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Traveling to Russia and beyond

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  • 1. Visa
    • 1.1. Invitation to Russia
      • Should I indicate nights on the train in the application for an invitation letter or Russian visa?
      • Russian visa invitation. What is it and how to get it in 5 minutes?
      • How do I get the invitation to Russia if I’m staying with Airbnb?
      • How do I get the invitation to Russia if I’m making hotel reservations with Booking.com?
      • How do I get the invitation to Russia if I travel on a cruise ship?
      • Can I modify my invitation to Russia if it contains some incorrect information?
    • 1.2. Russian visa in Australia, USA and Canada
      • Australia
      • Visa free to Russia
      • Russian visa abroad
      • Transit visa
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      • Visa Free St. Petersburg cruise
      • Private visa
      • Change/Extend Russian visa
      • Russian visa rejected
      • Business visa
      • E-Visa Russia
      • USA
      • Canada
    • 1.3. Russian visa in China, Japan and India
      • Russian visa abroad
      • Visa Free St. Petersburg cruise
      • Russian visa rejected
      • Russian Consulates and Visa Centers
      • Visa free to Russia
      • Change/Extend Russian visa
      • E-Visa Russia
      • China
      • Private visa
      • Transit visa
      • Business visa
    • 1.4. Russian visa in European countries
      • Russian visa abroad
      • Visa Free St. Petersburg cruise
      • Russian visa rejected
      • Russian Consulates and Visa Centers
      • Visa free to Russia
      • Change/Extend Russian visa
      • E-Visa Russia
      • The Netherlands
      • Sweden
      • Norway
      • Lithuania
      • Latvia
      • Finland
      • Estonia
      • Denmark
      • Czechia
      • Private visa
      • Transit visa
      • Business visa
    • 1.5. Registration and immigration
      • Registration in Russia: What it is and how it is done
      • Russian airports: Immigration card and customs formalities
    • 1.6. Visa to China, India and post-Soviet states
      • How to travel to Belarus without a visa (visa-free) and with visa
      • How to obtain a Chinese Visa in an easy and cost-effective way
      • How to apply for the electronic visa to Uzbekistan (e-Visa)
      • How to Get a Chinese Visa Online
      • How to get an e-Visa to India online: Step-by-step guide
  • 2. Transport
    • 2.1. Arriving by plane
      • How to go from Pulkovo Airport to St. Petersburg
      • How to go from the airport to the center of Moscow or the Red Square
      • How to find the cheapest flights to Moscow and St. Petersburg
      • Russian airports: Immigration card and customs formalities
    • 2.2. Russian trains
      • Trains in Russia: How to buy tickets on-line without the middle-man
      • Traveling between Moscow and St. Petersburg: Which is the best way?
      • Train stations in Russia: luggage storage, Wi-Fi and other services
    • 2.3. Metro, bus and taxi
      • How to use the Moscow Metro and what stations to visit
      • Moscow’s Troika Card: paying all public transport costs with a card
      • How to catch a taxi in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, or in other Russian cities
      • St. Petersburg’s Public transport: the Podorozhnik card
      • Traveling by bus through Russia (and how to buy tickets online)
    • 2.4. Car rental
      • Is it worth to rent a car in Russia? Recommendations and requirements
  • 3. Sleep and eat
    • 3.1. Accommodation in Russia
      • Accommodations in Russia: How to choose and where to make a reservation cheaply
      • Ostrovok: the best alternative to Booking.com
    • 3.2. Restaurants in Russia
      • Where to eat in Moscow: from Teremok to Café Pushkin
      • How to book a restaurant in Moscow, St. Petersburg or other Russian cities
      • What do you eat in Russia? Typical dishes and Russian restaurants
  • 4. Destinations
    • 4.1. Moscow
      • What is the Moscow Kremlin and how to buy tickets online
      • How to use the Moscow Metro and what stations to visit
      • Shopping in Moscow: from GUM to Izmailovo market
      • Official tourist maps of Moscow (PDF)
      • Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow: tickets and guided tours
      • The Free Visit to the Lenin Mausoleum in Moscow
      • Moscow’s Troika Card: paying all public transport costs with a card
      • Where to eat in Moscow: from Teremok to Café Pushkin
