We had a great trip to Russia last summer. At first we found the same problem about hotel prices as you are.

But we stayed in St. Petersburg at Northern Lights, a great little hotel, great location, great English speaking service. They arranged train and concert tickets for us and would phone for restaurant reservations. Singles are less than Euro 100. http://www.nlightsrussia.com/

And in Moscow we found a good rate through www.booking.com at Peter 1 Hotel (only about one half kilometer north of Red Square). The service was a bit more impersonal than Northern Lights, it is a larger business hotel, but the hotel is very nice and location cannot be topped. You might also look at their sister property Hotel Budapest around the corner. When I just checked random dates for August a single at Peter was about $230 (breakfast and tax included) and at Budapest was about $170 (breakfast and tax included). There was a great article in one of the travel magazines a couple of years ago about three people one using blackberry, one using iphone and one using just a book. They were put up to some specific travel challenges and the results compared. The woman with the book won the contest. She stayed at Hotel Budapest and the concierge helped her with everything she needed.

The website we found with the widest selection and best rates in Russia was www.booking.com.

And some not as well known things that turned out to be the highlights of our trip were the Russian Art Museum in St. Petersburg http://www.rusmuseum.ru/eng/home/ (we enjoyed it more than the Hermitage) and the Cosmonaut Museum and nearby VDNKh exibition park in Moscow.

If you are traveling by yourself you might consider looking into these English conversation clubs in Moscow:

http://www.englclub.ru

http://comclub.ru

NeoP, I stayed at the Budapest in Moscow and the Agni in St. Petersburg. When I got the bill for the Budapest, the rates were 4-5 times more on weekdays than on weekends. It is a business hotel first and foremost, and everything was more expensive on a weekday because of that.

The Hotel Club Agni in St. P was much more reasonable, I think because it does not come up in Trip Advisor as a "hotel" but rather a B&B or guesthouse, is much newer and not yet known, and has a tourist focus as opposed to business class. It certainly felt like a small (29 room) hotel to me, not a B&B or guest house. I'd return there in a second.

Thanks for some great information, laurie_ann. Oddly I have already looked at Budapest Hotel on the recommendation of friends (part of a Bolshoi study group) -- but when I emailed them directly I was given the lowest rate of over $300 a night! (I hate all those hotels which won't give prices on their site, you have to request them).

But I'm still missing a little something as when I check Budapest on booking.com I'm getting a price of $198 for any dates in August for a standard single room -- double room for single is considerably more. That's not too bad, I guess, but I'm using the current rate of 30.05 RUB to the US$. How are you finding $170? And the price I'm finding for a single on booking.com for PeterI is $ 310 per night. What am I doing wrong? My actual dates are August 6 to 14.

Northern Lights in St. Petersburg looks PERFECT for me, however -- and it is coming up at $118 a night for a single with private bath booking directly with the hotel -- haven't checked elsewhere yet. Looks like a great recommendation.

There are options in Moscow around the $200 mark eg Marriott Tverskaya, Sheraton Palace, Radisson Slavyanskaya, Hilton Moscow to name a few. They will all require a metro ride to Red Square (but I walk from the Sheraton Palace and Tverskaya to Red Square) but frankly the metro is wonderful and part of the experience. For something more traditional, there is the Sovietsky Hotel. If arriving at SVO, you could try the Aerostar which is near Moscow Dynamo.

Moscow Renaissance is another option, near to Prospect Mira metro and near to the sights mentioned in the previous post VDNKh which has interesting pavilions each named after a former Soviet Republic. Otherwise there are Novotels, Marriott Courtyards and Holiday Inns (tend to be a bit far out but again the metro makes it easy to get around).

St Petersburg is easier on the budget with more options, but location is more important as you don't want to be stuck on one of the islands without a metro station. Something around or on Nevsky Prospect is good.

Oh and amyb, now I see your post. The Agni looks great too -- I need to compare those two hotels.

And I'm sure I must accept that a single hotel room in Russia is smaller than most walk in closets. Even the pictures tend to look like a single bed against the wall with a foot or two to the other side.

