Russia accomodation recommendations

Llonely Planet publishes a guide book for St. Petersburg but I do not think they do one for Moscow but I could be wrong on that one. Anyway, I would get a copy of their SP guide book to see what it has to offer.

Check this website: http://www.expresstorussia.com

I was in Russia in 2001 and 2010. Each time, I went with my sister, who learned Russian for her work. I'm saying this upfront, because, more than any other place I've been, you need to get up to date information for Russia. Take any comments based on old visits with a grain (or whole jar) of salt. This includes some things I've heard Rick Steves himself say; he hasn't actually been there in a long time, and I can tell when he start talking about the "no-neck thugs everywhere." And anyone who tells you to spend dollars is quite out of date: except for a hotel that may accept euros, almost everyone wants to be paid in rubles (get them from ATM's) You definitely want to take the train between Moscow and St. Petersburg. Less than 4 hours for the nonstops (a bit more for the trains that make a few stops), city center to city center, and brand new trains too. Getting to and from the airports is less hassle in Moscow than it used to be, but it's still a pain in St. Petersburg, and much harder than using the centrally located train stations. As you'll quickly learn, hotels in both cities are very expensive. For Moscow in 2010, I stayed with my sister (she was living there at the time I visited). In 2001, we stayed at the Hotel Ukraina, and liked it a lot. It represents Brezhnev-era luxury, and was a lot of fun. My only problem is that it's a 10 minute walk from the nearest metro stop. In 2001 it was pretty cheap, but I don't think that's still the case. continued..

continued.. For St. Petersburg in 2001, we stayed at the youth hostel. It was not well located and the staff were quite sour (despite Rick Steves, Lonely Planet, and Rough Guide all saying it was a good location and the staff were friendly and helpful). However, the travel agency located there is quite useful for buying train tickets (do this in advance). In 2010, we stayed at Griboedova 29, which my sister found through her favorite site, hostelbookers: http://www.hostelbookers.com/hotels/russia/st-petersburg/3991/ The location is FABULOUS and it was only 80 euros a night (a steal in St. P). Although there are no private bathrooms, there are two toilet rooms and two shower rooms for four bedrooms, so we never had a problem. It was clean, the room was a good size, and the free WiFi worked well. We'd definitely stay here again! If you need something fancier than this, get ready to pay. continued..

continued.. I know you didn't ask this, but if you need food, you can count on Il Patio/Planet Sushi. An Italian restaurant and a Japanese restaurant merged, and all branches of this chain now serve both cuisines. You simply say "pizza" or "sushi" to be directed to the correct section, although the one in St. P closest to our hotel gave us both menus, so we could mix and match. They are located in lots of convenient places in both cities, have English menus, are open ridiculously long hours (some never close), and have free WiFi. When I was tired or otherwise stressed, they were a great comfort. Prices were reasonable, too, and many (not sure about all) had no-smoking sections. You also didn't ask about this: in St. Petersburg, there's not as much English as in Prague or Budapest, but there's quite enough. There's less in Moscow, but I had learned the Cyrillic alphabet and managed. But outside of these two, you NEED Russian. If you're thinking of going elsewhere (in 2010 we went to Vladimir and Suzdal, which were highly worthwhile), you will be lost without a tour or a Russian guide (thanks, sis, for being my guide). I recommend the book Teach Yourself The Cyrillic Alphabet. You only need the first half, and will thank me every minute of every day for learning it; you'll be cursing yourselves if you don't. If nothing else, you will be able to read your Metro stops. You'll also be able to recognize a fair number of words once you can sound them out. The most famous one: PECTOPAH is pronounced "restoran" and is, indeed, "restaurant."

In October I stayed in the Hotel Comfitel Alexander (http://comfitelhotel.com/) in St. Petersburg. I chose it because it was the cheapest non-hostel I could find (it was about 50 dollars a night for 30 days, so I think there was a deal). Anway, I ended up REALLY liking it. Very clean, everything you need (hair dryer, TV, wifi) and it is in a great location (the metro is basically right outside the door), it's about a 10 minute walk to downtown along the canal. Also, it is almost literally at the doorstep for where the "marshrutka" to the airport comes. It is a little hard to find (look for the Pepsi sign on the second floor, and it is the indistinct door right underneath, go up to the second floor), but I thought it was a great find. Also the breakfast for Russian standards is high.

hi kim, i just returned from a trip that included saint petersburg. i stayed at the nevsky inn bed and breakfast and booked through booking.com. it is small but has an awesome location (5 min walk to winter palace!), excellent wifi which is helpful for figuring out restaurants and walking routes, free breakfast which helped us save money and was a convenient and good way to start the day, and is fairly reasonably priced. i booked in march so hotels were getting booked up fairly quickly. i was so disappointed to see that i could have booked the grand europe for not significantly much more had a made a reservation a week before. andrea