Things to see and do in Russia (Moscow, St petersburg and...)

[kpc]

Next year (probably September) I want to visit Russia (never been before), starting in St Petersburg and ending up in Moscow (planning to catch the fast train between the 2 cities). In total, I will have about 12 nights in Russia...I'm hoping the well travelled AFFers can give some suggestions as to how many nights we should spend in each city, what to see and do, and whether there are any worthwhile side trips....all suggestions welcomed! Oh, my 75 yo mother will be accompanying us:evil:...don't ask why!!!!

 

[VPS]

I spent three days in Moscow and three in St Petersburg and it wasn't enough - must see in Moscow - the Armory in the Kremlin is amazing and I would rate that as the top thing to see and Red Square of course - also interesting to go into the GUM department store especially if you read what it was like in the 70s - an underground tour is worth it but you really need a guide - I think IIRC that if you change lines at a station then the station on the other line has a new name and it's all a bit confusing.

St Petersburg - if you like art allow at least 2 days for the Hermitage, other things - a visit to the winter palace and the Peter and Paul Fortress -

I went on a tour and there was an 82yo and she coped fine - either try and learn the alphabet before you go or arrange a guide for some things

 

[RooFlyer]

Ahem. Hope it's ok to mention my recently completed trip report ' Bring on the Bling' - it covers 3 days we spent in St Petersburg, 3 days in Moscow and a 6 day cruise between the 2.

Really Needed 5 days in StP and 4 days in Moscow, although we were completely exhausted after the 3 in each.

StP: Hermitage if course; cruise on the canals ( get an extensive one -several hours), Alexander Nevsky Monastery and Tschaikovskys grave ( amongst others). Nevsky Prospect in evening / night; Church on the Spilled Blood (AMAZING), Peter and Paul fortress and church; Artillery Museum; Singer Cafe; many more cathedrals etc; sculpture garden next to New Thetre (sp???).

Absolutely don't miss Peterhof - half day trip via hydrofoil. A fine day would be best, as there are magnificent gardens as well as the palaces.

Moscow : we didn't get beyond the obvious and usual - but do take time to tour the Metro stations which are highly decorated.

There is a LOT of walking involved. Hope mum is fit!

It's a big trade off, but do consider the cruise between the 2 cities. 1) there are fantastic sights, and 2) you get to recover for abt 6 days between the big 2 cities! They are Rheincruiser type boats, with daily excursions to sights along the way. I don't have web site handy, but PM me if you would like details.

Language - if you know your Greek alphabet, it makes understanding signs a bit easier.

Have a look at the trip report and PM me with any queries.

 

[sergeyvzn]

There are lots of things to see in both Moscow and St.Petersburg, I would suggest 7 nights in St.Petersburg and 5 in Moscow but it's really up to you. You will have to do a bit of reading before you go to understand what you would like to see or experience as tastes differ and typical sights everyone goes to may not be of interest to you. Start with free wikitravel articles on both cities and do a list of things to do/see.

Things to see in St.Petersburg (absolute musts)
- Hermitage Museum (all palaces) and the Palace Square
- Russian Museum (Mikhalovsky Palace)
- Peter and Paul Fortress and Cathedral
- St.Isaak's Cathedral
- Our Lady of Kazan Cathedral
- Savior-on-the-Blood Cathedral
- Mariinsky Theatre and/or Maly Theatre for ballet. This is where the Russian ballet started in the 19th century. Both companies world famous and they should be back in town in September (they normally go on overseas tours in July-August). Also opera is great in Mariinsky Theatre, if you lucky, you'll see Anna Netrebko (google her if you don't know who she is) perform
- St.Nicholas of the Marines Cathedral
- take a boat trip along rivers/canals, it's spectacular
- go to Peterhof and/or Pushkin (better to both) for out-of-these world former tsar summer residences and parks. Versaille is nothing compared to Peterhof, just to give you an idea of what it is like
- if you still have energy and time, go to Pavlovsk and Gatchina, beautiful parks and palaces, and much less visited by tourists than Peterhof and Pushkin
- go for coffee and the quirky atmosphere to the Idiot cafe
- have a russian meal in one of numerous Russian restaurants, check Tripadvisor for recommendations

Things to see/do in Moscow:
- Red Square and Lenin Mausoleum
- St.Basil's Cathedral
- Kremlin inside with its cathedrals
- Armoury (in Kremlin)
- Bolshoi Theatre for the decor (it was renovated recently, the renovation cost $650 million so there's a little bit to look at -) and their excellent opera and ballet companies
- Tretyakov gallery for Russian art
- Victory Park
- Old Arbat street
- Pushkin Museum
- Ostankino Tower (540m, great view from the top)
- Moscow University building, one of the 7 famous Stalin skyscrapers
- State Museum-Reserve Tsaritsyno
- drink lots of vodka in one of Moscow excellent bars (check Tripadvisor for recommendations)
Trips out of town to any of the Golden Ring cities (google it) are highly recommended as well

that's about all I can think of off the top of my head.

