Moscow Travel Forum

i'll be having my trip to paris via svo-2.im planning to drop my luggage in the airport first, and have a trip to kremlin and red square. can i know where to drop the luggage in the airport? i never been there.thanks

Hi, i am looking to rent a flat for 1 mth in moscow, and i am arriving next week. most websites requires me to pay agent fees.

is there anyone here that know any flat owner who is renting out for 1 month in moscow?

Londonz
London

This radio was a great companion on a visit to Moscow in 2005. It's been several months, I've been unable to listen to it on the internet. Anyone know if there is a stream? Spasiba.

Hi,
I am going to Moscow, and i will have time to visit the Leninīs Mausoleum only during the weekend. Is there a big difference in queues there between weekend and week days? How soon before opening must I come to ensure, that i get in ? The tomb is open at 10 a.m., is it enough to came around 8 a.m.? Although the entrance is free, is there some way to skip the queue with paying extra money to a "guide" ? (i have heard about this possibility)...
Thanks

Hi - I am staying in St. Petersburg for 3 nights, one night on the overnight train to Moscow and then three nights in Moscow. Both the St. Petersburg and Moscow hotels told me that they would provide letters of sponsorship for only the duration of my stay at each hotel. Will I need a third visa support document for the night that I am on the train?

Thanks for any help you can provide.

Hi,
Having previously visited Moscow I find it a wonderful vibrant city with so much to see. I am hoping to return again as there are many museums and galleries etc I would like to visit. I would be pleaed to communicate with anyone involved with poetry or other literature and Arts. It would be very nice to meet with some Moscow residents who have similar interests-hopefully i regret to ask with some English as I am not fluent enough for lengthy conversations.

just need some info on russian currency. i'm going be helping out a friend in E Russia with some funds (cash). ok, on currency conversion, i see that 1000 US dollars convert to - 31305 RUB (rouble). so, my question is.. is that alot in RUB? and also, based on current russian economy, would that go along way for someone who's in their early 20's, going to school, working, has their own car.. has living expenses, etc.? so , yeah, just basically wanting to know is 31305 RUB alot, and would my friend be able to stretch that out a little? i know they are good with money, and responsible.. just asking these questions to get an idea. and the $1000 is not a set in stone number.. i may decide to send a little more. just depends on the input i get ;)

thanks much! Rob

I am going to St Petersburg via Moscow and have 2 hours to change terminals afer arriving at terminal 2 and departing from terminal1 on Aeroflot around 14.15 hrs. Will the time be sufficient. Do foreigners again have to go through immigration at terminal 1 . Any special care to be taken for faster transit please suggest.

Hello,
Making a short trip to Moscow in May and wondered if there is anywhere I can go, such as a church tower or tall building, to take some birds-eye photographs of the city - especially the Red Square & Kremlin areas.

Thanks in advance for any replies and advice

Tony

We are taking our daughter to Moscow for her 21st birthday, as she has always wanted to go there. Can anyone recommend something special that we can do on her actual birthday? Any special events etc. Obviously we will be visiting all the sites and attending the Kremlin/circus/ballet/river cruise/museums etc.
Any help would be greatly appreciated

Hello VT friends.
We are a group of 5 people ( only English spoken) trying to get train tickets from Moscow to St Petersburg in August 4th 2009, I found an information in the Moscow Times on line about two central ticket office booth designated for foreigners located near the Yaroslavsky Station: one is kassa 45 on the second floor of the administrative building between Yaroslavsky and Leningradsky stations. The other is the Central Railway Agency at 5 Komsomolskaya Ploshchad.
The information date is 2007, I wonder if these offices are still working and how risky could be to try to get the tickets just one day in advance.
All the internet places to buy train tickets add 50% or + to the price.

Thanks
Francisco

Together with 3 friends I'll visit Moscow next summer. I wonder where to stay. Although I'd appreciate concrete hotel tips too, I am especially intrested in hints about the quarter, where the chosen hotel should be situated. Safety, the possibility to go out at night and vicinity to top-sights (or at least effortless reachability to the sights) are important for us...

