Welcome to the TravelPod forums

[mike_tokarev]

Hi all!

If you have questions concerning travel to Moscow, please mail to miketokarev@yandex.ru .
I will try to answer all your questions, and also to dispel all myths about Russia.
I hope that the information which I will give to you will help you to spend one of the best holidays in Russia.

Best regards,
Mike

[ScottWoz]

Cheers for the heads up Mike, and welcome to Travelpod..

[semi-backpacker]

I've been to Moscow 5 times. I would recommend taking the train to St. Petersburg...it's soooooooo pretty. And so much to see and do. In Moscow, my favorite restaurant was a buffet located in red square...I don't remember the name, but the food was delicious and because of the buffet style, you could try so many different dishes until you find the one that you like.

I also recommend seeing a ballet at the Bolshoy theather. I saw the Nutcracker a few years ago and it was very impressive. The GUM shopping center, which is the biggest mall in Russia, also in red square is very nice...though pricey.

Good luck!

[ukrainian]

The capital of huge country, one of the expensive cities in the world, town which was founded in 1147 year.
well....
Red square, Kremlin Cethedrals, Armoury Chamber, Tretyakov Gallery - I expected more and explain why. Russians inherited such a rich historical and artistic heritage and IHMO they should take care of it better. All exhibits I saw in museums are state of art but why they in such conditions? Subconsciously I compare it with Louvre - when I visited it I was so excited, in Moscow i just became upset becouse of poor lighting and things which beg for restoration. Famoust building - the same problem, to compare just visit our Lavra.

Arhitecture - I liked this interesting combinations churches, old and new buildings.

At night in the centre of Moscow action is everywhere, and here it became so beautiful.

I also visited Tsarisyno - beautiful place, i wish I could see it in summer.

To summuise my impressions, I like it, but if you planing to visit only one cite I would choose visit St.Peterburg instead of Moscow.

[littlekate]

All exhibits I saw in museums are state of art but why they in such conditions? Subconsciously I compare it with Louvre - when I visited it I was so excited, in Moscow i just became upset becouse of poor lighting and things which beg for restoration. Famoust building - the same problem, to compare just visit our Lavra.


To summuise my impressions, I like it, but if you planing to visit only one cite I would choose visit St.Peterburg instead of Moscow.

Good eye, right observations... can add nothing.

About architecture. In Moscow it is poor except the style called "Russian ancient architecture". This style you would not find in St. Petersburg, and it deserves seeing.

On the choice between St. Petersburg and Moscow. St. Petersburg is more artistic and aesthetical, it is "a window to Europe", hence better understandable to someone belonging to the European culture. Moscow has nothing to do with windows, just pure, normal Russia as it is. Moscow is more "Russian" than St. Petersburg, so it would be better for someone with ethnographical interests.

[ukrainian]

Kate,

due to my work I started visiting Moscow more often, and now I adore it's style, action and so on.

Time to time I may stay there for weekend but I'd like to take train and move to St. Petersburg for day or two.
could you be so kind to to sketch out short list of place to visit or thins to do in St. Petersburg available on sat. & sun.
thanks.

[littlekate]

Walk along Nevskiy if you do not mind big crowds. You can visit St. Isaak's Cathedral, Spas-Na-Krovi, Hermitage and Russian museum, Kazan Cathedral. You can also visit Yusupovsky palace. By the way, they have a special excursion devoted to slaughter of Rasputin. If you adore F.M. Dostoyevsky, you can go to his flat-museum. I'm not sure it works on Sundays, but there you will see underside of the city – the place which was inhabited mostly by poor people. There is also Pushkin's flat-museum, a lot of theaters and Jazz Philharmonics. We also have beautiful palaces in suburbs – Pushkin, Pavlovsk, Peterhoff and Gatchina, all of them very beautiful with huge parks around, and right now no tourists! Welcome!

[ukrainian]

thanks a lot!

I don't know about Peterhoff but other places I'll try to see.

[littlekate]

If 200 USD is not a problem to you, then I advise to wait until May and then take a boat from the palace embankment to Peterhoff. The voyage will take some 40 min., take care not to miss the back way boat. I thing they keep goung until 15.00 or 17.00, I can not say exactly, and something use to change every season. Of course, there are cheaper ways to Peterhoff, but they are a bit exhausting, a train from Baltiysky railway station, for instance.

[ukrainian]

If 200 USD is not a problem to you, then I advise to wait until May and then take a boat from the palace embankment to Peterhoff. The voyage will take some 40 min., take care not to miss the back way boat.

what will be if I miss??
according our slavic tradition I'll need 400$ to return?

[littlekate]

No, not that bad. You will have to remember your slavic language abilities (jazik do kijeva dovedet) and find a bus stop. The bus will take you to some metro station - Avtovo or Prospect Veteranov - chose the best suiting your location. Most probably, the bus will be crowded, the price - something about 2 Euros.

[ukrainian]

No, not that bad. You will have to remember your slavic language abilities (jazik do kijeva dovedet) and find a bus stop. The bus will take you to some metro station - Avtovo or Prospect Veteranov - chose the best suiting your location. Most probably, the bus will be crowded, the price - something about 2 Euros.

thanks again.
BTW I always wanted to see how the bridges goes up, pls tell me is it always at night?

[littlekate]

Yes, alweys at nights and only during the navigational season. Now the rivers are frozen. You migh have heard that in SP when a man does not come home for night he normally would say: "Brighes were up".

[ukrainian]

Yes, alweys at nights and only during the navigational season. Now the rivers are frozen. You migh have heard that in SP when a man does not come home for night he normally would say: "Brighes were up".

good joke

Is it realy worth watching, I only heard it's so romantic...

[littlekate]

Of course not. It is only another well advertised thing next to white nights. If you have someone at hand to be romantic with, I'd advise to chose a quieter place. In the white night by the Palace bridge being drawn up you will find a lot of well drunk teenagers all in persuade of romantics - this very company you have been dreaming of, I'm sure.

[ukrainian]

you know i lived in Vorcuta at my childhood and i remember white night, polar day&night - to be honest, the only things wich may impress - polar lights. it is realy smth

[littlekate]

Waw! Nice! When was the last time you were in Vorkuta? How things are there? You know, we suffer of some lack of information (I mean in Russia).

[ukrainian]

Waw! Nice! When was the last time you were in Vorkuta? How things are there? You know, we suffer of some lack of information (I mean in Russia).

It was long time ago. I miss it terribly. But my relative lives here for now.

Ask any you want - I can talk about Vorcuta endlessly.

[alesandro]

Hi all!

I will be off to Mosсow and St. Petersburg at the end of February and would like to hear some first-hand advice. Yes, we've arranged for the visa and the accomodation (I hope ;-) ), so no urgent questions about that, but I would like to hear the tips and tricks for the two cities: where (not) to go, what (not) to do, etc.
I love markets, especially the colourful food-kind (but shopping is also welcome). Would also like to hear about nice restaurants that do not cost a fortune. I hear some former-Sovjet kitchens are great, while others are best given a miss... any ideas?
Would it be possible to do a boat tour in either of these places or will everything be frozen solid?
And talking about cold: what are your tips to beat it? How much walking around will you do when it's -15C ?