How to get to St. Petersburg: by plane, train, car or bus

I myself live in St. Petersburg and sometimes visit Moscow for work matters or for personal interests. At least once a year, but I definitely go there. This is due to the fact that Igromir and Comic Con Russia are held there at the end of September. Events are held for fans of video games and comics. Although there are huge queues at the exhibitions, it is worth coming there for the atmosphere and interesting presentations, and the range of souvenir shops is excellent. I would like to advise everyone who has the opportunity to visit them for at least a few hours.

By plane

Pulkovo Airport receives flights from about 60 Russian cities, from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky to Kaliningrad and from Makhachkala to Norilsk. It is used by all major airlines in the country, including Rossiya, Aeroflot, S7, Ural Airlines, UTair and others. The flight from Moscow lasts 1 hour 40 minutes.

Many people, out of old memory, are trying to clarify their arrival/departure terminal - Pulkovo-1 or Pulkovo-2. Since 2014, both of them have been replaced by a single terminal, Pulkovo-3 - also known as the “new terminal”.

The airport is located outside the city, about 20 km, but city buses and minibuses run regularly from it to the Moskovskaya metro station. There is also the option of taking a train from the Airport station to the Baltiysky Station metro station, but this is done less often - only if they want to avoid traffic jams on Pulkovskoye Shosse. After 1:30, the only way to get from the airport to the city is by taxi. The cost of travel by official Pulkovo taxi to the center is fixed and amounts to 1050 RUB. Prices on the page are for February 2022.

Taxis from other companies may be cheaper, but they can also be much more expensive. The client usually pays for the mileage, and the need to drive around open bridges at night can greatly increase the price.

The distance between the two cities is approximately 700 kilometers

There are several ways to overcome this path: by car, by plane and by train. One of the safest, most economical and certainly the most romantic way is to travel from Moscow to St. Petersburg by train. Travel time will be from 3 hours 40 minutes to 4 hours 10 minutes, depending on the number of stops. What could be more pleasant than contemplating the beauty outside the window with a glass of tea in your hands and listening to the rhythmic sound of wheels.

The railway route runs through the territory of four regions: Moscow, Tver, Novgorod and Leningrad. In addition to the beauty of the Russian forest, there are very interesting cultural and historical sights along the way.

There's a city on the way Solnechnogorsk. When driving through it, you need to remember that these lands were the site of bloody battles, and the city itself was captured by the troops of Nazi Germany. Solnechnogorsk will also be very interesting for connoisseurs of Russian poetry. If you wish, you can deviate slightly from the route and visit Shakhmatovo. This is the estate of A. Blok, where he stayed every summer.
Next is the city of Klin . It is also rich in interesting sights. The city has been a trading city since ancient times; several shopping arcades have survived in it, as well as the Assumption Cathedral built in the 16th century and a beautiful temple (the icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow”). The famous house-museum of Tchaikovsky P.I. also located in Klin. Nearby are the ruins of the small estate "Demyanovo", the home of the composer Sergei Taneyev.

“The Mycelium Girl” is a particularly valuable monument for the residents of Klin. This is one of the few sculptures of Fyodor Kamensky in Russia, who spent most of his life abroad.

A little away from the railway are the picturesque villages of Spas-Zaulok and Zavidovo . Temples, ancient estates and churches, and stone worship crosses have been preserved here. The most famous landmark is the Assumption Cathedral, where the funeral service for Alexander I was held.
Next we pass the turn to Emmaus . These days it is famous for hosting music festivals such as Invasion and Emmaus.
City Vyshny Volochek nicknamed Tver Venice for its large number of canals and bridges. The Travel Palace, which is located on the embankment of the Tsnin Canal, was created at the end of the 18th century. At one time it was an architectural ensemble of three stone buildings.
The palace was needed for accommodation of members of the imperial family during travel from Moscow to St. Petersburg and back. Today, only one building from the entire original structure has survived. And although its purpose and interior have long since changed, the façade has retained its original architectural design.

Unfortunately, almost only ruins remain from the building of the oldest Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord in Vyshny Volochyok. But many saints are buried here and some artistic elements of the building have survived. It is also worth looking at the Epiphany Cathedral and the Kazan Convent. Here is the artistic dacha named after I.E. Repin, several interesting museums and ancient estates.

Notable along the way is the town of Chudovo . Here you can look at the Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, as well as the railway station complex, built immediately after the start of operation of the Nikolaev railway. Several industrial buildings survived.
Valdai is a Russian city with a rich history and a large number of preserved architectural monuments, with a wonderful museum of bells.
Lyuban is a small town that is more than half a thousand years old. All the most interesting things are located near the railway station (this includes the station building itself and various monuments).
Tosno , the regional center of the Leningrad region, is notable for the fact that there is a church built here during the Soviet years. And this is very rare.

By train

A regular train from Moscow to St. Petersburg takes a little over 9 hours: most often it is an overnight journey, the cost of which is from 1000 RUB per seat. The fast train takes 7 hours and 25 minutes. You can also get from the capital to St. Petersburg by the high-speed Nevsky Express in 4 hours or the famous Sapsan in even less than 4 hours (seat - from 1900 RUB).

Soviet students, for fun and economy, traveled between the two cities by train with several intermediate stops. This can be done now, but you will achieve real savings only if you go as a “hare”.