I am looking into traveling to Russia next year - come into St. Petersburg, leave from Moscow. I have been looking at the visa rules in the following site:

http://moscow.usembassy.gov/russian-visas.html

I know you need a sponsor, a visa, and you need to register the Visa, but when we start getting into the Migration card and sponsorship availability in case of problems, I am a tad unclear/unexperienced.

- If you are arranging the trip yourself and working with the concierge in a hotel to obtain the invitation, is the hotel then you sponsor who you need to contact in case of any problems with your Russian visa?

- Is the entry and exit visa in the same Visa document, - or does an entry and exit visa need to be separately requested.

- Are you able to wait until your Visa gets registered at the hotel, or does this visa registration process take longer?

We were planning to arrive in St. Petersburg and return from Moscow. Because the "sponsor" would need to be available to help with any visa issues,

- would you recommend arriving and departing from the same place, i.e Moscow, to mitigate any visa issues, or does it matter?

If your visa sponsor is a hotel employee (this is a reputable hotel part of the Starwood chain), and for any reason this person stops working in the hotel, what happens? Will the hotel manager or head concierge become your sponsor?

- Would the sponsor then perhaps be the company that is being utilized by the hotel to provide the guide/driver?

Agggh!

Please, could anyone tell me how distanced are terminal 1 and terminal 2 of sheremetyevo airport?

and if they are quite distanced how can I get from first to second terminal?

Since I'm changing flights there, I have 3 hours of waiting, is that going to be enough of time???

thank you

Hi,
As far as I know the prices for the apartments will be highly increased during Eurovision. Could someone advise an apartment for reasonable price just for this period of time? Thanx in advance.

I am contemplating a week long stay in the "world's most expensive city" sometime in June. Having spent most of my money on my last trip, I'm hoping to get the most "bang for my buck" in Russia. If I stay in cheap hostels, utilize public transportation, buy groceries or dine in very inexpensive eateries, and minimize souvenir spending, how much can I expect to pay realistically? I appreciate your thoughts and help.
-B

I'm researching a possible trip to Moscow later in the year.

Cheapest flights seem to be with Transaero (via London). I know of the airline from years back, but don't know how it rates these days. Anyone have any recent experience?

Also, some airlines use Domedevo airport, and others use Sheremetyevo. Does one have any advantages over the other?

We'll visit Moscow in August or September and we also want to visit Lushiniki to see a match of Spartak. I realize, that it isn't sold out every week, so I suppose that getting tickets won't be difficult. Should we just buy them in front of the stadium? I'd also appreciate all tipps and hints regarding visiting a match of Spartak.

Additionally I am seeking a schedule of the Russian league including the kick-off time (at the moment I orientate myself using http://www.rsssf.com/tablesr/rus09.html, but there are no kickoff-times.

I'm contemplating a return visit to Moscow, 41 years after the last one.

Ideally, it would be during the ice hockey season, but I may be overruled on that.

I suspect July and August may be too hot, and June or September may be better.

Any thoughts?

Oh, and does the ice hockey season start in September?

Hey -

Has anyone ever gotten a Thai non-immigrant visa from the Thai embassy in Moscow? Is it easy to do? Are the staff helpful?

I know some countries are easier than others, so I was just wondering if anyone has tried. We'll be applying with Canadian passports.

Thanks!

can anyone give directions on how to get to these sculptures
i know theyre on a bridge somewhere near tverskaya

right?
we will be staying in the arbat region and would like to visit this romantic spot where newlyweds place locks on the tree/trees and throw the key into the river

anyone have photos?

thanks!

we will be staying round the old arbat area in moscow and nevsky prospect in st petes ( i realise these are pretty big areas)

are there grocery stores centrally located?
i believe that the dostoevsky hotel in st petes for eg is housed on top of a shopping centre and i believe there is food sold there

we just want the usual- bread cheese milk fruit - if it is ok quality

anyone else actually shop in supermarkets

is it still the old system of lining up, ordering the items then going to pay the cashier before coming back to collect your purchases? or is that just in little towns>?

