Tickets can be collected at Real Russia's offices in Moscow or 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

Taking the train within Russia...

The Russian rail system is one of the largest in the world, and trains serve almost every town and city in Russia.  Train travel is a safe, comfortable and inexpensive way to get around.  In fact, it can be safer to use Russian trains than internal flights!  It will certainly be cheaper and far more interesting.  This page will help you understand Russian train system, choose the right train & on-board accommodation for you, and buy your train tickets securely online from a reputable source.

On this page...

Buy Russian train tickets online

How to check train times & fares within Russia

Moscow to St Petersburg by train - a quick guide

How to buy Russian train tickets at the station

What are Russian trains like?

How to use the Russian Railways website

Hotels in Russia

On other pages...

Russian visas & how to get one

Useful country information:  Time zones, currency...

Train travel from London to Moscow & St Petersburg

How to plan and book a trip on the Trans-Siberian Railway

The Silk Route from Moscow to Central Asia & China

Helsinki to St Petersburg & Moscow by train

Tallinn to St Petersburg & Moscow by train

Riga to St Petersburg & Moscow by train

Sponsored links...

Train times & fares

How to check Russian train times & fares...

There are several ways to check train times & fares for journeys within Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and the other ex-Soviet republics:

• Use the Real Russia online booking system.  This links directly to the Russian Railways database for train times & availability, although the prices shown are those charged by Real Russia, which include their booking fee (usually 15%-23% above the ticket office price).  You can use this to book online with Real Russia, a good option.

• Use the Russian Railways website, www.rzd.ru.  This shows up-to-date train times & availability, plus the actual Russian Railways price that you'd pay at the ticket office.  It used to be available only in Russian, but as of May 2013 now has an English version.

• www.poezda.net is another useful resource for Russian, Ukrainian, and other ex-Soviet states train times.

Travel tips...

• Train fares in Russia are not particularly expensive, although there have been significant price rises over the last few years.  In 2009, Moscow-St Petersburg on a top-quality firmeny sleeper train such as train 1/2 Krasnaya Strela costs around 3,000 roubles (£62).  On a lower quality Moscow-St Petersburg overnight train such as train 56, you can find kupé tickets for as little as 2,260 rubles (£47), platskartny berths for 1,400 rubles (£30), though I'd still recommend taking the better trains.

• Look for trains described as firm, short for firmeny which is the top quality category of long-distance fast train with the most modern coaches and a high standard of on board service.

• Russian fares vary by season.  Higher fares are charged at Easter, New Year, July & August, lower fares in January & February.  Higher fares are charged for the fast high-quality firmeny trains, lower fares for slower unnamed low-quality trains.

• On the best trains you can buy tickets either 'without services' (no meals) or 'with services' (meals included, either served in the restaurant or in your compartment).  An example of the sort of meal served can be seen in these photos from the Moscow-Irkutsk-Vladivostok Rossiya.

• Children:  In Russia, one child aged 0 to 4 travels free, children aged 5 to 9 travel at half fare, children aged 10 and over must pay full fare.

Moscow to St Petersburg by train:  A quick guide...

• Moscow-St Petersburg is the most popular route in Russia.  This trip has traditionally been made overnight by comfortable sleeper train (with a hotel bill saved!), though Sapsan high-speed daytime trains are now making their appearance with the journey time cut to as little as 3 hours 45 minutes.  Incidentally, in 2010 train travel had a 77% share of the Moscow to St Petersburg market (48% Sapsan and 29% sleeper & other trains).  Air travel accounted for just 23% of journeys.

• Sapsan high-speed daytime trains, introduced on 18 December 2009:  The first Sapsan (Peregrine Falcon) 250 km/h high-speed daytime trains were introduced between Moscow & St Petersburg in December 2009, taking just 3 hours 55 minutes.  There are now 5 services daily in each direction, with a 99% on-time performance and an average load factor of 83% full.  The Sapsan trains are built by Siemens and based on the superb German ICE.  See the Russian railways Sapsan video.

