7 Days in Russia
Trip Overview
Seven days. Moscow to St. Petersburg. That's all you need to grasp Russia's soul. Days 1-3: Moscow hits you in layers. Gold domes glitter above Red Square while Soviet monoliths loom nearby. The city can't decide which century it belongs to, and that is the point. You'll bounce between Tsarist palaces and modern art galleries, then dive into a restaurant scene that didn't exist twenty years ago. Day 4 changes everything. The Sapsan train rockets north at 250 km/h, slicing through birch forests like a bullet. One of Europe's great rail journeys, no contest. Days 5-7: St. Petersburg seduces slowly. Canals mirror baroque facades. The Hermitage swallows entire mornings. Peterhof's gilded fountains perform their water ballet just outside town. This isn't Moscow's brash energy, it's something older, more refined. The rhythm works. Mornings tackle the heavy hitters, Red Square, the Kremlin, Winter Palace. Afternoons? Get lost. Wander backstreets. Find a café that serves borscht like your Russian grandmother never made. Evenings deliver Russia's food culture at full power: hearty traditional spreads one night, modern tasting menus the next. This isn't a checklist tour. It's the definitive introduction to things to do in Russia, paced so you'll fall for both imperial capitals. Moscow grabs you. St. Petersburg keeps you.
Pace
Moderate
Daily Budget
$120-200 per day (mid-range); $60-90 per day (budget)
Best Seasons
May, June: white nights in St. Petersburg, mild Moscow weather. September: golden autumn foliage, thin crowds. December: festive Christmas markets, authentic Russia winter atmosphere.
Ideal For
First-time visitors, History buffs, Architecture lovers, Foodies, Art enthusiasts, Couples
Day-by-Day Itinerary
A complete plan for every day of your trip
1
Arrival in Moscow & the Beating Heart of Red Square
Moscow (Москва)
Land in one of the planet's great capitals, then dive straight into Red Square. St. Basil's Cathedral, the Kremlin walls, the lot. One afternoon is enough to absorb the theatrical grandeur before you ease into a classic Russian dinner.
Morning
Arrival, hotel check-in, and orientation walk along the Moskva River embankment
Touch down at Sheremetyevo or Domodedovo Airport, then ride the Aeroexpress straight to the city center, 35, 45 minutes, signs in English, no drama. Check in near Kitay-Gorod or Tverskaya, drop your bags, and head straight to the Moskva River embankment. The Kremlin towers shimmer in the water like a postcard you didn't have to pay for. One slow walk and the whole layout of central Moscow clicks into place before Red Square hits you with full force.
Skip the station lines, book Aeroexpress tickets online at aeroexpress.ru. Grab a Troika card from any metro kiosk; it'll give you unlimited metro rides for your entire stay.
Lunch
Café Pushkin (Кафе Пушкинъ) on Tverskoy Boulevard
Afternoon
Red Square, St. Basil's Cathedral & GUM department store
Red Square isn't a backdrop, it's one of humanity's great public spaces. Walk every cobbled inch. Enter candy-colored St. Basil's Cathedral (ticket desk at the entrance, no pre-booking needed). Explore GUM, the 19th-century arcade whose iron-and-glass atrium still drops jaws. The Lenin Mausoleum costs nothing, free to enter Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, Sunday when open. Queues move fast. Save twenty minutes to stand in the square at dusk when Kremlin towers ignite.
St. Basil's sells timed entry tickets at the door. Arrive by 3pm. You'll dodge the heaviest afternoon rush.
Evening
Dinner and first taste of Moscow nightlife
Lavka-Lavka on Petrovka Street rewrites Russian food rules. This farm-to-table pioneer of modern Russian cuisine shows what to eat in Russia beyond tourist clichés, house-cured meats, Siberian fish dishes, seasonal vegetables. The plates arrive fast. The flavors linger. Stolovaya 57 inside GUM feeds budget diners smart. Cafeteria-style Russian classics cost $8, 12 per meal. No reservations. No fuss. Just solid food. After dinner, Arbat pedestrian street glows. Walk the illuminated stretch. Street musicians play. Local atmosphere seeps in. Total magic.
