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Since it has opened up to Western visitors at the end of the last century, Russia has been an intriguing destination for travelers wanting something a bit different. With their economy mostly in shambles it would be natural to assume that cheap hotels would be easy to find as they try to encourage tourism. Unfortunately that assumption would be wrong. Russia in general, and Moscow and St. Petersburg in particular, are notoriously expensive to visit. Hotels are either prison-like, or outrageously expensive. Fortunately there are many Russia hostels that help make your visit somewhat affordable.

Moscow is Russia’s capital and largest city, and it’s also home to most of Russia hostels as well. Moscow is a huge city and it goes out in rings from the center. After the 2^nd ring there is virtually nothing of interest to the traveler, so a central location is vital when choosing your hostel. Red Square and the Kremlin are at the heart of the city, so any hostel advertising a location that is a short walk from these places is well located. Be careful as some hostels might advertise they are 5 or 10 minutes from Red Square by metro, but these places are not centrally located. The metro in Moscow is quite nice and it’s cheap, but riding around on it all day is a waste of time.

The Red Square Hostel has a great location, but no dorm rooms and it’s not as cheap as most of the other hostels in town. They have 2 and 3-bed rooms starting for around €40 per night per person, and this is a great deal considering the location and the price of nearby hotels.

The Yellow Blue Bus Hostel has a location in the old city part of Moscow and not too far from Red Square. Beds in their 8-bed dorms start around €18 per night, with beds in the 4-bed rooms only a bit more. They also have private twin and double rooms with shared bathroom starting around €40 per person per night.

St. Petersburg actually has more to see than Moscow, and it’s obviously far easier to reach if you are already in Scandinavia. There are plenty of Russia hostels here as well, and prices tend to be far more reasonable than in Moscow.

The City Hostel St. Petersburg is only steps from the Hermitage Museum. They don’t have dorm rooms, but their private twin and double rooms with shared bathrooms start around €23 per night including breakfast so this is a great deal for this location.

Right On Nevsky, as its name boasts, is located on the Nevsky, which is the main street in the historical district in St. Petersburg. This is a very convenient location for visiting the main sites, and they are one of the cheaper hostels in Russia with beds in their 9-bed rooms starting around €15 per night. They also have a few private double rooms for a bit more, so this is a very good deal if you are looking for something within walking distance of everything in the city.