Hello, I will be traveling Solo 20-25 JAN 2012 if anyone is in the area. Single Female 45. I have tickets to the theater in the evening but a day time sidekick would be fabulous. If not does anyone have any hotel recommendations walking distance to the Bolshoi theater... $100 or under??? I see great deals but that doesn't mean it's a great place to stay. I have never been to Russia. V.
Posted by
Seattle
4637 posts
Valeria,
I hope that you have Russian visa. And I also hope that you can speak at least some Russian and read Russian alphabet. Just this last fall I was in Moscow and other russian cities. Moscow is very expensive. Even budget hotels are over 100 dollars. Almost nobody speaks English there. Signs are only in russian alphabet: on streets , businesses, subway, etc. Thank God that I speak enough russian to get around. I googled: "hotels close to Bolshoi theater in Moscow" and found 51 of them. We stayed in apartment close to Arbat so from personal experience I cannot recommend hotel. Actually before our flight we stayed in Airhotel Domodedovo (at the airport), the price was 270 dollars. I estimate that hotel of the same quality would cost $100-150 in US city. So you have some idea about hotels in Moscow. Great place to stay in Moscow would be over 400-500 dollars a night.
Posted by
Huntington Woods
1 posts
Valeria,
A friend and I (62 & 70 yr old females) traveled to Moscow and St. Petersburg this summer, our first time. Our hotel was booked by the online tour company, Expresstorussia.com. We were at the Budapest hotel 2/18 Petrovskie lines. It was about a 10 min walk from the Bolshoi. The location was convenient for many things. By American standards it was maybe a 2 star. I have no idea of the price. The staff all spoke English. Our breakfast was included, although I don't know if that was the case for all guests. We had no problem with English, as most people we encountered spoke some English, esp the young adults. When we did get some place where Eng was not spoken there was someone willing to help us. It is a long drive from the airport into the city. We had drivers through the tour company. Get a good map of the city, esp the Metro. Don't be afraid to travel the Metro by yourself during the day. I would hesitate to do it at night alone. There were 2 of us walking around at night. It was a wonderful trip on every level.
Posted by
Seattle
4637 posts
Yes, expresstorussia is an excellent website. We had our stay and sightseeing in St.Petersburg booked through them, also train to Moscow, driver in Moscow, apartment there, cruise on Volga River from Moscow to Astrakhan, flight to Moscow and hotel at the airport. Everything worked like a swiss clock. http://www.expresstorussia.com
And yes, in big hotels receptionists spoke English. On the cruise ship only guides.