Visiting Russia

Hi everyone,

I’m planning a trip for 2 to Russia in July and I would love any information or recommendations from anyone who’s been.

I also have some specific questions:

1) How did you find travelling to and from Moscow and St Petersburg airports? Is it straightforward, does it take long?

2) Have you visited Pushkin and Peterhof? Would you be able to do each in a day or would you need more to really appreciate them? What is the best way to travel to them from St Petersburg and back?

3) In Moscow and St Persburg - where is best to stay (on a relative budget, not looking for 5 star hotels) to have the main attractions within reasonable distance?

4) What is the best (and cheapest, if possible) way to travel between St Petersburg and Moscow?

5) What are queues like to main attractions and sites (Moscow, St Petersburg, Peterhof, Pushkin), should we get ‘skip the line’ tickets when possible or are they reasonable? What should we pre-book?

Anything else would be much appreciated!

Thank you.

Vologda69

mpif wrote: »

Hi everyone,

I’m planning a trip for 2 to Russia in July and I would love any information or recommendations from anyone who’s been.

I also have some specific questions:

1) How did you find travelling to and from Moscow and St Petersburg airports? Is it straightforward, does it take long?

2) Have you visited Pushkin and Peterhof? Would you be able to do each in a day or would you need more to really appreciate them? What is the best way to travel to them from St Petersburg and back?

3) In Moscow and St Persburg - where is best to stay (on a relative budget, not looking for 5 star hotels) to have the main attractions within reasonable distance?

4) What is the best (and cheapest, if possible) way to travel between St Petersburg and Moscow?

5) What are queues like to main attractions and sites (Moscow, St Petersburg, Peterhof, Pushkin), should we get ‘skip the line’ tickets when possible or are they reasonable? What should we pre-book?

Anything else would be much appreciated!

Thank you.

Have been to Russia several times. How are you arranging visas?. St Petersburg was the highlight for me. One historic sight after another. Dont forget Romanov burial crypt in the Peter and Paul fortress. You can get a night train to Moscow. In summer it will be extremely hot and crowded, hence why most people visit in spring or autumn. Doing Peterhof and Pushkin in one day will be exhausting and rather overwhelming. Both are huge palace complexes with many outlying buildings and attractions. I spent 9 days on Petersburg on one trip and barely scratched the surface. Traffic in both cities is horrendous, but the underground is cheap and punctual. Remember nearly all signs are in Cyrillic, so navigating can be hard. Older people have little English. I can recommend Palladium travel in St Petersburg, if you need a guide. They can also assist with visas. We managed to skip a huge wait at the Winter Palace with their contacts. Even three star hotels are good, so go with tripadvisor to chose one that suits your budget. People are very nice when you make any effort to appreciate theur customs and cultures. Ranks as one of the best holidays I ever had. The Louvre in Paris looks rather sterile compared to the Hermitage with its original interiors and fascinating history. And a visit to the Mariisnky ballet is a must.

http://www.palladium.spb.ru

Russian embassy Dublin:

http://dublin.kdmid.ru/en.aspx?lst=en&it=/Applying for a visa.aspx

finbarrk

I travelled from St. Pete to Moscow last Summer on the fast train. I think it was less than 4 hours. It was a nice journey.