I'm going on a Russian river cruise with 3-day stops at those two cities at either end. Do any of you have a favorite guidebook for either of the two cities, or perhaps a single Russian guidebook?

Do you have a copy of "Russia by River"? Essential. I ordered one directly from their website. They were also for sale on the ship, but it was a much older edition.

There aren't as many guides books for these two cities as other destinations. But, Eyewitness and Insight guides were excellent.

Try to find and bring detailed maps with you (I did manage to find some good ones on the web to print and fold up to stick in a pocket).

We used the "Rough Guide to Russia" when we lived in Moscow. Found it very good. Found ours in Barnes & Noble.

Enjoy . . you are in for a treat!

Rich

djk, I went to their website and it appears that they no longer take credit cards and you have to mail in an order, which I will do forthwith if this is the correct book.

http://www.russiabyriver.com/order.html

Yes, I sent a check. Worth the wait. Magnificent "companion" guide book. I was astonished that the ship was selling a several years old edition in the gift shop!

P.S. The latest edition has invaluable tips for shopping for souvenirs, especially with regard to the best places with the best prices for certain items.

For example, the Chaika watches are manufactured in Uglich, so there you will find the best selection and prices. I bought one (just to not be sorry I didn't) for $12. Never did see the same one anywhere else, but similar models were double the price elsewhere. It was too amusing that some enterprising folks were buying them up to sell on E-Bay. (Same goes for those Faberge-style egg pendants.)

If your ship visits the puppet theater in Yaroslavl, the gift shop therein is THE place to buy a laquer box. Amazing selection, high quality, best prices I saw anywhere. (I did not expect to become so enthralled with them!) They take credit cards there, too. At first the prices seem high (compared to imitations), but, believe me, I'm glad I bought the one there than made my heart leap. Prices were much higher elsewhere.

e-mail me if you have other questions [email protected]

Well, the check's in the mail for djk's rec. Anyone else have a guidebook preference? Rich likes Rough Guide, and soon I will head for BI&N or Borders to check out their offerings.

I was just in Border's looking at Russian guide books (of which there weren't many) but I liked Lonely Planet's coverage of the smaller towns and the Eyewitness Guides for Moscow and St. Pete. If you are doing any touring on your own, Eyewitness guides have street maps which I found to be helpful when I was in St. Petersburg last year. I usually order my guide books from Amazon or BN and save a few $$.

If I can make a suggestion, please look into booking a private tour at least for one of your days as opposed to the ones organized by the ship (if the river cruises even have them). We saw so much more than any of the other passengers or than we could have seen on our own because of the long lines.

We just returned from a river cruise and many optional tours were offered. The optional tours were all led by licensed tour guides with "appointments" at the various destinations. Even at the ever popular Catherine Palace, those who went on the tour reported waiting under an hour for entrance to the palace and under half an hour for entrance to the Amber Room.

We hired a private guide for St. Petersburg, foregoing the optional tours, because we wanted to see more of the Hermitage and lots of the city, as opposed to another palace, cathedral, museum tour consuming an entire morning or afternoon.

I had never considered a personal guide, but I am intrigued after having read your posts, Kristi and djk, as well as others. It sounds like a really good idea. About how much would a personal guide cost for 3 people for a day?

We just got back from a Baltic cruise with 2 days in St. Petersburg. The Eyewitness Guidebook was terrific background reading and serves as wonderful reference once we got home for identifying all those photos!!!
We did not take the Celebrity cruises' shore excursion; we used a private tour company called "Red October." If you go to http://messages.cruisecritic.com/2/O...p;f=8463082432
You will be on the "Baltic Ports" board of a great reference website (aimed at cruisers). Many, many people have used Red October's services and you can read about the experiences. You NEVER wait in line, you don't ride big busses, nor do you move in groups of 50 to gather around to hear about what you're seeing. AND you have wonderful, knowledgable guides. Can't recommend enough. We used them for two full days and felt we made the most of our time in the city.

We also used Red October and thought the service was wonderful if not a bit expensive. I think it was about $400 total for the 2 of us for 1 day. On the other hand the ship tours were almost as much and didn't see a fraction of what we saw.

You might also do a search for someone named Olga that I've seen recommended quite a few times.

Do check out www.cruisecritic.com as there are a lot of people who do the private tours that post out there.

Olga was MUCH more reasonable.

How much did Olga cost approximately? I didn't see anyone posting that information when I searched.

Red October's main business is from the 2 day stops from the cruise ships, most of the passengers don't get visas and Red October is one of the companies that doesn't require you to have one. But I assume the river cruise tours require you to get a visa so that shouldn't be an issue for you.

Yes, Red October is pricey for just two people. There is a BIG drop in a day's tour costs if you are four (we were four) in the private van.

For tours in St Petersburg you might want to look at:
peterswalk.com or
www.actis.tourworld.ru

In Moscow:
http://www.russiatravel-pdtours.netfirms.com/sched.htm

Both Lonely Panet and Rough Guide are fine fo Moscow and St Petersburg. Fordor has a single book covering St Petersburg and Moscow.

For the river trip Russia by River

Has anyone used "Moscow and St Petersburg" by Masha Norsbye or Fodor's on the same subject?

Fodor's Guide to Moscow & St. Petersburg.

djkbooks: were you on the Omniworld trip by any chance?

We were on the Viking Pakhomov 6/11-22.