Novgorod is about 160 km southeast of St Petersburg and around 550 km from Moscow. The most common approach is by bus from St Petersburg: frequent services depart from the Obvodnogo Kanala bus station and take about 3 hours. Several daily departures run from early morning to evening.
By train, services connect Novgorod to both Moscow and St Petersburg, though the train journey from St Petersburg (via Chudovo) is slower than the bus. From Moscow, overnight trains are the most practical option. There is a small airport south of the city, but scheduled commercial flights have been very limited — most visitors arrive overland.