• Overnight sleeper trains:  The most historic Moscow-St Petersburg overnight train and still one of the best is the Krasnya Strela or Red Arrow, train 1 southbound, train 2 northbound, see the photos below.  This was Russia's premier train in Soviet times, and still leaves both Moscow (Oktyabrskaya/Leningradski station) & St Petersburg (Glavny/Oktyabrskaya/Moskovskaya station) at 23:55, arriving around 08:25 next morning.  It has high-quality 2-berth an 4-berth sleepers, plus an expensive deluxe sleeping-car with 2-berth en suite compartments.  Ticket office fare around 6,000 roubles (£125) in spalny vagon (1st class 2-berth) or 3,000 roubles (£62) in kupé (2nd class 4-berth).  It's now been joined by a couple of other quality 'Firmeny' trains running to very similar timings, train 3/4 Ekspress and train 5/6 Nicholaevsky Express.  There are many other less-prestigious overnight trains on the Moscow-St Petersburg route, too.

• Luxury Grand Express overnight train:  There's now also a privately-run luxury train between St Petersburg and Moscow overnight, the Grand Express.  Fares start from about 3,300 rubles (£68 or $110) for the cheapest of four classes of sleeper, all with in-room TV (note that solo passengers must pay for two tickets for sole occupancy, they cannot share a 2-berth room).  The most expensive rooms have a private shower and toilet.  Their website is www.grandexpress.ru, also see www.cinderellatravel.com/russia_grandexpress_train.php.

• Traveller Ian Newberry reports:  "on May 19 I travelled from Moscow to St Petersburg on high-speed Sapsan train 156 leaving at 13.00.  Departure was punctual and the staff greeting passengers could not have been better - they all speak English as well as Russian.  The service on the train was extremely good and in business class a full 3 course meal was served with wines and spirits all included in the price of the ticket.  Information was supplied through screens and announcements in English as well as Russian. The train is very comfortable and arrived 5 minutes ahead of schedule at 17.40.  If one wants to avoid a night train then this is a very civilised way to travel, on a par with any equivalent TGV or ICE available in western Europe."

• How to check fares & times using the Russian Railways website

• Book Moscow-St Petersburg trains online with Real Russia

Moscow to St Petersburg option 1:  By Sapsan high-speed train in 3 hours 55 minutes...

A 150mph Sapsan train between Moscow and St Petersburg.  Above right, 2nd class seats on the Sapsan train. Photos courtesy of Mark Pascoe

Moscow to St Petersburg option 2:  By sleeper train, including the famous Krasnaya Strela (Red Arrow)...

A first class 2-berth sleeper on the Krasnaya Strela, from Moscow to St Petersburg.  Photo courtesy of Chris Sparks		Train number 1, the famous Krasnaya Strela  (Red Arrow) from St Petersburg to Moscow.  Photo courtesy of Chris Sparks

How to buy tickets...

Buy Russian train tickets online...

You can buy tickets online in English from Real Russia using this booking system, with good after-sales service if you need it.  This system is good for checking Russian train times, too, even if you plan to buy tickets at the ticket office.

Trans-Siberian journey planner & ticket sales Arrange a Russian visa

What tickets can this system sell?  This system can sell tickets for any mainline train journey within Russia, Ukraine, Latvia, Estonia, Belarus, Lithuania, Kazakhstan and the other ex-Soviet states.  It will also sell tickets for journeys starting in those countries heading outwards, for example Moscow to Berlin or St Petersburg to Helsinki.  Reservations officially open 45 days before departure, but Real Russia allow you to request tickets up to 180 days ahead and they will contact you for payment when the price is confirmed. Can anyone buy tickets using this system?  Yes, you can buy tickets online with a credit card whether you live in the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, or wherever. How are tickets delivered?  Tickets can be collected free of charge at Real Russia's offices in Moscow or St Petersburg, or an e-ticket can be emailed to you so you can collect the ticket from most main stations in Russia.  For journeys starting in other ex-Soviet countries, tickets can be sent to UK or EU addresses for a £12-£15 charge, or couriered to any address worldwide, also for an extra charge. Who run this service?  Is it reliable?  This service is provided by Real Russia, a reputable joint UK-Russian company which has got very good reports from users.  Real Russia can also sort out your Russian visa. Booking tips:  Look for a train marked 'Firm' if there is one. 'Firmeny' trains are the best 'quality' trains, with modern coaches and good on-board service.  'TBC' means the system cannot provide a price for that particular train automatically, but they'll contact you with a cost by phone or email. Is it cheaper to buy at the ticket office?  Real Russia charge the normal Russian Railways fare plus a 15-23% mark-up to cover their costs (all agencies charge a mark-up, in fact Real Russia is one of the cheapest agencies).  There's a 2.5% charge for credit card payments, but you can easily avoid this by calling their UK office to pay by debit card when your tickets are confirmed.  The fares shown include the mark-up, but not the credit card charge.  By all means buy tickets at the ticket office if you're flexible, but Russian trains can get fully-booked so it's good to pre-book if you want a specific date and train.  Russian Railways offer online booking but it's only in Russian, so it can be worth the extra to quickly and simply organise your Russian rail tickets in English.

