Tickets can be collected at Real Russia's offices in St Petersburg, or an e-ticket can be emailed to you so you can collect the ticket from most main stations in Russia.  More details.

Trans-Siberian journey planner & ticket sales

Arrange a Russian visa

 
 

This page explains how to travel by train from St Petersburg.  Click here to for journeys starting in another city.

IMPORTANT UPDATE:  All international trains to/from Russia are suspended until further notice, originally due to Covid-19, now due to sanctions.  There are currently no trains to or from Russia.

bullet pointI want to go from St Petersburg to...

     

Moscow

 

Tallinn

 

Riga

 

Vilnius

 

Helsinki

 

Stockholm

 

Copenhagen

 

Oslo

 

Warsaw

 

Ekaterinberg, Ulan Bator, Beijing, Vladivostok

 

Berlin, Paris, London, anywhere in central or western Europe


St Petersburg to other destinations in Russia...
St Petersburg to Moscow...

St Petersburg to Tallinn...

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St Petersburg to Riga...

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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:

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St Petersburg to Helsinki...

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St Petersburg to Stockholm...

Option 1, St Petersburg to Stockholm by direct cruise ferry...

Option 2, St Petersburg to Helsinki by train, then Helsinki to Stockholm by ferry...

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St Petersburg to Copenhagen, Gothenburg or Oslo...

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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.

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

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

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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.

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.

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

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Hotels in St Petersburg

Find hotels at Booking.comMy favourite hotel search site: www.booking.com

www.booking.com is my favourite hotel booking site and I generally prefer booking my hotels all in one place here.  You can usually book with free cancellation - this allows you to confirm your accommodation at no risk before train booking opens.  It also means you can hold accommodation while you finalise your itinerary, and alter your plans as they evolve - a feature I use all the time when putting a trip together.  I never book hotels non-refundably.  I have also come to trust their review scores - you won't be disappointed with anything over 8.0.

Tip:  It can pay to compare prices across multiple hotel sites:  HotelsCombined.com is a price comparison site which compares hotel prices on Booking.com, Hotels.com, Expedia, Accor, Agoda and many others.  Though if there's not much in it, I prefer keeping all my bookings together in one place at www.booking.com.

Other hotel sites worth trying...

Backpacker hostels...

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Travel insurance & VPN

 

Staysure travel insurance

 

Confused.com logo

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.

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

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

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

  US flag If you live in the USA try Travel Guard USA.

A Curve card saves foreign transaction fees...

 

Curve card

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.

 

Express VPN

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 explainedExpressVPN 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.

 

Anker Powerrbank

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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