Where to Stay Tonight
Kitay-Gorod or Tverskaya district, central Moscow (Skip the splurge. Mid-range Hotel Metropol or Mercure Moscow Paveletskaya delivers crisp sheets and metro access without the oligarch price tag. Tight budget? Gostiny Dvor Hostel bunks you near Red Square for kopecks, not rubles.)
Kitay-Gorod puts Red Square ten minutes away on foot. You'll get direct metro links to every other Moscow sight, and won't need a cab for the first two days.
See all Russia accommodation options →Skip the museums, Moscow's metro is the real gallery. Komsomolskaya, Mayakovskaya, Novoslobodskaya: each station explodes with mosaics and marble that'll make you forget you're underground. Ride it like a tourist attraction, not just transport. One Troika card swipe runs $0.55.
Day 1 Budget: $90, 160 (mid-range); $45, 75 (budget)
2
Inside the Kremlin & Moscow's Cultural Soul
Moscow (Москва)
Start early, beat the tour buses. Spend the morning exploring the Kremlin's cathedrals and Armoury Chamber. Then pivot. The Tretyakov Gallery's extraordinary Russian art collection waits. Finish in the bohemian Chistye Prudy neighborhood.
Morning
Moscow Kremlin, Cathedral Square, Armoury Chamber & Diamond Fund
A full morning, no less, is what the Kremlin demands. The ticket kiosk waits at the Kutafya Tower on Manezhnaya Square. Cathedral Square packs five working cathedrals: the Assumption Cathedral, coronation stage for every Tsar since 1547, and the Archangel Cathedral, final bed for Ivan the Terrible. The Armoury Chamber locks up Fabergé eggs, Imperial carriages, coronation regalia, add another hour. The Diamond Fund, separate ticket, flashes the Orlov Diamond and the Imperial crown jewels.
Weekend Kremlin tickets vanish fast. Book the day before on kremlin.museum.ru, no exceptions. Lenin Mausoleum stays free, always. You'll queue at a second metal detector on Red Square.
Lunch
Pelmennaya No. 1 near Okhotny Ryad metro station
Afternoon
Tretyakov Gallery and Chistye Prudy neighborhood
The State Tretyakov Gallery in Zamoskvorechye owns the world's greatest Russian art collection, medieval icons, Ilya Repin's monumental canvases, Mikhail Vrubel's haunting symbolism. Two hours minimum. Then ride the metro to Chistye Prudy (Clean Ponds), a leafy boulevard with an actual pond, independent cafés, and the bohemian energy that gives modern Moscow its creative identity. Muscovites stroll here. Tourists don't.
Skip the queues, Tretyakov doesn't demand advance booking on weekdays. Just walk in. Audio guides run $4 in English and they're sharp, curator-narrated, excellent.
Evening
Bolshoi Theatre performance or rooftop bar experience
$20 gets you into the Bolshoi Theatre's top gallery, front-row ballet for the price of a pizza. Orchestra stalls cost $200, still a bargain for one of Moscow's essential experiences. Seats are locked in at bolshoi.ru. When the Bolshoi is sold out, Novaya Opera on Karetny Ryad stages equally accomplished shows for less cash. Skip the footlights and ride the elevator to the Hotel Ukraine (Radisson Royal) rooftop bar, $12, 18 cocktails served with a 360-degree Moscow skyline.
Where to Stay Tonight
Kitay-Gorod or Tverskaya district (same as Day 1) (Same hotel, no need to move)
Staying central for both Moscow days avoids unnecessary luggage logistics and keeps metro access optimal.
See all Russia accommodation options →Bolshoi tickets sell out fast. Book 2, 3 months in advance for peak season (October, April). The theatre's own website sells tickets without agency markups, third-party sellers often charge 300% premiums. Student and last-minute rush tickets are sometimes available at the box office one hour before curtain.
