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First time for us

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.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpmcdonough (Post 10539901)

Do you mean to spent an additional 4 or 5 days in Pete's beyond the tour? I think SP is a 4-5 day city at most, but that's just me.

Getting to Moscow from St. Pete's is easy, and as you discovered, there are plenty of flights to choose from. Changing money is easy. Unlike my first visit in the late 90's, almost everyone takes credit cards now. Do not, however, rely on traveler's cheques. I've found them them to be maddening to try to cash in Russia. Your ATM card will work in most machines as well.

Now, for the scary stuff. For the average tourist, there's really not much to be concerned about. Keep your nose out of dark alleys and streets in the middle of night, and avoid groups of drunks, especially teens. Don't talk politics if you can help it. There's a lot of paranoia over the whole Georgia thing right now. Putin convinced a lot of sheep that "American spies" instigated the whole thing, and my girlfriend advised me it was a topic that was best avoided during my last visit.

Russia is a different league for the average traveler. That being said, you can handle it. I speak about 20 words of polite Russian, and about 10 words of mat (Russian cursing), and I survive just fine. :D

Thanks.

Another thing on the US DOS website said the Russians are not real wild about you bringing a GPS. Well, of course, my iPhone 3g has built-in GPS. Should I plan on leaving it home?

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpmcdonough (Post 10541068)

Thanks.

Another thing on the US DOS website said the Russians are not real wild about you bringing a GPS. Well, of course, my iPhone 3g has built-in GPS. Should I plan on leaving it home?

No of course not, don't worry! The DOS is referring to the potential import of electrical equipment, not programmes on a mobile phone. You are not going to be asked to declare what options you have on your phone! Pretty much the entire population of SPb and Moscow will have there own mobile and many of them may be 3G. Whether your mobile is GSM enabled to pick up a signal in Russia may be another issue though!

Quote:

Originally Posted by bcmatt (Post 10541207)

Whether your mobile is GSM enabled to pick up a signal in Russia may be another issue though!

Boy, isn't that the truth. What's amazing to me is that my girlfriend's Russian MTS phone works everywhere we've traveled together; Thailand, Italy, even in the U.S. My Verizon phone works....only in the U.S. :rolleyes:

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpmcdonough (Post 10539901)

I reviewed the US State Dept page on Russia and, frankly, it scared the poop out of me.

Have you read their pages on major Western European countries?: :)

France: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_p.../cis_1116.html

Today, numerous radical Islamic groups claim sympathizers within France’s large immigrant community, as evidenced by arrests over the last few years. [..] travelers should maintain vigilance. [..] t is important to remember that passersby can always suffer collateral damage should demonstrations devolve into violence. [..] in recent years, the violent crime rate has increased. Thieves commonly target vehicles with non-local license plates, and work in or near tourist attractions such as museums, monuments, restaurants, hotels, beaches, trains, train stations, airports, and subways. [..] There has been an increase in break-ins and thefts from vehicles in the parking lots at the Normandy beaches and American cemeteries. [..] Southern France: Thefts from cars with unlocked doors or open windows stopped at red lights or caught in slow traffic are very common [..]

Spain:

Spain and Andorra share with the rest of the world an increased threat of international terrorist incidents. Like other countries in the Schengen area, Spain's open borders with its Western European neighbors allow the possibility of terrorist groups entering and exiting the country with anonymity. Spain’s proximity to North Africa makes it vulnerable to attack from Al Qaeda of the Maghreb terrorists. Americans are reminded to remain vigilant with regard to their personal security and to exercise caution. [..] street crimes against tourists occur in the principal tourist areas. Madrid and Barcelona, in particular, report incidents of pickpocketing, mugging and occasional violent attacks, some of which require the victim to seek medical attention. Although crimes occur at all times of day and night and to people of all ages, older tourists and Asian Americans seem to be particularly at risk. Criminals frequent tourist areas and major attractions such as museums, monuments, restaurants, outdoor cafes, Internet cafes, hotel lobbies, beach resorts, city buses, subways, trains, train stations, airports, and ATMs. [..] Thieves often work in teams of two or more people. [..] Theft from vehicles is also common. [..]

