Moscow in October
 

Hi,

My wife and I, and another couple (ages 45-55) will be visiting Moscow for four days in late October. I have researched and read on the city.. Hotel and flights already booked.. I am looking into a couple guided tours for probably two of the days... I have a couple questions for anyone who can answer or offer an opinion....

How easy is the metro to use?... are there any signs in english?.. I have tried learning some basic russion but find the language pretty difficult... We would like to roam around on our own in teh evenings but I have this fear of being lost and roaming around like an idiot for days in Moscow..

Also... When we travel, we like to get out of big cities for a day when we can and see a small town.. Is this possible in Moscow?.. Any suggestions on a day trip out of the city, and how to get there?.. does the metro run to any smaller towns?

Ome last question... Should I have any concerns about what I take into Russia?.. I want to take my DSLR camera and some gear but have read about people having problems leaving with the gear... I read that they are very picky about proving that you didnt buy it tere, and about what you bring in..

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

John

I don't remember any signs in the metro in English nor road signs for that matter however things might have changed. But you can get maps that have the names in both English and Russian which might help.

The metro does extend quite a way out of central Moscow, but alot of these places are not interesting for tourists, the countryside is not pretty sadly. Maybe chose a place in the Golden Ring (by train), or take the metro to Kolomenskoye for a bit of countryside close to Moscow.

I'm unsure if the issues that existed in previous years still exist with bringing in expensive equipment, it did used to be the case and you had to complete a customs form listing out your expensive items and get it stamped, this proved you brought it into the country so have no issues in taking it out again. Maybe google customs regulations and see if that is still the process.

The one thing you haven;t mentioned is the weather. I would check this out before finalizing plans. We were in St Pet in mid Sept and it was freezing (at least to someone used to mid Sept temps being in the 70s - we had a couple of days with a high around 40.)

just topping in hopes more ideas come thru

As I find Moscow very difficult to get around on my own with public transportation. Not so much the metro or tram, but the inevitable need for a bus too. Having a guide has been the way to go for us, unlike most other cities in Europe (even in Russia)

weatherwise, I think you are fine in October...St Pete can be freezing in mid Summer when that wind kicks up over that water

We navigated St Pet by foot and via taxis - which are very cheap. It wasn't worth the time/effort/lines to take the subway or buses.

My comments are similar to Odin's, but it has been SO long since I was there that I hesitate to say anything. Do try to learn to transliterate - it will help. Enjoy!

Weatherwise, October is not usually a problem in Moscow. There might be some wet and/or windy days, could be some snow as it's late October but usually the snow arrives in November and stays for about 6 months.
I've never had the need to use public bus in Moscow, the metro/train and taxis have been sufficient.

Thanks for the tips!.. I think a guided tour is going to be a must for us so we can make the most of our four days.. I have booked with moscow private tours for full day tours on the 26th and 27th and may piece together a tour with them for a third day.. Still not sure if we should book a night tour with someone or if we will be able to figure out how to get around on our own at night. I really want to do some night photography in the city.

Thanks again!
John

we were there in early May. We hired a guide our first day to show us around the metro, and then had no problems. Moscow is much further south than St Petes and we found it much warmer in May, so will most likely be similar in October.

We did a trip out to Vladimir and then Suzdal, highly reccommend it. You can take a train for a few hours. We arranged a guide upon arrival who took us by city bus to Suzdal, but if there are four of you and a guide and driver you may want to rent a van.

However with only four days it may be a bit much. We found Russia very difficult to get around with the language barrier. It took us a week and a half to figure things out and we are experienced travellers.

I would highly recommend an english/russian/english dictionary to take with you.

Also a GPS would have been invaluable.

Hi, John.
Metro canbe a bit complicated, but now we have new maps with English names of stations. This will help you a lot. I ofter travel with DSLR camera and so far didn't have any problem with it on Russian border. For country side you can try Peredelkino - this is a writers' village about 20 minutes outside Moscow. As a guide I recommend you http://moscowphotowalks.com . This guide cares for visual impression of the tours which can be useful for you of you like taking pictures.