Day 2 Budget: $80, 150 (mid-range, no Bolshoi); $130, 200 (with Bolshoi ticket)
3
Soviet Modernism, Markets & Moscow's Hidden Neighborhoods
Moscow (Москва)
Start at VDNKH, the Soviet exhibition park still feels like tomorrow imagined in 1954. Ride the rockets, gawk at the pavilions, then grab the metro north to Izmailovo flea market. Haggle for lacquer boxes, vintage pins, fur hats, the souvenirs you'll keep. After dark, head south to Gorky Park. Lights, galleries, food trucks, skate kids, the whole place flipped from Soviet funfair to arts district without losing its edge.
Morning
VDNKh Exhibition Park and the Cosmos Pavilion
Skip Red Square, VDNKh (All-Russian Exhibition Centre) is Moscow's best-kept secret, a Stalinist theme park where gold-domed pavilions, heroic fountains, and socialist-realist murals still trumpet Soviet industry. The Cosmos Pavilion shelters an original Buran space shuttle and Vostok rocket, no replicas. Out front, the Worker and Kolkhoz Woman titanium sculpture rises 25 meters, pure Soviet swagger. In Russia weather of any season, this open-air complex delivers: ice skating in winter, bike rentals in summer.
Lunch
Expedition restaurant on Presnenskaya Naberezhnaya
Afternoon
Izmailovo Kremlin & Vernissage Flea Market
Izmailovo district hides a wooden kremlin that looks medieval, built in 2007 as a craft-fair backdrop, it works well for theatrical souvenir photos. The adjacent Vernissage weekend flea market is Moscow's best spot for matryoshka dolls, Soviet military watches, lacquer boxes, amber jewelry, and vintage propaganda posters at prices far below tourist shops. Vendors negotiate, opening price runs 30, 40% above what they'll accept.
Izmailovo market opens only Saturday and Sunday. Weekdays? Head to Gorbushka near Bagrationovskaya metro, electronics, vintage goods, total chaos.
Evening
Gorky Park and the Strelka Bar arts complex
Soviet ghosts? Gone. Gorky Park is now Moscow's hippest outdoor playground, beach volleyball courts slamming at dusk, food trucks slinging international Russia food fusion, open-air cinema flickering against the skyline, design pop-ups selling tomorrow's trends today. The Strelka Institute's bar perches on the Moskva River embankment inside the park, and this is where Moscow's creative class shows up. Grab Siberian craft beer or a Georgian wine, either choice works, and watch city lights ripple across the river like liquid gold. Dinner here runs $25, 40 per person.
Where to Stay Tonight
Kitay-Gorod or Tverskaya district (final Moscow night) (Same hotel as Days 1, 2)
Early departure on Day 4 means you'll stay centrally near Komsomolskaya station, exactly where Leningradsky Station for the Sapsan train departs.
See all Russia accommodation options →Pack tonight. Set the bag by the door. The Sapsan to St. Petersburg leaves from Leningradsky Station on Komsomolskaya Square, the same square as three major stations, so get there 20 minutes early and double-check you're at Leningradsky, not Kazansky or Yaroslavsky.
Day 3 Budget: $70, 130 (mid-range); $40, 70 (budget)
4
The Sapsan Express & Arrival in the Venice of the North
Moscow → St. Petersburg (Санкт-Петербург)
Hop on the Sapsan, 4 hours of birch forests and samovars to St. Petersburg. Check straight into your hotel in the historic center. Hit Nevsky Prospekt first. Church on Spilled Blood next. Then wander the canal district until the bridges lift at night.
Morning
Sapsan high-speed train from Moscow to St. Petersburg
The Sapsan (Peregrine Falcon) hits 250 km/h and nails the 650km dash in 3.5, 4 hours, all while you watch birch forests, provincial towns, and the flat northwestern plains slide past panoramic windows. Trains leave Leningradsky Station at 6:45am, 9:00am, and plenty more times daily, catch the 9am; it's the sweet spot. First class throws in a meal service; second-class (Econom) is comfortable and well adequate. You'll roll straight into Moskovsky Station, dead center of St. Petersburg.
Morning trains on the Sapsan sell out 2, 3 weeks early. Book 60 days ahead on rzd.ru (Russian Railways) or you'll miss out. Bring your passport, ticket collection won't work without it.
