This page explains how to travel by train from St Petersburg. Click here to for journeys starting in another city.
IMPORTANT UPDATE 2024: All international trains to/from Russia are suspended until further notice, originally due to Covid-19, now due to sanctions & war with Ukraine. There are currently no trains to or from Russia. The Foreign Office now advises against all travel to Russia.
I want to go from
St Petersburg to...
St Petersburg to other destinations in Russia
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You can buy tickets using the form on the right.
St Petersburg to Moscow
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You can do this journey on high-speed Sapsan daytime trains taking 3h50 or a variety of sleeper trains including the famous Krasnaya Strela (Red Arrow) and the luxurious privately-run Grand Express, see the Train travel in Russia Moscow-St Petersburg section for details.
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You can buy tickets using the form on the right.
St Petersburg to Tallinn
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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...
St Petersburg to Riga
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A comfortable & inexpensive sleeper train links St Petersburg with Riga, see here for details.
This train is suspended due to Covid-19...
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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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...
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Step 2, travel from Riga to Vilnius by train or bus as shown here,
St Petersburg to Helsinki
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Direct Allegro trains link St Petersburg & Helsinki several times a day, see the St Petersburg to Helsinki page for details.
This train was suspended due to Covid-19, but limited service resumed from December 2021...
St Petersburg to Stockholm
Option 1, St Petersburg to Stockholm by direct cruise ferry
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A cruise ferry links St Petersburg with Stockholm twice a week, see www.stpeterline.com for days, times and online booking.
Option 2, St Petersburg to Helsinki by train, then Helsinki to Stockholm by ferry...
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Step 1, take a fast Allegro train from St Petersburg to Helsinki as shown here. I'd allow several hours between train & ferry in Helsinki.
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Step 1, travel from Helsinki to Stockholm, either on one of the two daily competing overnight ferries from Helsinki to Stockholm(www.tallinksilja.com or www.sales.vikingline.com) or on the cheaper daytime or overnight ferry+train service via Turku explained here.
St Petersburg to Copenhagen, Gothenburg or Oslo
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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.
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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.
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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.
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.
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Step 1, travel from St Petersburg to Moscow as shown here. It takes as little as 3h50 by high-speed Sapsan train.
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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...
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Step 1, travel from St Petersburg to Riga by daily direct sleeper train, as shown here. Route suspended due to sanctions.
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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.
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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.
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Step 1, travel from St Petersburg to Moscow, see the Train travel in Russia Moscow-St Petersburg section.
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Step 2, take a sleeper train from Moscow to Kyiv as shown here. Route suspended due to war in Ukraine.
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Step 3, take the sleeper train Kyiv Express from Kyiv to Warsaw as shown here.
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.
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Step 1, travel from St Petersburg to Moscow, see the Train travel in Russia Moscow-St Petersburg section.
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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.
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Step 1, travel from St Petersburg to Moscow, see the Train travel in Russia Moscow-St Petersburg section.
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Step 2, take a sleeper train from Moscow to Kyiv as shown here.
These trains are suspended due to Covid-19...
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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.
St Petersburg to Mongolia, China, Vladivostok, Japan, Korea
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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.
Hotels in St Petersburg
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
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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 with Staysure.co.uk 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 & gets 4.7 out of 5 on
Trustpilot.
www.columbusdirect.com
is also a well-know brand.
If you live in the USA try
Travel Guard USA.
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Get an eSIM with mobile data package
Don't rely on WiFi, download an eSIM with a mobile data package for the country you're visiting and stay connected. Most newer mobile phones can download a virtual SIM card so you don't need to buy a physical SIM, including iPhone 11 & later, see device compatibility list. Maya.net is a reliable eSIM data retailer with a 4.5 out of 5 Trustpilot rating and a range of packages including unlimited data.
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Get a Curve card for foreign travel
Most banks give you a poor exchange rate, then add a foreign transaction fee on top. 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 money you spend on your Curve card goes straight onto one of your existing debit or credit cards.
How it works: 1. Download the Curve app for iPhone or Android. 2. Enter your details & they'll send you a Curve MasterCard - they send to the UK and most European addresses. 3. Link your existing credit & debit cards to the app, you can link up to two cards with the free version of Curve, I link my normal debit card and my normal credit card. 4. Now use the Curve MasterCard to buy things online or in person or take cash from ATMs, exactly like a normal MasterCard. Curve does the currency conversion and puts the balance in your own currency onto whichever debit or credit card is currently selected in the Curve app. 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, it means I can buy a coffee on a foreign station on a card without being stung by fees and lousy exchange rates, just by tapping the Curve card on their card reader. The money goes through Curve to my normal debit card and is taken directly from my account (in fact I have the Curve card set up as payment card on Apple Pay on my iPhone, so can double-click my phone, let it do Face ID then tap the reader with the phone - even easier than digging a card out). I get a little commission if you sign up to Curve, but I recommend it here because I think it's great. See details, download the app and get a Curve card, they'll give you £5 cashback through that link.
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Get a VPN for safe browsing. Why you need a VPN
When you're travelling you often use free WiFi in public places which may not be secure. A VPN encrypts your connection so it's always secure, even on unsecured WiFi. It also means you can select the geographic location of the IP address you browse with, to get around geoblocking which a surprising number of websites apply. See VPNs & why you need one explained. ExpressVPN is a best buy with a 4.7 out of 5 Trustpilot ranking which I use 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. I get a small commission to help support this site.
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Carry an Anker powerbank
Tickets, reservations, vaccination records and Interrail or Eurail passes are often held digitally on your mobile phone, so it's vital to keep it charged. I always carry an Anker powerbank which can recharge my phone several times over if I can't get to a power outlet. Buy from Amazon.co.uk or from buy from Amazon.com.