Planned trip to Omsk

[mendeleyev]

Sidebar your Honour...when I was ready to travel to Russia again, I looked all over the internet to find this hotel again, without any luck.  Because it was a bit out of the way (near Vladykino metro in the north)

We used to live in that area, just a metro stop prior to Vladykino. Loved the area. Are you thinking of Hotel Vladykino? It is an apartment hotel, a hotel studio with small kitchens, and has a good reputation although definitely not as modern as high priced hotels in the centre. Near the Otradnove area, north of the Ostankino Television Tower. http://www.vladykinohotel.ru/eng/main/


Another hotel near that Metro station is the Maxima Zarya Hotel, part of a chain of smaller boutique hotels: http://www.maximahotels.com/zarya.htm.

[mendeleyev]

One of the best hotels to register a visa for a night in Moscow is Hotel Vega near Metro Partizanskaya. It is part of the Best Western chain and a true international hotel. You can pay for a $30-40 Russian standard room (no AC and pure Soviet) and have them register your visa. Or you can stay in a very nice room for $125  if you wish. Like many hotels in Eastern Europe, every type of accommodation from luxury to horrible can be found under the same roof. http://hotel-vega.ru/

It is at the Izmailovo complex with several other international hotels and adjacent to the famous Vernisage in Izmaylovo market, one of the best places in Russia to purchase souvenirs to take back home. The market is built to resemble an old Russian village. http://www.moscow-russia-insiders-guide.com/izmailovo-kremlin-in-moscow.html

[WhiskyNiner]

Speaking of Moscow, even though I won't be staying there, I will have the 12 hour layover. My flight in and out is to/from SVO.
My lady was saying it is a ways from the city but if I have a choice I am not about to sit in the airport for 12 hours when I am in a new city and can see many cool things. To that end, is there any general recommendations for how to best go about exploring. Of course I can plan ahead for what I want to see but recommendations for getting around? My flight out of Moscow is at 11:20 PM so any general guideline of when I need to start heading back to the airport? I know many have had this layover so I am sure there are a lot of experience.

Thanks!

[Anotherkiwi]

We used to live in that area, just a metro stop prior to Vladykino.

I take it you mean the unpronounceable Petrovsko-Razumovskaya? 
 

Loved the area. Are you thinking of Hotel Vladykino?

No, the place I stayed at was an annexe of the Altai, the great big yellow hotel on ul. Botanicheskaya.  The annexe was around the corner on ul. Gostinichnaya.  The highlight of that area for me is the Botanical Gardens - I spent the whole of my last morning in Moscow (first trip) just wandering through the gardens from the cemetery at Vladykino down to the entrance nearest the Ostankino tower, where I took the attached photo.  There is just so much you can't do!
 
Unfortunately the tower was still closed at that time (2006) due to the fire some years earlier, so I couldn't get the panoramic view of the city.

[Anotherkiwi]

Speaking of Moscow, even though I won't be staying there, I will have the 12 hour layover. My flight in and out is to/from SVO.
My lady was saying it is a ways from the city but if I have a choice I am not about to sit in the airport for 12 hours when I am in a new city and can see many cool things. To that end, is there any general recommendations for how to best go about exploring. Of course I can plan ahead for what I want to see but recommendations for getting around? My flight out of Moscow is at 11:20 PM so any general guideline of when I need to start heading back to the airport? I know many have had this layover so I am sure there are a lot of experience.

Thanks!

It's only 35 minutes into the city by the red Aeroexpress trains (see the timetable and fares here: http://www.aeroexpress.ru/en/sheremetyevo.htm), and the return fare is only about $19 US.
 
12 hours would give you heaps of time for sightseeing in the central area - you will have time for a full city sights coach tour (3-4 hours).  I took one, and it was amazing - eight passengers in a 50 seat coach!  I think that this type of tour is always the best introduction to a new city - you can always revisit the attractions that you liked the most.  Add a walking tour of the Kremlin (2 hours) - you won't believe the treasures in the Armoury until you see them for yourself.  If you still have some time, and you're interested in more recent history, visit one or more of the underground museums - otherwise known as the Ring Line on the Metro.  There you will see sights like the ones below.
 
If your flight out is at 11.20 pm, I would aim to be back at the airport no later than the 9.30 pm train from Belorussky station, but probably the 9 pm to be safe (bring a book!).  Check-in for Russian domestic flights is a bit different from what you're used to in the West, and the security may take rather longer to negotiate than you think, so I would seriously advise leaving a bit of extra time up your sleeve.
 
Have a great trip!

[Vaughn]

  ... if you're going to venture into the city, this may come in handy:
 
http://www.svo.aero/en/luggage-left/d/

[mendeleyev]

I take it you mean the unpronounceable Petrovsko-Razumovskaya?

  What is difficult about "Peh-trOv-ska Rah-zu-mOv-ska-ya?"   

[mendeleyev]

Echoing what AnotherKiwi recommended, there is so much to do around Red Square if the Kremlin happens to be closed. He could spend several hours around Red Square from the State Historical museum to Gum to Saint Basil's to the Kazan Cathedral and the Alexander Gardens, Tomb of the Unknown soldiers, monuments to the hero cities, Manezh Plaza, seeing the 3 levels of unique shopping at Okhotny Ryad underground shopping mall, and the monuments and fountains on top of the mall. Across the street is the DUMA, Russian parliament building.

He could toss a coin over his back at the kilometer 1 marker just before entering Red Square, and while there step inside the little chapel at the Resurrection Gates before stepping onto Red Square. There on the north side just prior to entering Red Square he could photograph the icons of Saint George above the entrance, etc. Visit some of the Kremlin towers, the most famous being the Saviour Tower (with the clocks) near Saint Basil's Cathedral and the Nicholas Tower back closer to the entrance. The Lenin Mausoleum isn't worth touring but it is cool to have a photo from the outside. Something tourists often miss are the grave sites of famous Soviet leaders built into the Kremlin wall in that same area as those make cool photos, too.

All those things would take hours to explore and photograph, yet each is within easy reach with a 2 to 5 minute walk from the centre of Red Square.

[WhiskyNiner]

This has been really nice to get all of this information. I am really looking forward to this adventure.

Thanks again, I am sure there will be more to come before I leave.

[noelscot]

I thought it was a bit odd that it supposedly was in effect Sept 1 but nobody anywhere I have seen has mentioned getting one. I wonder if it requires a deeper background check or why nobody seems to have one. On my next trip I will apply for the new 3 year. It'll save me some hassle

the invitation letter for the 3-year visa is different, and far more extensive, than the letter for the 30-day tourist visa. it's a new process, obviously,and hotels, etc. are adjusting to the more rigorous process. in most cases, you'll need a template for the invitation letter that has been used successfully in the past to provide to the inviting party. the consulate in your region will provide one if you need it.
 
also, your passport expiration date will have to agree with your visa expiration date by 6 months cushion.
 
-the background check is much more rigorous and the wait for the visa to be approved is lengthier
 
my buddy is currently in the process of getting one.
 
this hotel said they can do the invitation for the 3-year visa:
 
http://www.hotel-azija.ru/contacts.php