Lunch
Pyshechnaya Bakery on Bolshaya Konyushennaya Street, St. Petersburg's most famous doughnut shop since 1958, still fries 7-ruble pyshechki in a coat closet-sized kitchen.
Afternoon
Nevsky Prospekt walk & Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood
7,000 square meters of mosaic cover the interior of the Church on Spilled Blood, no other church in Europe tries this hard. Nevsky Prospekt, St. Petersburg's 4.5km main boulevard, is a masterclass in imperial city planning, lined with Baroque and Neoclassical palaces, it connects the Admiralty to the Alexander Nevsky Monastery. Walk from Moskovsky Station toward the city center, absorbing the scale. Detour to the Church on Spilled Blood (Khram Spasa na Krovi), whose onion domes echo St. Basil's but whose interior is entirely covered in 7,000 square meters of mosaic, one of the world's most extraordinary interiors. Things to do in Russia St. Petersburg starts here.
The Church on Spilled Blood has an online ticket system at cathedral.ru. Weekday afternoons you can usually walk in, skip the site. But Saturday mornings bring 45+ minute queues.
Evening
Canal boat tour and dinner in the Kolomna district
$12, 18 buys the best hour in St. Petersburg: a boat tour that shoves off from Anichkov Bridge on Nevsky whenever the benches fill. Baroque facades glide past water-level eyes, no filter, no crowd, just stone and reflection. After dark, steer to Kolomna, Dostoyevsky's old haunt. Teplo and Hamlet & Jacks huddle there, two Russia restaurants turning out Russian-European plates in low-lit rooms. Dinner runs $30, 45 a head.
Where to Stay Tonight
Historic centre, near Nevsky Prospekt or the Fontanka River (Hotel Astoria (luxury) or Rachmaninov Antique Hotel (boutique mid-range) or Soul Kitchen Hostel (budget, regularly rated among Europe's best))
St. Petersburg's major attractions sit within walking distance in the historic centre. You won't need the metro. You'll spend your time in the city's incomparable streetscape instead.
See all Russia accommodation options →At 1:20 a.m. sharp, St. Petersburg's drawbridges lurch skyward. By 5:00 a.m. they're down again, unless you're still on the wrong bank of the Neva. Freight ships rule the river for those three-plus hours, and the schedule shifts with the season. Miss the last crossing before 1 a.m. and you'll wait until dawn. Quirky? Sure. Consequential? Absolutely.
Day 4 Budget: $100, 180 (mid-range including train); $55, 90 (budget)
5
The Hermitage, An Entire Day Inside the World's Greatest Museum
St. Petersburg (Санкт-Петербург)
Three million objects. 365 rooms. One day. The State Hermitage Museum in the Winter Palace isn't a quick stop, it's a marathon. You'll need every hour. Plan lunch along the Palace Embankment. Regroup. Then dive back in.
Morning
State Hermitage Museum, Winter Palace, Rembrandt Gallery & Impressionists
The Hermitage won't let you rush. Start with the State Rooms on the first floor, the Malachite Hall, Gold Drawing Room, and Jordan Staircase show exactly how Imperial Russia saw fit to decorate a palace. Then climb to the Dutch and Flemish galleries where Rembrandt's 24 canvases and Rubens' mythological cycles hang. The French Impressionist rooms (Monet, Degas, Cézanne, Matisse, Picasso) rank among the finest outside Paris. Arrive at opening (10:30am) to beat coach groups.
Skip the queue, buy tickets online at hermitagemuseum.org. Summer waits hit 90 minutes. Grab the free museum map at the cloakroom. Without it, you'll wander lost. The place is disorienting.
Lunch
The Hermitage Museum Café sits on the ground floor of the Winter Palace, no line, no fuss. When Russia's weather turns kind, skip indoors. Head to the outdoor café in the Hermitage courtyard instead.
