Russia Itinerary: Moscow and St. Petersburg (how to split it?)
 

Hello travelers!

My husband and I have a week to spend in Moscow and St. Petersburg this summer (late August). We are in our low 30s and live in New York City. We aren't HUGE museum people but definitely want to see major pieces/exhibits. Generally our priorities are to see the major cultural elements for each city, learn about the people, try some local fare and get a sense of day to day life there (day and night).

Can anyone suggest a good way to split our time between the two cities (how many days in each) and what we should not miss?

We're also open to guide/tour recommendations (though I know there are other threads with suggestions as well).

We are really, really excited. Many thanks!

I would do three nights in each, and one night in Novgorod in between. I preferred Moscow to St. P., but I am not a fan of baroque, and there are good trips out of St. P. to Pushkin and Peterhof.

Try and learn a bit of Cyrillic - it will help you in your travels. Visit some subway stations in Moscow - yes, subway stations. You won't see many others in the world with crystal chandeliers hanging in them!

"learn a bit of Cyrillic" - that is, what letters are what sounds.

I.e., in Russia, this is an n - H
In Russia, this is an s - C; and this is a hard c - K
In Russia, this is an r - P
In Russia, this is a v - B

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_alphabet

Then you can test yourself on Sporcle with the American presidents' names in Cyrillic quiz.

I'd also try to stretch the trip - a "week" could be 9 nights: overnight flight, __ nights in one, __ nights in other, return the Sunday before you go to work the next day. It's not a short trip, even from the East Coast (5100+ miles, or more than from the Central US to London).

If you only have a week, then thursdaysd has given you a good plan. If you can stretch it, I'd recommend at least 4, or better yet 5, days in each city. That would give you time for a day trip to Pushkin or Peterhof from St. Petersburg and a day trip to Sergiev Posad from Moscow.

For Cyrillic, learn what the letters sounds like and also what their Roman equivalents are so you can transliterate from written Cyrillic to Roman.

Enjoy!

Another vote for thursdaysd plan - esp as you aren't huge museum fans as Novgorod is a good place for a day exploring the city. Walk from the old commercial area, through Yaroslav's Court park, with the Hanseatic anchor statue and the round fountain, then over the bridge to the Novgorod Kremlin (the walled section of the old city), see the Millennium Monument, and visit inside Saint Sophia Cathedral to view the icons after you've walked around the grounds.

Just outside Novgorod - depending on how you're going for time - is the Museum of Wooden Architecture, which even though it's a "museum" you might be interested in as it's a collection of wooden houses transported and collected on the site to show traditions of the area. Public transport (bus) goes there and the tourist information at Sennaya Sq should be able to help with directions. The museum is just near the large Yuriev Monastery there with 12C tiny church and interesting frescoes.

Hello. My name is Olga. I am from St.Petersburg. I am in my middle 30s. I am not a guide, but I have an experience to show my city to my foreign friends. I can show you St. Petersburg at wek-end(if you are here at week-end) for practice English language)))). It will be my pleasure. And I can make a tour program for you for the rest days.

Agree about learning the alphabet--and then the sounds. One sign you will want to know is
PECTOPAH--if you sub the sounds and pronounce it you will find a "restaurant" at which to eat!!
Don't miss Sergei Posad. I prefer St. Petersburg, however--more walkable and beautiful--none of Stalin's ugly architecture.

Thanks to all for the great feedback! This all helps tremendously. Very excited for the trip. Thank you! :)