I am taking a cruise in July on Viking from St. Petersburg to Moscow. I am interested in private guides and would like to hear experiences and recommendations.

How did other handle carrying money, credit cards, travelers checks..., in Russia?

We were admonished by Viking every time we left the ship to secure our valuables to avoid being pickpocketed. Don't bother with travelers checks - you probably won't be able to cash or use them.

Best bet for money, cards (and only what you need for the day) is some sort of under your clothing security pouch while out and about.

You probably won't have time for a private guide in Moscow, as Viking covers everything quite well and offers excellent optionals. With a half day and full day of free time in St. Petersburg, we were happy to have hired a private guide. Viking does offer optionals while there.

DO NOT carry a wallet. One gent, with a very fancy wallet with card slots and sections for various currencies, was relieved of same outside the ballet theater, and was totally unaware of how/when that happened.

Thank you, djkbooks.

How about safety in Moscow and St. Petersberg? Going off on ones own in the day, or evening?

I was in both cities on my own, and felt quite safe during the day. In Moscow my homestay was in an apartment block well out of the center, and I did feel a little nervous going home at night as the street was pretty empty, but if you stay in the center you shouldn't have that problem.

I used an ATM card, and always wear a money belt when I travel.

hi again
we didnt have a guide cos i studied the language years ago and am still fairly fluent - can read etc
but i did note that city realty had those kind of services that non-speakers would welcome
the transfer fee was 90aud for the two of us
the driver picked us up from the airport and we got to experience russian traffic lol

our travel agent arranged the invitations from city realty
on our voucher that we had to submit to the local consulate here at home read that we were staying at prebaltiski hotel in st petes and some asia hotel in moscow
they must have some deal with these hotels - i was a bit worried about this aspect but everyone assured me that that is how it is done''

we got an invitation then we had to get the visa organised ourselves through our local agent- took about 14 days
then we had to get the registration fixed up separately - the russian group did that so we didnt have to go to any police station or postoffice to let them know wed arrived
i already mentioned that when you go to the next city to stay ( not a daytrip) then you have to register again
but city realty did that for us


safety wise - it is fine
there are so many people in the streets and we stuck to the main ones when walking home to our apartments
the metro is very safe and there are lots of police around

i asked locals about the safety of the metro in the early hours and they reassured me that there are usually no issues
look out for drunks and just get into a carriage where people are behaving themselves -0 but again we saw nothing untoward and if there was something, the militsia would be onto it

i carried a tote bag and my debit card in my pants pocket
kept my passport on us - OH had them in his inside pocket of his jacket or i stuck mine down into the pocket of my cargo pants on one day trip out to sergiev posad

we wore walking shoes or hikers - certainly stood out from the locals but we encountered none of the hassles i dreaded
the police didnt so much as look at us - i certainly didnt approach any for advice on directions - just asked local folk if we got lost
OH did get whistled at by a policeman round the kremlin - cos he went on the grass but the cop didnt approach us and we just walked on by nonchalantly
( theyre funny in those oversized hats - just remembered the young skinny boys under their big mushroom caps lol)

people were well behaved - no loutish behaviour


we did see some gypsy kids go for a young girls bag right in front of us but i saved the day by screaming out a warning ( yep that was me saving st petersburg citizens - still waiting to see a mention of the incident in the newspaper lol)

the train trip was organised back home and we paid far too much
couldve got it for 80 aud frommoscow to st petes
but it ended up costing us 278 aud each
shouldve bought ticketsit when we arrived in moscow but we didnt feel confident
we got a coupe - shared with a couple from siberia
was a very comfortable trip
you have to take your own food - there was no food for sale on the train
we caught it around 10 pm and we got in at 630 or so
didnt look out the window cos we were chatting tothe siberian couple

we bought ballet tickets in st petes
its easy
the locals will show you where to buy them- cheap as chips and lots to choose from
but again the company can organise all of that for you - you willpay a foreigners price

i tried to get us in for the russian price lol but the cashier espied OH hanging round and asked outright if he was a foreigner - bummer
i guess it looked pretty obvious cos i expect that the guy would be paying for tickets normally
shouldve rehearsed our charade a little more lol

we found atms in railway stations and of course in banks
if you want to change a 1000rubles ( 40 aud) you need to show your passport at the bank
OH carried a wallet and we did things pretty normally- just were vigilant like in any big city

oh about the mozzies
i packed OFF but didnt use the stuff at all
we walked round the canals day and night and didnt see of feel any mozzies
none in norway either
this was late may and mid june
mozzies were a worry for me before we left - just sorry i had to lug that big bottle of the repellant all around
thought id be bathing in it lol