Thread: Trip to Russia in a few weeks!

As some of you know, I am leaving for Russian in just a few weeks. I will be studying abroad in Moscow for 8 months, which will include trips to St. Petersburg, Kazan, and possibly Novgorod. I was curious as to what sites many of you would recommend to visit and photograph.

I'd like as much input as possible, and I'll do my best to visit and share photos on my blog, at the following site:

Something About This World

There are currently many pictures of my hometown on my blog for those who may be interested.

In Moscow we walked from Red Square to the Moscow river and walked around and got some nice snaps. In St. Petersburg we walked by the Hermitage and walked by the Neva River in a north east direction. I'm working on a document about the trip and hope to post it within a month. I'm doing it in English and Russian so it's slow going.

Have a great time!

Scott

Go to Kolоmenskoe. You can walk in there for miles. Be sure to visit the wooden palace there. Easily a half a day experience.
Go inside St Basil's on Red Square. And Christ Savior cathedral where the famous Pussy Riot event occurred.
And there are a couple of art museums right near Christ Savior.
Actually, all kinds of churches. The ones in Moscow are older than the ones in Petersburg, which was founded in 1700.
Take a bus out to Сеергиев посад, the seat of Russian Orthodoxy. busses leave from ВДНХ.
Аh, Petersburg! take a hydrofoil out to Петергоф, spend the afternoon wandering around the gardens.
the Hermitage, of course.
I didn't do this, but stay up and watch the bridges go up, somewhere around 2am. Make sure you're on the right side.

Have a great time, I know you will. I've been there several times, the longest, one month in Moscow. Need more time there.

Thank you for the suggestions! I'll be sure to keep everything in mind!

HI Scott,
Golden Ring is a must. There are a lot of organized bus tours from Moscow. It takes about 12-14 days. You will see 6-8 best preserved towns of European Russia.
See one of them (Sergiev Posad) in my blog: A traveller's reference: Sergiev Posad / Сергиев Посад
Maria

Why is it called "Golden Ring"? Which of the cities in the Golden Ring do Russians think are the nicest?
Are they absolutely swarmed by tourists and souvenir stalls, or are they real cities were many people work and live normal lives?

One ring to rule them all... just kidding
I'd vote for Sergiev Posad (easy 1-1.5h trip from Moscow), Rostov ("Ivan Vasilievich Changes Profession" filming location) and Suzdal.

Balloon photo of Sergiev Posad (high-res and more photos inside):


«Сергиев Посад» на Яндекс.Фотках

Golden Ring is several old towns around Moscow. Most of them are really sweet and have good museums to visit. And yes, there are many tourists in nice places but not that many as in Italy for instance. Just avoid weekends and holidays. I prefer the following towns of Golden Ring - Sergiev Posad, Yaroslavl, Suzdal, Vladimir. But you might like other towns then me.

Thanks! The picture looks gorgeous...
It looks like the cities have been smartened up a bit....?

The thing about Russia (as well as other Russian speaking countries is that there is sooooooooooooo much to see, so large!) it's hard to even know where to start. Same dilemma, I think, as the USA but even more, since Russia has more historical/cultural sites.

Sergiev Posad sounds great. I had heard of the other three that you mentioned, but not that town!
Had seen the "Ivan Vasilevich film - lol, I thought it was filmed in Moscow....

The thing about Russia (as well as other Russian speaking countries is that there is sooooooooooooo much to see, so large!) it's hard to even know where to start. Same dilemma, I think, as the USA but even more, since Russia has more historical/cultural sites.

Yes, they are rather scattered.

Had seen the "Ivan Vasilevich film - lol, I thought it was filmed in Moscow....

Modern scenes were filmed in Moscow, while medieval scenes were filmed in Rostov. Apparently, Rostov looked more like old Moscow

Sergiev Posad is just in one and a half hours from Moscow. So you can easily visit it from the capital, should you have a spare day. But if you want to have an idea about the town's history, and understand the traditions behind it, it is better to have a guided tour. As to the other towns of Golden Ring, they are usually look better then average Russian town as have more historical places with exceptionally beautiful buildings.

Uploaded by marynabilash on May 10, 2010

(The narrative is done deliberately slow-paced and clear to accommodate students of Russian. It's not your normal speach.)

Hello Maria,
Very nice blog!

Thank you,

Scott

Originally Posted by Maria123

HI Scott,
Golden Ring is a must. There are a lot of organized bus tours from Moscow. It takes about 12-14 days. You will see 6-8 best preserved towns of European Russia.
See one of them (Sergiev Posad) in my blog: A traveller's reference: Sergiev Posad / Сергиев Посад
Maria

Originally Posted by Maria123

HI Scott,
Golden Ring is a must. There are a lot of organized bus tours from Moscow. It takes about 12-14 days. You will see 6-8 best preserved towns of European Russia.
See one of them (Sergiev Posad) in my blog: A traveller's reference: Sergiev Posad / Сергиев Посад
Maria

Is there a website I can go to look at arranging tour dates, and get an idea for pricing?
Thank you for the suggestion!

There are many companies nowadays, but to tell the truth the only company for foreigners I know for a good reputation is Intourist - the one from the USSR times. Here is the link to the Intourist site you can consult for their prices and programs. Intourist - Tours in Russia. Hotels in Russia, visa, transfers, excursions.
However, I should say that their program is too short. (((((( And in fact can not be called Golden Ring at all.
I found also couple of other companies with relevant info, but have no idea if they are as good as they say:
Tours and Travel to Russia | Go To Russia | Russian Travel | Express To Russia
Fixed departure group tours
The Golden Ring Russia: Tours and Cruises
Golden Ring
BR
Maria

Thanks, I do my best.

Originally Posted by krwright

Is there a website I can go to look at arranging tour dates, and get an idea for pricing?
Thank you for the suggestion!

Without checking, I'd absolutely think there are trains to all these cities, and if not, then at least bus services.
Why don't you get there yourself and meet up with a local person once you are there? They probably won't be as good as a professional guide, but if they went to school etc in the town they know the general history of the main historical sites.

You probably could find someone online and either offer to pay them, or alternatively they can use it as an opportunity to practice English and you treat them to a good meal or a beer or whatever. You'd be surprised how many people are open for that option worldwide.

I was travelling in Ukraine and Belarus last year, and I got several offers of people, even here on MasterRussian to meet up - without me even trying. Just a nice thing for them to do and then you return the favour with someone else once you are back home. For example if someone from here came to my city (Stockholm at the moment, or normally, London) I'd return the favour.

Thank you all for the recommendations and advice, I'll take it all with me as I travel! I'll be leaving for the air port in about an hour to begin my journey, keep an eye on the blog and I'll update as often as possible!

I recommend visiting the Gorky Park in Moscow (go to metro station "Park Kultury' and then cross the Moskva river by bridge).
It has been extensively renovated. There are no more extreme rides, but many cool chill-out areas and sport facilities instead.
Open air cinema, water bike rentals, places for sunbathing and a lot more.
Here is a good blog post about the park: Фотопутешествия и еще. - Лучшее место в Москве (photos 01-03 show park before renovation, don't be misled )

How was your trip Krwright?
It would be interesting if you could share your impressions...and opinions...