My Girlfirend and I are visiting her father in Minsk early Septemebr 2010. I want to take a train from Minsk to St. Petersberg and spend one day there and then take a train to moscow to spend one day there and then take a train back to Minsk from Moscow. Is this practical?
Are there daily trains running between these three cities? What advice do the locals or experienced traveleres have of this idea?
Reply to this Alan,
Several trains per day run from Minsk to Petersburg, Petersburg to Moscow and Moscow to Minsk. It's a good idea to book a month in advance, but it's much too early to plan the trips now.
Jon
Reply to this Thanks Jon...
We are getting our invitation letter from my Girlfriends father soon now all we need is invitation letter from St Petersberg and Moscow and we are good to go for the visa's.
Any other advice on getting a invitation letter for St Petersberg and Moscow?
Reply to this Privet everyone.
It's now 90 days until we land in Minsk, Belarus. We are still looking for some mor edetail on taking a train to see St Petersburg and then to Moscow before returning to Minsk.
Any ideas from anyone?
Reply to this Minsk-St.Petersburgh. №51/52 17:41 - 08:40
prices: from 55$ to 250$
from St.Petersburgh to Moscow there are a lot of traines: from cheap slow to high-speed firm trains. Average price is 70-90$
trains from Moscow to Minsk divided to 2 types: firm expensive and usual cheaper. price for firm is near 100$, for usual 70$. The most popular usual train is #131, with price 60$
Reply to this As I have read and inquired from other peoples, It takes approximately 14 hours to travel from Minsk to St Petersburgh, by train. Why don't you plan to travel by a plane, instead?
Reply to this As I have read and inquired from other peoples, It takes approximately 14 hours to travel from Minsk to St Petersburgh, by train. Why don't you plan to travel by a plane, instead?
Ahahah... :D:D:D
If you thing that 14hours, especially at night is very long, please, you can travel by plane. Minsk-St.Petersburgh by Belavia is 75Euro for Economy and 145Euro for Business... + taxes + transfers...
Reply to this I don't know about Minsk, but between St.Petersburg and Moscow there are many daily trains available (better to buy tickets 1 week before). There are night trains and fast ~4-5 hours trains.
Reply to this yes, now there are some hi-speed trains from Mocsow to Petersburg. now it takes 4 hours to take from one city to other. but we talked about Minsk - Petersburgh trip.
and by the way, if you are going to Russia and want to travel a lot, you have to be ready to spend a lot of time in trains. Even plain from Moscow to Vladivostok flies more than 7hours, and by train it takes a week...
and as for me the Russian (or whole exUSSR) trains are not a method to get from X to Y, but this is... maybe... special type of tourizm, especially in 54 beds open car (plackart)
Reply to this If you're only spending 1 day in St Pete and 1 in Moscow you don't want to be wasting any of your daytime on long train rides, you want to travel while you sleep. This is how I'd recommend to do it:
1) overnight train from Minsk to St Pete arriving about 8am, price: $65 in common carriage, $95 in a 4-bed compartment sharing with two strangers.
2) Night train from St Pete to Moscow leaving midnight - 1am and arriving 9am or 10am, price: $35 in common carriage, $70 sharing in 4 person compartment
3) night train from Moscow to Minsk, prices: $35 for just a seat, $45 for a bed in the common carriage, $90 for a shared 4 person compartment.
Tickets go on sale 45 days in advance. If you're in the common carriage ask for beds between numbers 10 and 28, these are the best ones. Buy the Minsk - St Pete ticket in Minsk and buy the other two online at www.rzd.ru. They'll send you an email which you have to print out and use to pick up your tickets in St Pete. The site is only in Russian though.
Reply to this about the visas - use an online agency to get the invitation letter. They usually cost about $40 - $60 and are the easiest, most reliable way of doing it. Just google "Russian visa".
For the Belarus visa - make VERY sure your visa is multiple entry or double entry. If it's single entry then they won't let you back in the country after your visit to Russia. Then again this may not be such a problem as there is almost no border between the two countries and they often don't stamp your passport but I'd rather be safe than sorry.
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