My wife (Feebster) and I are planning the trip of a lifetime for the second half of August....HP First Class to JFK, JFK on the Concorde to CDG, 4 days—5 nights in Paris, CDG to SVO in BC. And nope, I’m not paying…CO reward tickets!

Flying the Concorde and going to Russia have always been dreams of mine, and Paris is one of the few major European capitals I haven’t been to. Despite the mode of transportation, cost is still very much a factor. And, unfortunately, Paris and Moscow are among the most expensive cities in Europe…sigh! However, I’m still trying to keep costs down without going the hostel route (we’re too old for that... ).

In Paris, I’ll prolly go for a Priceline hotel, as I’ve had great success in the past in getting a great hotel for a bargain price through them. And there’s no visa hassle with France. Any recommendations for a good section of Paris to bid on? I’ve seen a very nice 3—4*, the Villa Montparnasse in that section going for $56 a day. Seems like a great deal, if I can get it. Any comments?

I’ve always felt (from experience) that location trumps luxury every time! So, if I have to choose between location and luxury, I’ll take location every time. Based on that, from what I’ve seen, in Moscow the Rossiya is best. Not a particularly great hotel, it’s large and adequat...barely. But, it’s relatively cheap, and has a great location. In fact, you can get a remodeled room with a Kremlin view for around $100 a day. Any comments on that?

Normally I stay away from travel agents, as I’ve found that I usually do better on my own. And I still feel I can do better on my own in Paris. But what about Russia???

We would like to take a couple of those days in Russia and take the Red Arrow train (11:00 PM) to St. Petersburg, maybe staying in a hotel there for a day or two. Or, should I just fly there? Any suggestions? And, any suggestions for a hotel in St. Petersburg...good location and reasonable, but doesn't have to be a palace.

Now, considering the complications with the Russian visas, hotels in both Moscow and St. Petersburg, and the fact that I can’t book Russian train reservations online, should I seriously consider using a travel agent for the Russian end of the trip? A few bucks in commission might be very well worth it to avoid the aggravation factor, not to mention the fact that things might get screwed up, especially since our trip will be in less than two months.

Would love to hear from anyone with experience in traveling to Paris, Moscow, or St. Petersburg.


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"Read my lips! No more benefit cuts!"...Gordon Bethune

I've spent a couple of days in Moscow, but was traveling with a non-profit organization. I would think the travel agent is not a bad idea for that leg, but find one that has some serious Russia experience. I expect that others here may also be very helpful to you. Bureaucracy still reigns there, and you may need to have some extra rubles to grease the skids when you arrive.

We stayed at Hotel Rossia in Moscow, overlooking Red Square. I don't know what we paid. The room was kind of old traditional european hotel, and the staff was generally grumpy. The dining room has views of St Basils & Red Square, but again service and sanitation is spotty (literally!).

Consider looking at www.frommers.com for lodging and other advice--they specialize in budget travel. Following their recommendation, I got a room a block off the subway and six blocks from the Eiffel tower for $40 a year ago May. It was modest but clean & comfortable. Your priceline angle sounds pretty good if you can pull it off.

Have a great trip!

JP

I stayed at the Villa Montparnasse this winter, and wouldn't hesitate to stay there again. The hotel is only a couple blocks from stops for the subway and RER. And there is a pretty nice pedestrian mall area a block away.

And if you can get it at that price, it is a steal. I spent over $100 a night to stay there in January.

[This message has been edited by SEA-Flyer (edited 06-28-2002).]

I spent 10 days in Russia this past month.

First, St.Petersburg, its a wonderful city, very pretty and relatively safe.
You absolutely must visit Peterhoff and the Hermitage, also worth checking out are the Siege Memorial, Resurrection Church, and St.Isaac's Cathedral and Nevsky Prospect.
I stayed at the Sovetskaya Hotel (the name says it all), but it turned out pretty decent.

Now, Moscow is a whole different ballgame.
There is a lot to see there, but I found the people to be less friendly and as it is a larger city, the atmosphere reflects it.
Besides the obvious Red Square and St.Basil's, try visiting Lenin's tomb (its rarely open, but I got lucky)... Walk around the Kremlin and visit the armoury, take a cruise on the Moskva river, and visit the Economic Achievement Park, take a stroll down Arbat St. I was going to stay at the Rossia, but evenetually ended up at the Belgrad, which again is very Soviet, but centrally located and the meals and service were really good.

For safety, I had no hassles, however, in Moscow the people you have to fear most are the cops, 3 people from our group got picked up for just walking down the street in the middle of the day, and not knowing the language, they had to pay a voluntary "fine" of $100US when the cops searched their stuff at the station, another guy just paid the "fine" in the car and they let him go before they got to the station.
Whatever you do, carry your visa on you at ALL TIMES, and if you are requested to leave it at the hotel, make sure you have a guest card from the hotel, you WILL get asked for documents on the street, and WILL get in serious poop if you dont have them.

I would personally STRONGLY recommend the services of a travel agent, you need to be sponsored by a tour company to travel around Russia anyway, and your visa is stamped at every hotel you stay at.
And you might have troubles arranging a lot of hotels/tickets to shows if you are on your own. For example if you are trying to get a ticket to the ballett or circus on your own, tough luck, the mafia buys them all and re-sells it to westerners at a premium usually through local travel agencies that they run. These agencies are totally legit and have contacts with our travel agencies here.

Also, worth mentioning is that Russia can be really expensive, the mentality is that you are a tourist and you have dollars, and you should leave as much of them as possible there. Remember, you are carrying more money than some people make in a year. No ordinary Russian could ever afford to stay at the hotel you are staying, eat where you are eating, and shop where you shop.

Russia is a totally different world from what we are used to in the west, but that is why it is so exciting.