Moscow Travel Forum

I am going to Moscow in August, and I would like to buy a Saint Basil miniature Cathedral, just the size to display it in my curio.

Could anyone tell me where I may find it in Moscow..??

Would it be in the shops in the Arbat Street area..???

Could anyone advise please..????

Thank you fellow travelers.....

Were staying in Moscow in May (Champions League Final)

We'd rather stay maybe 2 or 3 stops on the metro away from the City Centre. Can anyone recommend any hotels?

Thanks,
Shirley

A few months ago I booked a twin room in the Home from Home Hostel in Moscow for about € 25,- per person per night.

When I want to book this room nowadays, it costs about € 76,- per person per night.

Is this normal, is this Russian, is this...?

Hi everyone,first question, i will 'if' it all goes to plan,traveling on my own to Moscow for the final...WITHOUT TICKET!!!...i will be traveling by train or bus,plaese advise me on all matters which i should understand.

Q2 in Moscow i will be staying one night in a budget low cost or even a camp sit or hostel.

which is the easiest route to travel to Moscow from outside Russia.

Please offer me any advice.

thanks all and have a good weekend

Hi

I am from the UK.

I am planning to go to Lithuania, then onto Moscow by train for 2 days, then back to Lithuania.

Can I get a transit Visa? Or will it have to be the tourist visa?

I want to publicly thank "globetrotter" and "whiteritter" for the information regarding the Kremlim...
I have been reading articles about safety in Moscow, and even though of course a tourist should take precautions and use common sense, I have been worried about police and military officer's corruption.
One article in a travel magazine states that " you should never under any circumstances give your original passport and visa to any police or military officer, it is perfectly legal to give them copies..."
In a different magazine, they mention the opposite: " Never give passport and visa copies to an officer if requested, you must give the originals unless you want to be interrogated for hours.."
What should I do..?? This is a very bad reputation for a city so beautiful....I am thinking taking my originals and copies with me in a hidden place strapped to my body to avoid pickpocketing....but this is very bad if I will have to bribe government officials.
Are these magazines exagerating..??? What should I do..?? Thanks

Hello dear friends...
If anyone could tell me if the kremlim guards in Moscow would allow me to enter the Kremlim with my camera tripod...

I know there are some places where you cannot do it: Chichen Itza, The Sistine Chapel, The Louvre, The British Museum

I am going to Moscow late August, and I need to plan ahead...

Please let me know if anyone has information. Thanks

Hi!
I need to buy a train ticket (one way) from Moscow to St Petersburg.
Could you tell me the best way to buy it?? (official railways page if possible)
What is the name of the two best located train stations?
What is the usual price for a 2 person cabin?

Are there low cost flights available??

Thanks!


Jordi.

We are going to Moscow in May 2008. Wondering if anyone would mind telling us what to take to wear at this time of year? What currency they found best, did they use ATM machines and what the prices of things like a sandwich and a can of coke are? Did they take an electronic translator that translates the english question into a russian spokien voice? What did they find best about their time and what was the worst part? Did they use cable tv and are there many things to watch in english. (The apartment we are staying in comes with cable tv). Does anyone know how long it takes for an email from russia to get to an australian email address? Thanks for your help.

Who can help me?
I need to rent an apartment for the time of March 19-25 in Moscow. Close to metro welcome. Of course... i search for the best at the lowest price :)
Thanks for your help
Maciek

Hello all, I have a 3-part question. First:

I am a US citizen, and I will be traveling to Simferopol, Ukraine by way of Moscow, usually I go through Kiev but I have airline credit, and this certain airline usually partners with Aeroflot through Sheremetyevo in Moscow.

My tickets say I must change terminals at the airport in Moscow. I will arrive in Termial 2 and leave from Terminal 1 according to the airline. But The airports website says I will leave from terminal C. I will execute the opposite bath returning thome to the US.

According to the airport's website and airline:

TRANSIT WITHOUT VISA (TWOV)

[b]Passenger needs a transit visa if switching between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. [/b]

[size=18][u][b]So I'm assuming that I will need a transit visa??[/b][/u][/size]

[b]Passengers transiting Russian Fed. and continuing to Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bela­rus, Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Ukraine or Uzbekistan must:

hold visa and all other required docu­ments for next destination, and either

hold visa for entry Russian Fed. prior to arrival, or
obtain visa on arrival. A 24 hours transit visa can be obtained on providing air ticket and visa, if necessary, to the point of final destination.

