One Week in St Petersburg and Moscow

For only seven days, I’d split it 4 nights St Petersburg / 3 nights Moscow. That gives enough time for the two essential St Petersburg day trips without reducing Moscow to just Red Square.

Day 1 — Arrive in St Petersburg

Stay somewhere central around Nevsky Prospekt or near the canals so most of the historic centre is walkable.

Spend the afternoon and evening getting your bearings:

• Palace Square
• Alexander Garden
• Nevsky Prospekt
• Kazan Cathedral
• Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood
• Walk along the canals and across some of the city’s beautiful arched bridges
• Dinner somewhere around the historic centre
• Evening canal or Neva River cruise if you still have energy

Day 2 — Winter Palace and the Hermitage

Give the State Hermitage Museum most of the morning. The museum complex includes the magnificent former Winter Palace, so allow at least 3–4 hours rather than trying to rush through it.

Afterwards:

• Palace Embankment
• St Isaac’s Cathedral
• Bronze Horseman
• Wander the canals and markets
• Try some Russian food and an infused vodka

This is a good day to leave relatively unstructured because central St Petersburg is excellent for simply walking.

Day 3 — Peterhof Palace

Take the hydrofoil from central St Petersburg to Peterhof if travelling during the operating season. It takes about 40 minutes and arrives directly at the Lower Park. (Visit Petersburg)

Spend most of the day exploring:

• Grand Palace
• Grand Cascade
• Samson Fountain
• Lower Gardens
• Smaller fountains and pavilions
• Gulf of Finland waterfront

Peterhof deserves most of a day. Don’t try to combine it with Catherine Palace.

Day 4 — Catherine Palace & Tsarskoye Selo

Travel to Pushkin/Tsarskoye Selo for the spectacular Catherine Palace.

The highlights are:

• enormous blue-and-gold Baroque façade
• Great Hall
• Golden Enfilade
• recreated Amber Room
• Catherine Park and its pavilions

The palace was badly damaged during WWII and extensively reconstructed; 32 of its 58 destroyed halls have now been recreated. (Visit Petersburg)

Return to St Petersburg for your final evening.

Day 5 — Fast Train to Moscow

Take a morning train to Moscow, check into a central hotel and spend the rest of the day around the city’s most famous sights.

Start with:

• Red Square
• St Basil’s Cathedral — absolutely go inside rather than just photographing it
• GUM department store
• Nikolskaya Street
• Alexander Garden
• Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and changing of the guard
• Bolshoi Theatre from outside

Finish back at Red Square after dark. It is worth seeing twice because it feels completely different illuminated at night.

Day 6 — The Kremlin

Make this your major Moscow history day.

Book the Moscow Kremlin and Armoury Chamber ahead rather than relying on tickets on arrival. The Kremlin museums are currently closed on Thursdays, so swap Days 6 and 7 if necessary. (Kremlin Museum)

Inside, concentrate on:

• Cathedral Square
• Assumption Cathedral — where Russian rulers were crowned
• Archangel Cathedral — burial place of many Russian rulers
• Annunciation Cathedral
• Ivan the Great Bell Tower
• Tsar Cannon
• enormous Tsar Bell
• Armoury Chamber — imperial crowns, thrones, royal carriages, weapons, jewellery and treasures

Allow most of the day. The Kremlin currently recommends arriving at least 45 minutes before your session because of queues and security. (Kremlin Museum)

If open and accessible, visit Lenin’s Mausoleum separately while you are around Red Square.

Day 7 — The Other Moscow

Spend your final day seeing Moscow beyond the Kremlin.

Start at Zaryadye Park, then follow the river towards:

• Cathedral of Christ the Saviour
• Muzeon Park of Arts — including the collection of displaced Soviet-era statues
• enormous Peter the Great Monument
• Gorky Park

Walk, hire bikes or scooters through Gorky Park if available.

If you prefer more history, substitute some of this with the Leo Tolstoy Estate Museum.

Finish with dinner in central Moscow and one final walk through Red Square.

Would I add another day trip?

With 9–10 days, I’d add Sergiev Posad from Moscow for its spectacular Trinity Lavra monastery complex, and give Moscow another relaxed day.

I would not currently recommend an Australian traveller book it. As of August 2026, Smartraveller’s advice for Russia is Do Not Travel, citing the security situation, risk of arbitrary detention or arrest, drone attacks near Moscow and St Petersburg, and possible disruption to departure routes