Odin, how do you get those rates for the named hotels? I was on Hilton and Marriott sites and was finding only rates about double those you mention. Even the Marriott Courtyard I looked at was well over $300.

I was pleasantly surprised at how big the singles were compared to singles I've had in say, Venice or Paris! My only complaint were the tiny showers!

When I was planning the trip, the travel consultant really tried to sway me from being in Moscow on Sun-Thurs. She said the prices just skyrocket. Indeed adding the two additional nights in Moscow added nearly $1000 to my trip cost.

I didn't see your dates initially, however you can check the Sovietsky which has rates online for under $200, also the Radisson Slavyanskaya has rates around the $200 mark (on their own website) which might or might not include taxes (18%).

Check the Hilton website too, they do have advance purchase rates for queen room for 5500RUB approx USD184.

The only problem with advance purchase options now is that I'm talking 7 months from now -- that's a long time for something to happen and for me to lose the entire stay prepaid -- $1500 or more per hotel!

I did just find a nice deal in St. Petersburg at the Sonya Radisson which looks amazing with a King guaranteed no smoking room for 5580 ($185). I'm starting to shy away from the Northern Lights or Agni with a four floor walk up and no elevator just to get to the hotel itself, even though that's a lot of savings. I still remember when I twisted my ankle (not that unusual for me) in Prague and thought I'd die getting up and down three flights in our delightful Three Ostriches Hotel.

It's kind of difficult to shy away from Sunday to Thursday when I plan to be there 6 to 8 days! I'm seeing different prices for weekdays but not a huge difference.

Wow, amazing. Speaking of prepaid -- "forfeit the entire amount" -- rates, I found the Hilton in Moscow which has lowest rates (cancellable) at around $400. They have a prepaid rate that is around $275 a night. But they have a "weekend with breakfast anywhere" rate that is -- are you ready? -- $137 a night for a king room including the full buffet breakfast and that rate extends for the entire stay as long as you arrive on a weekend which I will. Again, I can't cancel it, but for a little over $800 for the entire 6 night stay (or two more nights if I want to at the same rate and just do day trips out of Moscow) it's pretty hard to turn down. I called Hilton to confirm I was actually reading that right! Is the Hilton as nice as it looks?

That is a fantastic rate.

The hotel is more than nice. The Hilton is near to Leningrad station, it was renovated and only recently reopened by Hilton. Previously it was the Leningradskaya and is one of Stalin's famous skyscrapers. These old buildings were fabulously ornate with marble columns and beautiful ceilings. I have not personally stayed there since the renovation. Outside the stations near to the hotel it's a bit seedy at night but that is typical of alot of stations in big cities. I would not hesitate to stay there but I have been to Moscow at least 20 times so used to the city. At least if you are going or coming from St Peterburg by train you will be close by. The reviews and photos on TA look good.

There are lots of prepaid rates with strict cancellation policies, no changes no refunds no anything but they are the cheapest in a very expensive city. I would not travel without travel insurance which covers cancellation penalties.

Did you check the Radisson Slavyanskaya, it does not have the architecture but the location is good, near to Kievskaya station (which is a beautiful station), walking distance to Arbat, views of the River. They have specials if you check the Slavyanskaya's website. But you can see, if you shop around, bargains can be found.

Check the visa registration fee, sometimes it is extra, also there will be hotel tax approx 18% ontop of room rate.

Closest metros to the Hilton are Komsomolskoye (one of the most beautiful and famous stations) and Krasnye Vorota metro stations.

Radisson Sonya is quite away from the centre of St Petersburg.

No where near as far away from the center as the Hilton is from the center of Moscow though right? And the Sonya is next to a metro station, isn't it?

Both the Radisson and Hilton state "all tax and fees included". Hope that's true. Don't know if that would mean a visa registration fee as well, etither.

In re-reading my last response, I hope it didn't sound snarky which it was not meant to be. Those were real questions, but just my understanding. Normally I really do prefer staying within walking distance of the "best" sites and lots of restaurants, etc., but I'm actually a little more worried about that with the Hilton in Moscow than the Sonya in St. Petersburg. Unless I'm missing something.

