St Petersburg to Tallinn...

• A comfortable & inexpensive train links St Petersburg with Tallinn, see the St Petersburg-Tallinn page for details.

  This train is suspended due to Covid-19...

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St Petersburg to Riga...

• A comfortable & inexpensive sleeper train links St Petersburg with Riga, see here for details.

  This train is suspended due to Covid-19...

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St Petersburg to Vilnius...

There used to be an overnight sleeper train from St Petersburg to Vilnius which did not go through Belarus.  Unfortunately, this train was discontinued in 2015.  You now need to go via Riga, as follows:

• Step 1, take the sleeper train from St Petersburg to Riga click here for details.  This train does not pass through any part of Belarus.

  This train was suspended due to Covid-19 and remains suspended due to sanctions...

• Step 2, travel from Riga to Vilnius by train or bus as shown here,

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St Petersburg to Copenhagen, Gothenburg or Oslo...

• Step 1, travel from St Petersburg to Stockholm either by direct ferry twice a week, or train to Helsinki then ferry to Stockholm every day.

• Step 2, take a train from Stockholm Central to Oslo, Copenhagen, Gothenburg, Malmo or anywhere else in Sweden or Norway.  See the Trains from Stockholm page for details.

• It's also possible to take the twice-weekly direct sleeper train from Moscow to Berlin then catch a train to Hamburg and from Hamburg to Copenhagen, see the Trains from Moscow page.

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St Petersburg to Warsaw...

There are now few if any direct trains from St Petersburg to Warsaw, almost all international trains to Warsaw & beyond now start from Moscow.

Option 1, via Moscow - simplest & fastest option, although as the Moscow-Warsaw trains pass through Belarus you'll need a Belarus transit visa.

• Step 1, travel from St Petersburg to Moscow as shown here.  It takes as little as 3h50 by high-speed Sapsan train.

• Step 2, take an international sleeper train from Moscow to Warsaw as shown here.  Route suspended due to sanctions.

Option 2, via Riga & Vilnius - this takes longer, with overnight stops required, but it's an interesting route & avoids Belarus...

• Step 1, travel from St Petersburg to Riga by daily direct sleeper train, as shown here.  Route suspended due to sanctions.

• Step 2, travel from Riga to Vilnius via Daugavpils by train as shown here.  An overnight stop may be required in Riga and/or Vilnius.

• Step 3, travel from Vilnius via Kaunas to Warsaw by train as shown here.

Option 3, via Kyiv - a much longer way round but easy, comfy & also avoids Belarus.

• Step 1, travel from St Petersburg to Moscow, see the Train travel in Russia Moscow-St Petersburg section.

• Step 2, take a sleeper train from Moscow to Kyiv as shown here.  Route suspended due to war in Ukraine.

• Step 3, take the sleeper train Kyiv Express from Kyiv to Warsaw as shown here.

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St Petersburg to Berlin, Amsterdam, Paris, central & western Europe...

There are now few if any direct trains from St Petersburg to Warsaw & beyond.  It takes as little as 3h50 to reach Moscow, and almost all international trains to central & western Europe now start in Moscow.

Option 1, via Moscow - There are direct trains from Moscow to Berlin, Prague, Paris making this the easiest and fastest option, but as these trains pass through Belarus don't forget that you'll need a Belarus transit visa.

• Step 1, travel from St Petersburg to Moscow, see the Train travel in Russia Moscow-St Petersburg section.

• Step 2, travel from Moscow to Warsaw, Berlin, Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris, Prague, Vienna and so on as shown on the Trains from Moscow page.

  These trains are suspended due to Covid-19...

  Moscow to London is covered in detail for travel in either direction on the London to Russia by train page.

Option 2, via Moscow & Kyiv.  This is a longer way round but it's easy, comfy & avoids Belarus so no need to get a Belarus transit visa.  Incidentally, although there are direct trains from St Petersburg to Kyiv, they pass through Belarus so you need to go via Moscow.