Stations of St. Petersburg

The city has 5 main railway stations, of which 2 are the most interesting for domestic tourists: Moscow and Ladozhsky. Trains arrive at Moskovsky Station from Moscow, Novgorod, Volgograd, Samara, Kazan, Rostov-on-Don, Ufa, Sochi, as well as from Azerbaijan and Ukraine. The station is located in the very center of the city and is directly connected to the Ploshchad Vosstaniya metro station. Trains arrive at Ladozhsky Station (Ladozhskaya metro station) from Murmansk, Yekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk, Omsk, Novosibirsk, as well as from Kazakhstan.

Finlyandsky Station (Ploshchad Lenina metro station) receives trains from Vyborg and Helsinki. The Baltiysky Station at the metro station of the same name serves mainly suburban destinations (Petrodvorets, Oranienbaum, Gatchina, Luga). Trains to neighboring countries (including Ukraine and Belarus) plus trains to Pushkin and Pavlovsk also mainly depart from Vitebsky Station.

Information on train and train schedules at St. Petersburg station:

The schedule of trains and electric trains at the St. Petersburg station today includes 251 long-distance trains, commuter trains and electric trains (including diesel engines) - 678, 119 of them passing and 810 starting or ending their journey in this locality. Most trains arrive in the morning. The first, according to the schedule, departs at 00:12 towards the Belgorod station, and the last arrives at 23:58. The average stop time on the platform is 0:90. Some trains passing through the St. Petersburg station do not run every day (they have a special schedule). The train and train schedule for the St. Petersburg station presented on this page takes into account seasonal changes, that is, winter and summer schedule options are always available. Tickets for trains and electric trains at St. Petersburg station can be purchased online or at the ticket office.

By bus

Various transport companies provide bus transportation between St. Petersburg and Moscow: it is quite economical, although not comfortable. On average, a one-way ticket costs from 1000 RUB (travel time 9-11 hours). There are also buses and minibuses from Pskov, Novgorod, and Vyborg to St. Petersburg.

International carriers such as LuxExpress organize flights from St. Petersburg to Kaliningrad with a short connection in Riga. Tickets can be found very inexpensively, but such a trip will require a visa.

By car

The notorious “travel from St. Petersburg to Moscow” practically along the Radishchev route (and now along the federal highway M10 “Russia”), if you have your own car, is a completely convenient way to get to St. Petersburg. The road is well maintained and travel time is approximately 9 hours. But there is one subtlety: almost along its entire length the highway passes through populated areas where speed limits apply. And compliance with the speed limit is vigilantly monitored by cameras and traffic police officers on the highway.

By bus

The cheapest and easiest way to get to St. Petersburg is by intercity buses. They depart daily throughout the day. The condition and level of comfort of all buses is the same. Traveling by this type of transport will take you from 10 to 12 hours.

On my own behalf, I would like to add that buses are a win-win option. No matter how much I travel, they never disappoint. If you approach your travel responsibly and buy tickets in advance, then no problems will arise. At the same time, the train does not take more time than all other types of transport, and it saves money.

Ticket price

The ticket price ranges from 400 to 500 rubles.

Where to buy tickets

The route is popular, so it is better to book your ticket online or buy it at the bus station ticket office a few days before your trip.

On water

St. Petersburg is not just a beautiful city with a lot of attractions, it is a major port with access to the Baltic Sea through the Gulf of Finland. There are several ports here: the Big Port of St. Petersburg, Morskoy, Marine Station, timber trade, ports of the suburbs (Lomonosov, Vyborg, etc.) and intra-city berths. The large port of St. Petersburg serves as a cargo (Sea Port on the Mezhevoy Canal) and passenger Marine Station. From the terminals of the latter, ferries and cruise ships depart to Helsinki, Stockholm, and Tallinn. Registration for ferries takes place at the new berth complex “Marine Facade”.

There are also river ports, for example, River Station (Obukhovskaya Oborony Ave., 195). From here ships depart to Solovki, Kizhi, Valaam, as well as to Moscow and some other cities of the Russian Federation.

An alternative way to travel from Moscow to St. Petersburg in the summer is a river cruise. This option is suitable for those who want not only to move between two points, but also to see a lot of interesting cities on the Volga-Balt route: Uglich, Myshkin, Cherepovets, Belozersk, Kizhi, Petrozavodsk, Valaam, etc. The length of this route is almost twice as long land: 1300 km, travel duration - from 5 to 7 days. Navigation is open from April to October.

There are also small walking routes in the center of St. Petersburg, along its most picturesque canals. Duration - from an hour, cost - from 900 RUB.

By train

I don’t travel by train often; for short distances I prefer a car or bus, and for long distances I prefer a plane. But even along this route it was necessary to resort to the services of railways. A huge number of trains run between cities. You can go any day, the main thing is to get a ticket for the flight you are interested in in advance. Trains go to your destination from 7 hours to 13. Prices are also varied, so you can easily find the option that suits your needs.

If you want to save money, I would recommend looking at your schedule several weeks in advance. You may be lucky to have trains that take 7 hours, as a seated ticket will be cheap and will save you a lot of money compared to other offers.

Ticket price

The prices for the route are as follows:

seated - 1000-3000 rubles;
reserved seat - 1500-3000 rubles;
coupe - 2500-4000 rubles;
SV - 7000 rubles.

Where can I buy a ticket

You can always view tickets here or buy them in advance at the railway station ticket office.