Sonya Radisson in St. Petersburg is located right in the center of the city - corner of Liteiny prospect and Chaikovsky street. It is about 15 min. walk to Nevsky prospect, 20 min. walk to the Hermitage. There is the historical Transfiguration cathedral nearby, another place of note in the vicinity - the so-called "Big House", the former KGB headquaters. The closest metro station - Chernyshevskaya, 7 min. walk.

Thanks, 19cruise80, that's what I thought.

Meanwhile what does anyone know about the Dostoyevsky in St. Petersburg? I'm finding several sites that offer a double for single use for my dates for $113 US per night including buffet breakfast and is cancellable till 24 hours before arrival. This seems too good to be true, and oddly the hotel's own site says that nothing is available -- apparently because they aren't loaded into the system yet. I've emailed them to find out what they say -- but they have super plans (for now, no summer priced listed).

I love the Fodor's Guides for it: "Pros: part of a busy mall, next to a metro station, stylish restaurants nearby. Cons: part of a cheesy mall, next to a traffic clogged intersection, overpriced restaurants nearby." I guess that's kind of "glass half empty, glass half full" approach.

I would not describe the address of the Sonya Radisson as right in the centre of the city. It is almost opposite the Finland railway station. I would not be put off by that though, since walking around St Petersburg is wonderful especially in the summer. There aren't as many metro stations as in Moscow, which is why not being central in Moscow is not such an issue, unless you can't master cyrillics, in which case you can't read the station names. Best location in St Petersburg is around the Grand Hotel Europe IMO. Alot of the sites in Moscow are all around the city except obviously Red Square and the restaurants are all over as well. I lived in Russia and spent most weekends in Moscow hotels, in the end it doesn't matter as long as you have the metro. From the Hilton, you are 5 stops to Red Square (Okhotniy Riad).

To Odin - St. Petersburg is a very large city and the location of Sonya Radisson is in the historical city center. Houses along Liteiny (Fowndry) prospect first appeared in the beginning of the 18th century. The Finland train station is not opposite Sonya - it is 25 min. walk from it, on the other bank of the Neva. The territory within 15-20 min. walk from Nevsky prospect is considered to be the central part of St. Petersburg.

neo patrick.. some hotels with those hilton rates actually do accept the rates even arriving other nights this offer, however is over at end of january, i believe, so do not hesitate to book before it ends.

in moscow we stayed at the holiday outside the city, in those days had free airport pick up plus free shuttle into to moscow everyday and they picked up at convenient times, however it was outside the city.. but we enjoyed our stay, it would b even nicer in the summer, i think, to be out there near the woods.

I saw this in a post long ago. seems reasonable.
http://www.nevskyinn.com/rooms.shtml

apartment post

http://www.introbyirina.com/apartments1.html

and the acme mini hotel has been recommended before. have you looked into the mini hotels?

NeoPatrick,

The pricing you give was about the same proportionally in 1995. We stayed at the hostel because of that, which was an interesting experience as we were in common rooms (about 12 beds to a room). We bought our own coffee, filters and filter holder, of which we left the remainder to the person who poured the hot water in the morning. I would be curious to know if there is much internal tourism in Russia. My daughter and her partner were in China last year, in Yunnan Province, and reports that they had no problems with cheaper accommodations. But the area was crawling with tourists, 99% of them being Chinese.

here is a small list of mini hotels

http://www.netspb.ru/en/

neopatrick.. perhaps some of my outings in SP can be of use to you. Here is my report of our visit. I hope there is something of interest to you. It is a little lengthy

http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/babushkas-the-strutters-blinis-and-more.cfm

Patrick,

You are quite correct in that Moscow does not have much, if anything, between hostels and $300+ single rooms. It has been considered "the most expensive city in the world" for a number of years now.

I know you are traveling alone, but have you looked for any Moscow apartment rentals?

Within a 10 minute walk to the Red Square area, 1BR apartments are under $200/night and those closer to the ring are about $100/night. It may be more room than you "need" but still much cheaper than a hotel. ALL apartments seem to define the term "basic furnishings". They are also quite small, even by NYC standards.

