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Questions and answers:
Becky asks: Is english widely spoken in St. Petersburg Russia?
Expert's answer:
I can't say that English language is widely spoken in St. Petersburg, but the situation is definitely better comparing to Russian provincial cities and towns. Also it should be mentioned the chance to meet person who knows English is higher if you speak to young people (for example students) than elderly person.
Peter asks: I'm going to visit Russia. What city is better to visit - Moscow or Saint Petersburg?
Expert's answer:
I would recommend to visit Saint Petersburg first. Main reasons are that original architecture of the city is preserved much better, the city is less overcrowded, there are a lot of museums and other sights.
George asks: What other cities in Russia besides Saint Petersburg and Moscow are popular tourist destinations?
Expert's answer:
Besides visiting Moscow and St. Petersburg the main tourist routes in Russia also include visiting Krasnodar and Stavropol regions resorts, Kaliningrad region, ski resorts of the Caucasus and Siberia, a trip on the "Golden Ring of Russia", cruises on the Volga River, cruises on an icebreaker in national park "Russian Arctic", long trips on the Trans-Siberian railway, with a visit to the Altai Mountains and Lake Baikal, travel to the volcanoes of Kamchatka and Primorye.
Sandra asks: Is it feasible to do a day trip to Vladimir and Suzdal from Moscow?
Expert's answer:
I found several
2, 3 and more days tours of the Golden Ring of Russia including visits to Vladimir and Suzdal. You can use
this service to translate the site from Russian.
Randel asks: How far to Yoshkar-Ola from Izhevsk and which mode of transportation is best between the two - car or train? Thank you
Expert's answer:
The distance between Izhevsk and Yoshkar-Ola is about 540 km. It takes about 6-8 hours if you go by car (
the map of the route). Going by train is much slower (24-26 hours,
schedule).
This service can be used to translate the pages from Russian.
Doug asks: What tour companies offer battle of Boridino / Borodinskoe srazhenie reenactment guided tours as every site lists the 200th anniversary event on differant dates (some say 1st Sunday in Sep some say 7th (a friday??)
Expert's answer:
You should contact the officials of Borodino museum: contact email is borodino@borodino.ru Also the
official site of the museum may be useful. The
following service to translate from Russian.
Fernando Pereira asks: How much for a trip and cultural tour to Kazan city. Thanks.
Expert's answer:
You can try to contact Kazan travel agencies and ask if they can help in
organizing the trip or just answering some questions about costs etc. I have found this list of
local travel agencies.
This service to translate from Russian.
Andrew asks: Is there a way to drive from Irkutsk to Bratsk?
Andrew asks: What is best way to travel from Magadan to Anadyr?
Andrew asks: Is it possible to drive from Komsomolsk-on-Amur to Magadan without having to go the long way around by way of Yakutsk?
Robin asks: What is the Golden Ring and why does it have that name?
Expert's answer:
Golden Ring of Russia includes various tourist routes passing through the ancient Russian cities which remain unique monuments of Russian history and culture. There are eight major cities of Golden Ring - Sergiev Posad, Pereslavl-Zalessky, Rostov, Yaroslavl, Kostroma, Ivanovo, Vladimir and Suzdal. The author of the term is the writer Yuri Bychkov. In 1967 he wrote a series of articles about his trip in one of major Soviet newspapers. The word "Golden" is for the golden domes of the numerous churches.
RAO A S asks: Hi Greetings! How many Indians live in Yuzhno? Can we get indian TV channels telecast in Yuzhno Sakhalinsk. Internet connectivity in Yuzhno Sakhalinsk
Andrew asks: Is it possible to drive from Yakutsk to Magadan?
Expert's answer:
Yes it is possible. Yakutsk and Magadan are connected by federal highway M56 "Kolyma". The distance is about 2032 km. It is called highway but in reality it is far from being even a good road. It is partly asphalted.
The article about the road with some photos that may be useful. The
following service to translate from Russian.
Sid asks: Please could you tell me the best route from London, England to Ivanovo, Russia?
Maddi asks: How much is it to get into the St. Basils cathedral? If it is even allowable to go in? Also how much is a trip from o'hare airport in Chicago to Domodedovo in Moscow?
