Accommodation eats up about half the cost of a trip to Russia, and getting it right is the difference between enjoying yourself or putting up with it. The choice is huge and varied: hotels of every category, tourist apartments, hostels, sanatoriums and guesthouses. As a foreign tourist on a first visit, the three options that will interest you most are hotels (in any category, from 3 to 5 stars), tourist apartments and, if you’re traveling on a tight budget, hostels.
In this article I’ll walk you through what types of accommodation actually exist in Russia today, what changed after 2022 with the exit of the major international hotel chains, what each option offers, and which one fits best depending on your budget, the length of your trip and the city or region you’re heading to. At the end I leave you a practical summary so you can decide in five minutes.
1. Russia’s official accommodation classification
Before getting into each specific type, it’s worth knowing that in Russia accommodations are regulated by law. Since 2025, a new regulation (Government Resolution No. 1951 of 27 December 2024) is in force, officially classifying средства размещения (“means of accommodation”) into four types:
- Гостиница (gostinitsa) – Hotel. The broadest category: it includes city hotels, suburban and resort hotels, mini-hotels, apart-hotels, hostels, floating hotels (botels), motels and guesthouses (pensions).
- Санаторий (sanatoriy) – Sanatorium. Accommodation combined with medical or thermal treatments. Very Russian, although uncommon among foreign tourists on a first visit.
- База отдыха (baza otdykha) – Recreation base. A cluster of cabins or bungalows on a single property, usually in natural areas (Karelia, Altai, Lake Baikal, the Black Sea coast). Includes glamping.
- Кемпинг (kemping) – Campsite. For tents, motorhomes and caravans, with shared sanitary facilities.
The star rating system (one to five) only applies to hotels and sanatoriums; recreation bases and campsites are not rated by stars. This matters because, unlike most other European countries, stars in Russia are awarded based on very specific official criteria: room size, equipment, services and a points system that each hotel must clear in order to keep its category.
2. Hotels (Гостиницы): the most common option
This is what most foreign tourists choose in Moscow and St. Petersburg. The supply is wide and prices, compared with other major European capitals, are still quite reasonable. Here’s a category-by-category overview.
2.1. 5-star hotels
In Moscow and St. Petersburg you’ll find 5-star hotels with genuinely high-end service, many of them in historic buildings in the city center. A double room usually goes for €180 to €400 per night, depending on the season and location. In the rest of the country (Kazan, Sochi, Yekaterinburg, Vladivostok), luxury options come at noticeably lower prices.
2.2. 4-star hotels
This is the category with the best value for money for most travelers. They have spacious rooms, full bathrooms, buffet breakfast, a gym and almost always solid Wi-Fi. Prices in Moscow and St. Petersburg run from €80 to €180 per night, depending on neighborhood and time of year.
2.3. 3-star hotels and mini-hotels
3-star hotels in Russia are a perfectly decent choice: every room has a full bathroom, there’s daily housekeeping and breakfast is usually included. Typical prices are around €40-90 per night.
The mini-hotel format is especially popular in St. Petersburg: small properties, usually with 5 to 15 rooms, set inside renovated apartments in historic buildings. They’re the Russian version of a European guesthouse-style B&B, with a very personal touch and modest prices. Quality varies a lot from one to the next, so this is where reading reviews before booking matters more than ever.
2.4. Boutique hotels (бутик-отели)
These are small hotels (10-30 rooms) with carefully curated decor, a thematic concept and very personalized service. In St. Petersburg, boutique hotels tucked inside grand historic buildings in the center are everywhere. Prices typically range from €100 to €250 per night.
2.5. What about international chains? The 2022 shift
Up until 2022, Russia had a strong presence of international chains: Marriott, Hilton, IHG (Holiday Inn, InterContinental), Hyatt, Accor (Novotel, Ibis, Mercure), Radisson, Four Seasons, Kempinski, Lotte… After international sanctions and the withdrawal of most of these brands from the Russian market, here’s what happened:
- The buildings still operate as hotels, just under Russian brands now. For example, what used to be the Radisson Royal in Moscow (the famous Stalinist skyscraper by the river) now runs under the local brand Royal Hotel & Spa, part of the Cosmos group. The former Four Seasons next to Red Square has been rebranded as Carlton Moscow.