I've not done this YET, but have spent a lot of frustrating time researching for a future trip to Moscow and apartments seem to make the most sense - it's what I usually do when visiting Europe. Also, research to date makes eating out in Moscow seem equally overpriced - a meal or two a day "in" could/should also help the overall budget picture.

I hesitate to recommend one agency over another since I haven't gone yet, but Googling "Moscow Apartments" yielded many enticing choices.

St. Petersburg appears downright "cheap" in all areas by comparison.

Here's a"map based" one:
http://preview.tinyurl.com/4cc9lt9

19cruise80 - thanks, but I know St Petersburg very well already.

<<research to date makes eating out in Moscow seem equally overpriced - a meal or two a day "in" could/should also help the overall budget picture.>> Suggest you do better research. Here are a couple for you to start with: Moo Moo, Yolki Palki, Shesh Besh, Starlite Diner, American Bar and Grill, Patio Pizza, U Pirosmani, Noah's Ark.

I ate far better than at Moo Moo and Yolki Palki and did not break the bank. I'm not sure what some consider "overpriced" but my meals in Moscow were about the same as when I eat out at home in Boston...$45-60 per person, depending on how much I ate, how many courses, and how much wine I drank. I was prepared to break the bank based on reviews I read, but I had some very nice meals and didn't feel like it was highway robbery at all.

Try the Pushka Inn in St. Petersburg. Clean, good location and I believe breakfast was included.

The Pushka Inn is interesting. While their cheapest "standard" double rooms for one person start at $250 for my dates, they do offer an economy single on the ground floor. Sounds a little scary, but the pictures (no bath picture) seem OK -- bigger than a closet at least. At about $150 US (4500RUB) per night including "all taxes" and registration and can be cancelled up to three days ahead, it sounds pretty good. LOVE the location right by the Hermitage.

I may look at some apartments. I know what you mean, Bardo, and that's what I do nearly everywhere in Europe these days too. But I guess I'm a little worried about needing more "help" in Russia than in other places.

Bardo, maybe I'm just a dummy. I get the map and click on various apartments to see where they are -- but how do I find descriptions of those apartments? The map appears to not link to the actual apartment descriptions.

But I did find City Realty in Moscow, which seems to have some really nice places. Here's just one link to a one bedroom apt. at $133 a night. Many others. I need to study the locations. But it's a surprising amount of room and if anything better furnished than some of those cheaper hotels that cost much more. It it's true, they claim you have a "concierge" to help with all arrangements, tickets, questions, etc.

http://www.cityrealtyrussia.com/apartment_Central-Boulevard-%28o%29/moscow_apartments.html?check-in=06.08.2011&check-out=12.08.2011&v=USD

Patrick,

Again, I can't comment on any particular agencies, but I've looked through about 10 Moscow apartment agencies (including City Realty) and they all seem to be priced similarly (roughly $150 for a well located 1BR) and most have the same basic "concierge" services (visa invitation, airport shuttle, etc.).

With hotel prices what they are, I'm curious why they all aren't more money (yes, they are basic and small, but so are hotel rooms).

I'd personally hesitate to stay in an apartment in Moscow over a hotel that is higher rating, just for the convenience of having a full service hotel where I can use the facilities, esp on my own. If the apartment is not up to scratch or you need help, it might be a problem.

The Holiday Inns are a good option (not Vinogradovo as its too far out, but Suschevsky would be good), Radisson Slavyanskaya is walking distance to the Arbat, Hilton - its a renovated Stalin skyscraper with fab interiors, Budapest is in a great location although pricey for the time however the Sovietsky is a similar style hotel with more reasonable prices, Golden Apple Boutique hotel is around USD209, location is very good and others. Even the Izmailovo hotels would be OK.

If you decide to stay in an apartment, make sure it is westernised and renovated and that there is some sort of security, that you have air con as August can be hot and if you can open the windows, might be noisy esp if you are overlooking a boulevard. Also make sure they are not doing the hot water maintenance in August, if these are privately owned apartments, some have no hot water in August due to maintenance, but I believe this practice should have ended, or at least not take a whole month as it used to.