How to buy tickets at the station...

The cheapest place to buy Russian train tickets is at the station reservation office.  Here are some tips:

• Remember to take your passport, even if you only want a Russian domestic train ticket.

• Russian train reservations open 45 days before departure, you can't buy tickets before reservations open.

• Russian Railways have an efficient computerised reservation system, and you can book any journey within or out of Russia at the reservation office at any Russian railway station.

• To avoid language problems if you don't speak Russian, it's a good idea to learn the Russian alphabet so you can write down the journey and date you want to show to the ticket office staff.  When writing dates, use roman numerals for the month, or example for '3 June 2008' write '3 VI 2008'.

• People often ask me, "If I go to the ticket office the day before I want to travel, will I find tickets available?".  Well, if you know the Russian alphabet, you can check how many berths in each class are still available on any train on any date within the next 45 days using the Russian Railways website, www.rzd.ru, following the step-by-step guide below.  So you could see how many berths are left today on trains from (say) Moscow to St Petersburg tomorrow or the day after.  This will give you a pretty good idea of how many places are likely to be available if you ask at the station a day or two before departure.

• Many main stations have a 'servis tsentr' (service centre) where you pay a small fee (about 100 rubles) to book your ticket in a relaxed air-conditioned environment.  The extra 100 rubles can be well worth it!

Other agencies who can arrange Russian train tickets...

You can also arrange train travel in Russia through several Russian agencies, including:

• Svezhy Veter - www.sv-agency.udm.ru/sv/trains.htm

• G&R International - www.hostels.ru

• Way to Russia - www.waytorussia.net/Services/TrainTickets.html

• All-Russia Travel Service - www.rusrailtravel.ru

Feedback from 'seat61' correspondents has generally been very positive about the first three of these Russian agencies, nothing has yet been received about the All-Russia agency.  Remember that Russian train reservations only open 45 days before departure, so reservations cannot be confirmed before bookings open - although obviously, you can contact the agency and arrange the booking beforehand.  Some agencies appear to operate a waiting list system for key Trans-Siberian trains.

What are Russian trains like?

The three types of train...

There are three main categories of long-distance train in Russia:

• Firmeny:  These are high-quality trains, often with a name such as Krasnaya Strela (Red Arrow) or Rossiya.  They have the most modern carriages, often painted in that train's own special colour scheme, usually air-conditioned and with good on-board service.  These are easily the best trains to go for, although the fare is a little higher than for other trains.  They usually have low-numbered train numbers such as '1', '8' or '10', and they usually have a restaurant car serving drinks, snacks and affordable complete meals.  They generally have spalny vagon 2-bed sleepers, kupé 4-bed sleepers and sometimes but not always platskartny open-plan dormitory sleepers.  See below for a description of classes.

• Skory:  Express train.  These usually have spalny vagon 2-berth sleepers, kupé 4-berth sleepers and platskartny sleepers, and many have a restaurant car.  They normally have one or two-digit train numbers, for example '11' or '26'.  Cheaper than travelling on a Firmeny train.

• Passazhirsky:  Ordinary passenger train, often relatively slow and usually using older carriages.  They typically have 3-digit train numbers, for example '904'.  They usually have kupé 4-berth sleepers and platskartny, but not usually spalny vagon 2-berth sleepers.  The cheapest option, but not recommended!

The three classes of accommodation...

Long-distance trains within Russia and the former Soviet republics have three main classes, all designed for both daytime and overnight travel given the distances covered by many trains:

Spalny Vagon.  A comfortable 2-berth 'spalny wagon' compartment on a quality 'firmeny' train, in this case the Moscow-Vladivostok 'Rossiya'.  Photo courtesy of Daniel Brewster.		Kupé.  Lockable 4-berth compartments.  This is an older train - newer coaches have more modern compartments.		Platskartny.  54 bunks per coach, arranged open-plan in bays of 4 (left of photo) & longitudinal bays of 2 above & below the window (right of photo).

Life on board Russian trains...

