Around the world by rail: From London to Moscow Simon Hosford prepares for departure With less than an hour in the Belgian capital, there wasn't time for sightseeing on La Grand-Place before the train to Cologne, just enough of a break to grab a cornet de frites in a busy street café outside the station. No sooner done than we were off again on a sleek, red Belgian train. It was a Saturday and the carriages were packed but the journey was relatively short - just under two hours. We raced through open farmland - this is the old coal-mining part of Belgium, now dotted with wind turbines - and pretty hamlets via Liège, across the German border and Aachen and on to Cologne. The biggest city in the North Rhine/Westphalia region may not be terribly attractive, but it has three definite plus points: its location by the Rhine, the inspiring Dom, whose blackened 450ft spires loom over you as you exit the station, and the city's local beer, the light, pilsner-like kölsch. I made my way to the Im Wasserturm, an architecturally fascinating hotel that occupies a 19th-century water tower and makes imaginative use of every space. I dropped my bags and took a peek inside the swarming Dom before heading to the open spaces of the Museum Ludwig and its superb collection of Modern and Pop Art. A short wander by the Rhine led me to the heaving Altstadt, where I grabbed a couple of glasses of kölsch. After supper in the hotel garden under a canopy of plane trees, it was time to catch the night train to Warsaw. A smiling Polish carriage attendant met me on the platform and showed me to my cabin, which included a bathroom with shower - a pleasant surprise. It was 10.30pm when the train pulled out of Cologne. I scanned my fellow passengers, a mix of German, Polish and a group of Japanese. I wondered about a cold beer but discovered there wasn't a bar on the train and, for that matter, no buffet car either. As the train rattled through a darkened Germany, I lay on the bed, headphones on, and listened to Kraftwerk's synth classic Trans Europe Express on my iPhone - it seemed appropriate as we slipped through near-deserted stations at Dortmund, Bielefeld and Hannover. I awoke in what I imagined would be Poland but discovered, disconcertingly, that we were sitting outside a deserted Berlin Ostbahnhof. The smiling guard who brought me a cup of black tea and croissant told me in broken German that there had been a delay overnight - without specifying its nature - and we would be around three hours late. I showered (the water refreshingly hot) and planned for a later arrival in Warsaw Central station, managing to get through to my guide Agnieshka to alter the time of our rendezvous. When we eventually got back on track, I sat back to read and gaze out over a mix of forest, rich farmland and Polish villages, occasionally stopping at stations with names such as Rzepin and Poznan, where the furtive-looking businessman in the next compartment got off. Holed up in our little compartments, there was virtually no interaction with other passengers, barring the odd guten Tag or dzien dobry in the corridor, which was a shame, but the time passed quickly enough and soon we pulled into Warsaw's cavernous, underground central station. My hotel was a short walk away and overlooked the Palace of Culture and Science, a "wedding cake" skyscraper that was a "gift" to the city from the Soviets and is not exactly loved. Agnieshka took me down to the perfectly manicured Royal Park at Lazienki, where there is a monument to Chopin, who lived in the city until his exile. A sudden and savage hailstorm forced us to take cover at Strzalkowski, a café where we munched on paczki (marmalade) and jagodzianki (blueberry) doughnuts. A tram down the Royal Route took us along the showpiece streets of Nowy Swiat and Krakowskie Przedmiescie to the Royal Castle and the old town, which although almost completely destroyed during the war, was recreated thanks to a sleight of hand by the architect who, according to local legend, circumvented demands for the usual Soviet school of grey brutalism. It is at the Warsaw Uprising Museum that you get the truest sense of Warsaw and its turbulent past. Its displays look mainly at the attempt by the Polish resistance to liberate the city from German occupation. Everywhere in this superbly planned museum, with its fascinating artefacts, diaries, uniforms, weapons and equipment related to the event, you find a sense of Poland's past both during the war and under its subjugation by the Soviet Union. I then stocked up on food for the journey, buying salad, spinach pie and a beer at a deli before making my way to the station and a sign which said 1,122km to Moscow. The platform was heaving as the train pulled in and passengers carrying suitcases, boxes and string-wrapped parcels embarked. The train was more basic than others earlier in the trip, but comfortable enough, with freshly starched sheets on the bed - but no shower this time. When I asked if there was one, the matronly carriage attendant smiled and pointed at a leaking air-conditioning vent for the "douche." With another black tea in hand - served from a samovar in my matron's compartment - I settled down for the journey towards Belarus, a country considered to be Europe's only remaining dictatorship, run since 1994 by Alexander Lukashenko, a former Soviet collective farm manager. The strangest part of the journey came at 10.30pm, when we pulled into Brest Central station, where each sleeping car was separated and jacked up by cranes to have its bogies changed (Belarus and Russia