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Moscow

Posted by (Vancouver, BC, Canada) on

So I know its not exactly Europe, but Rick does have a little info on Russia and so I thought I would put a post up asking a little advice. I am planning a trip in April 09 to do a 1 week Egypt tour, 5 nights Istanbul, and 3 nights Moscow. I found a great flight deal thats why I have chosen this route.

I have travelled twice to Europe for a total of over 3 months visiting 13 countries. While I feel totally fine with Egypt and Istanbul, I was wondering if anyone can give me some insight into Moscow. I have purchased the Lonely planet guide and also found a pretty good hostel (HM hostel). I am just wondering if anyone can tell me what to expect. I know not many people speak english, but how hard will it be to get around, such as buy tickets and use metro, or eat at resturants?

If someone is totally against a solo female traveling to Moscow on my own I would also like to hear your opinion as I plan to book my tickets this week.

Also from the research I have done Moscow seems to have alot of sights, I am just worried though it may not be worth all the time and cost for the visa, love to hear others opinions.

Thanks all

Posted by
9101 posts

Last time I checked Moscow was still in Europe:) I'm not a woman but from everything I've read and heard, Russia is one of the safest places in the world to travel solo. One lasting legacies from the communist era was the equality of the sexes imposed by the central government. I haven't been to Moscow, only St Petersburg, but I didn't encounter many problems. There were tourist street signs in western script pointing to everything in the city center. Most everyone I encountered at popular sites spoke English, and as a general rule the younger the local, the more likely they are to speak English. Prices are very high, there is a two-tier pricing system at most attractions, in fact Moscow is now considered the most expensive city in the world. Beware of the taxis at the airport(Moscow and St Pete). They are controlled by the mafia, and tourists will be expected to pay 100 euros to get to the city center! You can bypass this arranging for a car to pick you up ahead of time, costs for this service are considerably cheaper. You won't have this problem going back to the airport from your hotel; taxis waiting outside are reasonable- but you will have to negotiate a fare. I used gotorussia.com to arrange my hotel invitation, visa, and airport transfer and they delivered everything as promised.

Posted by
191 posts

Thanks Michael I appreciate the advice, I do not know why I thought Russia was not a part of Europe... lol I have heard St. Petersburg is more tourist friendly, but I know lots of tourist travel to Moscow as well so I would assume it would be similiar.

Posted by
12040 posts

I've never been to Moscow (but I've been elsewhere in Russia), but I second the last poster's advice on using a travel agency that knows Russia to help you navigate the visa red-tape. I have used a company called "White Nights", and I would highly recommend them, but they may have gone out of business. Lonely Planet lists some recommendations.

Although probably not absolutely necessary, I would recommend learning the Cyrillic alphabet. It doesn't take long (unlike learning the language!). You'll see a fair amount of Latin script in Russia, but you may find yourself in a situation, like at a Metro stop or at a train station, where deciphering the letters can make your life easier.

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