I am planning to spend 6 days in Moscow (December 27 till 02 January). I still could not decide where to stay.I am planning to spend no more than 50 USD/night. Do you recommend a hotel or a private house B&B? Any names or address. Where to go for sightseeing, dining, night life etc? I will appreciate any suggestions and tips. Shall I consider visiting also St.Petersburg? <BR> <BR> <BR>

You can forget a hotel for $50 in town. That aint happenin. Do you speak Russian? This makes a difference. <BR>In Moscow I would be extremely hesitant about staying in a private house/etc unless I knew the people (i.e. Dont take offers from the Babushkas at the train station). <BR>Last time there, I stayed at a dump hotel named the Arabskoi (near either Okhotny Ryad or Ugo Zapadnoye, cant remember which), anyway, dont stay there. <BR> <BR>I lived in St. Petersburg for a year and I absolutely loved it. There is TONS to see and do. If i could find a job there with an American company, I would be on the plane tomorrow. <BR> <BR>What excactly are your interests and what types of things do you like to see? This may help narrow down some of our recommendations. <BR> <BR>Bob <BR>

Try <BR> <BR>www.tourintel.ru <BR> <BR>I stayed at the Hotel Rossiya for about $55/night in 1999 and this June.

My step-son felt exactly the same as Bob about St. Petersburg. It was by far the highlight of his trip. He didn't care much for Moscow.

Just another POV: We greatly preferred Moscow to St. Petersburg, but you can't miss it because of the Hermitage. We had a much greater sense of history in Moscow, however.

Thanks for all replies <BR> <BR>Dear Bob, <BR> <BR>Unfortunately, I do not speak even a word in Russian but I think I can survive with English as so many foreigners do. I will be going to Moscow with a friend. Last year we were in Hong Kong, Thailand and Singapur. Especially Thailand was a real fun. As being single and young we are trying to fill out all fun before gettin married. We are quite interested in seeing and living the culture where we visit. I already made a reservation for Bolshoi on 28.12. We are planning to do as much as possible like visiting museums, walking around, any recommended actions. I beieve that the best idea will be to stay in a clean and safe hotel close to center where we can go by walking or take the underground. I will appreciate any recommendations for visiting places, dining and night life (just quality places where we can have fun without getting cheated) etc. <BR> <BR>Best Regards, <BR> <BR>Murat

Just to caution you, Moscow (like most big cities) isnt the safest of places. Not speaking Russian shouldnt be a problem, but it could definately helps. <BR>Especially with Cab drivers and Police/Militsia. Beware of the cab drivers at the airport. <BR>How are you handling your Visa? <BR> <BR>The good thing about Moscow is that just about everything is accessible by Metro. You can find a sweet map of it here: <BR>http://www.moscow-guide.ru/Transport/mmap.gif <BR> <BR>I would start with the touristy places on this map: <BR>http://www.lonelyplanet.com/mapshell...cow/moscow.htm <BR> <BR>Obviously, Do the Kremlin thing and see Lenin (say hi for me), St. Basils, Lubyanka Prison, and the Arbat, for some high priced touristy junk. while you are there, you will find a million places to explore. <BR> <BR>It might be a good idea to find the areas you want to visit and then match them up with a Russian metro stop before you go. <BR> <BR>Here are some Moscow Links: <BR>http://www.moscowcity.com <BR>http://www.moscow-guide.ru <BR>http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/europe/moscow <BR>http://www.interknowledge.com/russia/moscow01.htm <BR> <BR>Here are some St. Petersburg Links: <BR>http://www.spb.ru/spbru/ (Click English version at top) <BR>http://www.ryh.ru/ (Youth Hostel) <BR> <BR>Good luck, Bob <BR> <BR>BTW Anyone hooked into any American companies doing biz over there? I need a transfer.

So far nobody mentioned a thing which will be very important for visiting Moscow in winter. This time of year it can be quite cold here, may be some -15 to -20 C, and sometimes it goes even down to -30C. And in Peter the air is quite humid also. So if you're not accustomed to cold weather, be sure you're dressed warm enough, this means warm long coat, wool or fur hat, warm gloves and boots (may be with woolen socks), thick sweater (may be two for long street walks). <BR> <BR>If you'll feel comfortable with cold weather, try to meet the new year on Red Square, there are usually a lot of people drinking shampagne or vodka, fun, fireworks etc. <BR> <BR>What for hotels, I don't have personal experience for being a local, but try hotels Rossia (Rossiya, Russia) or Ukraina (Ukraine), they have middle prices (and middle comfort though). Dining in restaurants is quite expensive, you can't usually expect to have a dinner for two less than for $50. Places like McDonalds, Russkoe Bistro (a russian version of McDo) pizzerias or so are quite cheaper. <BR> <BR>Have a nice travel, <BR>Konstantin