- Major Russian hotel groups have grown stronger: Cosmos Hotel Group (which absorbed many of the former Radisson and Park Inn properties), Azimut Hotels, Marins Park Hotels and Maxima Hotels are now the dominant brands.
- Some Asian brands are still around, like the Korean chain Lotte, which continues to operate in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
In practice, the buildings, the staff and very often the standard of service haven’t changed all that much. What has changed is that you can no longer earn loyalty points from your international program (Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors, etc.) when staying at these hotels.
3. Tourist apartments and apart-hotels
Tourist apartments are an excellent option if you’re traveling with family, with friends, or staying for a longer period (more than four or five nights). You get more space than a hotel, your own kitchen so you don’t have to eat out every day, and almost always a better price per person.
In Russia there are two formats:
- Classic tourist apartments: private flats that an owner rents out by the day, usually with no front desk. Check-in is handled by contacting the owner or their manager. They tend to be in renovated Soviet-era buildings and very well located in the city center. The interior may be perfectly modernized while the façade and stairwells stay modest — don’t be put off, that’s normal.
- Apart-hotels (апарт-отели): entire buildings run as a hotel but with apartments instead of rooms. They have a reception desk, housekeeping and hotel-style services, combined with your own kitchen and living area. They’re the most convenient option if you want “the best of both worlds”.
Prices in Moscow and St. Petersburg run from €40 to €120 per night for a well-located apartment with two beds. If four of you share one with two bedrooms, that works out to about €20-30 per person per night — unbeatable for a central location.
4. Hostels (Хостелы): the most affordable option
Hostels are the cheapest option and the favorite among backpackers, students and solo travelers. You sleep in a bed (sometimes a bunk) inside a dorm shared with other travelers, and bathroom and kitchen are also shared. Typical rates in Moscow and St. Petersburg run from €8 to €20 per person per night.
There are three main formats:
- Shared dorms with 4 to 12 beds (the cheapest), often separated by gender.
- Private rooms inside the hostel: small double rooms that share a bathroom with the rest of the hostel. A middle ground between hostel and mini-hotel.
- Capsule hostels (капсульные хостелы): instead of bunks you get individual capsules with reading lights, sockets and sometimes even a TV screen. They cost more than a regular dorm but offer much more privacy. There are several in Moscow, especially around the major train stations.
Important note: in 2019 a law banning hostels in residential apartment buildings came into force in Russia. That means today’s hostels are located in commercial premises or on ground floors registered for that use. Average quality has improved noticeably since then, although the supply has shrunk compared to previous years.
5. Sanatoriums and recreation bases: the most authentic Russia
These two formats are deeply Russian and largely unknown to Western tourists, but they can be a fascinating experience if you’re heading to areas like the Caucasus (Kislovodsk, Pyatigorsk), the Black Sea coast (Sochi, Anapa), Karelia or Altai.
- Sanatoriums (санатории): a combination of accommodation, full board and a program of medical or thermal treatments (mineral waters, mud therapy, physiotherapy). Inherited from the Soviet model of “health holidays”, they’re still hugely popular among Russians. For a foreigner they can be a unique cultural experience, although you should know that staff rarely speak English and the daily program follows strict timetables.
- Recreation bases (базы отдыха): complexes of cabins or bungalows in the middle of nature, with shared services (restaurant, sauna, banya, activities). It’s the Russian version of a resort or a lodge. They work especially well if you’re traveling to Karelia (lakes Ladoga and Onega), Lake Baikal or Altai.
- Glamping: the modern variant of a recreation base, with tents or yurts kitted out with a real bed, heating and a private bathroom. It has become very fashionable in recent years in natural areas of the Russian north and Siberia.
6. Guesthouses (гостевые дома)
The guesthouse is the closest thing to a European-style B&B. A Russian family rents out rooms in their own house or in an annex building, with a homemade breakfast included and a very personal touch. They’re the ideal choice if you’re traveling to the Golden Ring (Suzdal, Yaroslavl, Vladimir, Rostov Veliky), to villages around Lake Baikal, to Karelia or to traditional villages in the Russian north. They typically cost between €25 and €60 per night, breakfast included.
