Hi, we've just booked a trip with Rick Steves which begins in Tallinn, then goes to Helsinki, and ends up in St Petersburg. It's a 9 day trip, August 17-25. We'll have 4 or 5 days to spend after the tour ends. The last 3 or 4 days are in St Petersburg.

Here is the tour description.

Questions: Is there enough to do in and around St Petersburg to occupy us for another 4 or 5 days? Is it a big deal to get to Moscow from there, and what would you do in Moscow assuming you'd never been there and speak exactly one word of Russian? I see excellent air connections from Moscow.

I reviewed the US State Dept page on Russia and, frankly, it scared the poop out of me. Is it really scary going there? How does the money thing work? Will they hassle you if you have $ on you.

We're experienced European travelers, but this looks like a tougher league.