Expert's answer:
You can visit Saint Basil's Cathedral, here is the info about
prices. 1 ticket for adult visitor costs 200 Rubles (about 8 USD, April 2011). Several offers of tickets from Chicago to Moscow:
first,
second. No direct flights from Chicago to Moscow are available. The information is on Russian but you can translate the pages by using the
following service.
david asks: What is the best way to travel to Ufa from England?
Expert's answer:
First of all you will have a flight from London to Moscow (
Sheremetyevo airport). And from Sherementyevo there are direct flights available to Ufa city.
David Poarch asks: Where is Vologda in reference to Moscow? Also, what is the best way to get to Vologda from Atlanta, Georgia U.S.A.?
Expert's answer:
Vologda is located about 440 km to the north of Moscow, here is the
map. First of all you will have a flight to Moscow, there are some available according to the site of
Atlanta airport. And from Moscow you can go to Vologda by one of numerous trains available. The schedule of
Moscow-Vologda trains. It is on Russian but you can translate the page by using the
following service.
Dave Antonelli asks: Are there any flights from the United States to Kirov? I am from the Northeastern United States and I am interested in visiting a friend there. What steps do I need to take to make flight arrangements?? Thank-You!!
Expert's answer:
There are no direct flights from US to Kirov; first of all you should have a flight to Moscow (to
Sheremetyevo or
Domodedovo airports). From Moscow there are regular flights to Kirov (
Vnukovo airport) and numerous regular trains (
schedule, on Russian but can be translated by the
following service). Good luck!
Elizabeth asks: Is English widely spoken in Russia? I am planning a trip to visit Moscow and St Petersburg next year. Would it be too cold to visit in mid May ? Your assistance would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks, Elizabeth.
Expert's answer:
Today English is main foreign language Russian children are studying at schools but the standards are not high so after the school not a lot of people are able to speak fluently or at least understand English. The situation is much better in large cities like Moscow and Saint Petersburg.
As for the weather in the middle of May the average temperature of May in Moscow is about 13C and 11C in Saint Petersburg.
Kale Shantanu asks: How much time does it take to reach St. Petersburg from Ufa? Please suggest me a shortest safest and cheapest way!
Expert's answer:
There is direct flight from Ufa to Saint-Petersburg available. The price for one way flight is about 7,000 Rubles or 230 USD (October 2010) and time in flight is about 3 hours. Also there is a regular train running between the cities, departure from Ufa at 11:25 local time, arriving to Saint-Petersburg at 12:40 with time in travel 2 days and 3 hours (long journey) and the ticket price starting at 2,500 Rubles or about 80 USD. So in general I think the best way is to have a flight in spite of the higher price.
Ralph Christensen asks: Does the city of Yakutia have train service to the rest of Russia? What rout would I take to fly to Yakutia from California, USA?
Expert's answer:
There is no railway connection between Yakutsk (Yakutia capital city) and other large cities of Russia so the best way to go there is by air.
First you can have a flight from Los-Angeles to Tokyo (Japan) and from Tokyo
to Khabarovsk (Russia). And from Khabarovsk there are regular flights to
Yakutsk.
Here are some sites of the airports:
Los-Angeles and
Tokyo. And here are the flights available from/to Khabarovsk airport. The page is on Russian so to get the translation you can use the following service. Also here is the site of Yakutsk city airport.
David asks: What is the best time to travel to Taganrog?
Expert's answer:
I recommend you to visit Taganrog at the end of May - June; the sea is already warm, all fruit available and the number of people is not high comparing to July and August.
Nick asks: Hi,
I am planning a 7 week trip to Russia in 2011 visiting Kamchatka and Altai. I would like to join Russian based group for a Kamchatka tour, about 2 weeks walking, in order to practice my Russian. I can understand Russian fairly well, while speaking and reading/writing needs some improvement. Can you recommend some reputable trekking tour operators for these regions who are willing to take a foreigner into a Russian group?
