Food on the train is not included, but is cheaply available in the dining car for local currency or US dollars. It is possible to 'stop off' along the way. It certainly would be jolly to hop off and spend a few hours or days in, say, Irkutsk or Novosibirsk. Unfortunately, the train stops for no more than a half hour in any station. Except for our organized stopovers, our tickets are for direct trains from Beijing to Moscow.
Organized stopovers are expensive.
The price of a direct train ticket is much lower than the several tickets needed to cover the same route. There are also multiple costs for reservation, booking, handling and transfers. All our stopover programs are well balanced and tested, with enough free time to explore on your own. No hassles in dealing with visas, transfers, family stays, meals, language, or tickets. I'll need to buy loads of books to while away the endless hours on the train.