use a different gauge from most of Europe). Men in orange overalls worked under bright lights to complete the switchover. Meanwhile, border officials swept the train checking passports, visas and looking for contraband, while babushkas proffered cooked chicken, blinis and bottled beer. I slept surprisingly well and woke to a view from my compartment that varied between immense tracts of farmland, villages of wooden houses, birch forests and sudden blots of ugly industrialised towns; bucolic past met dystopian future. From a frenetic Moscow station my taxi took me past the spooky, faceless Lubyanka (the former headquarters of the KGB), Red Square and the Kremlin en route to the luxuries of the Kempinski hotel. After a night (including a vodka lesson from the barman at the Kempinski) and morning exploring the city, I made for the 18th-century-styled Café Pushkin on Tverskoy Boulevard for tea and cake. Here my adventure ended - I was flying back to London - and I handed over the baton to Teresa, who was about to set off on the next leg of our round-the-world journey from Moscow to Beijing. Orson Welles once said there were only two emotions in a plane: boredom and terror. There were no such feelings on this train journey to Russia. Book the trip Simon Horsford travelled with Railbookers (020 3327 0812; railbookers.com). It offers this trip from £949, which includes London St Pancras to Brussels on Eurostar in standard premier; Brussels to Cologne in first class; one night at the Wasserturm hotel in Cologne; the Cologne to Warsaw sleeper in a private deluxe double cabin; one night at the Polonia Palace hotel in Warsaw; Warsaw to Moscow sleeper in a deluxe double cabin; and one night at Baltschug Kempinski hotel in Moscow. This cost can be reduced to £619 by travelling London to Brussels on Eurostar and Brussels to Cologne in standard class, with one night at the Azimut hotel in Cologne; Warsaw sleeper in a private economy double cabin, with one night at the Holiday Inn in Warsaw; and the Warsaw to Moscow sleeper in a private economy double cabin, with one night at the Park Inn Sadu, Moscow. Further information from Railbookers. Where to stay St Pancras Renaissance Hotel £££ Impressively designed and the perfect place to start your journey; have supper at The Booking Office (020 7841 3540; marriott.co.uk; doubles from £220). Im Wasserturm ££ Once Europe's largest water tower, now a funky hotel (0049 221 20080; hotel-im-wasserturm.de; doubles from €134/£107 per night). Where to eat Im Wasserturm (see above) has two restaurants, one on the ground floor and in the gardens in summer and another - with sweeping views - on the 11th floor. Both specialise in German cuisine and are exceptional.Alternatively, grab a wurst and a few glasses of kölsch in one of the streets and squares in the Altstadt, such as Gaffel Haus (gaffel-haus.de) or one of the many busy bars alongside the Rhine. What to do The Museum Ludwig (museenkoeln.de/museum-ludwig) is worth a visit for its impressive collection of 20th-century art and the largest home of Pop Art outside the US. David Hockney's A Bigger Picture exhibition recently arrived at the museum and runs until February. The colossal Dom should be on your itinerary but go early or late (it's open from 6am-7.30pm) as it gets crowded. The Museum of the History of National Socialism (museenkoeln.de) offers insights into social and political aspects of the city during the Nazi period and is in the El-De Haus, the site of the Gestapo headquarters. Polonia Palace £ Smart and businesslike; ask for a room at the front overlooking the Palace of Culture and Science (0048 2231 82800; poloniapalace.com; doubles from €88/£70 per night). Polonia Palace (see above) serves good wholesome Polish and European cuisine - the schnitze is very good as are the hearty soups. Otherwise there are decent restaurants on Nowy Swiat and Krakowskie Przedmiescie; or try the family-run Folk Gospoda (ul Walicow 13; folkgospoda.pl). Go to Strzalkowski on Market Square for the best doughnuts in town: ask for paczki (marmalade) or jagodzianki (blueberry). Visit The Warsaw Uprising Museum (1944.pl). Housed in a former tram shed, it contains hundreds of artefacts related to the uprising in 1944 of Polish resistance fighters against the Nazis. There is also a fine monument at Powstania Warszawskiego. Wander down shop- and café-lined Krakowskie Przedmiescie,then take a tram to Lazienki Park. Baltschug Kempinski ££££ On the banks of the Moskva, with grand bedrooms and views of the Kremlin and Red Square from some rooms. Excellent breakfasts and vodka tastings in the piano bar (007 495 287 2000; kempinski.com/moscow; doubles from £380 per night). Café Margarita (28 Malaya Bronnaya Street) is an intimate, arty, down-to-earth café serving good wholesome food. The atmospheric and invariably busy Café Pushkin (Tverskoy Boulevard 26; cafe-pushkin) has an interesting and varied menu; go for afternoon tea. Take a walk around the Red October district on Bolotny island. The former home of the Red October chocolate factory, this is where you'll find art and photographic galleries, designers" studios, bars, cafés and restaurants such as the sleek Art Academy on Bresenevska ya Naberejnaya. Tips Remember to take some sandwiches, snacks and drink on the train for the journeys between Cologne and Warsaw and Warsaw and Moscow. Travel light - you don't want to be hampered by too much luggage on the journey, particularly in your cabin. Don't try to establish a friendly rapport with the officials on the Belarus border - they don't appreciate it.