1

Hello,

I can consult you about St.Petersburg. I'd say, it would be enough to stay 4 days in St.Pet. You could make such a quick trip:

DAY 1 - just walk around the city center
Nevskiy prospekt
Spas-na-Krovi Cathedral
Kazan Cathedral
Isaac Cathedral
Palace square
Palace bridge
Kunstkamera

DAY 2 - museums
Hermitage
Russian Museum
Peter-and-Paul Fortress
something else - like the Artillery Museum

DAY 3 - suburbs
Pushkin, Pavlovsk, Gatchina

DAY 4 - suburbs + theater
Peterhof
+ Swan Lake in the evening

2

Ok, about Moscow (frankly speaking, I'm not a fan of our capital, but anyway:)

DAY 1
Red Square
Mausoleum
Kremlin
St.Basil's Cathedral
a trip along the Moscow River

DAY 2
Tretyakov Gallery
Moscow City
Vorobievy Mountains

DAY 3
Zoo
Ostankino Tower

3

I would recommend splitting these 8 days b/w the two cities and doing something like this:
day 1 - St. Petersburg city tour incl Peter and Paul Fortress, Nevsky Prospekt, St. Isaac's Cathedral, Church on the Spilled Blood
day 2 - half to full day at the Hermitage incl. the Gold Rooms (they now have two to offer) (don't try to do too many museums in a day - you won't be able to digest what you have seen and you won't remember anything), Palace Square, Palace Bridge
day 3 - Catherine's Palace in Pushkin and the Pavlovsk Palace
day 4 - Palace of Peter I and fountains in Peterhof, Chinese Pavilion in Lomonosov
day 5 - Russian Museum, Yusupov Palace (might require reservations), Menshikov Palace and Vasilyevsky Island
evening - overnight train to Moscow
day 6 - Moscow city tour with Tretyakov Gallery, Park of the Fallen Heroes and Vorobievy Hills for view of city
day 7 - tour of the Kremlin with the Armory Chamber and Diamond Fund, Red Square and Kitai Gorod
day 8 - KGB Museum or something else if it's not open, Novodevichy Convent, Arbat and Tverskaya Streets

Moscow Zoo isn't all that interesting in my opinion. If you do decide to go to Ostankino, then be sure to visit the Sheremetevo estate of the same name nearby.

Ruth

4

Oh, forgot to add: in St.Petersburg it's also a good idea to take a boat tour along rivers and channels - you would see a lot of sightseengs and get a good common impression of the city.

If you decide to go to Peterhof and the weather is good, I'd also advice you to take the boat trip (speed boat "Meteor", http://www.boattrip.ru/watertours/peterhof). It's much more pleasant and faster trip than going by bus/train (though can be a bit more expensive).

5

Hi, Ssalibian

As for Moscow - the 1st day - Red Square + the Kremlin + Tverskaya Street + The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour
the 2nd day - Gorky Park + Neskuchny Garden ( literally meaning "non-boring" or "merry" Garden) + Sparrow Hills + the Main Building of Moscow State University
the 3rd day - Moscow City (Moscow International Business Center) + Afimall + Victory Park
the 4th day - a culture preserve "Kolomenskoe" (Kolomenskoe metro station - Green line)
the 5th day - museum and reserve "Tsaritsyno" (Tsaritsyno metro station - Green line)

6

Have a great time in Russia)))

7

It may be difficult to get inside the main building of Moscow State University easily but you can try contacting the http://www.32etazh.ru/to make a trip to the top or the Earth Sciences Museum on the 28th or 29th floors.

I can't imagine why anyone would want to visit the Moscow International Business Center but Victory Park is interesting.

Kolomenskoye is quite nice if it is sunny and pleasant outside - it's basically a park with some interesting architecture.

Ruth

8

Yeah, Everbrite is right - you can also go inside the main building of Moscow State University - an observation platform with the all-around looking is there (the most highest point in Moscow, by the way)- but you need to reserve it before you come there, because there are lots of persons interested in seeing Moscow from a bird's-eye view )) it works fr Tue till Sat (fr 10 am and up to 22; the last excursion starts at 22)) Can you imagine Moscow at its blinking night?!))it's amazing...
But do not forget to take a passport with you)and a camera - because amateur photography is allowed))

9

Kolomenskoye and many other not only Moscow but Russian natural reserves are really amazing at different seasons, in snowy winter, tulip-blossoming spring, green and smiling summer, red-orange-yellow-leaf-autumn)) it depends on your taste and mood))

10

I'm looking to do a trip to Russia on my own. Americn single woman.
How feasible is it to get around from airports to town, on subways, trains to golden ring cities, and towns around Moscow & St Petersburg, tickets to ballet.

I'm looking at Moscow and find it totally confusing.

I'm thinking 6 days Moscow

6 days St. Petersburg

3-4 days getting around Golden Ring cities.

Will this be possible or will I be totally frustrated and just waste a lot of time trying to find things. None of the tours goes into the depth i'm interested in each city.

Also, anyone interested in joining me for all or part of the trip, I'm thinking Sept 2012

Thanks.

11

Completely possible.

Can you be more specific? It is a city of 10 million and thus like many other large cities, a bit confusing. But the section of the city visited by most tourists is small and rather compact and almost all within the garden ring highway.

Most first time visitors would see this as a long time but I love Moscow so it wouldn't be too long for me. This amount of time will enable you to see the highlights plus explore some of the lesser known parks and sites that are worth visiting and to make a couple of day trips. If you decide to cut out 2 days, I would suggest making a stopover in Veliky Novgorod (visitnovgorod.com) for two nights.

This is probably about the right amount of time or perhaps a day too many to see the highlights and to visit several of the nearby palaces (Catherine's and Pavlosk in Pushkin and Peterhof).

This is reasonable though it might be a bit rushed if you are trying to see several of them. Vladimir and Suzdal are worth 3 days/2 nights so if you want to add other cities you might need more than 3-4 days. Take a look at the map on the waytorussia.net website so you can envision where these towns are located.

We here on the TT can walk you through the process of getting the visa, direct you to places that you would enjoy, help you learn the transport systems but just as when you visit any new place, you should expect some difficulties finding things and Russia can be a little more daunting because the alphabet is different and the language foreign. Also be sure to check out when the city birthdays are for Moscow as this will disrupt museum schedules and other things.

Ruth

12

I found all comments useful as I would like to visit Moscow and St Petersburg.....What I would like to know though, is how restricted travelwise are you in the winter?? I would like to visit February, but not sure if I am wasting my time because of cold and snow...I am not worried about the cold as I will be dressed suitably, but just want to know whether transport is a problem or whether places are closed.

T

13

TFandMS,

February usually has cold but dry and clear weather, except for the end of month when an early thaw is quite possible. Daylight time is much better than iin December or January.

14

If you don't want to bother with Russian visas - then good option for your first visit will be taking a ferry or cruise to St Petersburg. Both options will give you opportunity to go ashore visa-free and stay not longer than 72 hrs.
1. In case of ferry - you can take on overnight sail from Helsinki. Once you arrive all you have to present to border control is a shuttle bus ticket (which is proof of your booked tour) that you buy for 15 euro on board. You can spend up to 2 nights in Russia (gives you an opportunity to even take a one-day trip to Moscow).
2. If you book your cruise - make sure your ship stays here for the longest period of 3 days/2 nights. To ashore without a visa you have to book your tour with your cruise company or any local tour operator that provides visa-free excursions. Again - you can take 1 day Moscow visit without any problem.

Read more about visa-free regulations here