While booking.com still shows Budapest at about $198 a day, I found it on Moscowhotels.net (which seems to be a very good site) for $160 a night -- including breakfast and all taxes. It's also a cancellable rate, so I'm thinking I should go for it while it shows that. What's more it's a standard double room for one person as opposed to the single room for the higher rate on booking.com (approx. 225 sq. feet, about double the size of many single rooms I've seen.)

One question. If I use a site like this, how hard is it to get the "invitation" document from the hotel for my visa?
The hotel's site doesn't seem to show prices, just allows an inquiry, so perhaps I could email them and see if they will give me that price booking directly?

To answer some of my own questions. I emailed Hotel Budapest directly and mentioned the price I was seeing from MoscowHotels.net. I asked if there was any problem booking with them. They replied quoting me considerably more for a single room that Moscow Hotels is quoting me ($135 US with Breakfast and all taxes and free visa service). And Hotel Budapest quoted me lots more for a double room for single use. They said there was no problem booking with MoscowHotels and suggested I do so!

So I think at $135 US with everything for the Budapest in a fairly spacious double room is by far my best bet. They also said the I should book my full 8 nights there and if I decide to go out of town for two or three of those nights, that is no problem as I can change the reservation up to three days before -- meanwhile my "invitation" will show a reservation for my complete stay (combined with my 6 nights in St. Petersburg). Apparently there is no issue ending up staying somewhere other than you originally registered for the Visa.

Looks like a great solution!

Amazing deal - good work!

The prices are notoriously high, especially in Moscow. However, there are many more interesting attractions to see in St. Petersburg than in Moscow. So I would recommend that you spend more time in St. Petersburg than Moscow. If you want to see a great list of attractions and tours in St. Petersburg then I recommend you visiting http://st-petersburg-tours.ru

About the hotels. There are really 2 options in Russia. The first is renting an apartment short term. There are many different sites offering this. If you want more convenience then a hotel is the better option. In St. Petersburg the hotel prices can also be very expensive. The best option I found that has a good mix of location, price, and quality was http://www.hotelvera.ru

In Moscow I would recommend renting an apartment near Tverskaya as most of the attractions you will want to see, including the Kremlin, will be within walking distance.

The booking agencies I found do not really give big discounts and it is often better to book directly with the hotel when staying in Russia. However, you can use the booking agency to find an apartment.

I hope you enjoy your stay in Russia!!

>> there are many more interesting attractions to see in St. Petersburg than in Moscow. So I would recommend that you spend more time in St. Petersburg than Moscow.<<

That is an extremely subjective statement. I read that before I went for my first trip as well, and ended up having no problem filling my time in Moscow, to the extent that I wish I'd had a couple more days!

"The booking agencies I found do not really give big discounts and it is often better to book directly with the hotel when staying in Russia. However, you can use the booking agency to find an apartment. "

Interesting comment, but not in my case. Maybe you found the wrong booking agencies or just didn't happen to hit a good deal. Did you read my instance of the agency with a far better price for the Budapest Hotel than I could get from them -- even emailing them directly and asking them to match it? Couldn't be done.

There are some large travel agencies in Moscow who can get really good rates with local hotels but do not have websites or online booking facilities.

Hi we just returned from a 10 day trip to St. Petersburg and Moscow. I booked our hotel Petro Palace which was fantastic on Hotels.Com website and found that the reviews posted were very correct. We paid around 85-100 euros per night for a great room. The service at the hotel is good, we arranged airport pickup for $50.00 USD and they were waiting for us with our names on their sign. WE booked theatre tickets from there, guides to take us sight seeing and train station to Moscow delivery. The service very good and wi- fi everywhere in the hotel at no charge. I would highly recommend Petro Palace to anyone. We have travelled throughout France and Italy as well and always use Hotels.com to book our rooms. In Moscow we stayed at the Sheraton a 15 mon walk from Red Square again a great recommendation from Hotels. Com. I would also really recommend hiring a local guide to take you to see the sights...we booked one daily and it made the trip!!

