chalclear

We are intending to visit Russia November/December 2009 and plan on doing the Trans-Siberian getting off the train at numerous stops. We would like to travel independently rather than have an organised tour. People have told us however it is really difficult - next to impossible - to organise visa's and tickets on your own and recommend an agent even if the agent just does all the organising but you still travel independently. Is it true that it is difficult to get things organised for Russia without the help of an agent? Obviously we would like to avoid the additional cost involved with having agents. Can someone please advise on this?

crdtny

Went on the Trans Sib last July.Moscow to Beijing via Manchuria and returned to Moscow via Mongolia.Arranged tickets with a compny called Regent travel and arranged visa with a company called Real Russia.
Was met at Moscow(best thing was MOSCOW CATS THEATRE http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=LLEA1BgJ6YQ ) taken to hotel stayed a few days collected and taken to train station.On arrival at Beijing met agent who took us to Hotel then did our own thing.was heading to Japan so agent collected us and took us to Beijing railway station and got a trian to Qingdao where again met by another agent.Return journey was similar with agent meeting you at various points but you did your own thing all the time apart from when you were met at stations and taken to hotels.
I lve in Cardiff Wales and dont like flying so I got the train from Cardiff to London then Eurostar to Brussells.Train from Brussells(coffee in station cafe) to Cologne(dinner in Hofbrau Haus sausage and pickled cabbage) and then overnight to Warsaw(visited old town and dinner bigos with cabbage) where I spent 6 hours before getting overnight train to Moscow. I had time on my side so spent a little time at change overs.
Arranged all the connections myself and just got the Travel people to arrange tickets and visas.
I have an extensive schedule of times of trains and connections on the travel site TRIPIT and also have many photos on PICASA which if you e mail me I can invite you to view.
Due to strange international law the train fares are kept at a very low price and are not allowed to be increased.I plan to go this summer again but maybe to Vladavostock.
Any questions you have just let me know.
My e mail address is "[email protected]

Nlingenfel

I always travel independently but, Russia is the only place I would recommend an organized tour. It even left me feeling uncomfortable when I walked around with a friend in the cities.

Debs

We are also independent travelers, however, did take an organized tour with General Tours when visiting Russia a few years ago. We also used an agency to secure our visas (didn't want to leave anything to chance due to a careless mistake on our part). The local guides we had in both Moscow and St Petersburg spoke flawless English and were very knowledgeable in all areas we visited. We thought it helped tremendously to have a local guide secure our tickets and guide us thru the Kremlin and Hermitage - of course you see only a small fraction of either place in limited time - but visiting on your own - and without a working knowledge of Russian is something we weren't ready to tackle. Nor would be driving in either city, as all signs were in Cyrillic. A good tour bus driver (we toured in late model Mercedes buses) is worth his/her weight in gold when driving in those cities! We did have some free time in each city, so weren't constantly locked into the tour group. Everyone in our group was an experienced international traveller, which IMHO helped make the tour more successful.

Also took the night train between Moscow and St Petersburg, which isn't something we would have done independently. By taking the night train, however, you maximize time spent in each city and not spend at the airport and in transit to your hotel upon arrival.

Good luck with your trip planning. The Trans-Siberian trip would be an amazing experience.

thursdaysd

I traveled the Trans-Mongolian in 2004, and although I usually travel independently I used an agency for visa support, train tickets and homestays. See my trip report at www.wilhelmwords.com/rtw2004. If you don't speak Russian I think trying to buy your own train tickets might be tough, plus I hear that the tickets for the Trans-Siberian are in high demand. BTW,you'd better check to see how difficult it is now to get a visa for more than four weeks if you're planning lots of stops.

orangetravel

Clearly, it's possible to do it either way so ultimately it's up to you.

That said, the problem with traveling in this part of the world is not only the difficulty of the language (a completely different alphabet that looks like gibberish until you learn it), but also that life not set up to be logical. So you make Western assumptions about, for example, how to buy a train ticket and you can end up quite frustrated and lost. This has happened to me, and I speak Russian! Outside of Moscow and St. Petersburg, and to a large extent inside these cities as well, don't expect anyone to speak a word of English or be a bit inclined to help you.

I would just pay for the agent to help with the basics. If you are the type who likes the adventure of strange mishaps in a foreign land, don't worry, you'll still experience them.

And these days you need to get your visa *before* you go.

afterall

Hi there,

It may depend on where you live and your nationality. Last summer I got my own visa (but then I could go in person), organised accommo on the internet and bought all train tix as I went along. I did stump up for a letter of invitation (many hotels will provide one but my choices either didn't or I hadn't sorted out accommo in good enough time). I used VisittoRussia.com for that - it cost 30usd.

I only travelled Kiev - Moscow - St Petes and back to Moscow. The Trans-Siberian could be a different matter, but I guess if you were planning to stop where the organised trips would stop anyway you're likely to find some sort of tourist infrastructure - and only the brave (or Russian speakers) would stop somewhere that didn't at least appear in a guide book!

I found the people I shared a 4 berth kupe with were always friendly, language notwithstanding. It was easy to use the Metro in Moscow and St P - also the buses in the latter, though I never plucked up the courage to try them in Moscow.

I'd love to do the Trans Siberian one day probably westbound, so please don't forget to do a trip report when you come back.

Cheers.

trsny

I traveled to St. Petersburg and Moscow independently and met several others doing the Trans-Siberian independently. Yes, it can be difficult, but it can be done. It's all in how you look at it. If you want a safety net, I'd do what the others here suggest and have at least your arrangements made for you prior to going. Also, learn the Cyrillic alphabet, whether you choose a guided tour or not. It will be so helpful and you'll actually figure out a lot of things on your own.

The most difficult for me was buying my train ticket to Moscow. I could've gone through a middle man in the US, but the cost was almost double so I waited until I arrived in St. Petersburg to buy it, using a ticket office near Kazan Cathedral. I didn't have the hostel write down my preferences to give to the ticket office and was only saved when an customer with a good grasp of English happened to come in. Still, I have no regrets and took it as a learning experience.

Waytorussia.net is a good site too. They ave several threads on their forum dedicated to Trans-Siberian travel. One thing I completely recommend is that you pad your travel dates on the letter of invitation and visa. If something happens, having some wiggle room helps tremendously.

trsny

crdtny, I would've lLOVED to have seen a show at the Moscow Cat Theater. Unfortunately, they were out of the country when I was Moscow.