🇷🇺 Russia Twin Cities 10-Day 9-Night Free Travel Guide ✈️

DAY 1 Shanghai → Beijing → Moscow (Hainan Airlines) Arrive at Moscow airport, apply for YooMoney 🏦, take a Yandex Go taxi to the hotel 🚖 DAY 2 Red Square Day Tour: GUM Department Store → Lenin's Mausoleum → St. Basil's Cathedral → Moscow River → Kremlin (Armory Museum, Diamond Fund) → Tomb of the Unknown Soldier → Dinner at The Bull (next to GUM) 🥩 DAY 3 Red Square + Arbat Street Day Tour: Aviapark Mall → Red Square → Arbat Street → Dinner at Frank by Basta (Arbat Street branch) 🍽️ → Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs → Novoarbatskiy Bridge 🌉 💡 Tips: Our itinerary is relaxed—not chasing must-see spots, just strolling around the city. Moscow also has the Armed Forces Museum, but it’s in the suburbs. We skipped it due to distance. For souvenirs like chocolates and fridge magnets, avoid GUM or Arbat Street—go to Magnit or Lenta supermarkets in St. Petersburg instead! Prices are half or less. YooMoney is highly recommended—easy to get at the Moscow airport, takes <10 mins. Exchange currency: I recommend bringing only 10,000 RUB in cash from China, then exchange more at Moscow banks. Many on Xiaohongshu suggest Perviy Bank (blue sign) in GUM—we tried it, rate was good, but there are many branches. Just pick the nearest one! DAY 4 Moscow → St. Petersburg: Taxi to Leningradsky Station → 4-hour high-speed train 🚄 → Arrive at Moskovsky Station in St. Petersburg → Casual stroll along Nevsky Prospect → Dinner at Bolshaya Kukhnya (5F, Galeria Mall) → Check in at hotel 🏨 DAY 5 Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood → Dom Knigi (historic bookstore) → Kazan Cathedral → European supermarket + dinner → Nevsky Prospect city walk 🚶♂️ → Return to hotel DAY 6 The Hermitage Museum (3-4 hours) → Dinner at The Repa → Watch ballet at Mariinsky Theatre 🩰 → Supermarket shopping + Nevsky Prospect night walk → Return to hotel DAY 7 Catherine Palace (2 hours) → St. Isaac's Cathedral → Amber jewelry shopping 💎 → Return to hotel DAY 8 Hermitage Modern Art Branch (2 hours) → Lunch at Suliko → Alexander Garden waterfront walk → Peter and Paul Fortress → Finland Gulf cruise 🚢 DAY 9 Nevsky Prospect souvenir shopping 🛍️ → Taxi to airport ✈️ → Beijing transfer → Peking duck at Sanlitun 🦆 → Nanluoguxiang → Return to Shanghai 💡 Tips: This itinerary was made up as we went—I often decided the next day’s plan the night before! We prefer a leisure-paced trip. Most attractions in St. Pete’s are near Nevsky Prospect, so you can adjust based on your interests and energy. For details on hotels, SIM cards, restaurants, train bookings, etc., check out my other posts! 👀 #DifferentKindOfRussia #TravelRussia #MoscowTravel #StPetersburgTravel #RussiaFreeTravel