We loved the Russian Museum...you can spend hours there. We also took in the Ballet "Swan Lake" it was fabulous!!! Only 85.00 per person....booked with our hotel concierge

Wenday, Petro Palace would be nice, but Hotels.com offers it now for my dates at over $220 a night for a standard room (including taxes) about $30 a night more than the hotel direct. The Other hotels I checked also were cheaper direct than with Hotels.com, but maybe they'd be better for last minute? I have often used Hotels.com to get an idea of what's available, but I honestly don't think I've ever found a rate with them better than booking direct.

be sure to google 10-15% off coupons/ promos for expedia and hotels.com or any other third party. They are available at times.

In St Petersburg we stayed here http://www.nlightsrussia.com/

Good prices and we really enjoyed staying there

alihutch, someone else mentioned Northern Lights. I hate to sound like a wimp -- and I live in a three story townhouse, but the idea of walking all day and returning to climb 4 flights to get to my hotel (maybe another flight inside once you reach that level?) just doesn't appeal to me. Especially since I'm normally the type of traveler who will go in and out of my hotel a number of times per day! And also those stairs can be torture on my bad ankle after a full day of walking.

Patrick,

Looking forward to a report come September...

An update:
I've now booked in St. Petersburg, 3 Mosta, a stone's through from the Hermitage and a less than one year old small hotel. Price is 18,000 R for the 6 nights or about $100 per night including taxes and breakfast for a small single room with private bath. It seems to have only raves TA (but too new to have very many) and it does have an elevator.

Looks like a fine place.. have a wonderful time.

bookmarking thanks

Patrick where did you get that rate for 3Mosta. I can only see rates of $200 a nite?

It's a single -- half price! I did it through booking.com, but it appears on other websites too.

yes I see that now. Booking.com has great rates. It is interesting how much cheaper it is as a single. In Laos it was the same price for one or two people. thanks for the clarification.

Well, this is a little different. This isn't a double room for single use. It is actually a SINGLE room -- with one twin bed.
I'm expecting a shoebox to sleep in. LOL

I was surprised though how many Russian hotels do offer a substantial discount for a single using a double room. They don't seem to do that much in the US or most other places.

Gee, Kelly, what is the point of telling us what company you booked your hotel through rather than tell us what hotel it was and reviewing it? Most of us here are more interested in actual hotel information instead of just a plug for a website.

NeoPatrick,

I remembered this thread I came back to find moscowhotels.net to do some researching for a possible trip and.... IT IS DEFUNCT.

Just an FYI. You might check with Budapest to see if you still have a room reserved...

oops. Maybe that was MY mistake. It's www.moscow-hotels.net
Try that.

They just sent me my Visa/ land voucher two weeks ago.

Good! Now I can get back to looking for a hotel...

Comrade Patrick is going to Russia

I was wondering if Neopatrick could come back and provide us with a trip report. I'm planning a trip to Russia as we speak and would love his input, as well as anyone else who has been there recently.

Independent traveler that I am, I'm actually toying with the idea of doing this as a tour, since I'm completely out of my element!

So . . . ttt to get updated input on this thread, and maybe get Patrick to finally do that report!

Surfergirl, last year after coming home from Russia and Ukraine I did indeed spend hours preparing a trip report. But when I tried to post it, it vanished into thin air. Perhaps it was too long? But in any case, I just never got inspired to try to put it all together again and make another attempt.

But I would be happy to answer any questions I can.

I can sum up things this way. I did it all alone and on my own, with the exception of signing up for a couple of day trips with local tours. I had a wonderful time and was surprised how easy everything really was -- even finding my own way to Suzdal and back. It was truly amazing to me how little the problem of language was -- and I don't have ANY knowledge of spoken or written Russian!

My itinerary:
5 nights in St. Petersburg: Hotel 3 Mosta
5 nights in Moscow at Hotel Budapest
2 nights in Suzdal in private "cabin"
1 night back at Moscow in Hotel Budapest
4 nights in Kiev at private apartment

Thank you, Patrick. I completely understand the vanishing into thin air trip reports -- that happened to me once, and ever after, I wrote it up in word, then cut and paste into a report.

