Saint Petersburg from moscow · From Moscow in Saint Petersburg
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From Moscow in Saint Petersburg
From Moscow in Saint Petersburg
The easiest way to get between downtown Moscow and St.Petersburg's heart is by a Sapsan high-speed train. The ride takes between 3h 45min and 4h 45min, there are 6 daily departures in both directions, from Moscow at 6:45, 13:00, 16:30, 16:45, 19:25, and 19:45; some trains stop at Tver, Vyshniy Volochek, Bologoe, and Okulovka. This train boasts a full English-speaking crew. Ticket prices are about 2400 rubles for second class to St Petersburg (3500 rubles returning to Moscow), and about rubles for the first.
Night trains are a cheaper option, a 7-hour ride in 2nd class (roughly equivalent to European sleeping car) would cost you approx. 1700 rubles, though it is slightly more expensive when returning to Moscow. There are 4 beds and a table in an enclosed compartment.
However, if you truly want to an authentic 'Russian' train experience, try the 3rd class 'platzkart' (a distant relative of what's called "couchette" in Europe), which can be purchased for 700 rubles. There are approximately 54 people per wagon, sleeping 9 sections of 6 'beds' each. On one side there are 4 beds (2 lower, 2 upper), and on the other side 2 beds (1 lower, 1 upper); the latter beds are positions such that your head (or feet) move along with the direction of the train.
Be advised that sometimes that there are 2 classes of platzkart. One with sheets and pillows, and one without. The latter '4th class', if you will, may have extra people, as the conductor may have sold extra last minute tickets to cram in a few more people. But this is Russia: don't worry, be happy.
If you can read Russian, the official Russian railways website is available. The website of Rossiskiye Zhelezniye Dorogi (Российские Железные Дороги), or RZD, has timetables for all trains, showing the number of seats available and the price for each ticket. You may purchase tickets online, currently at the same price as booking directly at the station, and after successful booking you can also proceed with the electronic registration (e-tickets). However, please note that in this case you do not obtain any proof of your travel (no boarding card is used, you just need to present a passport/ID when entering the train), and also cancellation of e-ticket is not possible less than one hour to scheduled departure.
See general information about Russian trains for details.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Saint Petersburg
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Saint Petersburg Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.