@ Odin: Well, I did say "a lot," not "all." ;-)

You are absolutely correct in pointing to some of the stunning Soviet architecture in Moscow, including, of course, the Seven Sisters, the metro stations, etc.

I'm glad you agree that many of the apartment tower blocks are bleak and depressing -- but that also points a reason to revise my initial statement: I did, in fact, find those apartment block towers interesting for the clues they provided about the societal and cultural forces of the day -- even though I did not find them aesthetically pleasing or photogenic.

That said, I'm not sure I agree with your opinion that "the most interesting buildings in Moscow are mostly Soviet." For me, most of the buildings of greatest architectural interest were pre-Soviet -- the Kremlin, the Cathedral of Vasily the Blessed (St. Basil's), Novodevichy, Kolomenskoye.... JMO.

I took a ( beginners )Russian class for three months
before the trip. Did not have to use it much, but it made me feel less " intimidated".

Unfortunately I did not see enough of Moscow , definitely liked " pre-Soviet buildings more.
The churches inside the Kremlin are spectacular.
SP feels and looks European until one goes to some of the suburbs. A gorgeous city.


I agree - Stockholm is beautiful!

Danon,
Taking a Russian class is a good idea, I'll check if there's any kind of beginner class in addition to the books I bought to get familiar with the Cyrillic alphabet.. Just to get familiar with the sound.

I've got my tour books for both Moscow & St Petersburg & can't wait to get into them.

Am I right by thinking that I should give more time for St Petersburg vs Moscow?

Re: learning Russian -- consider Pimsleur's audio tapes. I've found them extremely helpful for several languages now.

Re: how to split your time -- IMO, it really depends on what YOU want to see and experience. Not counting travel time, 5 full days for each city would, I think, be a good starting point, adding as necessary given your specific interests and which, if any, day trips you take.

Moscow is often not given enough time and there is alot to see, as well as the usual sights, there are old interesting suburbs, numerous parks etc. It is a great capital city. It has more of the onion domed churches than St Petersburg. Novgorod is a worthwhile & easy stop on the train from Moscow to St Petersburg.

There are also many good " free Russian lesons on line " .(..check YouTube.)

http://www.russianforeveryone


I think kja 's suggestion is good regarding time. ( jet lag ??)

I wanted to see museum and memorials related to the siege of Leningrad ( SP now),
Hermitage was the only palace I visited.

...as said, depends on your interest.

I definitely made a mistake not staying longer in Moscow....it is a BIG city with a special " vibe"

Attending a performance at Bolshoi was one of the highlights of the trip.

Tours are boring and expensive most of the times. These days you can learn about places just by using Internet. Wikipedia is free!

And for me personally, I like freedom and I like to do my own things. Otherwise if you don't want to plan your trip - then your choice is to take tours.