      • St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow. Visits, tickets and schedules
      • Russia Travel itineraries: Big capitals, the Trans-Siberian Route and the Golden Ring
      • Places to enjoy the best views of Moscow
      • How to buy tickets for the Russian circus in Moscow and St. Petersburg
      • Russian Folklore Shows in Moscow and St. Petersburg
      • Guided tours in Moscow: by foot, by bicycle, by boat, or by tour bus?
      • What to see and do in Moscow in 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 days
      • Moscow Tourist Information Offices
      • Flight Stopover in Moscow: What to See and How to Obtain a Transit Visa
      • Moscow in Space: from the Museum of Cosmonautics to the Planetarium
      • What is a Russian banya and why you should visit it
      • The Seven Sisters of Moscow: The Stalinist Skyscrapers secrets
      • The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour of Moscow: you will not believe its story
      • What to see in Red Square in Moscow (and best things to do)
      • Novodevichy Convent (and cemetery), one of my favorite places in Moscow
      • Star City Moscow, where the cosmonauts live – What to see inside?
      • Moscow City: Skyscrapers & Observation Decks (You can go up to enjoy for its views)
      • Traveling to Moscow with children: What to see and do as a family
      • The Tretyakov Gallery: Russian art like you’ve never seen before
      • VDNH (VDNKh), my favorite park in Moscow: Back to the USSR!
    • 4.2. St Petersburg
      • The Hermitage of St. Petersburg: What to see and how to avoid queues
      • Catherine’s Palace in St. Petersburg: how to buy tickets online
      • Russia Travel itineraries: Big capitals, the Trans-Siberian Route and the Golden Ring
      • How to buy tickets for the Russian circus in Moscow and St. Petersburg
      • Russian Folklore Shows in Moscow and St. Petersburg
      • The Palaces and Gardens of Peterhof, a must-go site in St. Petersburg
      • The main cathedrals of St. Petersburg: Tickets and schedules
      • Opera and ballet in St. Petersburg: Where to go and how to buy tickets
      • What to see and do in St. Petersburg in 1, 2, 3 or 4 days
      • St. Petersburg’s Public transport: the Podorozhnik card
      • The Church of the Savior in St. Petersburg: How to buy tickets and schedules
      • Saint Isaac’s Cathedral in St. Petersburg: how to buy tickets and schedules
      • What is a Russian banya and why you should visit it
      • Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg: Guide to not get lost
      • White Nights of St. Petersburg: When the city doesn’t sleep
      • Essential tourist maps of St. Petersburg (PDF and JPG)
      • Visiting St. Petersburg on a cruise without a visa (visa-free) and with a tourist visa
      • Drawbridges (and Pedestrian Bridges) of St. Petersburg: Schedules and Recommendations
    • 4.3. Trans-Siberian
      • Organizing a Trans-Siberian Train Trip
      • Russia Travel itineraries: Big capitals, the Trans-Siberian Route and the Golden Ring
      • What is a Russian banya and why you should visit it
      • What to see (and do) at Lake Baikal between Irkutsk and Ulan-Ude
      • Yekaterinburg, where Europe and Asia come together
      • Next stop: Novosibirsk. Welcome to Siberia!
    • 4.4. The Golden Ring of Russia
      • The Golden Ring of Russia: from Sergiyev Posad to Suzdal
    • 4.5. Veliky Novgorod
      • Trip to Veliky Novgorod: the birthplace of Russia
    • 4.6. Kazan
      • The Kazan Kremlin: it will captivate you
  • 5. Practicalities
    • 5.1. Ruble exchange and prices
      • Where is it better to change Australian dollars for rubles?
      • How to send money to Russia: WesterUnion, PayPal or TransferWise?
      • Is Russia an expensive or cheap country to travel? Tips to reduce expenses
      • How to request a VAT refund in Russia (Tax Free)
      • How to pay for purchases in Russia without losing money in ruble exchange?
    • 5.2. Weather, health and safety
      • Is Russia a safe country for tourists? Travel tips
      • When is the best time to travel to Russia (and which clothes to wear)
      • What is a Russian banya and why you should visit it
    • 5.3. Telephone and Internet
      • How to buy a Russian SIM card for your smartphone (online or in a store)
    • 5.4. Russian products
      • Which souvenirs to buy in Russia? From Matrioskas to Cheburashka
      • 15 maps that will give you a better insight of Russia
      • Traveling to Russia with a travel agency or on your own? What is better?
Home › 2. Transport › 2.2. Russian trains ›