Afternoon
Hermitage continued, Ancient Egypt, Scythian Gold & the New Hermitage
Three mummies. That is what greets you on the ground floor of The Hermitage, one of the world's best Ancient Egyptian collections. Right beside them sits the Scythian Gold room: prehistoric jewelry of extraordinary delicacy, yanked from Ukrainian and Russian steppe burial mounds. Walk through the internal passage to the New Hermitage building. Greek and Roman sculpture awaits. One hall, ancient vases, magnificent. End your visit in the Hermitage courtyard garden. Quiet oasis. Few tourists find it.
Evening
Palace Square at dusk & dinner on Rubinshteyna Street
Palace Square, the vast expanse fronting the Winter Palace and framed by the General Staff Building's sweeping arc, turns golden at 6 p.m. when the Alexander Column throws shadows across cobblestones. Rubinshteyna Street, five minutes from Nevsky, packs 30+ restaurants into 400 meters. Hamlet & Jacks slings superb burgers and craft beer for $20, 30 per person. Cococo pushes avant-garde Russian plates with foraged plants at $60, 90, one of Russia restaurants that keeps landing on Europe's best lists.
Where to Stay Tonight
Historic centre, St. Petersburg (same hotel as Day 4) (Same hotel, no move required)
A stable base gives you full morning energy for the Hermitage, no logistics overhead.
See all Russia accommodation options →The Hermitage is inexhaustible, 30 seconds per exhibit equals 11 years of looking. Focus on 3, 4 thematic routes instead of chasing every room. Grab the museum's suggested tour maps at the information desk near the main entrance.
Day 5 Budget: $65, 120 (mid-range); $35, 65 (budget)
6
Peterhof, the Russian Versailles & the Peter and Paul Fortress
St. Petersburg surroundings & city
Skip the traffic. A 30-minute hydrofoil ride slaps you straight onto Peterhof's jetty, where 150 gilded fountains roar downhill like liquid gold. Snap the Grand Cascade, then jump the same boat back, no queues, no sweat. In town, the Peter and Paul Fortress waits. Romanovs lie inside. Push open the cathedral doors; marble, icons, tombs. Done. Night shift: a rooftop bar under White Nights. Sun barely dips. Glass in hand, city glows.
Morning
Peterhof Palace and Grand Cascade fountain complex
64 fountains. 255 sculptures. One cascade. Peterhof (Петергоф), Peter the Great's 29km west of St. Petersburg slap at Versailles, outdoes its model in every way that counts. The Grand Cascade drops in a single rush toward the Gulf of Finland, water and bronze locked in motion. Above it, the Upper Gardens hold their own quiet drama. Below, Monplaisir Palace, Peter's personal waterfront retreat, faces the sea like a dare. Come on a weekday. Weekends are chaos. The fountains run late April through mid-October.
Skip traffic. Grab the Meteor hydrofoil from Dvortsovaya Embankment in St. Petersburg, 35 minutes, $12 each way, and you'll beat the suburban train on speed and scenery. Boats leave from 9:30am. The first run is quietest.
Lunch
Inside Peterhof, Restoran Imperatorskiy serves tsar-era dishes beneath chandeliers you could ice-skate on, no velvet rope, just fork and knife. Court recipes, not museum labels: sturgeon in champagne cream, 18th-century spices, prices that won't bankrupt a prince.
Afternoon
Peter and Paul Fortress & the Romanov Cathedral
Zayachy Island is where St. Petersburg began in 1703, and where its ghosts still gossip. Inside the Peter and Paul Fort walls, the cathedral entombs every Russian Emperor from Peter the Great to Nicholas II; the last Tsar's bones, plus his family's, arrived in 1998 after 80 years in a Siberian mineshaft. The Trubetskoy Bastion prison once caged Dostoyevsky and Leon Trotsky. Locals still strip on the fortress beach, south shore of Zayachy, year-round. Odd ritual. Real city.
Evening
White Nights rooftop experience and farewell Russian dinner
Between late May and mid-July, St. Petersburg's White Nights (Beliye Nochi) mean the sky never fully darkens, twilight persists until 1am. The rooftop bar at Terrassa restaurant on Kazanskaya Street offers 360-degree views of the city in this ethereal half-light, with cocktails at $15, 20. For a final definitive Russia food experience, book a table at Restaurant 0.75 on Rubinshteyna, where chef Dmitri Blinov reinterprets traditional Russian ingredients through a modern lens, whole roasted Murmansk crab, Karelian lamb, and Altai honey desserts. Budget $70, 100 per person with wine.
