flying in & out of Moscow. We have 3 weeks the 24th of May to 11th of June. How many days in Moscow & St Petersburg? Take the night train sleeper from Moscow to St Petersburg? Fly from St Petersburg to Stockholm & Stockholm-Moscow. What are best areas to stay in MOscow & St Petersburg? (Have to fly in/out of same city because of Business Class award)Has anyone done this trip? Any help greatly appreciated.Thanks !Johanna

Johanna,

My experience in Russia is substantial but not recent ( by a couple of decades), so here are some threads on this forum you may find helpful:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...mp;tid=1382522
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...mp;tid=1378734


http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34889448

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34892172

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34888689

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34690049


In Moscow, try to catch a performance at the Bolshoy or the Kremlin's Palace of Congresses, see Arbat (the heart of Moscow) , the Metro system, my personal favorite, http://www.beeflowers.com/Metro/
enjoy the St Basil and tour the Kremlin,

In St Petersburg, highlights from katya_NY in a related post :

1) Nevskii Prospekt
2) Several rooms in the Hermitage
3) Boat ride along river/canals
4) Market behind The Cathedral on the Spilled Blood (near Nevskii)
5) Amber Room, Catherine Palace
6) Peter & Paul Fortress- prison & statue of Peter the Great (seated)
7) "Jam Hall" movie theaters- can see American movies with subtitles/dubbing. The theater is cool, though- couches and waitstaff deliver snacks from the menu.
8)Peterhof-


One bit of advice from a friend's recent experience: declare your cash. I believe the threshold is $3000. It's a current favorite excuse by Russian airport officials to extort cash from travelers eager to get on the plane out of the country.

Happy travels!

-e

Thank you enroute. I appreciate all the t ips and I am making copious notes. I will go to the threads you mentioned. How do you find the threads? I have put Katya's name in .Thanks again.
Johanna

Dear enroute: Your post about the amount of cash one can bring in was the first I have read of . When does one declare the cash. Do we need the cash or do restaurants take AE or Visa? It seems there are many ATM's. Do you declare when arriving or when departing or both? Thanks so much . Johanna

Dear Johanna,

Since I personally haven't been to Russia in a while, I would want to give you technical info about airport procedures etc. You can contact the Russian consulates in NY or other major cities, a recommended travel agent specializing in Russia, or perhaps your airline.

I just know that my friend almost got into trouble by not realizing he was a few hundred over the limit and made it to the plane out of Moscow by the skin of his teeth, 3 weeks ago. still pretty shaken about it.

The threads have plenty of contact info. I tried to include those I could relate to.

Just use caution, be as informed as you can, beforehand, and then enjoy yourself thoughroughly!

-e

thoroughly, sorry

And "I would want to give you technical info" should be "I wouldn't want to..."

got to proofread more "thoroughly"

"How do you find the threads? "

I entered Russia in the search field above and threads came up on the left. Then did two more serches on Moscow and St Petersburg, respectively. You can use any relevant keywords.

WE had rubles when we arrived in Russia. I was told cash is always best. Nice expensive restaurants are ok. My hotel requested cash for the room, but I knew this in advance. I held the room with a credit card, but went to the ATM and got cash easily! Basically, cash is best.

Most of the better restaurants take credit cards (fewer take Amex); almost all hotels of 3* and above quality take credit cards (again, some don't take Amex). They may prefer cash, but will accept the CC. This is my experience in traveling throughout Russia for the last few years (just last week I was in Kazan and Nizhny Novgorod).

If you are carrying more than $3000 in any form (cash or TCs in any currency other than rubles) you need to fill in a declaratsia on the way in. You then show the declaratsia on the way out. It used to be worse, with a much lower limit, but since the limit went up to $3000 things have gotten more relaxed. Crossing the border into Mongolia, where the border guards had a very bad reputation for confiscating cash, we were told to just cross out the question about currency. See http://www.waytorussia.net/Practicalities/Customs.html
for dealing with customs and http://www.waytorussia.net/Practicalities/Money.html for info on money in Russia.

Hi Johanna- I don't know how I missed this thread the first time around! Please let me know if I can answer any questions that remain...

May-June should be a lovely time to visit!

Hi All: Think I have itinerary set up.

