The habit of traveling from Moscow to St. Petersburg - for business or purely entertainment purposes - originated a long time ago. As soon as Tsar Peter ordered the foundation of the future huge city in the Finnish swamp, carts began to flow there from the direction of the capital. And then there were carts and carriages.
The transition from horse-drawn to advanced modes of transport only worsened the traffic situation. And it led to additional anxiety among those in power.
Forced, instead of pleasantly doing nothing in an easy chair, to solve pressing problems with roads. And then other infrastructure that requires care and maintenance - the same toll M11 between Moscow and St. Petersburg needs constant attention.
And not only in terms of price increases...
Note that the population suffered accordingly. If earlier Moscow bars could spend hours carefree pulling tea from a saucer and crunching dryers, then with the appearance of St. Petersburg on the map, and even turned into the capital, it was necessary to strain.
Because the “light” has moved north. And so that they wouldn’t forget about you, you had to constantly “shine” in his spotlights.
Today Moscow is the capital itself. With a corresponding number of attractions and “satellite” cities in which you can usefully spend your weekend. However, the habit of capital residents to travel in a northwest direction has not gone away. True, preferences have changed - now travelers are keenly interested not in proximity to those in power, but in the legacy of past years.
After all, you’d be too tired to list all the interesting places in St. Petersburg and its suburbs. Due to their large number, it is necessary to travel this route often. This means that savings come to the fore.
Airplane
The price of an air ticket starts from 1050 rubles one way. Despite the apparent accessibility, the total travel time is more than 5 hours. You need to arrive at Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo or Vnukovo in advance by taking an Aeroexpress for 500 rubles or a taxi. Then get from Pulkovo to the city by bus for 30 or taxi for 250 rubles. This option is more suitable for business trips in which the company pays the expenses.
All roads lead to St. Petersburg
Well, traveler, I sincerely hope that I helped you choose the most convenient road to wonderful St. Petersburg. All options are as good as a swan, a crayfish and a pike: a plane will bring you by air, a train and bus (or car) will carry you along the ground, and a ferry will slowly arrive by water.
You can combine options and visit our beautiful city again and again, because St. Petersburg is very friendly and hospitable (in winter, however, it is a little gloomy, which more than pays off with white nights and generally all the sunny days).
Train
The train is the most convenient and inexpensive way to travel to St. Petersburg. Travel time – 8 hours. Trains depart from Leningradsky or Kursky Station and arrive in the very center of the northern capital at Moskovsky Station. You can sit down late in the evening and be in St. Petersburg by breakfast. Trains for every taste and budget.
- Reserved seat, Moscow-St. Petersburg, ticket price 900-1500 rubles.
- A carriage with seats. Ideal for students or those looking to save money. The cost starts from 500 rubles, but spending 8 hours sitting is not easy. At night, the guides provide blankets and sometimes pillows.
- Double-decker train 1500-3000 rubles. If the desire to go to St. Petersburg came suddenly, then there are always free places here. You can buy a ticket at the last minute. By the way, the lowest prices are on the top shelf of the second floor.
- “Megapolis” is a compartment with wi-fi and air conditioning. Ticket - 2000 - 3500 rubles.
- “Red Arrow” is a branded night train with a comfortable compartment and wi-fi. Price 3000-6000 rubles.
From other cities
In any case, the option with an airplane ends with landing at Pulkovo airport and then choosing a route, as I wrote about in the section above. But I will dwell on other types of transport in more detail in the following paragraphs.
For those arriving by train
There are five railway stations in St. Petersburg:
- Moskovsky accepts passengers from Moscow and the European part of Russia;
- Ladozhsky - northern and eastern (for example, travelers from Siberia or Arkhangelsk will set foot on the land of the hero city at the Ladozhsky station);
- at Vitebsky Station from Riga, Tallinn, Chisinau, Vilnius, Grodno and Belarusian cities (Gomel, Minsk, Brest, Grodno), as well as Kaliningrad;
- The Baltic Station serves primarily for the reception and departure of commuter trains, but also welcomes trains from Tallinn;
- Finland Station welcomes commuter trains and Allegro trains from Helsinki.
How to get from the station to the center
Near each station there is a metro station and, as often happens, bus stops. You won't get lost no matter where you go! 
All five stations are marked with stars on the map; the lobbies of the metro stations are located directly next to or inside the station buildings.
- Finlyandsky Station - Ploshchad Lenina metro station;
- Ladozhsky railway station - "Ladozhskaya";
- Moskovsky Station - “Vosstaniya Square”;
- Vitebsky railway station - "Pushkinskaya" / "Zvenigorodskaya";
- Baltiysky Station (not signed, at the very bottom of the map) - “Baltiyskaya”.
On my own behalf, I will add that each railway station is very beautiful, although Ladozhsky, which you see in the photo below, is the youngest and most modern not only in architecture, but also in technical equipment, was opened recently - in 2003.
Every time I arrive or pass by the Vitebsk, Baltiysky, Moskovsky train stations, I stop at a traffic light and involuntarily admire the architecture of real palaces. The Finland Station, for example, is almost 150 years old, and the Vitebsk Station is even older - it was opened in 1837! That’s where all the charm of architecture comes from.
For those arriving by bus
There are several municipal bus stations in St. Petersburg. One of them receives and sends out-of-town buses; private cab drivers are based at different stations (the place of arrival should be found out in advance).
How to get from the station to the center
So, the city’s bus station, located on the Obvodny Canal embankment (not far from the metro station of the same name), connects St. Petersburg not only with the capital, but also with cities in different regions of our country, as well as with other countries - Finland, Belarus, Estonia, Latvia ( Read more about directions on the station website).
