds.
For those wishing to make the whole journey at once, it should be noted that border crossings are often long and difficult: toilets can be closed in advance, for example. On average, the wait can easily exceed four hours. It can be faster, but it can also take much longer, so you'll have to be patient. In addition, Mongolian and Chinese rails are not the same width. So each time the train passes from one country to another, some adjustments have to be made to the carriages, which can take up to an hour.
From Russia. The train line links Ulan-Ude, in Buryatia, to Ulan-Bator, and makes the journey in around 15 hours, for the equivalent of €50. Tickets can be purchased directly from the Ulan-Ude station.
For international trains (timetable as of August 2022, subject to change):
Ulan Bator - Beijing: departures every Tuesday and Saturday at 7:30 a.m., arriving the next day at 2:35 p.m. Tickets from US$250 in second class and US$300 in first class.
Ulaanbaatar - Moscow: Fridays at 3:20 pm. It takes five days to reach the Russian capital.
Ulan Bator - Irkutsk: Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, at 3:20 pm, with train no. 305. You can also take Friday train no. 5 at 3:20 p.m. to Moscow. Allow around 35 hours for the journey, arriving around 9.30pm the following day. A second-class ticket costs around US$150, and a first-class ticket around US$200.
Ulan Bator - Ulan Ude: departures at 3.20 p.m. every Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday with train no. 305, and on Fridays at 3.22 p.m. with train no. 5. Tickets from US$50.
Ulan Bator - Erlian (Eren Hot): Tuesdays and Sundays at 8.45pm.
For national trains (timetables and fares as of August 2022, subject to change):
From Zamiin-Uud: daily departure at 6:05 pm. Journey time approx. 15 US$ and 15 hours.
From Darkhan: daily departure at 2:07 p.m., approx. 5 hours' travel time and US$5.
From Erdenet: daily departure at 6.30pm for a 13-hour journey, prices from 7 US$.
From Saynshand: daily departure at 7.40pm. Allow almost 12 hours for the journey and around US$40 for the ticket.
From Sükhbaatar : two daily departures at 7.05am and 8.55pm. The journey takes just over 9 hours and costs around US$40.
Travelling by train in Mongolia is always an interesting experience. Neighbors are generally curious, and young people often take the opportunity to practice their English. The ticket inspectors are not necessarily well organized, and you'll have to show your ticket several times. They don't hesitate to wake up customers, even on their second or third visit!
Public transport Mongolia
Green, white, red... In Ulaanbaatar, city buses don't all have the same color, but they're easy to recognize. Often overcrowded, they cover the entire downtown area of the capital, most of them heading for the suburbs. Most stops indicate the bus route numbers, but the individual stops they serve are always written in Cyrillic, with a few rare exceptions. For those who are lucky enough to identify their bus, the single fare is T500.
Bus payment. Since 2016, it has no longer been possible to pay the bus driver directly for the journey. Instead, there is a public transport card, the "U money card", which can be purchased from the wooden huts located near the city's main bus stops. The card's logo is always displayed on the front of those selling or able to recharge it. The card itself costs T 3,600, and you'll need to put any amount of money on it to be able to use it and validate it at the bus entrance, the minimum being T 500.
Beware of pickpockets on the bus, especially if it's crowded.
As the city center is not very large, it's easy to get from one place to another on foot in most cases. Buses are advisable, however, for those wishing to reach more distant sites, such as the stadium, the Bogd Khan's residence or the Zaisan memorial.
From Dragon Station, the main railway station to the west of Ulaanbaatar, there are buses to the west of the country, as well as to the main cities. You can easily reach Darkhan (10,000 T, 3.5-hour journey, departures every hour from 9am to 8pm), Erdenet (15,000 T, 7-hour journey, 6 departures a day), Kharkhorin (17,000 T, 8-hour journey, departure at 11am), Tsetserleg (23,000 T, 12-hour journey, departures at 8am and 2pm), Möron (32,000 T, 12-hour journey, departures at 2pm and 5pm), Khovd (65,000 T, 36-hour journey, daily departure at 1pm) and Bayan Ulgy (80,000 T, 46-hour journey, departure Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday at 3pm). In general, the price is the same in the other direction, and departure times are the same (which is convenient), but check locally anyway.
Bike, scooters & co Mongolia
In Ulaanbaatar, bicycle paths are rare, if not non-existent. Cycling in the capital remains dangerous due to heavy traffic and the nervous, even drunken, behavior of some drivers. Cycling is therefore only recommended in the countryside, far from the cities.
With a driver Mongolia
Numerous cabs criss-cross the streets of Ulaanbaatar. Official cabs are often yellow, with an illuminated white sign on the roof. In principle, they are metered. However, there is an alternative: unofficial cabs, which are far more numerous and easier to find. And with good reason: any private individual can engage in this activity. Official or not, all you have to do is hold out your arm at the side of the road for the car to stop. The fare then depends on the odometer, but it's more than advisable to agree on the price right from the start, before you get in.
By car Mongolia
Due to the condition of the roads and the frequent traffic jams in the capital, it is not recommended to rent a vehicle in Ulaanbaatar. However, for experienced drivers, it is possible to rent a 4x4 in "self-drive" to discover Mongolia independently. The 4x4 Offroad Mongolia agency (https://www.4x4offroadmongolia.com/) offers itineraries and a fleet of a few Land Cruisers well equipped and available to the most adventurous travelers. Be aware that this option has a price: a deposit of 3 000 US$ is required before departure and it can be very risky!
For those who do not wish to rent a car, it is still possible to rent the services of an independent driver and his car. The best solution is to go through a travel agency to be sure of the seriousness of the provider. You can also find drivers near the central markets in the capitals ofaimag.
Alcohol: In Mongolia, alcohol is not allowed while driving. Alcoholism being nevertheless frequent, the authorities took drastic measures but the alcoholic drivers are not rare. So be careful if you drive or if you travel by bike.
The jeep is the most convenient means of motorized transport to travel in Mongolia. The roads are indeed rare and often in bad condition, and the tracks are more often silted up or muddy, when it is not necessary to ford a river... The Mongolian drivers generally know the roads of their country very well and master perfectly their vehicle, even in these difficult conditions. A jeep with a local driver is therefore the ideal way to reach remote places and to discover all the natural wealth of the country. Most of the time, it is necessary to count at least 45 US$ for the services of a driver, and to add the gasoline expenses.
Accessibility Mongolia
The capital, even as it expands and modernizes, is sorely lacking in facilities to facilitate movement in wheelchairs and baby carriages. Even in the city center, streets and sidewalks are in poor condition, often with potholes and cracks. In some parts of the city, the streets may not even be paved at all! These dirt roads and paths become veritable quagmires in wet weather. As for the city center, it can be prone to flooding due to the unevenness of the pavement.
Generally speaking, Mongolia is not at all well-equipped. Public transport, hotels, restaurants and sanitary facilities are not wheelchair accessible, making life extremely difficult. The best solution is to get in touch with local tourist agencies, or with a few agencies specializing in travel for people with disabilities. They may be able to arrange tailor-made trips.