When catching the train between Moscow and St.Petersburg, make sure you catch the Sapsan, it's the fastest and the best

 

[kpc]

Thanks VPS and RooFlyer! Apologies RooFlyer for missing you great TR. I just flicked through the photos in your TR (looks fantastic!) but will read it in more detail when I'm at home over the w/e. Timewise (and maybe walletwise:shock, I'm not sure we can fit in a cruise between St Petersberg and Moscow but I will explore the possibilty. All up we have 12 nights in Russia. I'm sure i will have lots of Qs as I plan the trip and will be PMing you over the coming months.

Input from other AFFers would also be much appreciated!

This is why I love AFF...


edited: sergeyvzn, I was hoping for your input as well....and lo behold, you posted as I was typing this reply. Thanks!

 

[sergeyvzn]

Input from other AFFers would also be much appreciated!

This is why I love AFF...

Feel free to PM me with any questions. I am Russian and go there pretty much every year (last trip this July) so I probably know a bit more about the country than other AFFs

 

[kpc]

Feel free to PM me with any questions. I am Russian and go there pretty much every year (last trip this July) so I probably know a bit more about the country than other AFFs

Thanks very much, sergeyvzn! I did know that from your previous posts on AFF and am very grateful for your kind offer...as I plan the trip you may be getting a PM or two from me as well

 

[AvroAnson]

It was quite a long time ago, but Insider Tour | St. Petersburg Shore Excursions & City Tours provided an excellent personal driver-and-guide service in St Petersburg. It was excellent having a guide just for the two of us, with the car waiting whenever we needed it. (The driver also looked after our cameras etc). They are very flexible in their arrangements so you can tailor the tour to meet your personal needs.

 

[dcm]

As Sergeyvzn mentioned, a visit to one of the Golden Ring Cities is well worthwhile. We did much the same trip as you are planning. St Petersburg then fast train to Moscow. Loved it all. I think the cities are best visited in that order and Sergeyvzn has compiled an excellent list of places to see. We also visited some of the smaller museums and areas associated with Russian writers, but all depends on your interests. Saw the ballet Spartacus at the Mariinsky as well as operas at the Mariinsky and Mikhailovsky. Great experiences. We were able to book online for these. Bolshoi was closed when we were in Moscow unfortunately. The Golden Ring city we visited was Sergiev Posad. The train trip there was interesting in itself. Being able to recognise Cyrillic lettering helped greatly. As well as the main Tretyakov gallery we enjoyed a visit to the modern branch along with the nearby Fallen Monuments park.

 

[Happy Dude]

Lots of great advice here! I will add my two bob...

1) In St Petersburg, visit the little chain of bakery-esque cafes (Stolle?) that serves a strudel type pastry with worpleberries. Delish! I think they're mentioned in the LP.
2) Learn the Cyrillic letters. Often it's a straight swap for English and this will help heaps.
3) Spend a few hours in a banya - playing cards, eating salami and drinking beer out of a wooden beer mug in between "dips".
4) You'll pay more than a local for the same seat at the Mariinsky/Bolshoi and entry into some churches. Way more. Get over it because it's Russia and whining will only give you a belly ache. (I have to laugh at people who go on Trip Advisor and complain about the service in Russia).
5) Be wary of anyone who stands close to you in queues, particularly on the metro. They're planning to make you stumble (by stopping in front of you and bumping you from behind) and relieve your pockets of their contents in the ensuing scrum.

