nonstop

Going to Russia with my 34 yr old son later this year. We plan to spend a total of nights. Originally planned to spend 4 nites in S.P. and 4 nites in Mos.

1. would we better to spend 5 nights in St. Pete and 3 in Moscow? I hear St. Pete is better.

2. Or, would we better trying to stop someplace in between and spend one night just for a different experience? Or, would that just eat up too much time that might be better spent seeing the sights in both cities?We plan to take the new hi speed Sapsan train.

3. The hotels we have selected: the Hilton in Moscow and the Marrioitt Courtyard in St. Pete are expensive enough. If you buy the breakfast package it adds another $75 per night to the room cost. Would we be better to forgo the breakfast package and just eat at a restauant outside of the city? Or, are our choices around the hotel limited. I like the convenience of the breakfast at the hotel, but don't like the price.

rhkkmk

i stayed at the courtyard last september....it is a good place to stay, but the breakfast is a total rip off---$17 as i remember... go to a coffee shop instead as you start out your day or buy something for the room... we did not find anything around the hotel...

don't miss the small restaurant just across the small road to the left of the hotel when facing it from the front....also around the corner from it is a 1/2 way decent chinese place--nothing special...

do you need a driver in SP?? it is by far the best way to see things in the city and outside... i have a fantastic one who is not overly expensive like all the rest....his english is good also....he is very flexible... his name is alex lyubimov and he has a nice station wagon to ferry you around in....also has other vehicles for larger groups...

we spent 4 days in sp and could have used another one....we only spent 4 hours in the heritage, which was about enough for a good overview...

i have not been to moscow so cannot speak for it..

be prepared for people who are not very friendly-- just ignore them....

[email protected]

nonstop

RHK-
thanks. sounds like good advice. did you happen to eat at any of those small cafes I think are named something like "Termonk" that serve pancakes and coffee or pastries and coffee?

Also, can you give me a rough idea of what Alex charges for an off the beaten path tour of the city? thanks

thursdaysd

I preferred Moscow to St. Petersburg - partly because it was much more varied, and partly because I'm not a fan of baroque.

I stopped for one night (afternoon train in, night train out) in Novgorod on the way from St. P. to Moscow and loved it - it made a nice contrast to the big cities, and there's an excellent open air museum just outside. Photos at http://bit.ly/a7sPI4

nonstop

thursdaysd: thanks. Does the Sapsan train stop there? can you do a stopover as part of the fare?

thursdaysd

The Sapsan is new since I did the trip. From the info I turned up on google it seems it does not stop in Novgorod, you'd do best to take the night train on to Moscow - 21:20 - 05:15.

In my experience with Russian trains you have to buy a separate ticket for each segment if you want to get off a train. Unless you speak Russian you will probably want to buy your tickets ahead of time through an agency - I used Passport Travel in Australia, but there are others.

nonstop

Thurs-
Thanks for the info. Since we are trying to save as much time as possible getting to St. Pete, we may have to wait until we get there and maybe there are some small towns out in the countryside to visit. The Sapsan seems to be the best bet for us.

Cathinjoetown

You probably will want to go to Pushkin (Tsarskoye Selo) to see the Catherine Palace as well as to Pavlovsk and its palace, just beyond Pushkin.

The palaces have been wonderfully restored and I found them fascinating. However, I didn't have much sense of either Pushkin or Pavlovsk as towns as they are really suburbs of St. Petersburg.

We also enjoyed taking the hydrofoil into the Gulf of Finland to see Peterhof--great to approach it from the Gulf.

The Hermitage is overwhelming--we split it over two half-days which worked for us. Be sure to see the Treasure Gallery, which requires a separate ticket, obtainable at the entrance. When I went several years ago, application had to be made in advance. As these are still guided tours only, if you are very interested, I would arrive early to obtain a ticket.

Can't compare St. Petersburg to Moscow as I have not been to the latter, but my 5 days in St. Petersburg was one of the most memorable city trips I have ever made.

nonstop

Cathin-thanks for the advice. Sounds good. I had heard it is well worth it to buy the pass to the Hermitage that gives you "head of the line entrance" as the lines get long.