The downside: the owner rarely speaks English. The upside: it’s the best way to experience the real, deep-rooted Russia and to eat genuine homemade food.
7. How to choose: practical summary
If I had to give you a recommendation by traveler profile, this would be my summary:
- Couple, first time in Moscow or St. Petersburg, mid-range budget → A 4-star hotel or a boutique mini-hotel in a central neighborhood.
- Family with kids or group of friends → A tourist apartment or apart-hotel with two or three bedrooms. Far better than two separate hotel rooms.
- Backpacker or solo traveler on a tight budget → A capsule hostel or shared dorm right in the city center. The supply is good in both Moscow and St. Petersburg.
- Luxury trip or honeymoon → A historic 5-star hotel, ideally with views over the Kremlin (Moscow) or the Hermitage (St. Petersburg).
- Long stay (1 month or more) → An apart-hotel. Monthly rates are much cheaper than daily ones, with all the services included.
- Trip to the Golden Ring or rural areas → A guesthouse with homemade breakfast. Authentic experience and low prices.
- Trip to Sochi, Karelia, Baikal or Altai → A recreation base or glamping. It’s what Russians themselves do.
To dig deeper city by city, I recommend these two articles: Where to stay in Moscow: the best neighborhoods and hotels for tourists and Where to stay in St. Petersburg: the best neighborhoods and hotels for tourists.
8. Where to book and how to pay as a foreign tourist
This is the critical point since 2022: Booking.com and Airbnb stopped operating in Russia, and many international platforms no longer accept reservations either. The realistic options today for a foreign tourist are:
- Pay online with a foreign card before traveling, through platforms like Zenhotels (which has some restrictions depending on the country you access from).
- Book without a card and pay on arrival in cash in rubles, using Russian platforms like Ostrovok with the “No credit card needed” option.
- Pay with a Russian MIR card if you have one (T-Bank): this opens up every Russian platform (Yandex Travel, Sutochno, Bronevik).
I cover all of this in detail, with screenshots and a comparison, in this article: How to book accommodation in Russia: which platforms work and how to pay.
Frequently asked questions
Are international hotel brands still operating in Russia?
The buildings are still operating as hotels, but most of them have been rebranded under Russian names (Cosmos, Azimut, Carlton, Royal Hotel & Spa, etc.). Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, Accor and Radisson stopped managing their hotels in Russia after 2022. Some Asian brands such as Lotte are still active.
What type of accommodation is best for a first visit to Moscow or St. Petersburg?
If you’re traveling as a couple on a mid-range budget, the most practical choice is a 4-star hotel or a boutique mini-hotel in a central neighborhood (Tverskoy or Arbat in Moscow; Nevsky Avenue or the Hermitage area in St. Petersburg). If you’re traveling as a family or group, a tourist apartment works out much better in terms of price.
Do stars in Russia mean the same as in Western Europe?
Yes — and they’re actually stricter. Since 2025, a very detailed official classification (Government Resolution No. 1951/2024) has been in force, evaluating each hotel by room size, equipment, services and a points system. A 4-star hotel in Russia meets criteria equivalent to or higher than those in most European countries.
Can I book a hotel in Russia through Booking.com or Airbnb?
No. Both platforms stopped operating in Russia in 2022. Today, bookings are made through Russian platforms such as Ostrovok, OneTwoTrip or Zenhotels (the latter with restrictions when accessed from the European Union). I cover everything in my article on how to book accommodation in Russia.
How much does a hotel night in Moscow or St. Petersburg cost on average?
As a reference: a shared hostel costs €8-20, a 3-star hotel or mini-hotel €40-90, a 4-star hotel €80-180, and a 5-star hotel €180-400 per night. Prices go up in high season (May-September, Christmas and New Year).
Do I need to declare my accommodation somewhere when I arrive in Russia?
Not directly: the hotel, mini-hotel or apart-hotel itself automatically registers your stay with the migration service within the first 24 hours (this is called registration or регистрация). If you’re staying in a private apartment or in a guesthouse that isn’t licensed for it, the owner will need to register you in person at a post office or migration office. That’s why, for a first visit, it’s more convenient to choose accommodation that handles registration for you.
