Moscow felt quite bleak and grey (might have been the weather and the fact that the trees were still bare and some lakes/rivers were still frozen!), but it was still interesting to see the contrast between soviet style apartments blocks and the gold cupolas of the Russian orthodox churches. The Kremlin and Armoury tours were fascinating and you could spend longer than the allocated 1½ hours in the Armoury looking at all the exhibits.

We took the Sapsan train from Moscow to Saint Petersburg, The time just rolled by as we sat in the buffet car trying out all the typically Russian foods and vodka of course.

Leaving the train station in Saint Petersburg, we immediately felt the contrast between the cities. It just felt more cosmopolitan than Moscow, lots of colour and a more cheerful vibe to it. The palaces and cathedrals will take your breath away, from the soft pastel colours on the exterior to the bright, gaudy, gilded interiors, there's something there for everyones taste.

It was easy to get money from the ATM's in Russia, both hotels had numerous ATM's which would dispense both roubles and Euros. Although other than paying for optional trips there is no need for Euros in Moscow. In Saint Petersburg in the souvenir shops they tended to show prices in euros but you will need roubles for all the local shops/cafes, etc.

All in all a fantastic trip, made enjoyable by the enthusiam and knowledge of the tour guides.

Happy to answer any queries anyone may have.

Jacqueline

All the best,

Bob

You mention the optional trips in Moscow - I have already bought the pre-bookable package- (Kremlin, Megamix, (metro, Christ the Saviour cathedral, Novodevichy) Hermitage (St P), Catherine Palace (StP)- what are the other optional trips that are available once you get to Russia? Are they worth it? We seem to have a really full programme already!

Did you ever exchange Euros (cash) for Roubles, in the hotels or anywhere else? Is this possible, do you know?

What are the facilities in the hotel rooms like - are there hairdryers / kettles / fridges?

I love spending a bit of time just walking round new places, getting a feel for them. Is this possible or even advisable? Is there much free time? What are the areas round the hotels like?

Sorry about all the questions, I am so looking forward to this holiday!

RM.

It is a very busy trip. The optional tours were Moscow by night at €44 and a Russian Folk Show in Saint Peterburg at €66. I would book them, both to be recommended. The folk show was 45 mins then a break with champagne, vodka and hors d'oeuvres, then another 45 minutes, The show is inside one of the many old palaces in Saint Petersburg. The hotel in Moscow was a bit away from the centre and not in a really touristy area, although there was a metro station nearby (however, they are all signposted in Russian and no English so it doesn't make it easy to wander around much). One of our group did venture out to Gorky Park on his own and managed OK. There's not a lot of free time but you do a lot of walking and will probably find you want to have a break.

Both hotels were good standard and both had hairdryers, tea/coffee making facilities and mini bar fridges. Lots of bars and restaurants in both too.

I did take Euros and some roubles with me, but it was much easier to take the money out of the ATMs within the hotel, they will dispense roubles and Euros and instructions were in English. Just make sure you advise your bank you may be using your card in Russia.

The hotel in Saint Petersburg is a Holiday Inn on Moskovsky Prospeckt, I found this city much easier to navigate as it is laid out in a more European style (apparently plans were based on Amsterdam streets). Again you will be very busy but there is some free time, maybe a couple of hours one afternoon and the evenings other than the folk show. The area around this hotel is more a shopping area and again there's a metro station nearby, also the Moscow Gates and further along the road there is yet another church to visit!

Remember to take a headscarf as you will need it to cover your hair in the many active churches you will be visiting.

In some of the palaces you are not allowed to carry large handbags or day rucksacks, only a small bag is allowed. None of the active churches or the Kremlin Armoury allow photography. You could take photographs inside Peterhof, Peter & Paul Fortress, The Hermitage and Catherines' Palace at Pushkin.

I'm sure you'll have a great time!

Any other questions don't hesitate to ask.

Happy Holidays!

Jacqueline

Do either of the hotels have swimming pools? Not worth taking a cossie if they don't.

I am trying to "learn" the Cryillic alphabet so I can at least sound out words on signs and maybe recognise metro names, etc.

RM.

No pools in either of the hotels I'm afraid. I was fortunate enough in my group that one of my fellow tourists was able to read a little bit of the Cyrillic alphabet but wasn't able to speak Russian. The tour guide, Paul, offered to take us to some local places to eat and in quite a few of them there were pictures of food although no names to go with them. Paul did usually have to translate some things for us - not easy when there's large group of you and no-one speaks the language! It was fortunate that Anne and I were happy to go with whatever appeared and give different foods a try - the menus aren't always accurate as we found out since a lot of dishes we wanted to order weren't available and as they don't seem to speak a lot of English we just went with the flow. Evening meals were included and were easier - set menu in Moscow and buffet meal in Saint Petersburg.

The trip into the Moscow Metro is lead by the Russian tour guide and is actually quite breathtaking - every station is different and you will be amazed by them all. She advised how many stops we would be going between each station so that none of us got lost - not easy to herd 25 non Russian speaking tourists onto a crowded metro train and not lose any of them. I'm sure there must be maps of the metro somewhere in English just not sure where to look.

Jacqueline.