 

[kpc]

Just to bump up this thread...Just got our Russian Visas back (what a pain!) for the 3 of us from the Russian Consulate in Sydney (special thanks to sergeyvzn for advice here )...trip is less than 3 months away!! We fly Tg F Syd-Bkk-Fra and spend 2 nights in Frankfurt. Then LH J Fra-Led, 7 nights in St Petersburg, followed by fast train to Moscow where we will spend 6 nights; then TG J Dme-Bkk-Syd. Getting a little bit excited re trip! Any other suggestions on things to see / do will be gratefully accepted

Few Qs:
1) Is it an absolute necessity to carry your passport at all times? (will be a huge hassle to replace if lost / pickpocketed)
2) I assume we can get Rubles at an ATM machine at LED airport?
3) As it seems the apparent norm, our Russian Visas expire the day we are due to fly out from Moscow - What would happen if there were plane delays etc?
4) I gather there are little, if any, English signs in Moscow (cf with St Petersburg) so would hiring an English speaking guide for the first day in Moscow be helpful to get orientated?
5) Any tips for getting around the metro in Moscow? (have already downloaded an English version of the metro map)
6) i have downloaded Word Lens onto my phone (currently free) to convert Russian text to English so at least we will know what we are ordering in restaurants

Any other tips / suggestions?
Thanks!!

 

[sergeyvzn]

Just to bump up this thread...Just got our Russian Visas back (what a pain!) for the 3 of us from the Russian Consulate in Sydney (special thanks to sergeyvzn for advice here )...trip is less than 3 months away!! We fly Tg F Syd-Bkk-Fra and spend 2 nights in Frankfurt. Then LH J Fra-Led, 7 nights in St Petersburg, followed by fast train to Moscow where we will spend 6 nights; then TG J Dme-Bkk-Syd. Getting a little bit excited re trip! Any other suggestions on things to see / do will be gratefully accepted

Few Qs:
1) Is it an absolute necessity to carry your passport at all times? (will be a huge hassle to replace if lost / pickpocketed)
2) I assume we can get Rubles at an ATM machine at LED airport?
3) As it seems the apparent norm, our Russian Visas expire the day we are due to fly out from Moscow - What would happen if there were plane delays etc?
4) I gather there are little, if any, English signs in Moscow (cf with St Petersburg) so would hiring an English speaking guide for the first day in Moscow be helpful to get orientated?
5) Any tips for getting around the metro in Moscow? (have already downloaded an English version of the metro map)
6) i have downloaded Word Lens onto my phone (currently free) to convert Russian text to English so at least we will know what we are ordering in restaurants

Any other tips / suggestions?
Thanks!!

Being a Good Samaritan I am, here are some answers:
1) yes. Russia is very much a police state (think China) so you might be stopped and asked for an ID. The only ID that works is your passport (a drivers license isn't a valid ID in Russia). Make sure you have your passport on you secured and have a copy readily available. I have a passport scan that I email myself sitting in my gmail account.
2) yes. ATMs are everywhere, you can get roubles and US dollars out
3) nothing. The passport control people will likely to understand the situation and ignore the fact that your visa is expired if it's just a few hours. I wouldn't worry about it at all
4) plenty of signs in English both in Moscow and St.Petersburg (think China again). Absolutely no need to hire a guide. Have a good map handy.
5) everything in the metro is written both in Russian and English. If you have ever used a metro in a non- English speaking country (thing China again, or Japan) you'll be fine
6) most restaurants in tourist places will have a menu in English. If there's no English menu, there would be pictures

have a great trip!

 

[RooFlyer]

sergeyvzn knows infinitely more about the situation than I do, but let me add the perspective of a total Anglo, who visited there last year, (and can't wait to go back again in a few weeks )

4) Our experience was that St Petersburg was much easier from a language point of view than Moscow, but neither requires a guide. Most of the 'English' we saw was the Roman script version of Cyrillic (so not 'English' as such), but in the tourist precincts of St P especially there is English (ie ticket types and prices).

5) My experience with the metros was different from sergeyvzn. In St. P there was Cyrillic and the Roman version of it. Your Lonely Planet type maps will have the Roman version, so you can match the words. However in Moscow, we were initially flummoxed by the fact that there was only Cyrillic:




But note the colour coding of the lines, and with a map with the Cyrillic you can easily find your way around. Trains run very frequently, so no need to jump on a train you aren't totally sure of. Make sure you do the 'tour' of the decorated Metros in Moscow. The art and decoration (all Soviet) is outstanding on many of them.




And as for talking to the ladies in the ticket booths - forget it! Just hold up 10 fingers to get 10 tokens. very cheap. You can get a multi-ride ticket, but I could never make myself understood to actually buy one. Didn't matter.

