As the crow flies, 636 kms separate two Russian Icons Moscow and St Petersburg. But the superfast Sapsan train, named after the world’s speediest bird, darts between them in as little as 3.5 hours. Before 2009, you’d trundle on the overnight train between Russia’s capital Moscow and its former capital St Petersburg to avoid losing daylight hours. Since then, the Sapsan – Russian for peregrine falcon – has propelled passengers from one city centre to the other in no time at all. For travellers today, this means squeezing in that trip to ‘Piter’ or Moscow is a breeze. You won’t waste time on a sleeper train or by schlepping out to city-fringe airports. True, the flight between cities is just over an hour, but think of the cab fares you save, the security checks you skip … and those airline queues!

On each train, there are usually 10 carriages and six categories to choose from: economy, economy plus (economy with a sandwich and drink included), dining, business, first class and a conference car. Apart from dining, the other categories speak for themselves. Much like air travel you get what you pay for but with more room to stretch out or stretch your legs. Economy carriages feature 64 seats in spacious two-by-two configurations. Food and drinks are not included but you can buy them from the snacks trolley, restaurant car or BYO. What is included are TVs throughout the carriages, playing classic Russian movies if you tire of the scenery (unlikely!) and want to tune in. Book into the dining category (restaurant car) and you’ll join a maximum of 39 other passengers in similar comfort but seated four around each table. One for foodies, the dining ticket price includes a budget of roughly $50 AUD  to order off the menu and fuel you on your travels. You keep your spot in the restaurant car throughout your journey.