Russia

Basic information;

 

Emergency number:

  • Police – 102

  • Ambulance – 103 or 03( whit an local Phone)

  • Fire department – 101

  • Central emergency numberm – 112

Land code Phone: +7

Money: roebies

  • 1$ usd dollar = ₽ 60 rubels

  • 1€ euro = ₽ 75 rubels

Bank: in every bank they accept visa, mastercard and meastro.

Embassy: its never stupid to look for the embassys from your coutry in other countrys. look for the adres, Phone number of email. its easy if something happend or if you go to a place where in no connection. Then everyone know where you are.

Busses: we didn’t use a bus but there are a lot of easy busses in the city’s.

Long distance trains: you can buy easy tickets online at sapsan.ru or rdz.ru and the trains are easy to find. There are night trains with beds and high speed trains ( check good for the station ) sapsan.ru

Trains: the fasted way to travel in russia is by train, trains go to the bigger citys and some stop at the small towns. its possible to cross the borders. ( check good for the station )

Aeroexpress: trains from the airports to the center of moscow

Metro: you can buy one ride tickets ₽55 of with an card ( you buy the card and can put everytime new money on it ) ₽38 for one ride. Metro in the fasted way to travel trought the city, there are in Moscow 15 metro lines and st Petersburg got 7 lines

Hotel/Hostels/guest houses:

We used booking.com and hostelworld.com

Hotel: we just used one time a hotel, we made the reservation with booking.com and we did this to get a good start at our journey. from here we had just some extra luxer. But this means also that it wil cost you more money then a hostel.

Hostels; in st Petersburg and Moscow we stayed in an hostel. They are quite expensive but have good service and very modern

Christmas: if you like Christmas Russia will be your country, they celebrate it big. and for anm longer period, till 8 of janauri

City’s we have visit:

St Petersburg:

Where we stayed:

Netizen hotel/hostel: An nice new hostel, with an big open room for meeting, front desk where you can buy everything youll need, from soap to drinks and food. in the city center just a 5 min walk. acros the corner is an supermarket. only thing the beds and kitchen are small

What we did, what we recommend:

  • Free walking tours: an great walking around the city

  • Visit the hermitage museum: the museum is inside the old winter palace. only this makes it al an visit worth. there are 3 entrances, take the right one, the left one is for students or retired people and the entrance on the back is for people who bought tickets online. online they are 700 ru but youll got to take the back entrance, so you dont see the nice entrance of the palace. the fast line tickets 700 ru also, this one you can buy at an ticket machine inside the gates, this are only a few to sell so be early. the normal entrance 400 ru but youll have to stay in line for maby 1 or 2 hours.

  • Russian museum for russian art:

  • Church of the savior on spilled blood: small entrance price, amazing way of building and and beautifull building to see. infront youll find an cheap market for souvinirs and to buy sketches

  • Saint isaac’s cathedral: 2 entrances one is fot the towers to get an rooftop view and the other ones is for to get in. its the largest orthodox cathedral in the world. for now its an museum and not in use anymore.

  • Peter and Paul Fortness: its an mighty fortness with the highest building of st petersburg, the bell tower 122,5 meters high. every day at 12 o clock the cannon still shoot. this means admiral hour is over.

  • Nevsky prospect: 4/5 km long street with shops, restaurant, cathedrals and big hotels.

  • Admiralty building: now it is an university but before the whas the place where the build the first russian ships on dutch design. ( they say the last sunday of july its navy day and thousands of russian sailers walking around the park

  • Russian cruiser aurora: its an big militairy ship thats now in use as an museum

  • Yeliseev emporium: for russian candy and sweets

  • Smolny convent: you have to take the metro and walk for around 20 minutes before you reach the cathedral. it whas an gift from peter to great to his dochter. with an beautifull garden and from the tower and great view of the park

  • Water tower: its possible to get in, outside youll find information in english. inside they only give russian tours

  • Michailovski castel: the only castel between hounders of palaces in St Petersburg

     

Things we didint visit but like to recommend:

  • Mariinsky theatre

  • Peterhoff grand palace: this is an great big palace with an big garden. but its closed in the winter time

  • Faberge egg museum

  • Canel tour: only in the summer

Moscow:

Where we stayed: in 2 diverend places in this metropolis

  • Novotel hotel kievskaya: beautifull hotel, good service and with an pool and sauna and restaurant. across the street youll find the europeisky shopping mall. It worth an visit. And nearby the metro.

