10-DAY RUSSIA MOTORCYCLE ROAD TOUR

Russia is huge, and Russia has thousands of years of history — a melting pot of local tribes and native clans mixed with people descending from the Chinese, Mongols, European and Nordic peoples. To pretend we could cover a country that size completely on a 10-day motorcycle tour would be nonsense, and we do not try. Instead, we have deliberately focused our Russia tour on the ride between its two impressive and important cultural and historic centers — Moscow and Saint Petersburg — because they are the perfect introduction to Russia.

That focus is what makes this route work on two wheels. The highlights read like a greatest-hits list of western Russia: Moscow itself, the Kremlin and Red Square, Peterhof and the Hermitage, Saint Petersburg, the beautiful Russian countryside and its villages, local Russian cuisine and BBQ, and a fishing and boat tour on Lake Derbovezh. Red Square is arguably Moscow's most visited attraction and the place where most of the city's history unfolded throughout the centuries; Moscow as a whole is one of the most vibrant European capitals, a powerful mix of history and edginess full of world-famous sites. And Saint Petersburg has so much to offer — from literary tours to famous cats — that we dedicate a full non-riding day to doing, seeing and eating the best of this iconic city together.

But the cities are only half of the argument. What a motorcycle adds — and what no train or coach between the two capitals can give you — is everything in between: the ferry across the Volga River, the Golden Ring towns, Seliger Lake and Valday National Park, ancient Novgorod, historic Pskov, and a countryside house in Pechory. Our route strings all of it into one loop, so you experience Russia's showcase cities and its village life on the same trip.

We publish a terrain profile for every tour so you can match the route to your skills before you book. Russia rates 5% off-road, 70% comfort and 100% fun — in plain words, this is a road tour. Around 95% of the riding is on pavement, which is why the tour carries "ROAD TOUR" in its name rather than "adventure": if you are a confident street rider, this route is well within reach. Tours like Namibia are the ones we build specifically for experienced dirt and enduro riders — western Russia is not one of them.

Six of the ten days are riding days, covering roughly 2,285 km in total, and the distances are honest, satisfying stints rather than marathon slogs: 410 km from Moscow to Tver, the longest day at 490 km from Tver through the Seliger and Valday lake country to Novgorod, a short 230 km hop into Saint Petersburg, 350 km down to Pechory, 430 km across to Lake Derbovezh, and a final 375 km run back into Moscow. The 70% comfort score reflects how those days are supported: nine nights of accommodation, all breakfasts included, fuel and road tolls covered, and a local guide with a support vehicle traveling alongside the group the entire way while a professional multilingual tour leader rides with you.

The rhythm of the itinerary matters as much as the kilometers. We never ride on arrival or departure days — day one is fly-in, hotel transfer and briefing, day ten is fly-out — and both capital cities get a full sightseeing day off the bike. That means the six riding days sit inside the trip like chapters, each one ending somewhere worth being: a Volga ferry crossing and Golden Ring towns on the way to Tver, lakes and a national park on the way to Novgorod, canals and palaces waiting in Saint Petersburg, and a Russian countryside house, a sauna and a fishing lake in the back half of the loop.

The tour opens and closes in Moscow, with airport transfers from and to Moscow International Airport (SVO) included on the official arrival and departure days. Day one is arrival, rest, a welcome meeting, and a walk and dinner near the Kremlin — the briefing that sets up everything that follows. Day two stays in Moscow for sightseeing: the historic GUM, Saint Basil's Cathedral and Arbat Street.

Day three is the first riding day, 410 km from Moscow to Tver through Kalazin and Dubna, with the ferry across the Volga River and the Golden Ring towns along the way. Day four is the big one — 490 km from Tver past Seliger Lake and through Valday National Park to ancient Novgorod. Day five is the shortest, 230 km from Novgorod into Saint Petersburg, where canals, palaces and churches take over from the open road.

Day six is Saint Petersburg without the bikes: the Peterhof fountains, Palace Square and Nevsky Prospect. Then the loop turns for home through a much quieter Russia. Day seven runs 350 km from Saint Petersburg to Pechory with a visit to Pskov on the way, ending in a countryside house. Day eight covers 430 km to Lake Derbovezh, where the program is fishing, boats, sauna and nature — the part of the tour where Russian village life, local cuisine and BBQ do the entertaining. Day nine is the final riding day, 375 km back to Moscow and the farewell dinner; day ten is the airport transfer out.

