My husband and I are starting to plan a trip to Russia next summer. We are independant travelers and wanted to know if anyone has done Russia on their own. We are interested in seeing Moscow and St. Petersburg. How far apart are the citites? Is it hard to communicate? We thought about the Russian River cruises, however, last summer we did a cruise to the Med and wanted to do something different this time. Any suggestions or comments would be appreciated. We are not worried about air. We have frequent flyer miles.

I went to Russia alone a couple of years ago so I am sure you can do it with two of you. You will need to get visas but that is not difficult, you can get that online from any number of companies. I missed my flight from Moscow to St.Petersburg due to confusion between the international airport and internal Russian airport and found nobody that could speak English and help me, very intimidating. After that most things got easier and once you get into the tourist section of both Moscow and St.Petersburg you do find people that speak English. Not being able to read the letters of the alphabet certainly make traveling there more difficult than other places. I would certainly suggest hiring a guide for at least part of your first day to explain the subways, help you get around and also take you to a few sites to give you a feel for the country.

It is only about an hour flight between the two cities.

I loved that trip and would do it again in a heartbeat. I loved Moscow but I know most people prefer St. Petersburg. There is so much to do and see in each city.

Let me know what questions you have.

Anitas,

We just returned last Saturday from a river cruise in Russia, starting in St. Pertersburg and ending up in Moscow. We thought that it was a great way to it, but it also appeared to be very doable on your own. The alphabet issue is not that difficult, but I would definitely study it before going. Once you handle the transliteration of the alphabet, many Russian words are the same or similar to English. The train ride between St. Petersburg and Moscow is about five hours and costs between $20 and $40, and, after getting to and from the airports and getting through security, the time is comparable. ATM machines are plentiful in both cities, so cash is not a problem. DO NOT BRING TRAVELLER'S CHECKS. Traffic is quite congested in both cities, and take the approach that Russian drivers are your enemy. Unfortunately, it is possible and not uncommon to buy a drivers license through bribery, and that is proven out on the roads via the numbers of accidents. I would suggest at least an orientation tour of each city, but, in St. Petersburg, most of the must sees are in close proximity to each other. Moscow is much more spread out. The biggest problem with the Metro in each city, once you get over the alphabet, is the other major crime problem, along with bribery, is pick-pockets. Both cities also have surface trams and busses. The people are friendly, and, in tourist areas, you can probably get along in English. All street and souvenir vendors will take dollars, but you will also need rubles. Lufthansa via Frankfurt is an execllent choice, and it is partnered with both US Air and Unitied, so if you want to burn some FF miles before they evaporate, it might be worth considering.

The river cruises are much different than ocean cruises, and the Russian boats are definitely spartan by comparison, but we toally enjoyed ours.

Anitas, I travel to Russia regularly and recommend that you work with Mark Miller of Disovering Russia (212-758-7699 or [email protected]).

I've known Mark for the last 5 years through my involvement with a few Russian charities, and can say that he does a remarkable job of putting together tours, making people happy, and at the same time bringing out the best of Russia. Mark helps raise money for a Russian American orchestra, a Russian opera company, at least three museums, as well as his wife's family foundation. His company, Discovering Russia, is a great asset to the Russian travel business. He has local experts guide people (as well as some leading figures in Russian-American business and culture).

He works with many people who would rather not go on a group tour, but are individuals who need support and assistance with all of hte facets of a trip to Russia. All of their individual tours are custom designed. Some people stay in 5 diamond hotels, others stay in youth hostels, some require private cars, some walk--every tour is different, and because of his connections and expertise, a unique experience for the traveler. His rates on services compare favourably to that charged by hotels in Russia. He creates custom itineraries for people based on their interests, budget and time.

I've been to Russia several times, but until I met Mark felt that I was missing out on some things-even with some VERY upscale tours. Since meeting I've used him for myself and for several groups which I work with, and they are all very happy with him (and with me!). Besides the intellectual expertise that he offers, he also knows Russian travel issues very well, like the constantly changing visa issues, which hotels are the best or best value, different ways of getting around nad other things that make a trip a great adventure, things that you can't get from Expedia or a travel agent who is reading from a brochure or hotel's web site.

As for Russia, most people do not speak English, so as others mentioned you should at least learn the russian alphabet (incidently, mark gives a cell phone to all of his clients in Russia in case of emergencies!).

I've taken the train and plane between Moscow and Saint Peterburg, and usually prefer the plane. The prices are about the same (approx $100 per person) and the plane is more comfortable to me. The only train that I liked was the daytime express train but often the tickets are sold out in advance int he summer.

ttt

Russia is certainly doable on your own. Just be aware that the infrastructure - although developing - is not yet up to to that of western europe - as that of central europe (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland) now is.

