Visit Moscow and St Petersburg in one week | Itinerary, cost, tips

Visit Moscow and St Petersburg in one week

Visit Moscow and St Petersburg in one week: it is completely possible! There are many trains between Moscow and St Petersburg. The travel time on the fastest one is about only 4 hours. Here is a travel itinerary that will allow you to see these two pretty cities in one week.

How many days to visit Moscow and St Petersburg in one week?

In one week, you have time to see the essential things of Moscow and St Petersburg, as well as their completely different atmospheres and stories.

Rather Russian Empire, USSR or XXI century? If you love palaces and therefore everything related to the Russian Empire, do not hesitate to stay in Saint Petersburg any longer. This is certainly where you will find your happiness! Moscow is a big city, hyper dynamic and modern, with a much more pronounced Soviet heritage. If you want to feel the vibrations of a large megalopolis, then spend more time in Moscow.

A week to visit Moscow and St Petersburg during winter time. In winter, and especially for the holiday season, Moscow is much more decorated than Saint Petersburg. Moscow is just magic! It can therefore be well worth spending more time there, if you want to enjoy this festive atmosphere. By comparison, Saint Petersburg was much calmer during this period. To find out more about this time of year:

My advice. I would say 4 days in St. Petersburg and 3 days in Moscow, especially if you go there in the summer. Otherwise, for the winter holiday season, Moscow is clearly the queen.

What to start with? You can start with the city for which the combination of air tickets is the cheapest. Otherwise, the airfare prices are the same, one way or the other, I would rather start with Moscow and end with St Petersburg.

Trains between Moscow and St Petersburg: very convenient for a week trip

In order to visit Moscow and St Petersburg in a week, it is best to take the train rather than the plane. This saves on travel time to the airport.

The two cities are very well connected by train. There are night trains, sleeper trains, or Sapsan fast trains that only take 4 hours.

What to visit in Moscow in 3 days?

If you are going to visit Moscow and St Petersburg in one week, 3 days in Moscow will certainly be enough to see the essentials. Below I have listed the essential places to see in Moscow in 3 days:

However, be aware that visiting the interior of the Kremlin can take time. For example, allow at least 4 hours if you also visit the Palace of Armor. Click on the places to find out more (timetables, tickets, what to see).

Build your program. In order to define your program in detail and make your own selection, you can read my post: What to visit in Moscow? Inside, I’m talking about other, less classic places that may interest you, as well as more detailed programs (neighborhoods, etc.).

Accommodation in Moscow. The choice of geolocation is very important, especially if you stay on site for a short time. The heart of Moscow is the Kremlin, so it can serve as a point of reference. For a short time, in my opinion, it is better to stay in a hotel rather than going through AirBnB. You can find out more about accommodation in Moscow here: Where to stay in Moscow?

What to visit in St Petersburg in 4 days?

If you are going to visit Moscow and Saint Petersburg in one week, 4 days in Saint Petersburg will certainly be enough to see the essentials. Here is my TOP of the places to see in Saint Petersburg in 4 days (click on the links to find out more):

Build your program. In our special Saint Petersburg travel guide in pdf, you will find our address book, descriptions of places to visit (tourist and less touristy), Russian cuisine, souvenirs, info on the city and its inhabitants.

Accommodation in St. Petersburg. I wrote a post about this topic: Where to stay in Saint Petersburg? For a first trip, it is better to stay not far away from Nevsky Avenue.

Visit Moscow and St Petersburg in one week: how to get a Russia visa?

As I said above, in order to visit Moscow and Saint Petersburg in a week, there is only one visa application to make. In our blog article Getting a visa to Russia, you will find all the necessary information regarding things such as invitation (tourist voucher), insurance or filling in the application form.

Tourist voucher. For the invitation, or tourist voucher, you can have only one for the two cities. We have made a comparison of invitation prices with a list of agencies that offer them here: Tourist voucher for Russia.

Visit Moscow and St Petersburg in one week is possible!

The most important advice is to prepare the program in advance so that you can visit the essentials and not miss anything. For example, you can buy tickets in advance to save time. Hope this post will help you to prepare your trip and to visit Moscow and St Petersburg in one week! 🙂


We often travel to Moscow, but also to St Petersburg. These are very beautiful cities, each in its own way. In one week, you will be able to see these two, and it’s great!

Interesting in Moscow:

Interesting in St Petersburg:

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