So, my questions are:
1. for the hotels you stayed at in St. Petersburg and Moscow, did you like them, and did they have wifi?

2. How did you get from point "A" to point "B"? Did you have to book ahead for that?

3. Any interesting places to eat/people watch that you uncovered?

4. Which ballet company (if any) did you end up seeing?

5. What's the night life like?

Thanks!

#1: 3 Mosta Hotel was great -- super location, small very new hotel very close to The Hermitage. Breakfast was OK in the cafe upstairs. My single room was VERY small, but had a lovely bathroom, and was clean and neat. I did have wifi there that worked fine.
The Budapest in Moscow did not have wifi -- or if they did, I think it cost a small fortune so I didn't use it. I went to a nearby cafe and used their free internet. The rooms (since I returned there, I had two) were nice, quite large, and comfortable, but rather tired looking. The bathrooms were quite large. I found the staff to be very "cold" and not very helpful. If you asked how to get somewhere they'd only offer to sell you a tour or call a taxi.

#2: I did this as a One World award travel so had flights to St. Petersburg, from there to Moscow, from Moscow to Kiev. I bought my tickets for the train to Suzdal at the station on the day of the departure. And I took a bus back to Moscow -- booked in Suzdal.

#3: The cafes along the main street in St. Petersburg are great for people watching, as is the big park along the river by The Hermitage. You could hang out in and near Red Square in Moscow all day -- it's a world of entertainment by itself.

#4: I'm afraid I didn't record what balet company it was -- but Swan Lake was at the huge theatre right next to the Bolshoi (which was still closed down for remodeling).

#5: I didn't experience much night life. In St. Petersburg there was a really nice chic bar that had music at night. I had cocktails several nights at the bar and thanked them for letting me in (joking) as I was the only one there over about 30. I did go to the Circus one night in Moscow which was fun, and just made an evening out of walking and perhaps having a drink somewhere that looked interesting.

Very, very helpful!! Thank you.

You don't recall the name of the bar with music, do you? We're not 30 either, but enjoy going to bars with music and pretending we're 30.

Ah, I found it. Daiquiri Bar. It's very close to Church on Spilled Blood. I like to pretend I'm 30 too, but that just doesn't work any more!

By the way, I loved the sushi chain in both cities called "two sticks" but spelled in Russian. You'll need to ask someone. Very young and trendy and really good and reasonable.

We loved Moscowsuites.ru and had a fabulous apt in Moscow. For the time you are spending in each city, might want to consider an apt especially if you seach for one with a w/d.

jan47ete, I had originally thought of looking for apts in both Moscow and St. Petersburg, but unlike in Kiev and Suzdal where I found what seemed like really solid recommendations, I was thrown by the constant discrepancies for both Moscow and St. Petersburg. Every time I found an apartment that looked good, there would be some review or picture or item that made me back off, thinking it just didn't seem "right". Moscowsuites is one company I found that to be true with. I'm glad your experience worked out fine.
And incidentally, cost for an apartment was a concern, as I was able to get great single rates on hotels -- but not so with apartments. As a couple, the savings could have been significant.

I should mention also that Moscowsuites would show pictures of apartments, but when I looked at many, I realized they were using the same pictures for different apartments! When I finally emailed and asked about that I was told that yes, some pictures weren't the actual apartments but were "representative" of the real ones. That is something I just didn't trust!

I don't know if my advice will be helpful but I also met with the problem of expensive prices of hotels in Moscow. Most of the cheap hotels are very far from the center (Izmaylovskaya, for example), and I decided that the time distance from the center to the hotel to me is more important than living conditions. So I decided to look hostels.

In the center of Moscow there are very small hostel, which look like large apartment - just a few rooms. I stopped in February in "Bananas hostel" - very quiet, comfortable and clean place for 2000 rubles per night for a single room. The service was very good. They even arranged me train and made registration very quickly.

Personally I would stay at one of the Izmailovo hotels or some of the Holiday Inns in the suburbs if I was on that much of a budget. Some are renovated and it is so easy & cheap to get the the centre of Moscow by metro.