Flying in and out of Moscow on a first trip to Russia. With June 24 as a low key rest day and July 3 as a travel day, how best to spend the remaining 7 days? My main thoughts are Moscow, St. P, and the Golden Ring towns. I don't want to waste lots of time sitting on trains, but I want to see as much as I can. This fell together at the last minute, so I need to get the visa process started yesterday, and for that I think I need an itinerary...

There are night trains from Moscow to St Pete if you don't want to travel during the day. Sorry, don't have details, our kids took that train.

Seven days is really short, there's so much to see in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Rather than trying to fit in the Golden Ring, you could stop in Novgorod between Moscow and St. Petersburg, it makes a nice contrast to the bigger cities.

For train info see: http://www.seat61.com/Russia-trains.htm

Do you have your visa?

The visa process is the most critical thing, although urgent tourist visas can be issued, they are more expensive. There are couple holidays in June where the Russian consulate will be closed too, which gives you less time for an application.

Since you are are short of time, take a flight from Moscow to St Pet, or take an overnight train for the experience. It's easy to walk around St Pet to see what you need to see. but remember, it will be White Nights which is a popular time to visit so hotels, flights and trains etc might be quite full.

I don't think you have time for the Golden Ring towns as there is so much to see in Moscow and St Pet for 7 days. I loved Novgorod and at this time of the year, it will be beautiful. Definitely try to see it.

You don;t have time for the Golden Ring AND Moscow AND St Pet. We spend 5 days in St Pet and it wasn't enough, ditto Moscow.

As for your Visa - you need to look into an espedited one tomorrow - AND the last time we did this we had to have "invitations" from the hotels we had reserved and paid for before we could submit the visa application (which was coded by the hotels we would be staying in). Not sure this is still the case, but I think so. That is - NOT an itinerary, but prepaid hotel or lodgings "invitation".

Thank you everyone! In view of your sensible advice, I am thinking Moscow June 24-28, St. Pete June 29-July 2, spend a night at the airport(?) and fly out at 11 a.m. July 3. Novgorod can be a day trip from St. Pete, right?
About the visa: argh. Is the info on waytorussia.com accurate? They say they can get me an invitation without my having to pay for my hotels ahead. You just select the name of the hotel from a list. Is this legit? I sure hope so, because we are having trouble booking apartments/hotels quickly...I hope this comes together, since my fare is nonrefundable!
Normally I am much more of a planner.

And thank you Odin for the idea of flying to St. Pete. That is exactly what I'm planning.

Novgorod is only feasible to visit if you were going on the train to/from Moscow. As a daytrip from St Pete it's too far. Look at closer excursions around the Gulf of Finland.

You only have 4 days in St Pet. Once you include day trips via train or boat to Tsarskoye Selo (Pushkin) and Peterhof you will have barely time to hit highlights in the city center.

I haven't used waytorussia, but they've been around a long time. I would have no hesitation in using them. However, check with them on the requirements for registering your visa in Russia, I haven't kept up with that.