Trains in Russia: How to buy tickets on-line without the middle-man

Posted on: 12.23.15 | by Irena Domingo

In this tutorial, I explain how you can shop online, without the middle-man, and purchase your own train tickets to travel in Russia through the official website of Russian Railways RZD, the state-owned Russian rail transport company.

Trains in Russia - How to buy tickets on-line without the middle-man 1

In recent years, private intermediary companies have proliferated online, offering tickets for rail travel in Russia, from Moscow to St. Petersburg, Siberian, etc.

However, the cheapest way to do this is by avoiding intermediaries altogether and instead purchasing your own tickets through the official website of the national rail company Russian Railways (RZD).

Until recently, the website for RZD was only available in Russian, but it is now available in English as well.

In this post, I offer a simple tutorial on how to buy a roundtrip ticket between Moscow and St. Petersburg on the classic Red Arrow train. However, the reservation process is the same for whatever trip you choose throughout Russia’s extensive territory.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

  • PRELIMINARY STEP: Registration
  • STEP 1: Select your itinerary
  • STEP 2: Select your train
  • STEP 3: Select your seat
  • STEP 4: Passenger information
  • STEP 5: Confirm your information
  • STEP 6: Pay for your reservation
  • Web sites that sell tickets online with low commission rates

PRELIMINARY STEP: Registration

As a preliminary step, before beginning the process of purchasing tickets, you’ll need to register as a user on RZD’s website.

To do this, you must go to the website: https://pass.rzd.ru/selfcare/register/en and complete the form with your personal information. In this screenshot, you can see a simple example:

Trains in Russia - How to buy tickets on-line - Registration 2

Once you submit the form and create your account, you will receive an email that will prompt you to confirm your registration in order to complete this process. Once your account is verified, you can log in to the RZD website with your username and password through the link: https://pass.rzd.ru/timetable/logon/en

STEP 1: Select your itinerary

Once you have an account and have accessed the website, the first step is to head to the English language search form, which is located here: http://pass.rzd.ru/main-pass/public/in.

On this form, under the”Departure” and “Arrival” fields, you can easily select from amongst the major Russian cities(Moscow, St-Petersburg, Petrozavodsk, Nizhny Novgorod, etc.) or other countries (Kiev, Minsk,etc.) listed with a single click.

Between the departure and arrival fields, there is a button with two arrows that can change the direction of your trip with a single click. Once you have selected the outbound trip and/or the return trip as well as the dates, you can click the button to purchase your tickets.

You will have to provide information on the number of passengers traveling with you and your own personal data later on in this process.

In the following example, I have chosen a round trip from Moscow to St. Petersburg:

Trains in Russia - How to buy tickets on-line - Select itinerary Moscow - St. Petersburg 3

STEP 2: Select your train

When you click “Buy ticket”, all available trains will appear for the selected route.

For example, to make the journey from Moscow to St. Petersburg, you can choose from a variety of different trains, among which are the high-speed day train “Sapsan” (“САПСАН”) that only takes about 4 hours, and the night train “Red Arrow” (“Красная стрела”), which has compartments with sleeping berths and makes the journey in about 8 hours (from 23:55 until 7:55 am).

In the following screenshot, I chose the “Red Arrow” train, which is train number 001A (for the journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow) and number 002A (for the return journey from Moscow to St. Petersburg):

Trains in Russia - How to buy tickets on-line - Select Train Red Arrow Moscow - St. Petersburg 4 bis

STEP 3: Select your seat

On the next screen you can see the different types of train compartments.

The “Red Arrow” train has three types of compartments:

  • Compartment (2nd class Kupe). This is a standard compartment for four people, including two lower and two upper berths, or beds. The compartments located at the beginning and end of each train car (next to the Water Closet) are for two people. This is the most economical option (see photo below).
  • Soft (1st class). This compartment has a higher level of comfort for two people and has two bunk beds. This type of compartment is more expensive.
  • Luxury. Luxury compartment with room for two people with a private bathroom, television,

Compartment Train Read Arrow Moscow - St. PetersburgYou must select the type of compartment and click on “Car Plan” to select the location of the seats. In the screenshot below I chose four seats in a standard compartment for four people (17 to 20). They are marked in dark blue (the orange shape is the table in the compartment).

The squares marked in gray are already reserved. The white squares are the available seats. Once you have selected seats in the same compartment, click the “Save” button to continue with the booking process.

Trains in Russia - How to buy tickets on-line - Select seat Moscow - St. Petersburg 5

STEP 4: Passenger information

The next step is to enter the personal details of all passengers (name, passport number, place and date of birth, etc.) and the rate:

  • Full The normal rate for an adult
  • Child. The rate for a child (5-10 years old)
  • Baby without seat. The rate for a child without a seat (up to 5 years and only 1 child per passenger)

Once you have completed all the data correctly, the message “Data For This Passenger Entered Correctly” appears. If you need to include more passengers you have to click “Add” (to add passenger).

You also have the option of purchasing cancellation insurance, but it is in Russian.