  • Godzilla hostel: friendly hostel, good recommend for an long time, its just an litlle bit old but they have good showers and a nice living room.

What we did, what we recommend: in mosow:

  • Free walking tour: a walking tour throught the city centre of Moscow, and you pay after your experience

  • Metro tour: there is an metro tour through the city. We didn’t do this one because it is quit expencuef 30€ but heard some good storys. But the metros are really easy to cross and visit at yourself for just 50 rubles

  • Visit the kremlin: they sell tickets online if you are luck, otherwise be early they online have some tickets for the armoury. Online you can buy at the kreml.ru entrée kremlin 500 rubles and armoury 700 rubles

  • Saint basil cathedral: The most famous cathedral from Russia. This cathedral who is really interesting is on the famous red squire next to the kremlin. 1200 rubles entrance

  • Visit the Cathedral of Christ the savior: with an view over the river, city and peter the great statue. 200 rubles to get a ticket to the roof top. Only by stairs

  • Central Children store: On the 6th flour is it possible to enter the roof of the building and get a view over the city. Price 50 rubles. Enter this by night it close at 8 and you got an amazing view over the city. The price is also including an museum of old, famous en special children toys

  • Park gorky: in the summer and art park with an great view overt the Moscow river and and and view at the peter the great statue. In the winter an winter wonderland with an great icescating place, fun and an wintermarket. ( skates will be rented at the entrance )

  • Gum shopping mall. Get here an famous Russian drink of icecream

  • Kievskaya. Walkj around the park, Ukraine hotel of go to the European shopping mall

  • Join an Icehockey game, en.khl.ru

  • For an great view and an diorama from the city visit the Ukraine hotel ( Radisson royal ). On the bottom youll find the diorama this one is free and tells a lot about the city and history. Go to the top flour for an drink in the mercedise bar for an view over the city on the 33 flour

  • Flying bridge at the zaryadye park free, fly over the Moscow river

  • Tsarityno park: park is free entrance. For the museum you how to check for an ticket and price, some dates are free

  • Train to Sergiev posad: Easy to plan by yourself, price around 6€ 2 way. Just check online the time table en train station buy there the tickets. Around 1,5 hours in the trein one way Rzd.ru

  • Train to saint peterburg: sapsan.ru for an night train we took around 9:30 hours and for the the fast train we took around 3,5 hours

  • Christmas fair: in the winter there is a lot of Christmas through the whole city, on the red square there will be an great fair.

  • Old/new Arbat street: for cheap souvenirs and gre

Things we didnt visit but like to recommend:

  • Boot tour: not possible in the winter period,

  • Bolsoi theatre: its expencief and youll have to stand in line, but should be amazing

  • Moskvarium: the largest occeanarium in europ

  • VDKH park: for skating, they rent them here

place to eat:

  • The white rabbit: at the moment nr 15 in world best restaurant ranking list. modern russian cuisine

  • Ruski restaurant: highst restaurant in europ 85 floor, good view over the city and modern russian cuisine

  • NR1: youll find a lot of buffet restaurants its cheap and real russian cuissine so try it.

  • Jonjoli: Georgian cuisine try something diverent, i love it a lot.

Sergiev Posad:

( one of the citys of the russian golden ring )

How to get here:

  • Go to Leningradskiy Railway station in Moscow. On this square youll find three diverent train stations. in the center youll find an tourist office who also sell tours, but it is really easy to do at your self.

  • Go to the ticket desk of the Leningsgradskiy Railway station. Ask for an ticket to Sergiev Posad, use your hands and feet to tell them what you want. it also worked with us.

  • Dont forget to ask a return ticket!!! also ask for the time table. every day they have like every 1 or 2 hours a train that is going there and back tot Moscow.

  • there is outside of the train station and inside an big screen. here youll find also the time table but in Russian, Russian for Sergiev Posad = Сергиев Посад

  • Also an time table an tickets at RZD.RU

What we did, what we recommend:

  • Troitse-sergieva Lavra monastery: First of all, when you visit this monastery keep in mind its still in use, be loyal to the priests and keep to their rules. one of them dont make pictures with flash or praying people.

  • Its maby the most beautifull monastery from Russia. this monastery with 3 cathedrals all open for visiters, there are some shops and you get the possibility to buy a holy drink ( kind of an tea)

  • Holy water: but an bottle inside ( 100 ru ) or take one from youself and fill it in the tower with holy water.

  • Market: there is an really big market true the park just outside the city in front of the lavra for some nice shopping.

  • Train or bus to an other city of the golden ring