Google serves up the Trans-Siberian rail adventure

(AFP)

Experience the vast Russian taiga, the deep blue of Lake Baikal and the Siberian steppes -- all without leaving your couch.

Experience the vast Russian taiga, the deep blue of Lake Baikal and the Siberian steppes - all without leaving your couch.

A site launched by Google and Russian Railways on Thursday allows armchair travellers to view the whole length of the Trans-Siberian railway via webcam.

"All you need is a simple Internet connection and you can travel half-way across the continent... seven time zones, 12 regions, 87 villages," Russian Railways, Google's partner in the project, said in a statement.

"See the most beautiful landscapes in Russia from the window of a train crossing 9,000 kilometres, thanks to 150 hours of video," it promised.

The Trans-Siberian rail route, leading from Moscow to the Far Eastern city of Vladivostok on Russia's Pacific coast can be tracked with maps and YouTube videos at www.google.ru/transsib.