May 25 arrive Moscow (Marriott Aurora)
Day 2 - 5 Moscow
Day 6 Moscow to St Petersburg via Night Train
Day 7 - 11 St Petersburg (SAS Radisson)
Day 12 St Petersburg to Helsinki
Train or Fly?
Day 13 Helsinki
Day 14 Helsinki to Stockholm via HiSpeed Ferry
Day 15 Stockholm
Day 16 Stockholm
Day 17 Stockholm
Day 18 Stockholm to Moscow (fly & stay near Moscow airport
Day 19 Moscow / USA

Too many days in any city?
Should I omit Helsinki and fly from St Petersburg to Stockholm? Would that leave too many days in Stockholm or are there enough day trips.

Plan to stay at Hilton Hotels in Helsinki and Stockholm. Has anyone stayed at these hotels.

Any suggestions or changes to itinerary greatly appreciated.

Moscow and St Petersburg hotels in walking distance to major attractions?

Many thanks for all the help and input.
Johanna

Both the Marriott Royal Aurora and the Radisson are in the center of Moscow and St. Petersburg, respectively--I've stayed a few times at the Marriott (and it is the favorite hotel of one of our more particular clients) and once or twice at the Radisson--both are quite nice.

One very important item to remember is that you need a dual-entry Russian visa for your itinerary (as you will be entering Russia twice). Also the night trains between the two cities do fill up so you'll want to book these in advance.

Depending on your arrival from Stockholm to Moscow, I might recommend the Novotel Sheremetyevo at the airport (if you are leaving from Sheremetyevo-some airlines leave from DME), although there is little to do near the airport. Make sure again you book well in advance--June is quite a busy month in Moscow and St Petersburg.

Thank you Marc. I am making the reservations today or tomorrow. Is the time fram for each city enough time. Do we need more time in St Petersburg? I notice most tour groups dont stay longer than 2-3 days in each city. Will Helsinki be worth the trip or should we bypass and go directly to Stockholm?
Can we get day tours in Russia with a private guide when we arrive or would I call the concierge ahead? I did notice on this forum that I could get tickets to the Hermitage on line but if we have a private guide, will the guide be able to get them?

It's been a very long time since I visited any of these locations, and it depends on your interests, but I think you've allocated your time well. I enjoyed the time I spent in Helsinki, and don't see any obvious reason why you would drop it from your plans. Enjoy!

jo:

Helsinki and Stockholm are vastly different. In fact Helsinki is world's apart from St. Pete, too. BUT, it has several worthwhile attributes on its own IMO. We've spent delightful time in Helsinki, and indeed, many parts of Finland. I would keep the itin pretty much as you have it.
Stu T.

Johana:
I've been to the 2 cities 25 times and am going again just before your dates. I've taken the train several times and always found it unpleasant, although it might have improved since my last trip. I'm definitely taking a plane this time. But if you take the train, consider reserving an entire compartment for yourself. (The last time I did it it was very cheap.) Sharing can be unpleasant. And the trains are not 100% safe. I will spend 5 nights in Moscow and 4 in Spbg. this trip.

June 11, 12 2007 are holidays in Russia - make sure you have solid reservations for everything - hotel room, transportation to the airport.

For anyone trying to send a message to me or ask me a specific questions, it is easier to send me an email (address noted above) as I don't review every message on this board.

Your schedule in Russia is good for an overview of both capital cities. For leisure travelers going for 10 days, we usually book people for 4-6 days in one city and the remainder in the other, depending on their interests (St. Petersburg has more obvious tourist sites but Moscow is in my view far deeper, and during most of the year far more expensive).

You easily could spend a week in each of Moscow and St Petersburg--especially during that time of year the White Nights Festival is in full swing in St Petersburg and it is the height of the Spring season in Moscow.

Most tours spend so little time in each city because most people only want to see the top 3-5 sights, as opposed to truly experiencing the culture and atmosphere of Russia.

I wouldn't rely on the quality or availability of a guide obtained at the last moment, especially during the height of tourist season. It would be best to book this in advanced (ours are already booked during most of the summer in both cities).

As others mentioned, the train can be uncomfortable for the overnight trip (it can be quite warm, thin mattress, etc.). Usually our clients fly or take daytime trains, but the nighttime train can be enjoyable if taken in good humour. We don't have much of a concern over safety but everyone has different comfort levels.