Helsinki to St Petersburg to Moscow
Jul 29th, 2002, 07:09 PM
#1
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Helsinki to St Petersburg to Moscow
I am flying into Helsinki October 14th and then plan on taking the train to St. Petersburg on the 16th then plan on flying out of Moscow on October 25th. Any recommendations on what to do, where to go, time in each place, are there other places in between, modes of travel, places to stay (prefer different, I've stayed in a palace, in a castle and a few other interesting ones), etc. We prefer to travel on our own (no groups), like adventure, enjoy the "touristy things" but really prefer getting to know the people and see out of the way places. I have traveled to several Eastern European countries and have gotten the best tips for these forums. Thanks for your help in advance. I know this is a long post. Lisa
Jul 29th, 2002, 07:27 PM
#3
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Thank you. I am as we speak. I am willing to splurge because I think Russia will be a trip of a lifetime. I haven't done too much research yet. Just getting started. I am actually going to St. Petersburg for a 2 day conference and the rest will be fun.
Jul 29th, 2002, 07:46 PM
#4
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My favorite hotels are the Grand Hotel Europa in St Petersburg and the Baltchug Kempinski in Moscow. Hiring a guide (and at times a driver) is a reasonable "splurge" that will pay dividends in many ways. The concert/theatre schedules for both cities should be up by mid-August. <BR><BR>You might want to spend a day in Sergiev Posad (a town outside of Moscow) which is a wonderful monestary (and formerly the headquarters of the Russian Orthodox Church).<BR><BR>Probably the best books for planning a week-long trip are the DK/Eyewitness Guides to Moscow and to St. Petersburg. It is easy to come up with a program once you review these guides.<BR><BR> In St Petersburg, The Museum of Political History and the Kirov Museum (in memory of Sergei Kirov, not the theater) are great places to understand Soviet history. Ideally you could get a guide in either of those museums--I spent about three hours in the Museum of Political History last year discussing the exhibits with one of their guides (through a translator). <BR><BR>In Moscow try tours conducted by Patriarshy Dom. The House on the Embankment Museum, for instance, is only open two days a week, but is a great glimpse into life in the 1930's. The apartment building that contains the Apartment-Museum was the first luxury Soviet housing, and many of the party elite lived there and were removed from their during the purges.<BR>
Jul 30th, 2002, 05:30 AM
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Thank you for a good start. I am interested in the history, not only because it is so interesting, but one of the reasons I'm there is for an international Real Estate conference. We are working with the Eastern European countries to help them develop a Real Estate system.
Jul 30th, 2002, 06:03 AM
#6
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The real estate market is quite interesting in both cities--with only two or three Class A Buildings in St. Petersburg there are many projects being discussed. Moscow is far more developed, although the Crises of 1998 sobered up many developers. Many western companies are active in Moscow, fewer in Petersburg (primarily because Moscow is truly the commercial capital of Russia).<BR><BR>More and more industrial sites in central locations will be developed in both cities (and elsewhere in Russia, for that matter).
Jul 31st, 2002, 03:19 PM
#7
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Marc, one thing I would be interested in speaking with you about is on a related note, resort development. This would typically be heavily amenitized hospitality product with a major recreational component, like golf. I am studying some possibilities now, beginning with acquiring a more intrinsic sense of demographics, socio-economic characteristics and climatology.
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