I will be going to Ukraine of course, for which I don't need a visa. But what visa are they saying I must hold? The russian transit visa? and what other documents? Will the Russian authorities be checking for a Ukrainian Visa that I dont' even need?

So my questions are:

1) Do I need the transit Visa?
2) What "other documents" will the russians check for? Remember I don't need anything but a passport for Ukraine.
3) What is this terminal C? I thought Terminal 2 was for international flights, and SVO1 was for domestic? If so, why to flights to Ukraine leave from SVO1?

Hi! I found on the www.rzd.ru site an online ticket feature.

http://www.ticket.rzd.ru/wps/portal/pp
Here i can buy ticket 45 days before starting the trip. If i understend the site, I can pick up the ticket in special ticket office on the railways. I have some questions about it:

Is here anybody to bought ticket on the rzd.ru site?


Is The special internet ticket "cassa" open all day? ( We arrived by airplane to Moscow at night then go with train to SPB about midnight. If the cassa closed at 19:00 how we pick up our ticket....)

I found any tourist office which posted the ticket to me ( Budapest, Hungary) but each ticket delivery cost about 17 USD, and the train ticket also 17 USD ( platzkart)......

I found the website www.waytorussia.com but there some reviews was not good
about "online" ticket service. Have You any idea about waytorussia?

Have you any advice, and practical to buy realy cheap two way ticket from Moscow to Sankt Petersburg .

Sorry for the short notice, but I have an opportunity to go to Suzdal and Vladimir tomorrow, returning to Moscow late Sunday afternoon. It is a holiday weekend here. Does anyone have any suggestions for a nice, clean, safe very reasonably-priced hostel, B&B, or room in Suzdal, or, Vladimir (if there is bus service to Suzdal)? I'm a mid-aged single female, traveling solo, if that makes any difference . . . with an adventurous spirit!

Thanks for any help you can give!

How do I find inexpensive air travel from Moscow. Got there on an discount ticket but there seems to be nothing leaving I can afford. Can I use the return half of a discount roundtrip ticket?

Hi,

I am planning to travel to Moscow during the first week or so of May. However, I noticed that 1st May and 9th May are both public holidays, Labour day and Victory day respectively.

Are tourist sites in general open during public holidays? Seems that Red Square will be holding parades during these 2 days, is it still possible to visit the Armoury and Kremlin?

Any advice will be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Could anyone recommend a nice hotel in Moscow? Somewhere in the 60 to 80 euros range and fairly central if possible.

I know this question must have been asked on here loads of times and I also know that hotels are listed in the travel guides. It's hard to go through them all though!

Thank you,

John

Hello, Never been to Russia flying in on the 19th March next day it's my birthday. Will meet a friend. What is a nice place to celebrate ? On a budget but would go all out on that day! Interested in everything especially shows eg ballet or acrobats. Nice venue to eat or view or just something amazing that I would never forget.
Thanks

Hi, I am planning to order an invitation from realrussia.co.uk This does not require an accommodation, but they seem to have given me a fictitious accommodation, and I am wondering about the authencity of the invitation. Can anyone help me with this? The hostel that I am staying at does not do invitations.

im planning a trip to japan without flying.
i have my journey from moscow roughly planned, but i am unsure of the best way to get to moscow.
does anybody have experience with this?

I am looking for the cheapest method to get from the uk, (i will start from crewe) to moscow, but there are a lot of choices. helsinki/frankfurt/warsaw.....etc.

also, visas. which ones would i need? just russian and belerusian?

thanks

Is the Moscow Televisiontower accesible for tourists again after the fire about 6 years ago?

Hi to everyone!
I will be arriving in Moscow SVO2 from france... I need to get to SVO1 to catch a plane flight to Perm.
I speak and read a little Russian... but I am much better with English.
1. How difficult is it to find my way around the SVO airport terminals..? English vs. Russian signs.
2. How do I arrange transport between the 2 airports? Do they offer a shuttle service/bus?
3. In reference to question #3....Where in the aiport is this transport service desk located?
3. If I am traveling directly from SVO2 to SVO1 do I need to pass through customs in SVO2 and SVO1?
4. Can I purchase phone cards in the airport...or do they have internet cafe's in either airport?
Thank you so much for your help.

