Moscow & St. Pete
 

Read reports and they are great. Going to Moscow & St. Petersburg next year. Any recommedations on which city to go to first? Hate to go anywhere in high season but hubby likes warm weather so trying to go to both cities when at least above 65. Am reading about hours of sunlight and is 5 hours in August and Sept correct? Want to have plenty of time for each city and surrounding area, so would 9-10 days in each work? Thanks. jk

We are also looking for apt or apt hotels with self service laundries or w/d in apt? Anyone know of anything? jk

Topping because I am planning a similar trip. This is the best looking apt. agency I have found to date.


http://apartments.waytorussia.net/

Moscow first then St Petersburg - because most like St Petersburg better than Moscow (I prefer Moscow by far but am in the minority).

Daylight hours is much more than 5 hours in August/September - 9-10 days in each sounds a bit too much unless you will go outside Moscow and visit other areas or if you take a night or 2 in Novgorod on the way to St Petersburg (assuming you take the train).

Probably best to stay in a hotel esp if first time in Russia or an aparthotel is there is one.

Odin - what makes you prefer Moscow? I'm curious because I prefer Madrid to Barcelona and am wondering if this is a similar thing. Am planning trip to St P next year and am wondering if I should hop on a train to Moscow as well.

I'm more familiar with Moscow having been over 20x, also stayed there for an entire year. St Petersburg is undoubtedly beautiful but Moscow has the feel of a great capital.

I, too, prefer Moscow, although I've only spent a few days in each. St. Petersburg is resolutely baroque, which is not my favorite style, while Moscow is much more varied. I also found Moscow easier to get around, as the metro is much more extensive.

Another vote for a visit to Novgorod, and also for a tour of the Golden Ring cities around Moscow. See http://kwilhelm.smugmug.com/Travel/R...e-World-2004-5 for my photos of Novgorod and (unedited) some of the GR cities.

Where does the 5 hours of sunlight statistic come from? If that's a weather website, it refers to clear sunny skies, not daylight.

Daylight hours in Moscow and St. P'bg in August will be very long. St. Petersburg is barely south (latitudinally) of Helsinki, Finland, and Finland is "the land of the midnight sun." In August, you will probably get 16 hours of daylight or more in St. Petersburg and likely 40-60 minutes less in Moscow.

Odin - I was told yesterday by a lady lunching at the next table to mine, that I HAVE to go to Moscow & St Petersburg and that I was to spend one entire day riding the Moscow underground train because the stations are out of this world!
She actually said each one was a work of art.
Is this true?

Yes there are alot of fabulous metro stations which are definitely worth visiting in Moscow example Mayakovskaya, Kievskaya and many others. Some have been decorated with marble columns or have chandeliers, bronze statues or as Mayakovskaya mosaics. They are amazing esp since none of them are vandalised, very efficient train service too.

Odin, or anyone else, any suggestions for private guides in St Pete's and Moscow? My husband and I are going this Sept on our own.

to maximize sunlight, if you go to St Petersburg in the Spring, they experience what they call the "white nights" Very long days, like 18 hours of sunlight.

My daughter and I just completed tours of both St Petersburg and Moscow, about 5 days in each, traveling by night train to maximize days spend on-site. We arranged our tour through TourDeForce in St Petersburg. They offer basic packages which provides you with a very knowledgable guide and quick access to all the major venues, but also leavs you with the option of having personal time where you can explore on your own.

Somehow I get the feeling that you have been to Russia before and that possibly you speak and read some Russian(?). If this is the case, I would suggest you consider leaving some personal time as you will find the metros an easy way to get almost anywhere. I would not advise this if you do not understand or read the language as the metros are not in English.

on the question of preference, I think I prefer St Petersburg but the two are so unique that comparison is questionable. St Petersburg has all the old 17th century architecture while Moscow has all the trappings of the capital of the Soviet Union and now of Russia. Both are well worth the visit.