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Moscow - St. Petersburg
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By train
The distance between the two cities is 650 km. The railway connection is daily
and intensive: you can choose among about 10 trains (up to 20 trains in the high
season). Take a pick between
cheapest,
fastest
and
most comfortable.
Cheapest one
Train Nr. 24
Departure from Moscow - 12:30
Arrival to St. Petersburg - 21:00
Journey time - 8 hours 30 min.
If you agree to spend a whole day sitting in the train, the ticket will cost
you only 12 USD (!).
It's very cheap but it takes the whole day; I personally do not trust that one
can see much from the train window and will find such a trip rather tiresome.
Russians on a budget gladly use this option - usually the wagon is filled with
students, pensioners, immigrants from ex-soviet republics etc. If you happen to
travel with a students group it is a good chance to find English-speaking local
friends: within 8 hours you will have enough time to learn a lot about each
other and to get a heap of advice how to spend your time in St. Petersburg.
Fastest one
Train Nr. 164
Departure from Moscow - 18:28
Arrival to St. Petersburg - 23:00
Journey time - 4 hours 32 min (!).
Price is from $28 up to $45.
(In some wagons the meal is included in the price).
You can even get a berth in the sleeping-car at an extra charge.
If you want to depart / to arrive a bit earlier here is another option:
Train Nr. 160
Departure from Moscow - 16:30
Arrival to St. Petersburg - 21:45
Journey time - 5 hours 15 min.
Price is from $28 up to $45.
(In some wagons the meal is included in the price).
In both trains (especially true for the Nr. 164) you will travel with businessmen
and people who appreciate their time. After having completed the negotiations and
visits to the state official offices they are on their way home. 4 hours in the
train is a nice pause to work with the laptop and to sum up what has been done
within a day. Your chance to find a friendly neighbour who will chat with you in
such train is very poor.
Most comfortable
People who look for comfort travel by night in a sleeping car. You just go to
bed, sleep soundly for 8 hours and wake up in St. Petersburg refreshed and ready
for sightseeing.
The train to St. Petersburg which has a good reputation is
Nikolaevsky express (train Nr. 6)
Departure from Moscow - 23:30
Arrival to St. Petersburg - 6:50
Journey time - 7 hours 20 min.
A place in the 2nd class (i.e. 4 berth compartment) will cost you about 60 USD.
You will pay double for a place in the 1st class (i.e. 2 berth compartment).
If you ask me what is so special about this train specifically I could only name
the stylish uniform of the wagon conductors and nice curtains in the compartments.
The other sleeping trains are equally clean, smooth and nice.
But the arrival at 6:50 does not seem to be sensible if you are a tourist.
Museums, cafes, shops - almost everything opens at 10 if not at 11.
Other popular options are trains Nr. 2 ("Red arrow") and
Nr. 4. Both depart about midnight and arrive to St. Petersburg
about 8 in the morning. They are very good but because everybody knows about
them they are usually packed. They are also a bit more expensive than other
trains of the same class - you always have to pay for the brand. If you take a
less known train you will travel cheaper and have a chance to travel in a 4
berth compartment (2nd class) alone (!). I advise you to try this option.
Train Nr. 30
Departure from Moscow - 1:05
Arrival to St. Petersburg - 9:53
or
Train Nr. 38 (also named "Afanasi Nikitin")
Departure from Moscow - 0:23
Arrival to St. Petersburg - 8:50
In both cases:
A place in the 2nd class (i.e. 4 berth compartment) will cost you about 45 USD.
You will pay double for a place in the 1st class (i.e. 2 berth compartment).
In almost all sleeping cars there are wagons with and without breakfast. It
consists of a plastic box with yogurt, some cheese, salami and bread for
sandwiches, sweet cake and tea bag / instant coffee sachet. You can get a glass
of boiled water (or ready tea if you prefer) for something like 5 rubles (less
than 20 cents) from your conductor. If you want / do not want breakfast specify
it when purchasing the tickets.
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By bus
A bus connection between Moscow and St. Petersburg does not exist.
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By plane
The following companies offer flights between Moscow and St. Petersburg:
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Pulkovo Airlines
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Aeroflot
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Transaero
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The best timetable is offered by Pulkovo Airlines: they have up to 11 flights
uniformly dispersed within a day.
The company uses 2 types of planes: a trip by TU-154 is a bit quicker (1 hour
10 min) than by TU-134 (1 hour 30 min).
Aeroflot also offers several flights a day though only by TU-134 (1 hour 30 min).
Unlike the others, Transaero uses the Boeing-737 (a flight lasts 1 hour 25 min)
and flies not from the old Sheremetievo but from the new and modern Domodedovo
airport in Moscow.
All companies offer business class tickets.
Here are the estimated costs:
Pulkovo Airlines - 80 USD one way and 160 USD return ticket in the economy class
(170/340 USD business class).
Aeroflot offers good rates on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays - 54 USD one way
and 108 USD for return ticket (116/232 USD business class).
Transaero - 60 USD one way and 120 USD return ticket (130/260 USD business class).
Young passengers can get a ticket for only 45 USD one way.
N.B.:
St. Petersburg airport is 4 km away from the south end of the city. Have a look
at my
pick up
offer.
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Tatiana's advice
Locals almost always prefer the train to plane for getting to
St. Petersburg from Moscow for the following reasons:
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The timetables are just perfect.
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The trains are very clean and nice. Moreover - they are so smooth
that the majority of people sleep soundly all night long, arrive
refreshed and ready for work or pleasure.
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Both in Moscow and St. Petersburg the railway stations are situated
right in the city center. The metro stations are a 1 min walk from
each. It means no extra charges for taxi as from the airports.
Moreover - it means no wasting time on going to/from the airports
in both cities.
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If you take a 2nd class wagon your ticket will be 2,5 times cheaper
than the economy class by plane.
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