St. Petersburg to Moscow

Hi, I have just booked a Baltic cruise with 2 days in spb. I would love to go to Moscow but am not sure if this is possible either by road or train. Has anyone done this and what is journey times and prices? Thank you.

I don't know. It's about 700km by road or about 7 hours by train (judging by Google maps) and I think you possibly might need a VISA to go there even if you I go with an organized tour.

Anyhow I think it seems to be a bit too far for a day trip?

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Sankt+Petersburg,+Ryssland/Moskva,+Ryssland/@57.8230906,31.631963,7z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x4696378cc74a65ed:0x6dc7673fab848eff!2m2!1d30.3350986!2d59.9342802!1m5!1m1!1s0x46b54afc73d4b0c9:0x3d44d6cc5757cf4c!2m2!1d37.6173!2d55.755826!3e3

We did a Russian River cruise from Moscow to STP.

If you are just on a Baltic cruise, forget about Moscow. It takes more than two days to see the sites of STP, which is a wonderful city.

I understand that you can drive there, but it would take a full day just to get to Moscow. There is rail service, but it is slow.

Go back and see Moscow and spend some time there, or take a river cruise.

The "slow" train goes at 155 mph and covers the distance in 3 hours and 40 minutes, its not TGV/Shinkansen fast but I would not call it slow.

I lived/worked in Moscow on/off for 4 yrs...train travel is the main mode of transport; I myself would not drive b'n Moscow & St Pete.

With only 2 days in St. Petersburg, there is not time to visit Moscow. Many of the independent tour companies in St. Petersburg offer the Moscow excursion for ships that have 3 days in St. Petersburg - as far as I know, they don't offer it for ships that are in port for just 2 days.

The road between St. Petersburg & Moscow is traffic chaos as its worst!! We were on that same road in September & my heart was in my throat the entire time.

I agree with 4774Papa. Take your time and enjoy St. Petersburg - there is so much to see that you will barely scratch the surface in 2 days. I would save Moscow for another time.

Thank you everyone for your replys we are going to do the 2 day St Petersburg excursions.

Even if you had 3 days, using the second day to visit Moscow would reduce enjoyment of both. Other than the area right around Red Square, everything is spread out and unless using the subway, you just would not have time access to anything else. St Petersburg is much better suited for exploring, is much more visitor oriented with more English spoken and close proximity of major sights.

You will get much more out of a 2 day $199 tour that covers everything you might have heard about than spending another $1200/person to get to Moscow and see very little. With the Ruble weak now, and the museums have not increased prices to compensate, tours that used to cost $300/person should cost about $200 or less this summer. When the Ruble was 30 to the dollar tours at $300-350 were reasonable but now the Ruble is 52 to the dollar.

So last year's tour was 9000 Rubles and should be the same price, for which they should charge $173. I talked with one operator who was excited that her customers do not know about exchange rates so she will make millions difference this summer.

During our two day visit in SPB some on our ship that had been there before did take a tour to Moscow...however they flew there and back for their tour.

Spbstan is correct: Moscow is a city in which everything is spread-out over an extremely large area. Other than Red Square sights, often venues are closed when supposed to be open. It would be a shame to travel all that way & experience this issue. St Pete, everything (less Tsarskoe Selo) is in close proximity. If you find Moscow a necessity, the train (IMHO) is better than flying, as you hop right on the train & you're immediately on your way. The train station in Moscow is probably a 30 minute walk to Red Square. Easy in/easy out. None of the "bureaucracy" of flying.

Thanks everyone. As we are from England we will be able to go to Moscow at another time.

I endorse previous comments on enjoying St P only.

We had three day stay and would go back and do it again.

However we would entertain the Moscow option on a return trip

Thank you everyone for your replys we are going to do the 2 day St Petersburg excursions.

tigerwilf: Thanks everyone. As we are from England we will be able to go to Moscow at another time.

Good' date=' smart decision[/i'] given only having two days in St. Petersburg with your cruise, plus being in the UK from where it would be easier to do a follow-up visit just to Moscow.

BUT, for benefit of those debatinging two days versus three days cruise visits in St. Petersburg, I wanted to share some notes, visuals on the wisdom to consider the Moscow option. Three days does allow decent time to do justice to St. Petersburg (with a good private tour firm there) and still be able to do Moscow.

MOSCOW??: Now, the high-speed train connection does make a big, big difference. We did the one-day Moscow trip in 2008 by the air connections. I'll offer the various pro/con factors for your consideration. My wife thought it was lots of money, but she viewed it as very much worth it AFTER completing the trip as a "once in a lifetime" experience.

CON FACTORS: It's a long day! Leave the ship early (greeted by a small welcoming band dockside); get back to the St. Petersburg airport around midnight and back to the ship a little before 1 am. Moscow is a super large city of over ten million people. There has been huge growth in the suburbs of this city during the past decades or so. Traffic and time from the airport to the main downtown takes about an hour, but the train takes your directly into the heart of this large city. Since we had to drive in from the airport, we had a good feel as we traveled into town through the coach windows about the “new Moscow” with its suburban growth, commerce, advertising, capitalism, big box stores, etc.