Whichever class of travel you choose, each coach is looked after by a pair of attendants called a 'provodnik' (male) or 'provodnitsa' (female).  The provodnik will check your ticket at the door to the sleeper when you board.  Shortly after departure, the provodnik will come round to take your ticket and the small bedding fee (less than £1).  You may be asked if you would like a glass of black Russian tea ('chai') - this costs about 15p.  Bedding (two sheets, pillowcase and towel) is then handed out in sealed packs - blankets and mattresses will already be stacked in your compartment.  After a few journeys, you will become quite proficient at making up your bed!

A samovar with unlimited free hot water is available at the end of the corridor - pack some tea or coffee, sugar, cuppa soups or water-based drinking chocolate and bring your own mug.   Most long distance trains have a restaurant car serving drinks, snacks, and inexpensive full meals - reckon on less than £7 for two courses and a couple of bottles of beer.

Security.  Are Russian trains safe for families or single women?

Yes!  There is no need to worry unduly about security on Russian trains, even for families or women travelling alone. How do you think Russian families or solo women travel?  By train, of course, like everyone else!   Just use common sense as you would in a hotel, locking your door at night and not leaving valuables unattended in your compartment.  In addition to the normal lock on the compartment door, 'Spalny Wagon' and 'kupé' compartments have a security latch which stops the door opening more than an inch or two, and which cannot be released from outside.  There's also a safe place for your bags at night - if you have a bottom bunk, there is a metal box underneath the bunk which you can only get to by lifting up the bunk - in other words, for anyone to get to your bags, they will have to shift you off your bunk first..!  Your provodniks will probably also lock the access doors at each end of the corridor at night to prevent unwanted guests.  Men and women share the same compartments in Russia, but it's generally quite safe for women travelling alone.  If you're a woman and find yourself in sharing with three men that make you uncomfortable, just ask the provodniks (carriage attendants) if they can move you.

How to use the Russian Railways website

Even if you don't speak Russian, if you can understand the Russian alphabet you can use the Russian Railways (RZD) website www.rzd.ru to check current train times, fares & availability within Russia.  The fares shown on their site are the price's you'll pay at the ticket office, useful for comparison with the prices which travel agencies quote you.  www.rzd.ru may also show availability for international trains, but will only give prices for domestic Russian journeys.  You can find some more extensive instructions on buying tickets at rzd.ru here if these don't answer all your questions.  UPDATE MAY 2013:  www.rzd.ru now has an English version for online ticket sales...

Step 1:  Go to www.rzd.ru, and leave it in Russian.  Don't click the 'Eng' button as this takes you to a few English-language information pages without a journey planner.  Step 2:  Open a new tab in your browser and open Google Language Tools, www.google.co.uk/language_tools?hl=en.  Look for the 'translate text' box, and set it to 'English to Russian'. Step 3:  Now we're in business.  Type your origin and destination into Google's translate box, for example 'Moscow' and 'Saint Petersburg'.  It will translate these into their Russian-alphabet versions.  Cut and paste the Russian versions into the origin & destination boxes of RZD journey planner, select dates using the calendar button (it opens in the current month) and click the button with the magnifying glass symbol. Remember that Russian trains only open for reservations 45 days before departure.  You won't see results further ahead than this!
Step 4:  Now the search results appear.  This screen shows a list of possible trains for your journey, with train number, origin-destination, and available classes.  The 'Л' symbol = lyux/spalny vagon 1st class, K = kupé 2nd class, the 'П' = platskartny 3rd class. Lower numbered trains (002, 007, 016 and so on) are generally much better quality than higher numbered trains (340, 904, and so on). Select a train and click the lower of the two 'search' button under the results (the upper button says 'new search') If you click on a train's origin-destination, you'll see the complete timetable for that train, showing all stops it makes.
Step 5: On the next screen prices appear, in roubles, for each class. Lyux = spalny vagon or 1st class 2-berth;  Kupe = 2nd class 4-berth; Platskartny = 3rd class open-plan berths. These are the prices you'd pay at the ticket office.  There may be several prices in each class - these are the price with and without services, which means with and without meals.  Obviously, the lowest price in each class is the 'without services' price. If there's something you don't understand, or you get an error message at any stage, remember that Google's 'language tools' page will now translate Russian into English.

The Thomas Cook Timetable

There are truly remarkable books that are a 'must' for serious overland travellers and an inspiration for armchair travellers:

The Thomas Cook European Timetable...

