Russia

Ron, I have only been to St. Petersburg, I went last May and it was amazing. Can not speak of Moscow, but St. Petersburg is very safe. Feel free to ask me any questions you may have.

Ron, I haven't been to either city yet, but I've heard some "cautions" about travel in Moscow. Be sure to budget both the time and money to obtain the compulsory Russian Visa. I enquired about that recently and was told I'd have to send my Passport to the Russian Embassy and the Visa process could take several weeks.

If you happen to be a person of color....there have been some ugly attacks, check the State Dept website for details. In general the cities are fairly safe in terms of street crime, but the real problem is corruption. The police, or immigration officers may "shake" you down for some sort "fine". Also, if you get into any sort of trouble and the police incarcerate you, there is little the US consulate to do to help you out, again the State Dept. site explains this. But these are extreme examples, most people who visit (like myself) encounter no problems.

I've been to both cities recently. St. Petersburg is WAY more used to tourists and has the infrastructure in place to accommodate them, Moscow does not. The sights in Moscow are amazing and worth the trouble, however. Just be prepared for lines, confusion, and unhelpful people. As for safety, yesterdays attack excluded, they were both safe, in my eyes. I was harassed by the police who tried to get me to bribe them, so that was uncomfortable. Tips: Follow the rules explicitly. If a tiny sing MIGHT say keep off the grass in Russian, you better keep you ass off the grass, even if Russians are lounging about on it. Keep your original papers on you at all times, not just copies. Get cash at the airport. I had a very hard time getting Rubles on arrival evening because all banks were closed and ATMs were not accepting my card (and yes, I did call the bank before I left the States). There are different prices for Russians and visitors, it is official and posted at various spots. Coming to mind is the Kremlin which charges foreigners more to keep your bag than Russians. PM me if you want more details. I'm happy to give more.

Ron, my family flew into Moscow and returned from St Petersburg. The trip was great and we're very glad we went. We had a guide in Moscow, Dan Petrov. He was a huge help not only in sightseeing but also in arranging transportation and booking our SapSan Train tickets for us at a substantially reduced rate than what we could have purchased. He was totally worth the fair rate that he charged. You can see/contact him on his webpage here: http://waytomoscow.com/

Thanks everyone for your tips and advice I need to do some more research on visa's Thank you
Ron

I didn't think the visa process was that terrible-just make sure you have your hotels booked because you have to give them that info. I usually don't use a travel agent, but I consulted one for this.

You have to book a hotel in order to receive the special tourist invitation which you then submit with your VISA application. You CAN change your mind and stay in a different hotel without having to report the new hotel to the VISA people. Yes, I know there are other ways to get Tourist Invitations, but a hotel is just a very simple way. We attempted to do the Visa Application ourselves, but it was almost impossible...unless you live in the same city as the Russian Consular Office. We used the DC office and they NEVER EVER EVER answer phone calls or emails. It added an extra $600 to our Russian trip cost to get 3 VISAs - 1 of which had to be expedited.

The rules for Russian visa applications can be very byzantine and they have changed at least 4 times since I made my first trip there years ago. Before I moved to Europe, I never used a travel agency- except for trips to Russia. I echo the advice of the other posters, use a professional to help you with this one. Russia is a fascinating country to visit, but you have to keep your wits about you a little more than elsewhere in Europe. Once the ice is broken, I've found Russians to be some of the most warm, friendly people in the world... but there's also a lot of them that will try to scam you at the drop of a hat, including the police. Even with those you can trust, you have to be a little careful, because out of friendship, they'll offer you enough alcohol to nearly kill a non-Russian!

If you use one of the Visa companies to secure your Russian visa, they will provide the hotel invitation for you...it's built into the price. A lot of the 4 and 5 star hotels charge around 50 euros for an invitation. So if you are using one of these companies, no need to pay extra.

My wife and I arranged tours with Palladium Travel (www.palladium.spb.ru) last July when we went to St. Petersburg. They sent us free visa support to apply for visas.