Visa free visiting Moscow from SPB
 

I am going to take St Peter Line ferry into St Petersburg visa free. Within that 72 hours, I hope to do a day trip to Moscow without a local travel agent. Has anyone done this? I plan to take train to/ from Moscow. Is visa required boarding a train? If not, what type of ID is required?

Thanks!

Without knowing your nationality, no one can answer this question. However, many nationalities, such as citizens from the USA, are required to have a Visa for entry into Russia.

Exceptions are made for some nationalities entering into Russia if they can provide a contract hiring a guide to meet them at the border.

However, you should check with a Russian Embassy or Consulate for clarification before your trip.

I believe that this is not possible based on enquiries made by a friend a couple of years ago - but you can always ask again. (He was told he had to get a regular visa.)

Plus taking 2.5 days out of a 3 day trip to St Pet makes little sense to me (esp considering how much I preferred St Pet).

Probably a moot point now - hx88 found my trip report on the visa-free journey I took last June and has since discovered that the St. Peter Line has dropped one of its ferries and that the 3 day visa-free trip I did last year will no longer possible, until another ferry arrangement comes into being.

Moscow is a great city- much older and more interesting than SP- it is huge and
several hours by train from SP.
I don' think my visa was checked when boarding the train in SP, but you better
make sure.

Thanks everyone for the replies! I still hope St Peter Line could realize the importance of 72 hours stay for their business and thus adapt their schedule to meet the needs of such travelers. 2017 bookings should open very soon.

Even if the 3 day stay in St Petersburg on St Petersline will be available again, I would not recommend doing such a trip if it's your first time to Russia and you have only 72 hours in St Petersburg. 3 days are only enough to see the basics in St Petersburg, nothing else. Rushing to Moscow for a day trip you will spend a lot of time getting there even if you take a speed train and will end up seeing neither Moscow nor St Petersburg properly. I love to travel myself and am always trying to see as much as possible, but sometimes beeing too greedy is a bad idea :)

@hx88, did you end up doing the Moscow trip? I'm interested in the same and wanted the overnight option to maximize time. I see that all these people are trying to persuade against it, but I see the appeal of a quick trip to Moscow. Some tour companies I have been in touch with said its possible with a drop off at the train station, they do not accompany on the train, and then meeting at Moscow to continue the tour. I also heard from a Russian that visas were not checked on Sapsan, but she is Russian so I don't know.. maybe random checking.