Thread: сколько стоит ?

i think i'm planning a trip to moscow. starting now, i have started doing research. i read alot of other posts on this forum, and i know to rent a flat its like 1000 rubles, thats not bad. its like 40 dollers. but, i know plain tickets are always fluxuating. but can somone estimate a general price for round trip? i also looked at russians 6 diffrent type of visas. they all suck. what if i want to stay there for more than a month? do i have to leave the country and get it re-newed and then coem back? or can i buy a new one in the country? what about driving. my frien alex said. you can just buy a car and drive it without anything because even if the cops pull u over u can just bribe them and keep going. how much does it cost to rent a car? and how much would i need to bribe a cop or, how could i get some sort of license? i can't be without wheels. any thing else i need to know ? i think i forgot a bunch... just general expenses of things like hotel, or apartments, and plane tickets, subway and bus fairs. ok thanks. from a future muskovite

you can definately be without wheels, moscow and st petersburg have two of the best metro systems in the world. The underground stations are like museums and its dirt cheap. SHould be similar in moscow but in petersburg a month pass for the metro was 10 bucks, unlimited usage. Plus Russians are crazy drivers and you wouldnt have insurance. What if you got into an accident with the tons of mafia hummers and mercedes suvs driving around, you are screwed buddy.

As for visas, if you want to stay there longer than a month, you apply for an entry visa and then on the way out you have to apply for the exit visa. However, if you are there longer than a month, you have to have an aids test...or at least my program in the fall is requiring it but they said it was because of visa restrictions.

Off topic, but if when you say "сколько стоит?" make sure you have the stress on the O because стоит with soft O sound is a different word (to stand).

Where are you finding those prices to rent a place for?? Ive only seen really expensive prices online but those were tourist type sites. My guess is that it would be very hard to find the same price that a Russian pays for unless you have some kind of connection.

uhmm, i think. in this forum... theres only like 4 other posts... just hafta look,i found it in like 20 seconds. and, i kinda want a car because i want to drive out to suburbs and regular neiborhoods, not just see the city. and, maybe i can join the mofia while i'm there too. so, when you aplly for a visa, is it possible to be denied? how does that work? and if u are denied, is it possible to re apply? or can u just never go to russia ?

Geez Dogboy.......Translate this: NO VISA GO TO JAIL.

A good way for you to go to Russia is through a student program. They will arrange a student visa for you and guide you through the paperwork. If you want to stay past 30 days they can extend your visa. Turn on your search engine and plug in "Russian Language Programs". Also check out AFS sites and individual American and Russian University sites. I will be spending all of August at Moscow State U. Living in the dorm is dirt cheap and together with the language classes it will only cost $800 for the month. Plane tickets in summer are expensive, $1200-$2000 round trip. But that is why God invented frequent flyer miles.

Now about that car....Aren't you like only 16? Forget the car! The Metro, busses, taxi etc. will get you anywhere you want to go.

Do not mess with The Man in Russia. I've been to the police station there and it's NOT FUN!

when the hell did i ever say i planned on going without a visa? where did you get that from? anyways, do you already have to be enrolled in an american university to go to a russian university? and, i think in two years (then i will be 18, and thats when i plan n going) my russian will be pretty good. but. do they have classes in english? how am i supposed to go to russia and study at a university where i dont even know the language? crazy.

Originally Posted by Dogboy182

when the hell did i ever say i planned on going without a visa? where did you get that from? anyways, do you already have to be enrolled in an american university to go to a russian university? and, i think in two years (then i will be 18, and thats when i plan n going) my russian will be pretty good. but. do they have classes in english? how am i supposed to go to russia and study at a university where i dont even know the language? crazy.

you wont be taking regular russian classes unless you want to (good luck) but they have classes for foreigners. I did a summer program last summer at st petersburg state university. The courses were taught in russian but you still understand a lot of it, they write stuff on the board, diagrams etc...there are tons of programs, probably a lot that arent even necessarily through an insitution and if you are in one of these programs it is really easy to get a visa because that institution is inviting you.

Originally Posted by JB

Geez Dogboy.......Translate this: NO VISA GO TO JAIL.

Plane tickets in summer are expensive, $1200-$2000 round trip. But that is why God invented frequent flyer miles.

and it's NOT FUN!

yeah plane tickets are a pain. I just had to book mine for the fall, multi destination flight because we have an orientation in helsinki. So, nj-helsinki, with a return from petersburg....cost 900 bucks.

Have you looked at travelocity student tickets through student universe? You can usually find flights for about 900-1000. I got pretty lucky for mine but i have to spend a night in copenhagen on the way back...no big deal

here is the set up...right now me and dogboy are 16 years old...we dont have credit cards to get those miles

drew, How was the university at St. Petersburg? I had a hard time deciding between MSU and Petersburg. I finally opted for Moscow because I have friends there. The plane tickets get a lot cheaper after Sept 1 (that's the end of Russian summer vacation time) But I already had schedualed my time off of work for August.
Dogboy, when you mentioned bribing cops I got nervous. Also trying to extend a visitor's visa is your worst nightmare once you are in the country. To attend regular university classes there you must be fluent in Russian. You are tested when you arrive and placed in the appropriate level Russian language class. Check out those websites as they explain everything. To go as a high school student is probably easier. Check out the AFS site.

well. thats all fine and dandy but. the first time i go to russia i want to just go to moscow, like i said, and spend a few weeks. with nothing to worry about. no tight schedual, no homework to worry about, just sit back and chill in the city. see the sites, maybe познакомить with some russian ladies. u know. the works.
after that i will look into student visas and such... but i doubt any colleges even in russia would accept me with my GPA

you have 2 years to work on your Russian and your GPA.

yes, my russian gets better everyday... my gpa HAH well ok. but i have anouther question. what about a train ride from moscow to st. pete? how much does that cost (and sorry if i sound a little american here) but do u need any papers or anything to travel around the country in russia ? or can u just go around like u can in america ? (given i have my passport and what not).

I think the train ride is like 50-80 for a round trip (туда и обратно)depending on what class you want, and youll want the better class. I did it but it was already paid for in my trip so im not completely sure. The trip is 8 hours

Only 8 hours? How far is Moscow from SPB?

i'd say give or take 500 kilometers

hell the train line must be in bad condition. Our shitty train here takes 7 hours to get 600kms. When it was new back in the 70's it only took 5 hours.

There are a couple stops, i took the night train so i didnt really notice any of them but one at about the middle which scared the shit out me. Train stops, random russian being yelled over a loudspeaker outside...pause, then repeated louder. hehe, it was an interesting experience. Then we started moving again and i went to sleep.

ALso i think they stretch out the night train time so you can sleep a decent amount and its probably more efficient. The way back during the day was more like 5 or 6 hours. http://www.waytorussia.net/Transport/Ti ... sburg.html here you go...prices range from 15 or so-75 it looks like. I think for foreigners you might pay more though.

i would want to take the day train, so i could see everything. at night u might miss alot of cool sites... or maybe not, i've never been to russia, so i wouldn't know.

lots of countryside, couple cool nuclear reactor type looking plants.

hmm have u seen russian suburbs? do they resemble american suburbs? what do russian houses look like? whats a quite "middle class" russian neiborhood like? and what's inbetween all the big citys? a whole lot of nothin ? what are your odds for survival if u plane went down quite aways from a city?