<p>Has anyone visited Russia recently? I’m contemplating visiting Moscow and St. Petersburg this fall for 7-10 days, maybe a little longer. Opinions on the the “must sees” are welcome. (I find the recommendations from CCers about various places quite interesting and very diverse.) I’ve heard the visa process is a gigantic headache. Any suggestions for making it easier? I’ve checked the temperatures, but I’m wondering if there will there be snow in Moscow in November? Dh and I are thinking of visiting our youngest D over the Thanksgiving holiday; she is going to be studying there for 14 weeks–from Sept. to late December.</p>
<p>Bromfield - I will post more later today, but to start, check East-West Tours (located near Seattle). Apparently, Frommer’s listed one of their giuded tours as one of the five travel deals of 2008:</p>
<p>[Frommer’s</a> 5 Deals: Russia, Vegas, Ireland, Southern Africa, and Venice | Russia](<a href=“http://www.east-west-tours.com/files/F_5_deals.htm]Frommer’s”>http://www.east-west-tours.com/files/F_5_deals.htm)</p>
<p>Late November in Moscow can be miserable according to my friends who grew up there.</p>
<p>I visited St. Petersburg about 5 years ago on a cruise. We were there for 3 days and hired a private tour company called Red October to show us around. We were 6 people - we had a comfy van, a delightful and informative tour guide (she was a school teacher), and a driver. We were able to personalize our tour and we got into the Hermitage and Catherine’s Palace before they opened to the public. Among our favorite activities were riding the subway (gorgeous!) and visiting a grocery store. We also went to the ballet (the company that formerly was the Kirov) and a symphony concert. It was an incredible 3 days.</p>
<p>My daughter has traveled to Russia three times, most recently with a semester abroad which ended a couple of months ago. (All told, she has actually spent about a years’ time living in Russia with the 3 separate trips). </p>
<p>She needed separate visas each time, and for one of those trips we did it on our own (the other two times, she was with groups and the coordinators of the trips took care of the process). Based on having gone through the process, I feel it is really worth the money to pay extra to a visa service. We ended up sitting a couple of hours waiting in the consulate for our turn, while watching the people from the visa services come in with stacks of documents and being allowed to go ahead of us in line. I also saw several individuals who were ahead of is in line get turned back because they were missing some document or another. Fortunately we had our own stuff in order, but that is only because I had read over the instructions repeatedly to get things right – it was pretty complicated and the instructions were not all that clear. </p>
<p>I haven’t been to Russia myself, but St. Petersburg is an amazing city, with multiple Operas, ballets & symphony performances to choose from almost every night of the week. You could easily spend several days at the Hermitage and not get tired of it. There will definitely by snow in November, especially in Moscow. (St. Petersburg, too – but the weather is milder there – it is also cold & snowy, but because it is coastal, it is more comparable to Boston weather).</p>
<p>Bromfield, I’m trying to get a hold of my friends who have plenty of experience with Moscow in November.</p>
<p>We visited St. Petersburg a year ago in late June. We really lucked out with the weather - it did not rain and was not hot or muggy. The city is magnificent, and many of its architectural gems have been restored to their original beauty. We wanted to make a short trip to Moscow but decided that a couple of days would not be enough. A knowledgeable guide is a must if you want to learn about the city’s rich history. You would not want to rent a car - Russian drivers are insane. We relied on public transportation which was fabulous. Mariinsky Ballet (formerly Kirov Ballet) is a must-see, but you have to act quickly because the best seats sell out fast.</p>
<p>I second everyone who says that dealing with Russian consulates is a royal pain. Going through a travel agency is a much better route, although it costs a bit extra.</p>
<p>The Peterhof outside of St. Petersburg (boat ride out via the Gulf of Finland) is amazing as is the Catherine Palace, also outside St. Petersburg. Both have great gardens and would be better enjoyed during nicer weather. Ditto the poster who said that you should check out the Moscow subway. I found a subway “tour” either in a guidebook or online that gave you a plan to hit all the most fabulously decorated stations in a 2-3 hour tour. The Hermitage in St. Petersburg is a must-see, but so is the Pushkin in Moscow which is amazing but overshadowed by the Hermitage.</p>
<p>Others have suggested tour companies, but if you learn the cyrillac alphabet on the plane ride over and are a somewhat experienced traveler, you can go it alone. The most confusing thing is probably using the subway in Moscow. It all depends on your travel style and travel experience, but Russia is not so out there that you have to be on a tour if that’s not your speed.</p>
<p>Four days in St. Petersburg and three in Moscow (take the overnight train between the two to save touring time) would be adequate. If you have a few extra days, going to the Golden Ring would be worth it.</p>
<p>One thing to keep in mind, Russia is really expensive in terms of hotels and food.</p>
<p>Nice banner ad. Thx Google and Bromfield.</p>
<p>^^^Really, LongPrime? That blonde on the left showed up because of the thread topic?</p>
<p>Try a new thread using a different key word: country or item, like bedding, outdoors stuff, office, clothing etc.</p>
<p>^^^OK! The facial moisturizer thread now features an anti-wrinkle ad in the left column. I had no idea these ads were that targeted.</p>
<p>I’m sure Bromfield is very happy to have this information on how to hook up with beautiful Russian ladies. And we all thought the OP wanted to know about museums.</p>