Hello,

In May we are going to Moscow for a couple of days. When I was looking for a place to stay I found the Red Square Hostel. From the reviews it seems a great place.

Has anyone stayed here recently and what is your opinion ?

Thanks.

we will be staying in an apartment in both cities- we booked through our local agent who dealt with a wholesaler who again probably dealt with the russian agency

i noted that on the voucher that we submitted to the consulate here to get our visa it states that we are staying in two hotels - not apartments

i know that some hotels do offer registration for a fee so, theoretically, anyone can lob in and pay the money and get stamped that theyre staying there...

but what happens if the police do stop you and actually question you about where youre staying?
is this an acceptable practice over there?

what do i say?
that im staying at an apartment ?

why cant the agency that organises the accommodation just register anyway and state the real address at which youre staying?

hi all
i am aware that you should boil water in russia and drink bottled

but how rampant is giardia or cryptosporidium

when we had a water scare here at home we were told to boil the water for 10 mins before drinking to kill giardia parasites

you reckon it is ok to drink the coffee then in dafes?
anyone ever get sick with parasites or e coli?

i have bought some diarrhoea pills that kinda line your system with protection against the basic germs that cause vomiting and diarrhoea but i guess id have to get a specific test for parasitic infestation

it is just that we will be travelling for a while after our russian leg so i really dont want to ruin the rest of the trip with stomach ailments

thanks
looking forward to your reassurance!

is there a special technique i need to learn to cross busy roads?
are there plenty of pedestrian crossings?
or are there underground crossings?

my mum was once berated by a policeman who saw her jaywalking in moscow

just dont want her errant ways passed down to me!

this is a pretty specific question to canny shoppers
..............
where can i get nice quality matryoshka dolls in moscow
we are staying in the arbat area

what can i expect to pay
i saw some nice ones on the net for 145 aud - 15 pieces
which is too many but something like 5-8 pieces would be ideal

my daughter would like something with lots of intricate detail rather than the slightly cross-eyed off centre massproduced ones you can get

there are so many pretty varieties in gorgeous colours like pink and black . ..olive gold and black and gorgeous pale blue with white

i believe that different regions have a different look about them

anyone strike it lucky with their purchases?
i dont want to go hunting day after day so if anyone has a an approximate address for a good well-priced outlet id be so grateful

same goes for st petersburg and its surrounds

i can speak and read russian quite well- ill brush up and im guessing i will improve more when i start to speak to locals

but
how do the rest of you guys manage???

i have trouble with technical language - i can manage at the conversational level but listening to the news for instance is really guessing one word in 20 at times!

how do you guys glean so much information about the sights- are you just reading guide books? do you hire english speaking guides and make notes?
im assuming there are no audio guides for around the museums etc that come in different languages

is there, for instance, a hop on and off bus in moscow and st petes? like the ones in london and other european cities?
otherwise is there a ready supply of brochures explaining sights to tourists? things you can pick up at the tourist bureau or airport or a hotel?

how tourist orientated is russia in the main?
i have heard that there are guides hanging round the major sights at times

are these legit people or can anyone be a guide ( and make up their own russian history?)

im trying to read all of your posts but of course there are so many stories and versions to digest before our trip

i dont want to take my guide books this time- so heavy and i will be packing a lot more of the warmer clothes for this trip ( immaking notes on paper, stapling and will discard as i leave each city - will make copies to leave at home of course)

I am an American citizen flying Aeroflot from Kiev to Beijing connecting through Moscow. I have a 5-6 hour layover at Domodedovo Airport each way. Do I need a Russian transit visa for the few hours I am in the airport?

Hello,

In May 2009 we are going to Moscow. I am going to use a visa service in the Netherlands to get me a visa. The hotel however I want to book myself.

Does anyone have tips on booking a cheap hotel or other accomodation, a bit in the centre of Moscow, which provide you with an invitation letter ?

Thanks for your answers.