Don't panic if you don't see the metro immediately after leaving the station, you only need to walk 6 minutes.
For those arriving by ferry
Tourists from Scandinavian countries who use the ferry as a means of transport also want to admire the bridges being raised, see with their own eyes a ship with scarlet sails and simply take a walk during the white nights.
Ferries today are used, of course, not as a crossing from, for example, Germany to St. Petersburg, but as a wonderful cruise, because the ship is full of life - restaurants, casinos, cinemas, musical costume shows, shops, swimming pools, beauty salons and much more. Ferry companies are pleased to offer you their cruise routes: VikingLine, StPeterLine, FinnLines, TallinkSiljaLine and others. So, if you are from Finland , Sweden , Germany , Denmark , Norway , Great Britain , the Baltic states , why not get to St. Petersburg on a luxury ship?
The duration of such a trip will be from 3 to 10 days (if the ferry also calls at the ports of other cities as part of your route) - there and back. Essentially, these are tours, but also an opportunity for foreigners to visit St. Petersburg.
The cost of the ticket - this is the cost of the cabin - varies depending on the duration of the journey and the comfort of the cabin, food and drinks “package”; there are also discounts and promotions when, for the price of a standard unremarkable room, you get a suite with a balcony. Port and fuel taxes are paid additionally.
You can find out more information on costs and schedules on the website of a well-established ferry center. On average, the cost of a cabin starts from 87 EUR and higher, higher, higher.
How to get from the station to the center
The Marine Passenger Station is located on Vasilievsky Island; you can get to the nearest metro station (Vasileostrovskaya) by ground transport No. 6, 11 or 128.
Pay attention to how far you need to walk to the stop.
The option of taking a taxi is also relevant; for advice on choosing, see the section “By plane”.
High speed trains
"Peregrine Falcon". Travel time is 4 hours. Departs from Leningradsky Station several times a day. "Sapsan" is ideal for business trips to St. Petersburg. The carriages have wi-fi, folding tables and sockets. The ticket price starts from 2552 rubles, but if you set a goal, you can actually buy it at the price of a reserved seat. To do this, you need to monitor the Russian Railways website. On the birthday of the birthday boy and three accompanying persons, when purchasing a ticket, they receive a 50% discount.
The Nevsky Express runs the same time from Moscow to St. Petersburg, but it has an inconvenient departure time - weekdays, the middle of the working day. Ticket price – 1500-2500 rubles. Suitable for those who are not tied to an office schedule.
It is best to buy tickets without markups on the Russian Railways website. If necessary, they can be easily handed over.
Hitchhikers
In no case do we suggest hitchhiking. Now there is a more civil and automated way to find a travel companion (or rather, become one) - the BlaBlaCar service. Drivers write their trip route, departure time and price per passenger. Passengers reserve seats on a convenient route. Prices for a trip from Moscow to St. Petersburg start from 800 rubles.
The advantages of this method are that you can find a driver leaving your area/district on a convenient day and time (Moscow-St. Petersburg is a very popular destination with a large selection of routes). Disadvantages - the human factor, the trip may be postponed or cancelled, the driver may not be the most adequate (you will have to listen to Radio Chanson the whole way).
Current trips Moscow - St. Petersburg:
Bus
A less comfortable option is to go to St. Petersburg. The price starts from 1000 rubles. The average travel time is 10 hours, but sometimes the bus takes up to 15 hours. Departs from several stations of the Moscow metro. Buses go to St. Petersburg from VDNH and Krasnogvardeiskaya. In St. Petersburg, arrive at the Kupchino metro station and at the Obvodny bus station. Wi-Fi is weak in the salons, there is no toilet, and food is prohibited.
Suitable for: workers and students often travel by bus.
Tickets are sold at ticket offices at bus stations and on the websites of carriers, large “Busfor”, “Two Capitals”. It is possible to buy a ticket even an hour before departure.
Regular trains to St. Petersburg
It is cheaper to get to St. Petersburg by regular trains, but it takes longer and with certain difficulties, since you will have to change several trains.
The condition of transfer points in the case of an overnight trip is different. The city of Tver has a fairly large and comfortable station. There is a canteen in the station building, and not far from it there is a store that is open 24 hours a day. There is a security guard on duty in the waiting room, who will escort out everyone who has not paid for their stay at the station. In Bologoye the station building is small.
It has a small budget canteen. Everything is quite modest, but clean. In Malaya Vishera the station is almost the same as in Bologoye, but a little more neglected. There is a small waiting room, a canteen, and local youth are often there.
Personal car
The distance from the Moscow Ring Road to St. Petersburg along the Leningradskoye Highway is 680 km. The average travel time is 9.5 hours, the total consumption of 95 gasoline round trip is 4,500 rubles. The road from Moscow is not always convenient. You can get stuck in a traffic jam in the Moscow region and Vyshny Volochyok. It becomes freer after Valdai, where there are pockets for overtaking on the one-lane road.
When going to St. Petersburg by car, plan your time keeping in mind the opening of bridges. Check the schedule in advance on the official website https://mostotrest-spb.ru.
The first train from St. Petersburg to Moscow
The morning train from St. Petersburg leaves at 4:30. To get to Moscow by nightfall, you need to catch the train, which leaves at 07:13. If you took the first train, you will arrive in Moscow at 20:25. Travel time will take about 16 hours. If you are staying overnight in Bologoye, you need to catch the train leaving St. Petersburg no later than 13:25.
If several trains run from Moscow to Tver, including high-speed Lastochkas, then from Tver to Bologoe there are only two ordinary trains departing at 8:55 and 15:06, and from these trains it is possible to catch only one Lastochka to St. -Petersburg. You can check the train schedule for the required dates on the Russian Railways website.