I will be in Moscow on business next week and would like some suggestions on bars which would show Champions' League football on Sky Sports? All suggestions greatly appreciated!! I know, I know, watching football on TV is not what I should be doing when in Moscow, but I will need somewhere to put my feet up in the evenings....

Hi! My girlfriend and I will be visiting Moscow in late December and staying through New Year's.

First question: Can we take public transportation for the airport to the city? Our hotel is located at Olympiski prospect, 18/1 so a bus/metro/train that will drop us off close to the hotel will be best.

Second question: Any recommendations for New Year's? Clubs? Red Square? Dinner? Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Last: Is the metro a convenient and safe way to get around Moscow or is a taxi necessary?

Thanks in advance!

Hi there
Is there anyone who lives in Moscow that will be there between January 5-12th who is willing to show my husband and myself Moscow? This will be our first time here and we are a little nervous! Silly I know...but it helps if we know at least one person here...PLEASE!!

Hi everyone - Do they allow someone on the way to St Petersburg via Sheremetevo, having several hours between the flights, to get out of the airport?

I am travelling to Russia for the first time. I will be arriving at SVO and making a connection to St Petersburg. The connection time is relatively short and I have concerns about making the connection, going through customs, etc.

I presume that upon arrival at SVO I get my bag and go through customs and immigration, than recheck my bag for the domestic portion of the flight to St Petersburg. (This is the procedure in the US). Is this correct?

If this is the procedure, is there any special queue for those passengers who have connections vs those who are terminating their flight in Moscow.

Hi,I love to travel and find more about peoples and their cultures.I am planning to Visit Thailand on this New Year holidays and Ukrain or Russia on comming summer holidays,too.I have been in Thailand ,Ukrain and Russia
once,long ago and it will be my second visit!
What changes I have to expect!?
What news(both pleasant or unpleasant)can be found!?
Who I have the chance to meet!?
All will be my new experiences of life and would be
pleasant memories.
Finding new friends is my most heartily interest!
It would be of my great pleasure to receive your memorials.
Yours,
Mike

Good news: Beginning December 8, after many years of interruption there will be a new Moscow-Paris direct sleeper service.
Bad news: The price is unreasonably high, much higher than if someone would "cut" the ticket in Berlin.

http://www.mza.ru/

We can see, going in a "double" bedroom between Moscow and Paris will be 497 Euro each way.

How unreasonably high is the price can be seen immediately because Brest (BY)-Paris-Brest (BY) round-trip ticket will be a mere 349 Euro (+ accommodation charge ca. 60 Euroy):

http://www.mza.ru/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,73/topic,6199.msg35996

So instead of spending 1000 Euro/person on a first-class sleeper between Moscow and Paris round=trip the passenger can spend ca. 400 Euro in the very same car going r/t between Brest (Belarus) and Paris. This is a saving of 600 Euro pro person (Remark: the quesi-domestic Moscow-Brest service is very reasonable, a r/t in the same car would be no more than 80 Euro)

As a bonus, the passengers also has 4 "free" days to travel within France, anywhere he likes, even go to Spain or Portugal.

So far so good. But is it possible for less?

Few months ago I posted my experiences about a hostel I stayed, HM Hostel Moscow and highly recommended this hostel who opened in April. Funny thing was that I was occused of being involved or something like this. Now I saw that on major hostel sites as hostelbookers, hostelworld etc HM Hostel Moscow score best with ratings from guests. So after all I didnt gave any misleading info. Greetings and enjoy this crazy city !

Hello all,
I'm new to Virtual Tourist and the forum, so be gentle please : )!

1st question I have is if there are any bars, sportsbars, etc that would be broadcasting NFL American football via SkySports, or NASN on Sunday evening (1:00pm games in the states would be broadcast at 9:00pm)

2nd question involves all the warnings I'm reading about the Police checking documents. Most of the posts seem to be a couple of years old. Is this still such a huge problem? After reading these posts I'm worried about going out of my apartment : ). I don't want my 5 days in Moscow tainted by paranoia. I was in St Petersburg last year with none of these types of problems. Any new insight is appreciated.

Thank you