Thank you and Kind Regards
Nick, Australia
Expert's answer:
I have found several travel agencies offering various Kamchatka tours but for all the details I think you should contact them yourself. Here are the sites of them:
first,
second,
third,
fourth,
fifth,
sixth,
seventh,
eighth. The sites that have no English version can be translated by the
following service.
Erina asks: I'm planning a trip to Ural mountains next spring. We'll come with a Land Rover defender (4x4) and would like to spend some days following tracks in the forest and visiting small villages.
Could you please tell me if there are clubs of off-road drivers (not necessarily Land Rover club, any 4x4 is ok) in that area (Perm or Ekaterinburg),
which could give suggestions or even join us?
Sorry we don't understand Russian and should correspond in English. Thanks. Erina
ehab asks: I would like to ask what is the distance between Izhevsk and Perm by car? Is it safe?
Expert's answer:
The distance between Izhevsk and Perm cities by road is about 266 km by the following route: Izhevsk <-- 59 km --> Votkinsk <-- 65 km --> Chernovskoye <-- 20 km --> Bolshaya Sosnova <-- 56 km --> Okhansk <-- 5 km --> Yugo-Kamsky (ferry) <-- 10 km --> Yugo-Kamsky <-- 29 km --> Kultayevo <-- 22 km --> Perm.
siavash asks: How do I fly to Makahchkala from Dubai?
Expert's answer:
You can have a flight from Dubai to Istanbul, there are regular flights Istanbul - Makhachkala available.
chris asks: How difficult is it to visit your beautiful city Ekaterinburg?
Expert's answer:
It is not difficult at all. International airport of Ekaterinburg city "Koltsovo" has flights to several large cities of Europe like Frankfurt available.
BALVINDER asks: Tell me which is the shortest way to reach Tolyatti,which airlines from New Delhi, economical route, visa for tourist, economical staying arrangement, weather and all other points to be aware for going to Tolyatti.
Expert's answer:
First of all you should have a flight from New Delphi to Moscow (there are such flights available). From Moscow you will go by direct daily train to Tolyatti (train departure: 16:10 local time, Kazansky railway station; arrival to Tolyatti: 10:56). As for the visa you will need an invitation from Russia to get it, so you better consult about it with the travel agency arranging the trip.
You can check for the current weather reports of the region on our site. Of course while staying in the city you should avoid having walks in the evening and night time, not in the center of the city, better stay in group if there is any because of possible accidents on ethnic issues.
Mike asks: I am planning to visit friends in Yoshkar-Ola, and need to know would it be best to fly to Moscow and catch the train from Kazansky Rail Station or fly to Kazan and catch a train from there?
Also could you give me some idea on cost, I am travelling on my own from London.
Expert's answer:
The more comfortable way it to go by train from Kazansky railway station of Moscow because the train leaves the city in the evening, you have a night in the train and in the morning you are in Yoshkar-Ola. The average costs were already mentioned in one of the answers on Yoshkar-Ola city page.
GIANNIS asks: How can I travel to Ivanovo?
Expert's answer:
First of all you have a flight to one of Moscow city international airports. There are several regular trains running from Moscow (Yaroslavsky railway station) to Ivanovo like the daily train 662 leaving Moscow at 22:05 local time, arriving to Ivanovo at 05:07 (schedule for June-September 2010). The price for the ticket starts at about 500 Rubles (17 USD).
Zainal Abidin Ahmad asks: Good Afternoon
I'm interested to visit your country. How could I managed to reach your place (Kazan city). Is it safe place for the muslim to visit your place.
Hopefully, I could visit your country one day.
Thank you
Expert's answer:
If you are going to visit Kazan city there are some international flights available connecting Kazan city (Kazan international airport) with Istanbul (Turkey), Frankfurt (Germany). It is safe enough because a lot of people of Kazan city and Tatarstan republic are Muslims. And of course the risks are much lower if you don't go for a walk in the evening/night times in the suburbs of the city.
linda clark asks: How do I get to the nearest airport. I want to visit Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. I need to know how to get there.
