St. Petersburg to Moscow on High Speed Train ...Regent excursion

[mrstanley]

We will be on a Baltic cruise next August and would love to hear from anyone who has taken this

excursion. It sounds amazing even though it's a very long day. Thanks!

[bissel]

We did this on our second trip to St Petersburg as we felt we had already seen a lot of that city.

We very much enjoyed our time in Moscow even if it’s a pretty fast glance. We would highly recommend it provided you’ve first enjoyed all that St Petersburg offers

[mrstanley]

Bissel....this will be our second Baltic cruise also.

[bissel]

Well then, it’s a great little trip! Go for it!

[Smbruner]

We didn't do it with Regent but did the high speed train when with Oceania. I highly recommend it - my husband and a fellow passenger really enjoyed going up to to the "bar car" and mingling with young Russian's practicing their English.

 

The seats on the train are comfortable enough to sleep on your way back after a long day of touring in Moscow. And the plus is when watching some shows on TV we can say "we've been there!" when they show Red Square.

 

One tip - do NOT use the bathrooms at the train station before boarding the train. They are only holes in the floor in Moscow. On the train the bathrooms are large and very clean!

[rich48100]

My wife did the train trip to Moscow while on an Oceania cruise as well. Thoroughly enjoyed it, even though a long day. The subway system with the murals is an interesting site.

 

 

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[RJ2002]

We just returned from a Baltic cruise (not Regent) and we did the Moscow-in-a-day trip from St. Petersburg through an independent tour agency. It was an amazing, but long, day. Because we'd be spending so much time on the train (approx 4 hours each way), we opted to upgrade to the first class car. If this is within your budget and available through Regent, I'd recommend it. Very comfortable and spacious seating (2 / 1 seating). The seats recline. The food is really not much to write home about, but the comfort was worth it. Good service.

[mrstanley]

RJ2002: We are planning to upgrade to the first class car as it's available through Regent. Can't wait to go!

[maryogreen]

My husband and I did Crystal's Moscow by high-speed train excursion several years ago, and it still remains one of my all-time favorite excursions. Our group of about 50 (we were divided into two groups upon arrival) was assigned to our own train car, which was quite comfortable. The train is great, it's a long and fabulous day, and I can't recommend it enough!

 

I have a blog post with photos and details which you may find helpful:

 

https://www.themodernpostcard.com/from-russia-with-love-the-fast-train-to-moscow/

 

Best of luck with your plans, and have a wonderful trip!

Mary

Travel Blog: http://www.themodernpostcard.com

[GrJ Berkshire]

It is dependent on how you wish to spend your holiday / vacation time. If spending 8 hours plus on a train, plus transfer time to and from the ship, for a shorter time than this at your destination is it well spent?

Also what you are doing on the days around this as, the day after you are not likely to want to spend a full day in St Petersburg or go out to Peterhof.

My view is Moscow like any city needs more than a handful of hours, take a separate trip to do it justice and not just a whistle stop tour.

I am always amazed at tourists who think they have 'done' London after a 1 day visit.

[maryogreen]

It is dependent on how you wish to spend your holiday / vacation time. If spending 8 hours plus on a train, plus transfer time to and from the ship, for a shorter time than this at your destination is it well spent?

Also what you are doing on the days around this as, the day after you are not likely to want to spend a full day in St Petersburg or go out to Peterhof.

My view is Moscow like any city needs more than a handful of hours, take a separate trip to do it justice and not just a whistle stop tour.

I am always amazed at tourists who think they have 'done' London after a 1 day visit.

 

In an ideal world, of course, it would be wonderful to have an infinite time and travel budget for separate trips to St.Petersburg, Moscow as well as the other wonderful Baltic ports. The question I would ask myself with this excursion is, "When will I ever have another chance to get to Moscow?"

 

I would never pretend to have "done" Moscow, but I can honestly say that I had a beyond-fabulous overview of that city. Standing in Red Square and seeing St. Basil's in person was an indescribable experience. Our tour happened to fall on my 60th birthday, and our dinner at Café Pushkin couldn't have been a more memorable way to celebrate.

 

I can tell you from my experience that the train ride was part of the journey and offered a chance to see a different perspective from the two large cities. I had expected that everyone would be sleeping on the ride back, but funnily enough, our train car was buzzing with energy. Traveling through the empty streets of St. Petersburg at midnight, with city lights ablaze along the Neva, was another perspective I would have missed.

 

The next morning we met our guide at 8 a.m. for a tour of the Hermitage, Church of the Spilled Blood and other key attractions. There's always time to rest on a sea day or when you get home :)

 

Mary

Travel Blog: http://www.themodernpostcard.com

[bissel]

I strongly agree with all you said about the train trip to Moscow, Mary. We will always remember Red Square and seeing a soldiers march in the Kremlin. The train was quite comfortable as well.

Our only drawback was the station upon midnight return to St Petersburg. It was as busy as Grand Central Terminal at rush hour. The pickpocketers were out in force, police were uninvolved, and the situation got physically very ugly with several people on our bus who were attacked. It was scary so people need to be on alert.

Such a memorable visit to Moscow!

[maryogreen]

bissel, I'm happy to hear you had a great excursion to Moscow as well...but what an ending! I remember that Moskovsky Station was surprisingly busy at midnight, but nothing threatening as you experienced. Thanks for the wise reminder to be aware of our surroundings – and possible pickpocketers – when traveling around any large city.

[JMARINER]

RJ2002: We are planning to upgrade to the first class car as it's available through Regent. Can't wait to go!

 

I did this trip on the Voyager about 2 years ago. First class upgrade was NOT available.

 

 

Everyone from our group, about 40 people, were assigned to one train car. We were told not to wander to other cars. The seats are 2x2. I wouldn't call the seats business, more like economy plus. Not much recline, but plenty of leg room. Really nothing much to see outside, bring a tablet or several paperbacks. There were no power outlets, so bring a backup battery pack. You can extra leave stuff on the bus while in Moscow.

 

 

I was glad I did the trip. But one and done. It is an exhausting one day trip.

 

J

[Pinksunset]

Thank you, maryogreen, for your blog with the beautiful pictures and notes! I don’t think I could physically handle that long day, but very much enjoyed you sharing your experience!

[maryogreen]

Pinksunset, thank you so much for the kind words. I'm really happy to know you enjoyed the blog!

[daetchief]

My LW and I did the Moscow excursion last August / Sep on the Explorer. I agree and parrot everyone's comments above. Since my wife has a bad knee - but thought she would tough it out for me; and the life experience - please allow me to warn you: The Moscow trip should be listed as a "FOUR" walking man excursion. [Regent's highest is 'three'] On our trip, the train car we were assigned in Saint Petersburg was one of the first cars in the train. That meant we had to walk up past 100 other cars to get to it. [That might be an exaggeration, or it might have been 10,000 cars!] Enjoyed the train ride. It was an immersion into the culture as much as any setting.

Once you arrive in Moscow it is a fairly easy walk to the first couple of venues; then comes the Kremlin! Think as though every cobble stone left in the universe was used with the walls of the Kremlin. The museum is breathtaking - but it is on three or four different levels and there is no elevator offered. I will forever be in love with my wife for her dedication to complete the 18 hour day. I will always be appreciative towards CD Andy Heath - who accompanied us on the trip and always kept an eye out for my wife and I so we wouldn't fall back too far. The train ride back was boring - it was dark and you didn't see anything out the windows. The seats are not made for sleeping.

All said and done. I think 'we' would do it again - just to absorb more of Moscow and solidify our understandings of their culture.