Russia rewards riders who get off the bike, and the itinerary builds that in. These are the cultural anchors of the tour, day by day:

• Moscow (days 1–2 and 9–10). The tour opens with a walk and dinner near the Kremlin, then a full sightseeing day taking in Red Square's neighbors — the historic GUM, Saint Basil's Cathedral — and the famous Arbat Street, before the loop returns for the farewell dinner at the end.
• The Volga and the Golden Ring (day 3). The ride to Tver crosses the Volga River by ferry and passes through Kalazin, Dubna and the Golden Ring towns — historic Russia at riding pace.
• Seliger Lake and Valday National Park (day 4). The longest riding day is also the greenest: lake country and protected parkland on the way to Novgorod.
• Novgorod (day 4–5). A night in one of Russia's most ancient cities before the short run north.
• Saint Petersburg (days 5–7). Two nights and a full day in the imperial capital: the Peterhof fountains, Palace Square, Nevsky Prospect, and the canals, palaces and churches that greet you the moment you ride in.
• Pskov and Pechory (day 7). A visit to historic Pskov, then a night in a Pechory countryside house — the counterpoint to the palaces.
• Lake Derbovezh (day 8–9). Fishing, a boat tour, a sauna and unhurried nature, with local Russian cuisine and BBQ — for many riders the most Russian day of the whole trip.

Group activities and entry fees for these stops are included in the tour price, so there is no ticket-counter arithmetic along the way — when the group walks into Peterhof, everyone walks in.

The motorcycles. The base bike is the BMW F750GS, included in the tour price. If you prefer more displacement, three upgrades are available: the BMW F900GS for +$499, the BMW R1250GS for +$699, or the flagship BMW R1300GS for +$799. All bikes are latest-model, professionally maintained machines, and a damage and theft liability reduction insurance plus mandatory third-party liability insurance are already included. A refundable security deposit on your credit card is required to take the bike out, sized according to the rental bike you choose.

The group. We keep Russia deliberately small: minimum 5 riders, maximum 10, led by a certified multilingual tour leader with a local guide and support vehicle alongside. Riding two-up? The Add Pillion/Passenger option (+$2,999) covers your co-rider. Accommodation is in shared rooms by default, with a single-room upgrade available for +$799.

What the price covers. The tour starts at $5,499 per rider on the BMW F750GS in a shared room. That includes 9 nights of accommodation, all breakfasts, fuel and road tolls, airport transfers from and to Moscow International Airport (SVO) on official arrival and departure days, group activities and entry fees, a pre-tour preparation guide and briefing, up to 25% discount on riding gear and accessories from our partners Klim, Giant Loop and Mosko Moto, a MotoDreamer apparel gift, and all taxes. Airfare, lunches, dinners and drinks, personal paperwork, permits and visas, tips to staff, and travel and cancellation insurance are not included — for travel cover we point riders to Global Rescue.

Booking and payment. One thing we say plainly: departures for this tour are currently on pause due to the EU economic embargo, so there is no scheduled date on the calendar right now. When bookings are open, the process is the usual one — hit Book Now, pick your date and pay the deposit; we accept bank transfer, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, PayPal and Bitcoin, and you can split the balance into monthly payments with no interest. Booking as a group is rewarded: when 5 riders pay, rider number 6 travels free (valid on the base tour price only, not upgrades or already discounted tours). Every booking is backed by our price match and departure guarantees.

Who can join. You need to be 20 or older with at least one year of experience on a 500cc-or-bigger motorcycle, hold a valid driver's license with motorcycle endorsement, and carry a passport with at least six months' validity at tour start. That is the whole bar — if you ride confidently at home, this road-focused route is for you.

Seventeen-plus years of operating tours and more than 4,000 riders have shaped how we run every departure, Russia included. Moscow and Saint Petersburg are the perfect introduction to the biggest country on earth — and the road between them is best experienced from the saddle.