Expert's answer:
There is an airport near Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky city - Yelizovo. There are regular flights from/to Moscow, Saint-Petersburg, Krasnoyarsk, Khabarovsk available.
maximilian asks: I want to go to Bucharest in Izhevsk car in summer, how many are there of miles between those two cities, is it possible to travel safely? thank you
Expert's answer:
The distance between the cities you have mentioned is about 4,000 km so I think you should be a skilled traveler to have such a trip.
philip asks: Is Izhevsk a safe city to visit as a tourist?
Expert's answer:
The city of Izhevsk according to the investigation of the magazine Russian Newsweek based on the statistics of crimes happened in 2002-2006 is on the 27th place of Top 50 most criminal Russian cities. So it is not a very safe place but I think if you stay in group, avoid going for a walk late at night at the suburbs and the other risky activities you will be safe enough.
manny asks: Closest major airport to Orenburg if I fly from Canada?
Expert's answer:
The airport of Orenburg city has a regular flight to Dusseldorf (Germany). So I think you should have a flight to Dusseldorf first and have a direct flight to Orenburg from there.
sever asks: Hello, I need to know, how much costs the traveling in Saratov city and I need the ticket before I go there.
Expert's answer:
The cost of the train ticket from Moscow city (Paveletsky railway station) to Saratov city varies from 1500 to 3500 Rubles (about 50-120 USD) depending of the level of comfort. In most of the cases the tickets are available to the last minute before the train leaves the station. You can by the special daily Saratov city train (#009G departure at 17:50 local time, time in travel 15 hours).
Cameron asks: I was thinking of travelling to Salavat to visit a penpal. Is this possible? I live in the UK. What travel documents would I require. Can I freely travel around Russia?
Expert's answer:
You will need to get Russian visa to go to Russia. For the documents required you should contact the embassy of Russia in the UK. Another variant if you are going to travel with the help of the travel agency to ask the agency for assisting in getting the visa. No additional documents are required to travel around Russia. Also we have a special article about
Russian travel peculiarities that may be helpful for you.
Asadullah Mukadam asks: Dear Sir,
I would like to travel to historic city. I am interested in visiting Samara city. Pls provide me details for mentioned below:
- How can I get visa for Samara city
- Pls guide me about hotel accomodation
- How can I travel to reach Samara city and prefer which air lines
Expert's answer:
There are no special visas for any subject of Russian Federation, you only need to have Russian visa. For the info how to obtain it I think you should contact the Russian embassy in your country or your travel agency arranging the trip.
About hotels, here is a nice site with the info about all hotels of Samara, prices, contact phones.
And here is the site of Samara city international airport where you can find the info what flights are available to reach Samara city directly.
shani asks: Do Saransk is good for tourism?
Expert's answer:
If you want to know about attractions and places of interest Saransk is among the typical cities of medium population located in Russian province with several churches, cathedral, there are also several local museums, monuments to the famous people born in Saransk. If you want to know the level of various services for tourists there is nothing special, usual for Russia low-medium level.
Robert asks: I am going to be traveling to your lovely country what types of clothes i should or should not bring and would it be ok to learn to speak some of your tongue so I might be able to speak to someone.
Expert's answer:
You can bring all the usual types of clothes may be avoiding very extravagant ones if going to provincial cities and towns.
And about language I think you can learn some typical phrases like Spasibo meaning Thank you, Privet (less formal) or Zdravstvuytye (more formal) for Hello, Do svidaniya for Bye. I am not sure if it is possible to learn the language fast enough to have a conversation on various topics.
Good luck on your trip.
booh asks: Privyet
I would like to know about timetables for the trains from Moscow to Syktyvkar as well as from St Petersburg to Syktyvkar, i know that if i want to use third class that i will need to buy the ticket in advance, but how much time in advance? and the most important question, how much money would it cost? thank you in advance
Expert's answer:
The train from Moscow to Syktyvkar runs several times a week (if you tell me the period you are interested in I will give you the info about the specific days). The distance is about 1412 km, the departure at 14:05 local time from Yaroslavsky railway station, the prices vary from 2300 to 5000 Rubles depending on the level of comfort. Time in travel about 26 hours.
As for train from Saint-Petersburg the departure is at 06:58 from Ladozhsky railway station several times a week, time in travel about 41 hours, the cost of the tickets from about 2000 Rubles. So I think the train from Moscow will be better in term of speed.
