Saint Petersburg Travel Forum

Next summer I want to visit both cities during one trip to Russia. So I wonder, what is the best way to get from St. Petersburg to Moscow... Would you recommend to go by plane? Or is the high-speed-rail more recommendable? Is there anything to consider?

It is important to save time, so the length of the travel is important, so I am afraid that going by ship is not really an alternative (despite it would take only the same time).

there are a lot of flights between the cities during the day time. The flight lasts 1h30 minutes. There are a lot of trains too. Usually they start at deep evening and arrive early morning (this works for both sides), they go 7 hours around.
The prices are: for trains from RUR 700 (EUR 15) one way, for flights from RUR 3550 (EUR 80) to and back.

If I allow extra time to get to the airport and for checking-in I am afraid that going by plane will take at least the same time, isn't it?

Are the train terminals in the cities center? And how comfortable is going by train? Is it possible to reserve a couchette or even a whole cabin (we are 4 or 5 persons) in advance?

Check the train timetable on www.poezda.net. It's in English too. I used a lot of trains, sometimes overnight and sometimes the day train which took around 5,5 hours leaving around 4 pm in Petersburg and arriving in Moscow at 9.30 pm or thereabouts.

Take the trains, many of my friends used it and it is easy, centre to centre and avoiding the airports traffic and hassle.
Ship is not an option, at list by the last time I checked the map the tsunami did not yet reached Moscow ;-)

Hi,
most recommended way is to travel by train.
Evening train is just as great as a night train.
You get a coupe for 4 people and you can rest or have fun for all night.
And you win being there in the morning becouse everywhere you go and everything are working. If you are coming at night after evening train you are there in the dark and who knows what can happen if you don't go straight to the hotel to sleep. I think that the evening train is a wasting time. Of course you can enjoy the view from the window for some hours.

You are Welcome!

So you suppose that the cities aren't safe at night?

StP is safer in the central area than Moscow in my opinion. but Moscow is safe in the center too. as usually I say if you don't search problems you don't find them. all depends on you! :-))

It is deffinately safer in a day time. Especially by the train stations.

Well... Every city in the world is safer at daytime...

It is rather OK and safe in the centre and crowded areas, and as long as no one try and eat you ;-)

we faced the same decision
our agent told us flatly that hed not put us on any internal flight in russia after what his sister went through - the plane looked so shonky that it felt like it was going tofall apart and she was terrified the whole time even though she has no real fears of flying

he said we were welcome to book it ourselves lol

anyway that was what we were thinking anyway
so we are booked on an overnight train for about 278aud each in 2nd class -that means it is a 4berth and im not totally comfortable with that but hopefully i will sleep anyway
first class was about 950 aud for the both of us - - didnt want to spend that money and maybe i will regret it
we are flying finnair from helsinki and again out of russia to stockholm but anticipate a long day at the airport while they do the checks