Moscow or St Petersburg

[Mir]

Which one is a better city to send a few days in?

[LEGAL]

Mir,

Russian Paris is a better     

http://agency.photographer.ru/features/index.htm?id=141&mode=article

[LEGAL]

Mir I prefer Saint petersburg, I think there is more to see and do. The prices are a little better. I allways go back to Saint Petersburg and want to buy a flat there for our family and investment. We will see what the future brings. I have several good friends in Saint Petersburg and Olga and allways look forward visiting them. MY TWO CENTS OR RUBLES

LEGAL

[Bruce]

Mir - both are really great.  If I was pushed into a corner I would have to go for Moscow - just because I feel it is more Russian.  Stay in a hotel right around red square, visit Lenin's tomb if it is open, see St. Basil's cathedral.  Go to the Tretyakov art museum. Go to a performance at the Bolshoi.  Visit the State Historical museum.  Its all in walking distance for you right there.   See the link for museums etc. 

http://www.moscow-taxi.com/art-galleries/index.asp

Then again.........................

For St. Petersburg you could stay at a hotel in walking distance to the Mirinsky theatre on Nevsky prospect and definitely go to a ballet performance.  Go to the Hermitage museum.  See Peter the great's hall of oddities.  See the Russian museum.  Visit St. Isaacs cathedral.  Both choices are really good.  You could have a two day whirl-wind vacation if you plan it right.

http://www.saint-petersburg.com/hotels/index.asp

[Turboguy]

That to me is a tough call.  If I had never been to either I think I would vote for Moscow.   My reason for saying that is that we have so many visions of the Kremlin and Red Square etched in our brains that it is an awsome experience.  Touring the Kremlin, strolling up on Arabat St, the Bolshoi and one I enjoyed a lot, the Moscow Circus. 

St Petersburg is definately the more beautiful city.  You have the Hermiage, Peterhauf and the summer palace are awsome, Nevsky is a neat street and fun to stroll around.  Being a guy and having been in the service the war museam was amazing to me.  I would rate S.P. as one of the worlds most beautiful cities. 

You might also look at the time of the year you are going.  The weather is better in Moscow in the early spring.   In summer you have the white nights in St Petersburg and Nevsky is an all night party.  Not so good if you are not a party animal and your hotel room fronts on Nevsky.  (take ear plugs)

[Pike]

For St. Petersburg you could stay at a hotel in walking distance to the Mirinsky theatre on Nevsky prospect

Very strange Bruce.  Must have been quite a moving job they did to get the Mariniski theatre from its actual location over to Nevsky!!

[Bruce]

 Ok, they are not such an easy walk but are doable.  Definitely doable with a taxi.
 
http://www.lak-12.org/piter/maps/coord.cgi?s=36,362&f=?223,156

Pike, look on the map above.  Unless you are really an old coger or are just down right lazy one can easily walk from Nevsky Prospect to the Marinsky theatre  .  I've done it no sweat and I'm not an ex-professional athlete by any means.  The best way to get to know a new city is by foot.

[Lily]

Which one is a better city to send a few days in?

If you love history, old spectacular buildings and monuments, antiques, arts, if you are curious about the times of emerging Russian empire, Peter the 1st, about Pushkin ans his fellows, then I would highly recommend you St Pete.

I could tell that Russia is distinct by one thing. Every talent, everything best went to the capital city. It used to be in all times and this tendency continues now. The capital absorbed the best that the entire country could ever produce. In late 18 century, the challenger Tsar Peter the 1st established a new city and made it the center of Russian life until the revolution.

After 1920-x, the situation changed for Moscow.

[Mir]

Well there is no question that both cities need to be seen.
Now if only I could find enough time......

[Phil dAmore]

Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time - Steven Wright

[Pike]

Pike, look on the map above.  Unless you are really an old coger or are just down right lazy one can easily walk from Nevsky Prospect to the Marinsky theatre  .  I've done it no sweat and I'm not an ex-professional athlete by any means.  The best way to get to know a new city is by foot.

- - - - - - - -

Bruce, old or lazy was not the point.  You said: "Mirinsky theatre on Nevsky prospect."