UK:

Americans are reminded to remain vigilant with regard to their personal security and to exercise caution. [..] typical incidents include pick pocketing; muggings; “snatch and grab” thefts of mobile phones, watches and jewelry; and thefts of unattended bags, especially at airports and from cars parked at restaurants, hotels, and resorts. Pickpockets target tourists, especially at historic sites and restaurants, and on buses, trains, and the London subway (known as the Tube or Underground). Thieves often target unattended cars parked at tourist sites and roadside restaurants, looking for laptop computers and handheld electronic equipment, especially global positioning satellite equipment. Walking in isolated areas, including public parks, especially after dark, should be avoided, as these are advantageous venues for muggers and thieves. At night or when there is little foot traffic, travelers should be especially careful using the underground pedestrian tunnels. As a general rule, either walk the extra distance to use a surface crossing or wait until there are other adult pedestrians entering the tunnel. [..]

Germany:

German authorities remain vigilant in combating the threat posed by foreign extremists. [..] In addition, hooligans, most often young intoxicated “skinheads” have been known to harass or even attack people whom they believe to be foreigners or members of rival groups. [..] CRIME: Violent crime [..] can occur, especially in larger cities or high-risk areas such as train stations. Most incidents of street crime consist of theft of unattended items and pick-pocketing. There have been a few reports of aggravated assault against U.S. citizens in higher-risk areas.

Quote:

Originally Posted by KVS (Post 10541575)

Have you read their pages on major Western European countries?: :)]

Your point is well taken. It seems as if they don't want you to leave home at all. I think the writeup on Russia is still scarier. You don't need a visa for the other countries you mention, and I speak French and a little German, and can get by in English ;), so it's not so bad for us there.

The stuff about having a sponsor weirded me out, too.

I have to give the State Dept credit for one thing. They have a deal where they register travelers, so you can let them know where you are going and so forth. Back in 2006 when the liquid bomb scare hit, they contacted us in France to let us know that it was going on, and that the security rules had changed. I was impressed. We needed to know that.

Alas the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs web site does not seem to have its own Travel Advice section for tourists going to the USA, however the UK Foreign Office site does make it sound a bit scary ;)
http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travelling-.../united-states

As for the sponsor part, you won't really need to worry as it sounds like you will be on a tourist visa and hotels will register you. It would be different if you were working or studying or on a private visit staying with friends/family.

If you rely on the DOS web site for travel planning you'd never leave your house. Talk about pedantic!

Russia is not scary/dangerous it is just different. Study the Cyrillic alphabet for an hour so you can read the signs and you'll be fine.

IMHO you're better off taking a train to Moscow than flying. The Red Arrow is quite an experience :p

Quote:

Originally Posted by xyzzy (Post 10544827)

I used the DOS web site because it was one of the few resources listed on the Rick Steves site. I don't think Rick has ever put on tours to Russia before, and there is limited info available on his site.

If we go to Moscow, we'd be taking the train.

And I've ordered a guide book on Moscow/St Petersburg. I just don't have it yet!

Interesting about the Cyrillic alphabet, though.

By the way, enjoy Tallinn. Just got back from there and had a great time. If you want an introduction to Russian cuisine before you hit Russia proper, be sure to check out Troika off Town Hall Square (forget the name in Estonian). Borscht and caviar were great.

Chris

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpmcdonough (Post 10545339)

It's a common observation on FT that the DOS travel advice is particularly... scary! It might be useful to look at it in conjunction with, for example, UK and Australian government travel advice as well to getter a better/more realistic feel for the situation in any given country.
http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travelling-...ving-overseas/
http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/

You'll thank yourself if you invest a bit of time learning the Cyrillic alphabet - a) you'll find some words are surprisingly similar to English when you know how to read them and b) it is no use knowing you have to get off at Komosomolskaya metro station or a museum is on Bolshoi Zlatoustinskiy lane if you don't know how to read it in Russian (although sometimes signs will be in English as well)!

I'd also recommend trying the train to Moscow, just for the experience!

Quote:

Originally Posted by bcmatt (Post 10546788)

I have an Eyewitness Guide on order. We're not going until August, so there's time to prepare. Although I hardly expect to be able to speak more than a few words of Finnish and whatever they speak in Estonia as well as Russian.

i cannot imagine the warning of travel in Washington DC, what with all the car jackings, drive by shootings, plain old murders, rapes, etc. baltimore is no better.

don't worry about russia, vladimir wants your tourist dollar. he will take care of you.

i do not know what your interests are. if museum, the hermitage is tough to cover in 2-3 days. food sucks. people are very nice.

yeah, once you learn the alphabet, you will be surprised how many of the words are just plain old english words using that goofy alphabet.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JayhawkCO (Post 10545450)

Estonian food can also be quite interesting to try. It seems like mix of Russian (smetana, sour pickles etc.), German (sauerkraut, meats) and other influences.

Very tasty too. And don't forget to try their beer traditions.