Russia, anyone been

[tzijlstra]

I won't go as far as to say 'ignore all the scare stories' but maybe I should, Russia is great, I went years and years ago as a young man who was learning to speak Russian and was blown away by the place and the warmth of the people. I spent time in St. Petersburg and Moscow and although both places are huge and confusing they are also both cities you should strive to have seen at least once in your life.

 

English can be a problem, although as mentioned in bars/restaurants people tend to speak some English or German.

[Kidorry]

Went to Saint Petersburg in 2014. Loved it, absolutely loved it. Admittedly I had the advantage of having friends there that collected me from the airport and took me back, showed me round too. Also another friend who I spend most of my time with. But it was just really nice. The Hermitage is huge, the architecture is great, very nice being on a huge river and a river tour is definitely worthwhile. We were going to do one in the early hours of the morning when the bridges open to let the big ships in and out but were too knackered.

 

Got my invite from the hotel I stayed in, got visa from the Russian Tourist Agency and got my cash from Sainsbury's before I went. Honestly I loved it and would go again. I imagine I enjoyed it more because I can speak some Russian and being taken around by people that live there means you go places tourists wouldn't usually go.

 

I flew direct with British Airways from Heathrow purely because I couldn't be bothered with swapping and BA always have a sale in the new year

 

Never managed to use the metro but use it if you can, unfortunately the airport doesn't have it's own metro station just yet but there's a bus to the nearest one and then you can get into the city centre.

 

If you do want a taxi, book one from the airport desks, not from the random men hanging around offering taxis.

 

All very good advice.