Where to Stay Tonight
Historic centre, St. Petersburg (same hotel) (Same hotel, final night)
Proximity to Nevsky and the embankment for late White Nights walks.
See all Russia accommodation options →The noon cannon fired daily from the Naryshkin Bastion of the Peter and Paul Fortress is a St. Petersburg institution since 1865, be on the fortress esplanade at 11:55am for the best view and the satisfying percussive thud that rattles windows across the Neva.
Day 6 Budget: $90, 170 (mid-range with Peterhof); $50, 90 (budget)
7
Catherine's Palace, Final Galleries & Departure
St. Petersburg & Pushkin (Пушкин)
Beat the crowds, see the Amber Room at Catherine Palace in Pushkin first thing, then squeeze in last-minute shopping on Nevsky Prospekt before your evening flight out of Pulkovo Airport.
Morning
Catherine Palace & the Amber Room in Tsarskoye Selo (Pushkin)
Twenty-four kilometers south of St. Petersburg, the Catherine Palace at Tsarskoye Selo is one of the most visually extravagant buildings in the world, its 325-meter blue-and-gold facade is staggering. Inside, the legendary Amber Room, a chamber entirely paneled in amber, gold leaf, and mirrors, looted by the Nazis in 1941 and painstakingly reconstructed by 2003, is among the most astonishing interiors on Earth. The palace park (separate entry) is vast and elegant. Take the marshrutka (minibus 286 or 545) from Moskovskaya metro station, or a taxi.
Catherine Palace sells timed entry tickets online at tzar.ru, the Amber Room entrance is separately controlled and on-site queues for non-prebookers routinely exceed 2 hours in summer. Online booking is strongly recommended.
Lunch
Café Pushkin, the Tsarskoye Selo branch, not the Moscow namesake, sits right beside the palace. The name is pure coincidence. The food is good.
Afternoon
Final Nevsky Prospekt promenade, Fabergé Museum & airport departure
Nine Imperial Easter eggs in one room. That is what you get at the Fabergé Museum in St. Petersburg, inside the Shuvalov Palace on the Fontanka River. The palace, an 18th-century showpiece now superbly restored, holds the world's largest collection of Imperial Fabergé eggs. Smaller than the Hermitage, easier to handle, more personal. Afterward, head straight to Nevsky Prospekt. Browse Dom Knigi inside the Singer Building. Sample the art nouveau Eliseyev Emporium food hall. Grab last-minute souvenirs from the market stalls near Gostiny Dvor. Budget 90 minutes for the taxi ride to Pulkovo Airport.
You won't get in without booking ahead, fabergemuseum.ru is mandatory, during peak season. They've capped visitor numbers to protect the Fabergé Museum's objects, and they mean it.
Evening
Airport departure from Pulkovo International (LED)
Terminal 1 at Pulkovo Airport won't leave you hungry. Teremok, the local chain, turns out blini that taste like Russia: buckwheat pancakes stacked with salmon or sour cream, $6, 9. Last bite before takeoff. Evening flight? Dragon Pass lounge takes Priority Pass walk-ins for $35. Quiet chairs, decent coffee, zero chaos. Duty-free shelves hold Stolichnaya vodka and Russian chocolate at prices that beat downtown shops.
Where to Stay Tonight
Departure, no accommodation needed (N/A (evening flight assumed))
Your flight leaves at dawn. Don't check out. Walk to the front desk and ask for one more night, St. Petersburg hotels almost always extend same-day. Central ones, anyway.
See all Russia accommodation options →Forget matryoshkas. The single most transportable souvenir from Russia is a traditional gzhel porcelain piece, blue-on-white folk ceramics from the Moscow region. These hand-painted dishes and figurines outclass nesting dolls every time. You'll find them in the Eliseyev Emporium on Nevsky at genuine craft-fair prices. Staff wrap each piece for travel.
