Pulkovo Airport has a "mother and child room" (комната матери и ребёнка) that is open around the clock and free, with three conditions: the child is seven or younger, you hold a medical note from the terminal's first-aid post, and you stay no longer than three hours. Saint Petersburg's railway stations, by contrast, list no such room at all on the official station operator's site: there are changing tables, play corners and paid rest rooms. Here is where to go with a child at the airport and at the five stations, what documents to bring, and when renting a place nearby beats waiting in the terminal.
Mother-and-child room versus changing room
A changing room is a table or a cubicle in the restrooms: change the nappy and move on. A mother-and-child room is a separate space with a play area, a kitchenette and beds, entered with documents and for a limited time. At airports it is run by the airport itself; at railway stations by the Russian Railways station directorate, and the two offer different things. Check the page of the specific station, not a generic list of "railway services".
Pulkovo: where, for whom, how long
The room is on the second floor of the main terminal building, open 24 hours, free of charge. Before entering you need a medical note for the child from the terminal's first-aid post on the second floor of the public area; the note is free. Admission is for passengers with children aged seven and under, and children with disabilities up to fourteen (with a disability certificate). One accompanying adult per child, three hours maximum.
Inside there are four zones: a play area with toys, drawing and board-game tables; a kitchen to warm or chill baby food; a sleeping room with armchairs for parents and cots for children under two; and a changing area. Bring your tickets or boarding passes (paper or electronic), the child's passport or birth certificate, and the medical note. No pets, no strollers, no luggage inside, no leaving the child unattended, no entry if intoxicated. The accompanying adult is responsible for the child and for any damage.
If the child is older than seven or three hours are not enough: a children's play zone for domestic departures is on the second floor of the departure lounge behind the Bufet restaurant, for children up to twelve; business lounges for domestic and international flights and the VIP lounge have children's rooms too. Changing rooms are on every floor and marked on the signs and the airport map. Families on domestic flights can use dedicated check-in desk 21 (except passengers on the Shuttle programme, who check in at airline desks). You can take your own stroller to the aircraft steps if you tell check-in staff, or borrow an airport stroller for free in the check-in hall and after arrival; airport strollers are for children from seven months to three years and up to 15 kg. Unaccompanied children aged five to fourteen are arranged in advance with the airline, not at the airport. Information desks and the special-assistance desk on the third floor answer questions; phones +7 (812) 337-38-22 and +7 (812) 337-34-44. Since 1 September 2026 Pulkovo is trialling a "quiet airport" with fewer announcements, so watch the boards for your gate.
Railway stations: what actually exists
We checked the service pages of all five stations on the station directorate's website on 8 September 2026. None lists a mother-and-child room. What they do list:
- Moskovsky (Moscow) station — changing tables in the mobility-assistance centre, in the restrooms by the long-distance arrival and departure yard and in the main hall; a free 24-hour waiting hall; a business lounge at 3,050 roubles per adult for up to three hours, children under five free, ages six to ten 1,525 roubles; rest rooms whose terms you confirm at the information desk; a 44-room hotel inside the station.
- Ladozhsky station — a children's playground on the second level of the concourse, separate waiting halls for long-distance and suburban trains.
- Vitebsky station — a children's playground on the first floor, free 24-hour waiting halls on two floors, rest rooms on the first floor.
- Finlyandsky (Finland) station — the waiting hall is reached through the central hall from Lenin Square, 24 hours; a children's corner sits inside the mobility-assistance hall.
- Baltiysky (Baltic) station — changing cubicles in the women's restrooms, three waiting halls with 170 seats.
In practice you can feed and change a baby at any station, but a couple of hours of sleep means a paid rest room at Moskovsky or Vitebsky, or a hotel. Ask the station administrator about age limits, documents and hourly rates before counting on a rest room; the website does not spell them out.
An overnight connection or an early flight with a child
Three hours in the mother-and-child room cover a short connection, not a night. With five or six hours between flights, or a 6 a.m. departure, rent a flat or a room: there is housing in the Moskovsky district fifteen to twenty minutes from the terminal, and everywhere near a metro station in the city. Book a transfer with a child seat in advance; a street taxi will not have one, and the law requires it. See our guides to getting from Pulkovo to the centre, a delayed flight from Pulkovo and a missed flight; for trains, Sapsan or the sleeper with children.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the mother-and-child room at Pulkovo Airport?
On the second floor of the main terminal building; open 24 hours and free. You need a medical note for the child from the first-aid post on the second floor of the public area.
What is the age limit for the Pulkovo mother-and-child room?
Children aged seven and under; children with disabilities up to fourteen with a certificate. One adult per child, three hours maximum.
Which documents are needed for the mother-and-child room at Pulkovo?
Tickets or boarding passes, the child's passport or birth certificate, and the medical note from the terminal first-aid post.
Is there a mother-and-child room at Moskovsky railway station in Saint Petersburg?
Not according to the station directorate's website. There are changing tables, a free waiting hall, a paid business lounge where children under five enter free, and rest rooms whose terms you confirm at the information desk.
Can a father use the mother-and-child room at Pulkovo?
The airport rules speak of an "accompanying person" without specifying gender: one adult per child. The limits concern the child's age, documents and time.
Pulkovo: the "Passengers with children" section of pulkovoairport.ru; stations: the service pages of Moskovsky, Ladozhsky, Finlyandsky, Vitebsky and Baltiysky stations on dzvr.ru, the Russian Railways station directorate. Conditions change; check before you travel. Checked 8 September 2026. Cover photo: AndreyFilippov.com, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons.