This is the European train travel bible, with train, bus and ferry times for every country in Europe, including European Russia, Ukraine & Turkey as far as Istanbul.  It costs £14.99 from selected branches of Thomas Cook, or you can buy it online at www.thomascooktimetables.com.  Alternatively, buy the independent traveller's edition at Amazon.co.uk, Winter/Spring 2011/12 edition (Dec 2011 to June 2012) or Summer/Autumn 2012 edition (June to Dec 2012).  Still not convinced you need one? More information on what the Thomas Cook Timetable contains.

The Thomas Cook Overseas Timetable...

This was probably the most adventurous timetable ever produced.  It had train, bus & ferry times for every country in Asia, Africa, North and South America and Australasia, including non-European Russia, Asian Turkey, Mongolia, China and the Trans-Siberian Railway.  Sadly, the Nov/Dec 2010 edition was the very last to be published, but you may still be able to source a copy of the final edition at Amazon.co.uk, Overseas Timetable Winter 2010/2011 edition.

The Thomas Cook Rail Map of Europe...

This is the best and most comprehensive map of train routes right across Europe, from Portugal in the west to Istanbul, Moscow & Ukraine in the east, from Finland in the north to Sicily & Crete in the south.  High speed & scenic routes are highlighted.  Highly recommended!  Buy online at Amazon.co.uk with worldwide delivery.  See an extract from the map

You should take a good guidebook, and a phrasebook can help too.  I think the Lonely Planets and Rough Guides are about the best there are for the independent traveller, and you will not regret buying one of these!

Click the images to buy at Amazon.co.uk...

Find hotels in Moscow, St Petersburg & Russia

Other hotel sites worth trying...

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

• www.booking.com is my own preferred hotel booking system (Hotels Combined being a search/comparison system).  It has a simple interface, a good selection in most countries worldwide, useful online customer reviews of each hotel, and decent prices, usually shown inclusive of unavoidable extras such as taxes (a pet hate of mine is systems that show one price, then charge you another!).

Backpacker hostels...

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

Travel insurance & health card...

Get travel insurance, it's essential...

Never travel without insurance from a reliable travel insurer with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover.  It should also cover loss of cash (up to a limit) & belongings, and cancellation. An annual multi-trip policy is usually cheapest even for just 2 or 3 trips a year (I have an annual policy myself).  Don't expect travel insurance to bail you out of every missed connection, though, see the advice on missed connections here.  Here are some suggested insurers, Seat61 gets a little commission if you buy through these links, and feedback from using insurance for rail & ferry travel is always welcome.

In the UK, use www.confused.com to compare prices & policy features across major insurance companies.

If you have a pre-existing medical condition or are over 65 (no age limit), see www.JustTravelCover.com.

        If you live in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland or the EU, try Columbus Direct's other websites.

   If you live in the USA or Canada, try Travel Guard USA.

Get an EU health card, it's free...

If you're a UK citizen travelling in Europe, you should apply for a free European Health Insurance Card, which entitles you to free or reduced rate health care if you become ill or get injured in many European countries, under a reciprocal arrangement with the NHS.  This replaced the old E111 forms as from January 2006.  The EHIC card is available from www.ehic.org.uk.  It doesn't remove the need for travel insurance, though.

Get a spare credit card, designed for foreign travel with no currency exchange loading & low/no ATM fees

Taking out an extra credit card costs nothing, but if you keep it in a different part of your luggage you won't be left stranded if your wallet gets stolen.  In addition, some credit cards are better for overseas travel than others.  Martin Lewis's www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-travel-money explains which UK credit cards have the lowest currency exchange commission loadings when you buy something overseas, and the lowest cash withdrawal fees when you use an ATM abroad.

You can avoid ATM charges and expensive exchange rates with a Caxton FX euro currency Visa Card, or their multi-currency 'Global Traveller' Visa Card, see www.caxtonfx.com for info.

Get an international SIM card to save on mobile data and phone calls...

Mobile phones can cost a fortune to use abroad, and if you're not careful you can return home to find a huge bill.  Consider buying a global pre-paid SIM card for your mobile phone from www.Go-Sim.com, which can slash costs by up to 85%.  Go-Sim cuts call costs in 175 countries worldwide, and you can receive incoming calls and texts for free in 75 countries.  It's pay-as-you-go, so no nasty bills when you get home.  It also allows cheap data access for laptops & PDAs.  A Go-Sim account and any credit on it doesn't expire if it's not used between trips, unlike some others, so a Go-Sim phone number becomes your 'global phone number' for life.