• Step 1, travel from St Petersburg to Moscow, see the Train travel in Russia Moscow-St Petersburg section.

• Step 2, take a sleeper train from Moscow to Kyiv as shown here. 

  These trains are suspended due to Covid-19...

• Step 3, take the sleeper train Kyiv Express from Kyiv to Warsaw as shown here for onward trains to Berlin, or from Kyiv to Budapest or Vienna for onward trains to Cologne, Prague, Paris or as shown on the Trains from Kyiv page.

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St Petersburg to Mongolia, China, Vladivostok, Japan, Korea...

• There's a direct train from St Petersburg to Ekaterinburg where you can pick up trains to Irkutsk, Ulan Bator, Beijing or Vladivostok.  Alternatively, take a train from St Petersburg to Moscow and pick up a Trans-Siberian train there.

• See the Trans-Siberian railway page for details.

Hotels in St Petersburg

Other hotel sites worth trying...

• www.tripadvisor.com is the place to find independent travellers' reviews of all the main hotels.

Backpacker hostels...

• www.hostelworld.com:  If you're on a tight budget, don't forget about backpacker hostels.  Hostelworld offers online booking of cheap private rooms or dorm beds in backpacker hostels in most cities at rock-bottom prices.

Travel insurance & VPN

Always take out travel insurance...

Never travel overseas without travel insurance from a reliable insurer, with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover.  It should also cover cancellation and loss of cash and belongings, up to a sensible limit.  An annual multi-trip policy is usually cheaper than several single-trip policies even for just 2 or 3 trips a year, I have an annual policy myself.  Here are some suggested insurers.  Seat61 gets a small commission if you buy through these links.

www.staysure.co.uk offers enhanced Covid-19 protection & covers you even if the FCDO advises against non-essential travel.

If you have a pre-existing medical condition or are over 65, see www.JustTravelCover.com.

You can use Confused.com to compare prices & policies from many different insurers.

  If you live in the USA try Travel Guard USA.

A Curve card saves foreign transaction fees...

Most banks give you a poor exchange rate, then charge you a currency conversion fee.  A Curve MasterCard means no foreign transaction fees and gives you the mid-market exchange rate, at least up to a certain limit, £500 per month at time of writing.  The balance goes straight onto one of your existing debit or credit cards.

How it works:  1. Download the app for iPhone or Android.  2. Enter your details & they'll send you a Curve MasterCard - they send to most European addresses including the UK.  3. Link your existing credit & debit cards to the app.  4. Now use the Curve MasterCard to buy things online or in person or take cash from ATMs, just like a normal MasterCard. Curve does the currency conversion and puts the balance onto whichever of your debit or credit cards you choose.  You can even change your mind about which card it goes onto, within 14 days of the transaction.

I have a Curve Blue card myself - I get some commission if you sign up to Curve, but I'm recommending it here because it's great.  See details, download the app and get a Curve card - they'll give you £5 cashback through that link, too.

Get a VPN for safe browsing.  VPNs & why you need one explained...

When you're travelling you often use free WiFi in public places which may not be secure.  A VPN means your connection to the internet is encrypted & always secure, even using unsecured WiFi.  In countries such as China where access to Twitter & Facebook is restricted, a VPN gets around these restrictions.  And lastly, you can select the geographic location of the IP address you browse with, to get around geographic restrictions which some websites apply - for example one booking site charges a booking fee to non-European visitors but none to European visitors, so if you're not located in Europe you can avoid this fee by browsing with a UK IP address using a VPN.  VPNs & why you need one explained.  ExpressVPN is a best buy and I use it myself - I've signed up as an ExpressVPN affiliate, and if you go with expressvpn.com using the links on this page, you should see a special deal, 3 months free with an annual subscription, and I get a small commission to help support this site.

Carry an Anker powerbank...

With so much now held on your mobile phone (tickets, reservations, vaccination records, etc) I recommend carrying an Anker powerbank.  This can recharge your phone several times over if you're on the move and can't get to a power outlet.  I never travel without one.

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