With a map, and understanding that Cyrillic is based on Greek, remembering your Greek alphabet helps you get some sounds out of the Cyrillic words , we got on fine. ie π (pi) = "p" sound , Ω (omega) = "o" ∆ (delta) = 'd' - and their capitalized equivalents.

In this sign, you know what it says . So what looks like a 'P' is the Cyrillic letter based on the Greek rho ρ, so an 'r' sound. Γ is the capital form of gamma, so a 'g' sound. Yes, understanding Cyrillic can be fun!




Don't let me concern you here - we are as gormless travelers as you will find, and we navigated all the Metros and ate out in restaurants just fine. The world's longest escalator is in one of the Moscow stations.

6) Don't miss the "Soviet Café" on Nevsky Prospekt (one of the main boulevards). Set in a Soviet era apartment, its a great throwback for tourists. They will take a reservation if you call in. Hard to find, left hand side of Nevsky P as you go towards the river / Hermitage, steps down to basement level. The Singer Café, also on Nevsky, 1st floor of the unmistakable Singer building is a great place for a nice relaxing 'western style' coffee / pastries or beer etc after you have hoofed it all day around the Hermitage, Admiralty etc etc.

Good luck! I'm spending another 3 days in St Petersburg and another 2 in Moscow, just to finish off the 'essentials' from last time. Still not enough time, but will have to do ... until next time.

 

[sergeyvzn]

This might help as well and this is what you'll see in the metro

 

[kpc]

Just got back from the above trip....had a great time in both SPB and Moscow. Visited nearly all the places mentioned in the posts above, and a few extra during our 13 night trip. Having a smartphone with GPS and google maps came in really handy esp. In Moscow where the signs were only in Cryllic. Found working out which exit to take from the Moscow subway the hardest as we could not read the signs, and had to take any random exit, and then go from there with the GPS.

Moscow was my favourite of the 2 cities mainly because of the buildings and history but SPB wasn't bad too

My highlights: Church of the Spilled blood, Catherine's palace (and Amber room), canal cruise, Peterhof in SPB; opera at Bolshoi, Red Square, Kremlin Museum (and Armoury and Diamond Fund), St Basils and GUM at night and Gorky park on a sunny afternoon in Moscow. Found that the younger Moscovites could usually speak a few words of English when we got lost (eg no GPS signal available); the only surly ones were the government bureaucrats selling palace / museum tickets....no we can't sell you the 12 noon tickets for Catheine's palace at 1155am....come back at 12noon!!

We travelled independently with my 75yo mother and felt safe at all times both day and night in both cities. We were told tourists numbers were down 40% in Moscow due to the Ukraine crisis, and there were hardly any American tourists in Moscow.

If you have any doubts about going to SPB and Moscow, don't...GO!! Happy to answer any Qs and I'm sure the above posters will chip in again for any AFFer planning to go.

PS: I have still 19 metro trips for SPB metro (we couldn't count!) and 2 for Moscow metro left, and will be happy to pass them on to any AFFer going to these 2 places!

Thanks all again for the help and advice above!

 

[sergeyvzn]

Glad you made it - and enjoyed it as well

im in the UK at the moment but will be in StPetersburg for a couple of days next week to deal with the surly Russian bureaucracy and I'm already getting heart palpitations...I can very well relate to your negative experience dealing with it

anyways, it's good you liked your time in the country

 

[Jacques Vert]

Thanks to Sergeyvzn, RooFlyer, kpc and all others for the suggestions on this thread. We have just returned from St. P. where we spent 6 nights. We saw many of the things suggested here and still have a few others for another trip.

A few comments:

1. The metro is good and cheap but it is a long way between stations so it can be a looong walk to/from many of the sights. We didn't managed to figure out the trams or buses but found the metro relatively easy. Initially we just checked the first three letters of the station names and compared it to the sign on the platforms. At 31 RUB per trip (less than a dollar) it was great.
2. You also have the plastic card option: you buy the card for 55 RUB and then load it with trips. It's a minimum of 10 trips for RUB295, so a small saving. You are able to get a refund of the 55RUB for the card when you leave BUT only if it has no trips left on it and then you fill it a form and show your passport, sign the from etc. +1 managed to get her money back but I have 5 trips left on my card which is available to go to a good home if anyone can make use of it (not sure whether the trips expire after a certain time). Send me a PM if you can use it.
3. If you have a large bag you have to pay for a trip for it as well. Unfortunately, the plastic card can only be swiped once every ten minutes so you have to buy a separate token for the bag despite having plenty of trips left on the card!
4. As with most places, it is far better to book on line than queue up for a ticket: for example, we purchased a two day pass for the Hermitage (which included a number of other museums) on-line the night before we wanted to go. Next day was fine but rain was predicted after that so we delayed to the wet days. At the Hermitage, the queue to exchange the voucher for a ticket was about 10 minutes compared to the "normal" queue which was at least 1.5 hours in the drizzle.
5. The hydrofoil to Peterhof was great. However I wanted to also have a look around the town but if you do you then need to pay to get back into the Palace gardens so you can back to the wharf for the hydrofoil (if there is a way around this I couldn't find it).