Trains in Russia - How to buy tickets on-line - Passengers Information - Moscow - St. Petersburg 6

STEP 5: Confirm your information

Your origin and destination, date and time of your trip, and your personal data have all been entered and now it is almost time to pay; the next screen will summarize how your booking data will appear.

If everything is correct, you should tick the box to confirm that you agree with the conditions of the reservation (“I confirm that …”). If something appears to be incorrect, you can always go back in the booking process by clicking the “Back” button.

Trains in Russia - How to buy tickets on-line - Confirm Reserve - Moscow - St. Petersburg 7

STEP 6: Pay for your reservation

The last step of the booking process is to pay for your reservation via credit card, which is the only payment method that is accepted. You must enter your credit card information and click the OK button

Trains in Russia - How to buy tickets on-line - Pay Reservation - Moscow - St. Petersburg 8

The system automatically generates electronic tickets and will forward them to your e-mail, ready to print. Your tickets are also available and accessible via your account on the RZD website.

An example of a Russian train ticket, with the personal data deleted, is below:

Example Russian Train Ticket Moscow - St. Petersburg 9

Web sites that sell tickets online with low commission rates

There are many websites that sell train tickets for the Red Arrow, Grand Express, Trans-Siberian, etc. Many of them apply abusive commissions so you have to pay attention to the prices they charge.

I always recommend buying tickets online on the RZD website, however, there are those that cannot complete the reservation process on RZD because their card does not work. In this case, I recommend Tutu Travel for buying tickets. Through this web site (also in English), you are also buying tickets directly on RZD, but there is a small commission (350 – 550 rubles per ticket).

If you want to pay via Paypal, then you can make your reservation through the website Russiantrain, although the commission with be a little higher, however:

  • They can advise you in English on the purchase of tickets more complicated as the different routes of the Trans-Siberian
  • You can purchase tickets with more than 45 days in advance (in RZD you can buy the tickets between 30 and 45 days in advance)
  • You can purchase tickets for international trains (RZD not always allows purchasing international tickets coming out of the Russian border as the Trans-Siberian railway)

Russian train tickets

 

 

I hope this tutorial has helped you book your train tickets to travel in Russia online.

 

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Categories: 2.2. Russian trains

Plan your trip to Russia online in 10 steps in an easy way

Steps Days in advance Links
1 Plane tickets 60 days Find cheap flights with Momondo
2 Visa application 30-45 days Fill out the online application
Get the invitation to Russia online
Buy travel insurance
3 Train tickets 30-45 days Use the official website of RZD
4 Accommodation 30 days Book accommodation with free cancellation
5 Museum tickets 15-30 days Kremlin, Hermitage and Peterhof
6 Guided tours (Skip the Line) 15-30 days Excursions and activities in Russia
7 Shows tickets 15-30 days Bolshoi and Mariinsky Opera
Russian National Dance Show and Russian Folk
8 Exchange Russian Rubles 7 days Currency Exchange with Travelex
9 Restaurants 5 days Book online with Resto.ru
10 Taxis 2-3 days Book online with KiwiTaxi

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About the Author

Irena Domingo's avatar

Hello, my name is Irena. I was born in Russia in 1974 during the Soviet era. I worked as a Russian teacher and as a translator and interpreter for the past 15 years. One of my main hobbies is traveling. Therefore, through this blog I want to help those people who want to travel to Russia.

Hey! I’m Irena Domingo

I was born in Russia in 1974 during the Soviet era. I started this blog with one goal: to create the most complete guide ever written to travel to Russia and beyond!

I want to know about …

  • 1. Visa
    • 1.1. Invitation to Russia
    • 1.2. Russian visa in Australia, USA and Canada
    • 1.3. Russian visa in China, Japan and India
    • 1.4. Russian visa in European countries
    • 1.5. Registration and immigration
    • 1.6. Visa to China, India and post-Soviet states
  • 2. Transport
    • 2.1. Arriving by plane
    • 2.2. Russian trains
    • 2.3. Metro, bus and taxi
    • 2.4. Car rental
  • 3. Sleep and eat
    • 3.1. Accommodation in Russia
    • 3.2. Restaurants in Russia
  • 4. Destinations
    • 4.1. Moscow
    • 4.2. St Petersburg
    • 4.3. Trans-Siberian
    • 4.4. The Golden Ring of Russia
    • 4.5. Veliky Novgorod
    • 4.6. Kazan
  • 5. Practicalities
    • 5.1. Ruble exchange and prices
    • 5.2. Weather, health and safety
    • 5.3. Telephone and Internet
    • 5.4. Russian products

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Recent Posts

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