lanejohann

what to avoid?
im narrowing down the districts around the centre of moscow but for those ( seemingly few) who have travelled or lived in moscow, are there any areas youd avoid?
dodgy/sleazy
bad line on metro - if there's such a thing
too far out of the way for the major sites
etc
thanks folks- we are good walkers
and id prefer to stay as centrally as possible
anyone stayed at the Arbat in the arbat area? Opinions please.

thursdaysd

Alas, the hotel I stayed at on Red Square (the Rossiya) has been torn down - and I believe replaced by something much, much pricier! I also spent a few days in a homestay well out of the center, and my advice would be to stay as near the center as you can afford. The metro takes longer than you would think between stations, and changing lines is a route march, usually in a big crowd. I visited the Arbat area only to get my Mongolian visa, but it didn't seem sleazy.

Odin

There aren't any areas I would avoid, the Izmailovo complex of hotels is far out but close to the metro, the Iris Congress hotel is also too far out despite their shuttle bus service it takes hours to get to the centre. The Ukraine hotel which I believe is closed for renovation is a bit far from a metro but it is walkable. Arbat is a good area, close to metros to to/from Red Square. If you are near the metro you can get most places. Walking is a good way to see the city. There aren't dodgy/sleazy areas. Some of the sites eg Kolomenskoye estate are out of the city anyway but the metro goes there.

I'd leave the misconceptions about Moscow at home.

lanejohann

thanks for your replies!
thanks especially for confirming that it is important to stay close to the centre - especially when time is limited
Thursdaysyd, i didnt know that the metro took a while between stops - i was told that you have to be careful not to let too many people through and to fight for your space as people can get separated!
we are not interested in a homestay but i do believe they can be good value...
I will try to get us some accommodation round Old Arbat- for some reason that area speaks to me lol! and i think there will be plenty to see just in that vicinity after doing day trips

Odin, i think every city has sleazy dogdy areas - that's the nature of cities and humans and, as for misconceptions, it seems that everyone i have talked to - from family members to friends and travel agents - all warn of certain elements in Moscow, especially. They seem all to relate to social and cultural issues that we are not generally exposed to when travelling in our own land. This may well be that we are not foreigners in our land therefore do not experience the rudeness that tourists may actually be subjected to.
Still, each person i have spoken to has enjoyed the russian experience, overall. Moscow does not score highly but is a must-see for us.

afterall

Choosing accommo in Moscow is really all about price. Any hotel in what could be described as the "centre" is going to cost a lot of money. And as I wasn't willing to pay those ridiculous prices, and wasn't willing to pay upwards of 250usd for somewhere allegedly central but a long walk from the metro, I went for the cheap option.

When I say cheap I don't mean you are skimping on facilities. The Ismailovo Vega had everything I needed - huge room, lovely bathroom, TV, aircon - the works. ATMs in the lobby; train booking service; internet connex (pay for it).

But the room I had had wi-fi if that's a must have for you. 5 min walk to the metro which gives you connex to everywhere (nearest stn to Red Square in 20 mins).

I don't find 20 mins a long time - trains come along every 2 mins or so. But you may prefer to stay somewhere that is close to x but miles away from a stn that will take you to a,b,c,d, and e.

If you've the money go for one of those top ranked places; if you haven't (or could think of better ways to spend it) pick somewhere close to a metro stn and use that fantastic system.

Just my opinion, of course,

lanejohann

thanks, afterall!
it's not the facilities im after- it's the district ( but i do hope the hotels all have at least a mini-fridge to stock our basics)
i like to do things on my own sometimes, while OH naps or has his cave time
it leaves me free to browse in shops without feeling guilty ( not that im an avid shopper but it's nice to feel free to just graze without purpose;also i like to chat to shop staff and guys arent usually into those sorts of conversations!)
so ..what im after is a well-located place as far as interesting streets, markets,cafes-
not necessarily the kremlin (although the arbat is handy to that, i believe)
somewhere where i wont have to catch the train alone;somewhere where i can kill an hour or two before dinner while OH regroups and prepares for the onslaught of the evening walk!

thursdaysd

"somewhere where i wont have to catch the train alone" - I (female, then mid-fifties) stayed in Moscow on my own, and didn't feel that riding the metro alone was a problem. My home stay was definitely in the boonies - took me about 45 minutes to get to the center, and I did feel a little worried getting home at night along an empty street, but I felt fine in the more central areas.

Unlike many people I preferred Moscow to St. Petersburg - I'm not a fan of baroque, and St. P is resolutely baroque, while Moscow has much more variety. I hope you're also going to spend some time out of the big cities - visiting the Golden Ring towns, or maybe Novgorod.

Odin

You won't be able to tell which areas are good or bad unless you live there and get to know the difference. Tourists don't usually go out to the suburbs where the monstrous apartment blocks are. The type of hotels the majority of tourists stay in are not in dodgy areas. Russians are very kind people in general and very helpful but they do not go around with big smiles for no reason which can mistaken for rudeness. Russian does not have all the words like could, would, should etc so they can come across direct when speaking English.

There are alot of good hotels that are not central but near metros. It is not necesary to be right in the centre but if you have the $$$$ then why not. Not everything you want to see is in the centre.

The distances between stops can be long on the metro but it is efficient and cheap and runs until about 1am, every couple mins in rush hour. The stations are also very deep esp in St Peterburg. I've taken the metro many times at 12am-1am or walked back to hotel after it has stopped running or stopped a car to get a lift from someone for a few roubles.

Moscow scores more highly than St Petersburg in my opinion.

afterall

So Lanejohann - you really are looking for somewhere where you can walk out of the door and find things to do - shop, browse, whatever. Sort of different from my wish list which was somewhere cheap and with good metro connex.

Moscow seemed to me to be unlike many other huge cities in that it hasn't grown out of villages joining up with each other. You could stay a long way out of the "centre" in London or Sydney and still have a vibrant and populated area right on your doorstep ((for example, Earls Court, or Balmain).

I don't know Moscow well enough to suggest areas where that might be true. If they exist then the hotels there are going to be mighty expensive.

Could I also just second the opinion already given. The Moscow metro is perfectly safe for a solo female traveller. I used it after 11.00pm within the centre and after dark to go from the centre to the middle outskirts where I was staying. Absolutely no probs.

Best of luck.