As for the period of time you need to buy the tickets in advance it is about 2 weeks.
kay asks: I like to know if any tours from Novgorod to Valday, or if i can take a bus.
Thank you
Expert's answer:
I have found the travel agency located in Velikiy Novgorod city offering various tours including tour to Valday. The contact email is servtour@novgorod.net and contact phones are +7 8162 63-48-01, +7 8162 63-04-58.
keith ejsmont asks: Dear sir I am hoping to visit Karelia the town of Muyezerskiy as I have a uncle there I hope to fly to St Petersburg and go by train to Muyezerskiy is this possible and is it the best way to go?
Expert's answer:
I have found one train that is going through the town you will go to. Train number is #350A going from Saint-Petersburg to Kostomuksha passing on its way railway station Muyezka of Muyezerskiy settlement. The train runs almost every odd day of the month (as for 2010). The departure from Ladozhsky railway station of Saint-Petersburg is at 18:25 local time, the train stops at Muyezka railway station at 08:58 for only 4 minutes. Good luck!
Sha'Burntcha Lanelieolis asks: What are the goods and services like in Volga Russia?
Expert's answer:
I am not sure what do you mean by "Volga Russia". Is it about Volga river cruises, or you mean the exact region/city of Russia. Please tell me more what do you mean so I can answer it.
henry asks: I love Russia because it is a big Orthodox country... How can I visit Russia? What cities are the most beautiful?
Expert's answer:
Well, first of all you should contact your country local embassy of Russia to get all the info about the documents you need to obtain Russian visa. And about cities if you never visited Russia you should go to Moscow, Saint-Petersburg. Of course there more interesting places to visit like Kazan, Velikiy Novgorod, Yaroslavl, Suzdal and others.
Gary asks: I need transportation from St Petersburg airport (Pulkovo) to Veliky Novgorod on May 5, 2010 and return transportation on May 11, 2010. Who can I contact and how much does it cost for three adults and luggage?
Expert's answer:
There are several ways of going from the airport of Saint-Petersburg to Veliky Novgorod city.
The fastest one and of course the most expensive is to go by taxi from the airport straight to the destination city. The price is about 4500-5000 Rubles (about 150-170 USD).
Another way is to go by train. From the airport you should go to Vitebsky railway station. The departure at 7:53, arrival at 13:06 local time. Also you can go to Moskovsky railway station. There are two trains: first one with the departure at 8:12 and the second one at 17:18). Not sure about the price of the tickets but much cheaper than by taxi.
The third variant is to go by bus. You should go to the bus station at Obvodnoy Canal embankment. The first bus departure is at 7:30; the latest at 21:30; there are several buses a day during this time.
Kathleen asks: From the rail/train station in Khabarovsk to the port city of Sovetskaia Gavan - how long is the train ride?
Thanks
Expert's answer:
The distance by railway from Khabarovsk to Sovetskaya Gavan is about 895 km and time in travel varies from 26 to 36 hours, the average ticket price is 700 Rubles (about 25 USD).
David Martin asks: What are the chances of taking my stallion to Altay to ride and breed ?
Expert's answer:
I think you should better contact the specialists like from the following Russian travel agency "Siberia-Altay" offering horses rides (email info@sibaltay.ru). And here is another contact email info@ukok-tour.ru of another Altay region travel agency offering horses rides.
Helmut asks: How much a Russian must pay for a passport?
Expert's answer:
If you mean international passport cost the official fee is 2,000 Rubles (about 70 USD). But it is the price if you are doing all the necessary procedures yourself and have a time to wait.
Russian travel agencies may offer the special services when they are helping to obtain the passport in shorter period of time but of course for additional fee (up to 300-500 USD).
Oscar asks: Hi,
I'm going to the Komi Republic for a summer internship this summer. The internship will be in Syktyvkar and I don't think I'll have time off except for the week-ends. Do you think that I'll have time to see the beautiful nature spots of the republic
during the week-ends or are they too far away?
Expert's answer:
Komi Republic is rich in various beautiful nature spots so you will be able to visit several of them that are not far away from Syktyvkar but about all the details you should ask the local people of course.
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