Planning notes
Russia itineraries: build a trip around one or two cities
These are sample structures for an independent visit. Choose dates only after checking entry permission, travel advice, transport and the venues you want to visit. There are no fixed departures or bookable packages on this page.
Two days focused on Moscow
Use the first day for the central area around Red Square and a walk chosen to suit your arrival time. Keep any interior visit separate in the plan: being able to reach a square does not mean you hold the ticket required for a museum.
For the second day, choose one major museum or collection rather than a list of unrelated stops. Confirm its opening day, admission arrangement and entrance, then put lunch and a shorter walk nearby. Our Moscow guide explains how to separate the Kremlin, Red Square and individual museum visits.
Three days focused on Saint Petersburg
Keep the arrival day light: a riverfront walk and the area around your accommodation. Place the museum you most want to see on a full day, with a confirmed ticket if required. Leave the remaining day flexible for another part of the centre or a second collection.
A palace outside the centre needs a separate transport calculation. Check the return as well as the outward trip, and do not assume a public park ticket includes every interior. See the Saint Petersburg planning guide.
A two-city trip
Join the two city plans only after finding a connection that works for your dates. Keep the transfer day free of a tightly timed museum entry. The sample above already uses five sightseeing days; adding a transfer means allowing another part of the schedule for travel.
If your available time is shorter, remove a destination or an activity. Travelling overnight is not automatically a rest day, and a delayed arrival should not make the whole itinerary fail.
Write down what can move
Put confirmed admissions and transport in one column, and optional walks in another. When weather or a connection changes, move the optional items first. Book directly with the provider after checking the exact product, cancellation conditions and payment method.