 

[sergeyvzn]

Thanks to Sergeyvzn, RooFlyer, kpc and all others for the suggestions on this thread. We have just returned from St. P. where we spent 6 nights. We saw many of the things suggested here and still have a few others for another trip.

A few comments:

1. The hydrofoil to Peterhof was great. However I wanted to also have a look around the town but if you do you then need to pay to get back into the Palace gardens so you can back to the wharf for the hydrofoil (if there is a way around this I couldn't find it).

Not much to see in the town so you didn't lose much
There's a way though, you go all the way along the shore line towards St.Petersburg, past the Chess Cascade and get to a fence. Jump over and you are in town. Repeat in reverse when you want to get back into the gardens. You must be in a reasonable shape to do it-

 

[kpc]

Thanks to Sergeyvzn, RooFlyer, kpc and all others for the suggestions on this thread. We have just returned from St. P. where we spent 6 nights. We saw many of the things suggested here and still have a few others for another trip.

A few comments:

1. The metro is good and cheap but it is a long way between stations so it can be a looong walk to/from many of the sights. We didn't managed to figure out the trams or buses but found the metro relatively easy. Initially we just checked the first three letters of the station names and compared it to the sign on the platforms. At 31 RUB per trip (less than a dollar) it was great.
2. You also have the plastic card option: you buy the card for 55 RUB and then load it with trips. It's a minimum of 10 trips for RUB295, so a small saving. You are able to get a refund of the 55RUB for the card when you leave BUT only if it has no trips left on it and then you fill it a form and show your passport, sign the from etc. +1 managed to get her money back but I have 5 trips left on my card which is available to go to a good home if anyone can make use of it (not sure whether the trips expire after a certain time). Send me a PM if you can use it.
3. If you have a large bag you have to pay for a trip for it as well. Unfortunately, the plastic card can only be swiped once every ten minutes so you have to buy a separate token for the bag despite having plenty of trips left on the card!
4. As with most places, it is far better to book on line than queue up for a ticket: for example, we purchased a two day pass for the Hermitage (which included a number of other museums) on-line the night before we wanted to go. Next day was fine but rain was predicted after that so we delayed to the wet days. At the Hermitage, the queue to exchange the voucher for a ticket was about 10 minutes compared to the "normal" queue which was at least 1.5 hours in the drizzle.
5. The hydrofoil to Peterhof was great. However I wanted to also have a look around the town but if you do you then need to pay to get back into the Palace gardens so you can back to the wharf for the hydrofoil (if there is a way around this I couldn't find it).

I still have 19 metro trips for SPB subway if anyone wants them . The policy of buying extra tickets for suitcases didn't seem to be enforced. We took 2 large suitcases and 3 carry on bags (between 3 people) on the subway from Moskovskie Vorota Metro Station to Mosckovsky station to catch the Sapsan train to Moscow, and didn't buy any extra tickets for the bags....but this was at 545am when the trains were not crowded at all, and the guards were probably still half asleep....

Sounds like you had a great trip!
[h=1][/h]

 

[Jacques Vert]

The policy of buying extra tickets for suitcases didn't seem to be enforced. We took 2 large suitcases and 3 carry on bags (between 3 people) on the subway from Moskovskie Vorota Metro Station to Mosckovsky station to catch the Sapsan train to Moscow, and didn't buy any extra tickets for the bags....but this was at 545am when the trains were not crowded at all, and the guards were probably still half asleep....

We had no problem with the bags going to Moskovskie Vorota Metro Station from Finlandski but got caught going when leaving from Moskovskie Vorota. Not the only place in the world where rules are enforced only when the guards feel like it.

And yes, the trip was great.