You can easily fly or train from Moscow to St Pet.

A couple of key points:

English is quite widely spoken in tourist areas - but is not universal. Learn a little bit of Russian before you go - just the basics (please, thank you, where is, how much - and the answers).

Definitely learn the cyrillic alphabet. (For instance restaurant is pronounced almost the same in russian but is spelled - I believe something like pectopah).

Stay in large central hotels - this is not one of the places you want to deal with modest or poorly located hotels - you'll spend way too much time coping with very large cities and nort the most efficient local transport systems.

Do not drink the water in St Pet - or bush your teeth - it is often contaminated with giardia - which you really do not want to contract.

For large purchases (hotels, major restaurants, tours etc) credit cards are fine. Other than that Russia is primarily a cash economy. Draw what you need from ATMs. Trav checks are useless. Some people (cabbies frequently) prefer US$.

We did most of the museums/churches/sites oursleves - with a couple of really good guidebooks - and were fine. We also did a couple of train trips/boat rides to outlying palaces.

Absolutely do the ballet , opera etc. Do not buy tours to this. If you go to the box office or one of its satellites the price is about 20% of what you pay with a tour. (We had box seats to Anna Karenina with the Kirov for like $7). The programs are in english as well as russian.

Also, if you get a chance go to one of the other theatrical entertainments. We went to a sort of vaudeville show one night - I think it cost about $5 - and it was an incredible hoot (singers, acrobats, magicians etc - and one twirling act that had to be the producers girlfiend).

Don;t hesitate - you'll love it.

I really hope you can since I am going November 19 for 11 days. I planned it all and should have my visa in a few days. I have hotels, planes, tranportation, etc already planned. All I need now is the time to learn the alphabet and to make train reservations. I have traveled the world but I see this as a trip of a lifetime.

we loved moscow, and also did this on our own . we went in february and it was absolutely beautiful with the fresh snow at base of all those churches and convent grounds.

we also had one of the most interesting dining experiences.. we had dinner at the writer's guild. it is a wooden panelled library turned into very elegant restaurant with excellent service, great food. the original writer's guild is on the back side, with photos of well known poets, etc. not far from the national theatre. there were two men (guards?) with long cloaks outside the front door.

we enjoyed going up to the traditional market up on a hill at the edge of the city.
cannot remember the name but picked up a few items there. it is in all the guide books. took public transport.

took the metro.. only difficult time to figure out which train to take at a station with many options was that our map had different letters for that particular destination than the old ones up on the signin the station itself.. i guess there had been some changes in lettering ?? over the years.
i know absolutely nothing about the language.. but it took awhile to figure out that the exit was actually the same one..although some of the letters in the name looked different to us.

a memorable trip.. easy to get around..
very inexpensive books and icons in the convents.. bought them as gifts. also bought some little wooden boxes. saw a wedding.

took a typical moscow city tour through the state agency. our elderly local guide certainly had plenty to say about the mafia.. wealthy big car owners.. etc. he kept pointing them out.. even drove us by the new big mansions.. told us they cost over a million dollars each.. where do these people get this money???

did not find beverages/food inexpensive at all. except in a few local russian places where it was NOT easy to ask for anything.

found very basic english at most places. large hotels is where we did most of our inquiries. the staff was very pleasant. there is a good free tourist magazine in english there in the hotel lobbies.. with lots of local food, entertainment info. we read about a fabulous valentine's dinner at a posh hotel looking over red square through this magazine, as well as other activities we were unable to attend.

moscow is huge. i have never seen such wide avenues.. imagine them filled with the military parades and airplanes... what a site that must have been.

a lot of undercover ex-military as security guards at store fronts, etc., dressed in suits but with that constant eye activity... (this was at the underground mall near red square).

one of our favorite trips ever. i'm sure it will be yours, too.

Hi,
I'm a native russian, I travel a lot and I've been doing a travel attendant/guide/interpreter job for a while helping people to communicate and deal with difficult situations in Russia.
From my experience: don't go to another country on your own, make sure you have someone who is able to support you on your way.
Many people are just overconfident and can not imagine in what kind of dangerous situations they can get involved, especially without knowing language, cultural differences, etc...

If you want to talk to me about that and know more - e-mail me than.

Good luck!

russian_guide -

Why not give it up - go and look for your suckers somewhere else.

Advertising is not allowed. So unless you are planning on providing these services for free - you're out of luck.

We do help people with all-around info like rates, time-tables, best sites to see etc free of charge. Certainly we can not put someone at 5***** hotel for free but believe me - our advices already saved a lot of money!