Day 7 Budget: $80, 150 (mid-range); $45, 80 (budget)
Practical Information
Everything you need to know before you go
Getting Around
Moscow's metro rules everything. Twelve lines hit every attraction, $0.55 per ride on a Troika card, trains every 90 seconds at peak. St. Petersburg's metro does the job. But the historic center? You can walk it. The canal boats ($12, 18 for 1 hour) double as transport and attraction. The Sapsan high-speed train between cities is the backbone, book 60 days ahead on rzd.ru. For Peterhof, grab the Meteor hydrofoil from Dvortsovaya Embankment. For Catherine Palace, minibus 286 or 545 from Moskovskaya metro works. Taxis are cheap through Yandex Taxi, Uber's twin, English interface, everyone's using it.
Book Ahead
Book Sapsan train tickets 60 days ahead, no exceptions. Bolshoi Theatre? Secure seats 2, 3 months ahead for popular performances or you'll miss out. Hermitage timed entry fills 1, 2 weeks ahead in summer. Plan accordingly. Catherine Palace Amber Room demands 2, 4 weeks ahead in summer, lines stretch for blocks. Fabergé Museum needs just 1 week ahead, surprisingly manageable. Visa application requires minimum 3, 4 weeks before travel via a Russian consulate or authorized visa center. Russia visa requirements specify an official invitation letter, which visa agencies supply as part of their service.
Packing Essentials
Pack the right gear or suffer. Moscow and St. Petersburg chew up flimsy shoes, bring comfortable walking shoes for cobblestone walking. Russia's weather swings hard: layers for variable Russia weather, from -5°C in December to 28°C in July. St. Petersburg dumps 650mm of rain annually, so toss in a packable rain jacket, wet year-round. Power adapter: Type C/F, 220V. Photocopies of your passport and visa, lose the originals and you're stuck. Download the Yandex Maps app: offline capability, more accurate than Google Maps for Russian addresses. Keep small cash in Russian rubles for market vendors and budget eateries.
Total Budget
$840, 1,400 for 7 days (mid-range, excluding international flights); $420, 700 (budget traveler)
Customize Your Trip
Adapt this itinerary to your travel style
Budget Version
Cut Russia costs fast. Stay in award-winning hostels, Soul Kitchen in St. Petersburg ($20, 30/night) and Gostiny Dvor in Moscow ($18, 25/night). Ditch restaurant lunches for stolovaya meals at $5, 8. Forget the Bolshoi. The Mariinsky Theatre's smaller Second Stage offers excellent performances for $15, 30. Take night trains between cities instead of Sapsan, $15, 25 in platzkart berths. Your total daily Russia budget drops to $55, 80.
Luxury Upgrade
Skip the tourist buses. Upgrade to the Hotel Metropol in Moscow, $350/night buys you a 1905 Art Nouveau landmark where Lenin addressed crowds from its balcony. In St. Petersburg, the Grand Hotel Europe runs $400/night and hasn't changed since 1875. You'll need a private Hermitage after-hours tour, $800 per group, arranged through the museum's VIP services department. Ditch the public boat. Charter a hydrofoil to Peterhof instead. The Kremlin demands a private English-speaking guide, $150/half-day. The difference in depth? Extraordinary. Total daily budget jumps to $600, 900.
Family-Friendly
Children under 16 enter the Hermitage, Kremlin cathedrals, and most state museums free, no catch, just flash the passport. Skip the Bolshoi opera. Grab seats for the Bolshoi's Sunday afternoon children's ballet program instead. Shorter, subtitled, $15, 25, and the kids won't squirm. Next stop: Cosmonaut Museum at VDNKh in Moscow. Russia's space program hooks children of all ages. They'll climb around a Soyuz spacecraft they can touch. In St. Petersburg, the interactive Submarine D-2 Narodovolets museum beats any children's attraction in Europe, it's a real 1929 submarine you walk through, torpedo tubes and all. Cut walking distances. Use taxis between attractions rather than the metro.
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