But, I don't mean to belabor the point.  :-))

Another point is that to actually go to the Mariniskii is very expensive.  In my experience, performances just as good can be found in other theatres in St. Pete at half the cost.  It is sort of a snob thing to go to performances at the Mariniskii.

[Pike]

Back to Mir's original question;  I would vote for St. Pete over Moscow hands down.  Not even close.

[Bruce]

Pike, I do have to admit my English was very poor on my Mirinsky / Nevsky prospect line above.  You read it the right way, and I thought I wrote it another way.  Its good you caught it, now that I re-read it.  Still, I would recommend staying in a hotel somewhere down near the majority of the cultural attractions within as much walking distance as one can handle since the best way to see a foreign city really is on foot.  There are many good safe hotels in that area, many of them on Nevsky.  Phil could comment for sure, but it is easy to find many on any hotel website.  Either way Mir can not go wrong  . 

[Mir]

Is it better to stay in an apartment?

[Turboguy]

Staying in an apartment is usually a better choice.   Sometimes the deciding factor for me is time.  If I am going to be somewhere a day or two a hotel is my choice.   More time and I go for an apartment.

[Mir]

What about visa registration if one stays in the apartment? Can that be a pain?

[Pike]

What about visa registration if one stays in the apartment? Can that be a pain?

- - - - - - -

The visa registration was always a pain, but now under the newest regulations, it is even more of a pain.  Yes, it can be done, but it will take some of your valuable vacation time away to do it.  The new rules are posted on various threads here and on other discussion sites.  And our Greek friend went through the process recently and posted about it in his thread.

However, I would still aways go the apartment route.  Irina in St. Pete is the way to go with apartments.  I can look up her e-mail and give it to you if you wish.  Something like imb@rol.com

She used to have a group of women she was helping with western men, but she found the women were a pain in ass, so now she just concentrates on helping guys with apts, airport pickups, etc.

One of her gals romanced a guy by e-mail until he flew her in to visit with him in Switzerland.  Upon landing, however, she was met by Russian friends and never seen by him again.  Really turned Irina off from trying to help the gals.

Irina herself however, is top notch.

[Mir]

Pike

I will be grateful for Irina's contact.

Strange story about the girl who disappeared in Switzerland.Certainly Switzerland is not well known as a rout for human traffickers. A few years ago there was a big scandal in Germany when it was found that German consulates in Ukraine had issued visas to thousands of women who were then forced into sex trade when they arrived in Germany but since then the main countries used for human trafficking are Turkey, Poland and the Balkans.

[Pike]

No, there was no human trafficking involved.  The woman had simply used the Swiss man to pay her way there for a vacation.  Her intentions all along were to vacation there with her Russian friends who were already there.

I was close with Irina's address . . . . but not quite.

The correct e-mail is  imb@rol.ru

Here is her new website:  http://www.introbyirina.com/

The website retains the name 'introductions' but she no longer does that.

I also had dealings with her husband in terms of airport transportation.  A top notch guy also, but with very limited English, whereas Irina is proficient.

[Momus]

I used Visa House for my Russian visa support. When you arrive, you can go to their office and they will register your visa for free. Quick and easy. I've used them for both of my stays (rented apartment, in both cases) and I've definitely had a good experience with them.

http://www.visahouse.com/

[Kuna]

Now that's cool advice that should be in the Wiki!

[Elen]

Visa registration is a business of those who organised you invitation to Russia

 If it was tour agency - it's their business to deal with it - they take money for that after all. If it was hotel - all would be done by it ( but only for period you booked room in that hotel)   If you decided to save money  and asked your girl ( or somebody) else to make you invitation  it would be a business of those persons to visit post office and send that form to Migration office

[Turboguy]

I used Visa House for my Russian visa support. When you arrive, you can go to their office and they will register your visa for free. Quick and easy. I've used them for both of my stays (rented apartment, in both cases) and I've definitely had a good experience with them.

http://www.visahouse.com/

How current is your information Momus?   The places I used for my visa's all did visa registration until the new laws came into effect and now they have stopped.   Probably I should have clicked the link to check that out myself before I posted but GoToRussia and russian-visa.com, the two I have used no longer do that.

[Turboguy]

My apologies,  I just checked their website and they do still advertise that service.  I also checked GoToRussia and they are advertising the service again.   Maybe the kinks in the new laws are getting resolved.