PRO FACTORS: Moscow has its unique history, sights and sites, from Ivan the Terrible up through Lenin, Stalin and the new Russian leaders of today. After a long ride in from the airport on the outer edge of this large metro areas of 17.3 million (with 10.5 million in the city), we stopped at a new hotel for coffee/tea/break. Then, we rode the Moscow subway and saw a couple of their very unique and artistic stations. Stalin at the time called these stations “People’s Palaces”. This Moscow Metro was first opened in 1935 and now has 182 stations, 12 different lines,187 miles of routes and carries seven million passengers each weekday. It’s the world second busiest subway system. This subway ride offered a good sampling of real life for people who live and work in Moscow. We then saw more key places enroute, including the home of the Bolshoi Ballet, KGB Headquarters, various Stalin-era buildings, etc. Then we went to the Kremlin with its 19 historic towers. WOW, we were really there!

Inside the Kremlin are three key “super stars”. First, was the State Armoury with its spectacular Faberge Eggs, plus so many carriages, crowns, gowns, jewels, etc. Second are the various historic Cathedrals within the Kremlin Walls, plus the Tower Bells, Icon art, etc. This includes the Cathedral of the Annunciation built in the 1480’s and having such spectacular wall murals and icons. Third, was the Great Kremlin Palace with its spectacular reception halls, inlaid wood floors, gold and more gold, fancy ceilings, etc. The Czars were crowned here, plus the current heads of the Russian government, etc. The size and scale of these areas are hard to describe in words, let alone reflect and capture the history that has happened in some of these rooms dating back to the late 1400’s. We have seen lots of great palaces all over Europe, but this is something above and beyond for the eyes, heart and brain.

Then, we saw more building inside the walls of the Kremlin. We went outside of the Kremlin Walls and walked next door to adjoining Red Square, seeing St. Basil’s and the re-done Gum Department Store. Red Square is so historic, especially having grown up seeing the military May Day parades there, visuals of Lenin’s Tomb, etc. Have the words “spectacular” and historic been used too much? Maybe, but it fits for many of these unique places. St. Basil’s was built 1555–1561 on the order of Ivan IV (the Terrible). It was the tallest building in Moscow until the completion of the Ivan the Great Bell Tower (266 feet tall) in 1600 inside the Kremlin Walls. To be able to “CONTRAST” and compare Moscow and St. Petersburg during these three short days adds to the benefits of seeing both of these great Russian capital cities. Each is a very different and special city.

We finished with dinner in the Central Writers’ Club, a one hundred years old mansion made into a restaurant with crystal chandeliers, rich wood panelling, fireplaces, and antique balustrades.

Is one day in Moscow too short and limited? YES! You can, however, do and see lots in only that one short day. How often do you get to Russia? The Cold War might not come back in full force, but there are going to be increasing and revisited tensions in future years involving Russia and getting access there. They have done this tour many times and have its details down well and timing perfected. Let me know any questions, thoughts or reactions.

Below are a few visuals for what is to see and do in Moscow.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Celebrity Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Dozens of nice visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc. We are now at 191,364 views for this live/blog re-cap, including much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

One of the Kremlin Wall Towers in Moscow. It is a defensive wall that surrounds the Kremlin with its recognizable notches and the famed Kremlin towers. The original walls were likely a simple wooden fence with guard towers built in 1156. Between 1485 and 1495 a brigade of Italian architects designed a new defense perimeter. With an outer perimeter of over 7300 feet, the Kremlin appears as a loose triangle. Twenty towers survived to highlight the walls. Built at a different time, the oldest one dates to 1485 while the newest one was built in 1680. Three of the towers, located in the corners, have circular designs.:

Walking on the famed Red Square of Moscow. This square separates the Kremlin, as the former royal citadel and the current official residence for Russia's President, from a historic merchant quarter. Red Square is often considered the central square of Moscow and all of Russia, because Moscow's major streets originate from here. The name Red Square comes neither from the color of the bricks nor from the link between the color red and communism. The name came about because of a Russian word that can mean either "red" or "beautiful". This word, per Wikipedia, has the meaning "beautiful", was originally applied to Saint Basil's Cathedral. Then, later, the meaning was transferred to the nearby square. It is believed that the square acquired its current name in the 17th century. Red Square was the leading stage and trade center for Moscow. Ivan the Great decreed that trade should only be conducted from person to person, but later these rules were relaxed and permanent market buildings began appearing on the square. After a fire in 1547, Ivan the Terrible reorganized the lines of wooden shops on the Eastern side into market lines and part of that transitioned into what is now GUM department store that adjoins this famed square.:

The domes of the historic church inside the walls of the Kremlin:

Here is a small sampling of the Kremlin Royal Treasures of the Czars: Eggs & Jewels inside the famed State Armoury in Moscow. One of the oldest museums in Moscow, it was established in 1808 and located within the Kremlin Walls. It originated as the royal arsenal in 1508 during when it was in charge of producing, purchasing and storing weapons, jewelry and various household articles of the Tsars. There are ten Fabergé eggs in the Armoury collection (all Imperial eggs). This is the most Imperial eggs, and the second-most overall Fabergé eggs, owned by a single owner. The Trans-Siberian Railway Egg is a jeweled Easter egg made under the supervision of the Russian jeweler Peter Carl Fabergé in 1900 for Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. It was presented by Nicolas II as an Easter gift to his wife. The exterior of the 1900 Trans-Siberian Railway egg is made of onyx, silver, gold, and quartz, and is decorated with colored vitreous enamel. The lid of the egg is hinged, has an overlay of green enamel, and is decorated with inlaid leaves of acanthus. On top of the lid is a golden three-headed eagle in gold with the Imperial Crown. The interior is lined with velvet. A route map of the Trans-Siberian Railway is engraved in silver across the face, with major stations marked by a precious stone, forming a belt around the egg. The egg is supported by three griffins made of gold-plated silver on a stepped triangular base of white onyx.:

Kazan Cathedral sits on the northeast corner of Red Square in Moscow. The current building is a reconstruction of the original church which was destroyed at the direction of Joseph Stalin in 1936. The original church was erected as a shrine in the early 1630s to mark the city's liberation from the Polish aggressors. After the Soviet Union’s fall, this was the first church to be completely rebuilt. The cathedral's restoration (1990–1993) was based on the detailed measurements and photographs of the original church:

The Russian subways are called the “People’s Palaces” with their marble coverings and unique designs for each of the different and many stations. This visual is from Moscow, but you have similar to see in St. Petersburg. Very interesting!!:

I was on a June 2014 Baltic cruise that spent 3 days in St. Petersburg. I had visited St. Petersburg for 2 days on a previous cruise in 2005, so I wanted to see Moscow this time. I organized a private group on our CC roll call for all 3 days with Alla Tours. We toured St. Petersburg on days 1 and 3, and Moscow on day 2. The Moscow day began at 6 a.m. and ended just after midnight. We were picked up at the ship and driven to the St. Petersburg train station. The 4-hour Sapsan train was very comfortable, and a driver and guide met us at the train station when we arrived in Moscow. The first 3 hours or so were spent driving to various sites around the city, before being dropped off at Red Square with our guide for the remainder of the day on foot. Quite a bit of time was spent touring 3 of the churches inside the Kremlin, as well as the Armory. We ended the day by taking the subway to the Moscow train station - which was quite an experience during rush hour!

Those who toured St. Petersburg all 3 days visited only 1 or 2 more more places than we did on the 2-day tour. The biggest difference between the two was that the 3-day tours started later and were at a more leisurely pace.

**By the way - excellent explanation of the pros and cons of visiting Moscow, Terry!

**By the way - excellent explanation of the pros and cons of visiting Moscow, Terry!

Appreciate, Nancy, your kind comments for my pro/con summary for visiting Moscow. Glad to hear that your 2014 visit there worked out so well. Keep up the good traveling, posting and sharing.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Enjoyed a 14-day Celebrity Solstice, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 90,940 views for this posting.

Poor me (haha), I'm facing the dilemma of having to decide if I want to spend one of my three days at the St. Petersburg port stop on a visit to Moscow via high speed train with a standard tour group. While I would hope I might make it back to Russia on another trip some day, it is certainly not a given. Does anyone have some specific input on SPB Tours handling of the trip to Moscow? I'm finding lots of reviews for SPB, but not much on how doing the 3-day with 1-day in Moscow in particular went. Or I'm not good at searching CC forums.... any and all input will be much appreciated.

Poor me (haha), I'm facing the dilemma of having to decide if I want to spend one of my three days at the St. Petersburg port stop on a visit to Moscow via high speed train with a standard tour group. While I would hope I might make it back to Russia on another trip some day, it is certainly not a given. Does anyone have some specific input on SPB Tours handling of the trip to Moscow? I'm finding lots of reviews for SPB, but not much on how doing the 3-day with 1-day in Moscow in particular went. Or I'm not good at searching CC forums.... any and all input will be much appreciated.

Per usual, Terry has provided excellent points for your consideration.

All tour companies that use the Sapsan (high speed) train depart St. Pete very early in the morning (on day 2 of your 3 day port visit). So, you will have about a 19 hour day from the time you disembark the ship (about 6am) until the time you return (about 1am).

While I have not used the services of SPB tours (I booked with Alla), I am sure that you will have a fine time - SPB is a well-known company in St. Petersburg with many reviews on Cruise Critic.

Just be aware that you will most probably be pretty pooped on day 3 of your tour in St. Petersburg after having just endured a 19 hour marathon to Moscow. Only you can decide if you are "up" for the very long day.

If Moscow is a city you really want to see and you feel that this may be your only opportunity to visit, go for it. However, there is so much to see in just St. Petersburg, it is my personal opinion that for a short 3 days in St. Petersburg, I would much prefer to focus on the sights in St. Petersburg.