Paco Mier

HiĦĦ I will be travelling to Russia at the end of the month, I am taking a tour but any way it seems I might have some "free afternoons" and will like to wander around.. how safe is that? I am travelling with three other friends, can we go around in the streets, take the metro and the like? I will only be in Moscow and St Petesburg... Are the Russian people friendly? I will also like to meet local people.. any help u can give me? Thanks Paco

joe t

I think it is no problem to wander around Saint Petersburg and Moscow if you are a little bit cautious, and stay with the crowds on the main streets. Always have a card with your hotel name on it in cyrillic, in case you get lost. A good map is also useful. A basic knowledge of the alphabet is probably necessary to get around on the subway. A cab in Moscow should be around 100 rubles (just say 'stoh'), around $5. The Russian people are friendly, but like any big city, be wary of scam artists etc. Be careful, and use judgement. Some people are 'street smart' and used to big cities, some are not, what can I say?

Peter

I've been to both, and just back from St.Petersburg. People are very friendly, both cities are beautiful, well I did like St.Petersburg a bit more. Get map in cyrillic and english so you can always point to where you like to go. People are friendly esspecially to foreigners. Taxi drivers will try to cheat you everytime in Moscow, so first negotiate for price then get in (even the official with meter working). St.Petersburg Taxi drivers were better and most had working meters. Hotel's name in cyrillic is a good idea, although I found many did speak or tried to speak some english. I was fine asking for major landmarks as for directions. I felt very safe in both cities (esspecially in St.Petersburg).

Tom

I agree with Joe and Paco above but would like to add my two cents. Since it's hard to find a cab driver (or anyone on the street) who speaks English, it is really nice if you learn to read Cyrillic characters (onle a few characters are different from English) and ride Metro to get around. Metro has very good network so chances are wherever you want to go in the city is served by Metro. I am sure you will visit Hermitage Museum in St. Pete. In my opinion, it is one of best museums in the world. <BR>Have a good time in Russia. People are friendly but unlike Western Europe, not many people speak English. Carry a Berlitz Russian Phrase Book, just in case. <BR>Tom

Tom

OOPs.. I mean I agree with Joe and Peter. Sorry. <BR>Tom

Jochen

I would also recommend the metro. It is fast, convenient and incredibly cheap ( for Americans and Western Europeans, not necessarily for the Russians ). When I was in St. Petersburg last year I paid the equivalent of $ 0.12 for each ride. You need special tokens that you can buy at the stations. Just go to the counter and say ( or show ) the number of tokens you need. It is a good idea to learn the cyrillic letters and the Russian words for "entrance", "exit", and "connections". <BR> <BR>Be prepared to pay much more for museums, opera tickets etc. than the Russians. For example, the Herimtage Museum was 15 roubles for Russians and around 250 roubles for foreigners. Please don't regard this as scam. Many Russians have to work much harder for 15 roubles than we have to for 250, and they desperately need the money to keep their treasures from ruination. <BR> <BR>Happy travels ! <BR> <BR>Regards, Jochen

Peter

I agree with Jochen stmnt: "Please don't regard this as scam. Many Russians have to work much harder for 15 roubles than we have to for 250" Esspecially when you consider the fact that average pay per month is about $100 ($25/week), and in smaller cities even less. So I think difference in prices is more than fair.

Sid

Hi all, <BR>I have been reading about the cost being more for foreigners than for Russian citizens. If we are paying more are we really helping the Russian people or the government. If we are paying so much why aren't the people getting paid more? I see nothing wrong with the people of Russia paying less to see and visit their historical sites. The idea that we aren't being scammed when we are paying soooo much more.Who is doing the scamming? Think about it!!

Marc David Miller

I don't think paying a higher price is an evil form of scamming; it is a form of fundraising. The Kirov Opera, the Pushkin, the Hermitage belong to the citizens of the Russian Federation, and these institutions have the opportunity to raise funds from visitors. Many museums in Spain, for instance, have one price for EU citizens and another for everyone else (albeit not with such a large discrepancy). Most of the time the admission charges/ticket prices for Russian institutions will be far less than, for example, similar places in New York. <BR> <BR>Think of the extra money as a contribution to the institutions' upkeep. <BR> <BR>For those interested in supporting such institutions, there are now the American Friends of the Hermitage (featured in an article in April's Town and Country), and the White Nights Foundation of America. Obviously many Americans are interested in keeping up Russia's great museums and performing organizations.