We are two young women (20's) traveling to Moscow and St. Petersburg in December from Berlin. We are flying to Moscow, taking the night train to St. Petersburg, and flying back from there. Any suggestions for hotels in either, relatively inexpensive, or other advice? Thanks!
Ellen, You may find more information on the The Thorn Tree Message Board (click the tab at the top of the page) or Trip Advisor. Rick doesn't cover Moscow in his Guidebooks at the moment and I suspect that there's only a few here that have ventured to that part of Europe, so there probably won't be as much information available on the HelpLine. It would be great if you could post a note when you return, as the information may be helpful for others here. Happy travels!
We were happy with the cost and the quality at the Hotel Bega in Moscow. It is admittedly a bit far from the center, 20 minute walk (or 5 minute bus ride) to subway then a 10 minute subway ride. http://www.bega-hotel.ru/en/ I think that we paid about $100 for the room and breakfast in 2008. There were a lot of business travelers there as well, which made the place feel very safe. The reception speaks English- which is VERY rare in Moscow outside of the expensive hotels.
We looked at many many places in Moscow attempting to get as close to the center (Red Square) as possible without breaking the bank. We seriously considered the Petrovka Loft which is very very near to Red Square, cheap, good reviews. The only downside is that it had shared bathrooms which is not a bad thing - it's just a personal choice. Look at www.yeego.com for great rates in Moscow Hotels and St Petersburg. We booked 2 ensuite rooms at the Sky Hotel in St Petersburg for 4 nights for about 350 Euro total including breakfast and that was in the expensive Summer season.