First, I confess: I first posted these questions in the Europe forum. However, two days after requesting the thread be moved to this forum, I'm just reposting here. So, please forgive me.

We're going to Russia in 7 1/2 weeks, so this weekend we started working on where we're going to stay so I can hurry up and get the visas started this week. (Yes, I know we are behind, and I know this is nuts to do in a short time, but we don't have another option--we had planned to use a travel agent who posts extensively on a certain travel board, had talked to him on the phone, etc., then he fell off the face of the earth. So, here we are.) Mr. CheapSk8 took a year of Russian in college and is brushing up, so we do have some language skills.

Plan is to stay in Moscow (at the Sheraton, which will be a partial award stay)most of the time, with a day trip to Sergiev Posad (also known as Zagorsk). We're also thinking of going to Suzdal and stopping in Vladimir on the way and staying overnight in Suzdal for one night.

Anyone here ever been to Suzdal? If so, where did you stay? Did you get your train ticket to Vladimir in advance? If so, how? Any idea where I can find the train schedule online?

Since we will have two hotel reservations, I am thinking we should just give up and pay a service to do our visa invitation. (We were planning on doing the invitation ourself and paying a service to walk the applications through.)

Any suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated!

Here's some information (in English) with photos on hotels in Suzdal:
http://www.tourintel.ru/online/gethoteldescription.asp?id=9900197
http://www.tourintel.ru/online/gethoteldescription.asp?id=9900198
http://www.tourintel.ru/online/gethoteldescription.asp?id=9900087

Also, here's some more info (unfortunately, only in Russian):
http://suzdalinfo.by.ru/hotel.html

Suzdal is approx. 200 kms away from Moscow and the train journey to Vladimir is about 3 hours, then you would have to get to Suzdal by car/bus.

Lastly, keep in mind that finding an English-speaking person/hotel staff will likely be extremely difficult in a small town such as Suzdal. If this is your 1st time to Russia and you are not feeling adventurous, staying overnight there may not be the best option... :)

Hope this helps.

Thanks very much for the help!

Last couple of times I went to Suzdal from Moscow it was by car as day trips so I can't really comment on places to stay there but everyone else says there's a plethora of accomodation. If you do go by car, make sure you stop off at Bogolyubovo (basically a suburb of Vladimir where the road to Suzdal branches off) to see the medieval palace and, just outside of Bogolyubovo, the church of the Intercession-on-the-Nerl, which is considered the loveliest medieval church in Russia. It stands in a field which should be snowed in in 7 1/2 weeks (bring sturdy shoes) and days will be short but in a couple of days you might probably be able to see everything.

You can take a train from Moscow to Vladimir.It a slow train and takes about two hours-but is probably quicker than a car journey which can be slow leaving Moscow on the main road east from Moscow.

The train timetable can be found at www.poezda.net

Just enter Moscow and Vladimir.I would recommend staying in Vladmir and taking a local bus to Suzdal.

I would recommend staying in Vladmir and taking a local bus to Suzdal.

I agree fully. Was there in Vladimir and Suzdal in November. Better to stay in Vlad.

If you need a good person (no, great) to run your invites through in D.C., PM me. I've got a great guy.

Enjoy the trip. Beautiful part of Russia for sure.

You can take a train from Moscow to Vladimir.It a slow train and takes about two hours-but is probably quicker than a car journey which can be slow leaving Moscow on the main road east from Moscow.

The train timetable can be found at www.poezda.net

Just enter Moscow and Vladimir.I would recommend staying in Vladmir and taking a local bus to Suzdal.

And the train is an "elektrichka" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elektrichka) which is notoriously uncomfortable. (To be honest, when I went to Suzdal, I took a chartered van, which couldn't have possibly been much more comfortable than the elektrichka, what with the 100 degree F heat and the driver blasting Radio Shanson and the 8 hours from southern Moscow and the leaving Suzdal at 3AM...)

I stayed at a nice family-run B&B (no English) that I can't remember the name of, but I can probably find out from someone if there's interest. We didn't go to Vladimir but to drive through it on the way to and from Suzdal, and it felt more like a city than Suzdal did a small country town.

The OP posted this in 2004. I doubt he is still looking for advice.