TRIP PLANNER RUSSIA
From lavish palaces and museums to stunning nature scapes, Russia has a lot to offer. Here’s all you need to know to plan a tour
DON’T MISS... THE RUSSIAN WINTER FESTIVAL
If you are planning a visit in late December, you can catch the Russian Winter Festival in Moscow. It’s a big cultural extravaganza, featuring traditional song-dance performances at the Izmailovo park and Revolution Square. There are ice sculpture displays and bagel feasts everywhere you go. In the last 10 days of June, St Petersburg puts her best foot forward during the White Nights Arts Festival, where the culturally inclined can have their fill of theatrical and ballet performances, music concerts, and more. There are also mock pirate boat battles on the Neva with fireworks lighting upthe sky.
If you are planning a visit in late December, you can catch the Russian Winter Festival in Moscow. It’s a big cultural extravaganza, featuring traditional song-dance performances at the Izmailovo park and Revolution Square. There are ice sculpture displays and bagel feasts everywhere you go. In the last 10 days of June, St Petersburg puts her best foot forward during the White Nights Arts Festival, where the culturally inclined can have their fill of theatrical and ballet performances, music concerts, and more. There are also mock pirate boat battles on the Neva with fireworks lighting upthe sky.
BEST TIME TO VISIT
The summer months between mid-May and early August may be a more comfortable time to visit, but there’s a lot to be said for lesser crowds and a magical white winter wonderland too.
TRIP TRAIL
Since Russia is a vast country, even a month’s stay may seem less. Here’s a sample six-night itinerary for the timestrapped. After landing in Moscow, explore the city in the evening. On day 2, take in the popular attractions, such as Kremlin, Red Square, St Basil’s Cathedral and Lenin’s tomb. In the evening, take a walk along Arbat Street, a souvenir shopping haunt. The following day, take a ride on the Moscow metro, whose stations are an attraction in themselves. Visit the Novodevichy monastery, Tretyakov gallery, and Historical Museum. If you can stomach it, consider the KGB Museum too. On day 4, take a flight or train to St Petersburg, one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, and shop at Nevsky Prospekt or take a cruise on the Neva river. Reserve the next day for Peterhof Palace and Gardens, and a city tour on a hop-on hop-off bus. On day 6, marvel over the treasures inside the Hermitage, once home to the czars and now a world-famous museum.
TOURIST ATTRACTIONS
The summer months between mid-May and early August may be a more comfortable time to visit, but there’s a lot to be said for lesser crowds and a magical white winter wonderland too.
TRIP TRAIL
Since Russia is a vast country, even a month’s stay may seem less. Here’s a sample six-night itinerary for the timestrapped. After landing in Moscow, explore the city in the evening. On day 2, take in the popular attractions, such as Kremlin, Red Square, St Basil’s Cathedral and Lenin’s tomb. In the evening, take a walk along Arbat Street, a souvenir shopping haunt. The following day, take a ride on the Moscow metro, whose stations are an attraction in themselves. Visit the Novodevichy monastery, Tretyakov gallery, and Historical Museum. If you can stomach it, consider the KGB Museum too. On day 4, take a flight or train to St Petersburg, one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, and shop at Nevsky Prospekt or take a cruise on the Neva river. Reserve the next day for Peterhof Palace and Gardens, and a city tour on a hop-on hop-off bus. On day 6, marvel over the treasures inside the Hermitage, once home to the czars and now a world-famous museum.
TOURIST ATTRACTIONS
FREE
• Red Square, Moscow.
• Lenin’s Mausoleum, Moscow.
• Stalin’s Seven Sisters, Moscow.
• Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, Moscow.
• Dvortsovaya Ploschad (Palace Square), St Petersburg.
• Piskariovskoye Cemetery, St Petersburg.
PAID
(Approximate per person rates)
• The Kremlin, Moscow: 600 (another 680 for a visit to the Armor chamber).
• The State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow: 885
• St Basil’s Cathedral, Moscow: 490
• Novodevichy Convent, Moscow: 300
• Historical Museum, Moscow: 600
• Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg: 780
• Peterhof Museum-Reserve + Palace, St Petersburg: 3,000
• St Isaac Cathedral, St Petersburg: 680
• Catherine Palace, St Petersburg: 680
SAVING TIPS
• Invest in a three-day Moscow Pass, which costs 2,900, but guarantees savings of up to 70% on admission to the capital’s 15 best-known attractions, without queue time. In addition, you get discounts at restaurants, on city tours and river cruises.
• Avoid taxis. The metro and buses are cheap, readily available and extremely efficient.
• Restaurants are not cheap. So frequent grocery shops, whipping up at least one meal at a hostel/ guesthouse with a kitchenette.
BEFORE YOU
LEAVE...
AIR FARE
A multi-city Delhi-Moscow-St Petersburg-Delhi itinerary, with the shortest stopover on the last leg, costs 55,336 per person. There are no non-stop flights from Mumbai, and these cost much more, so we would suggest ex-Delhi itineraries.
EXCHANGE RATE
The official Russian currency is the Russian Ruble (RUB). Currently, 100 will fetch RUB 51.71.
VISA
Visitors need to fill the electronic visa application form (https://visa.kdmid.ru) and submit it along with the required documents to the diplomatic representative authority or at the Consular Department of the Russian Federation. The visa fee for a single-entry visa is 2,700 and it is usually processed in two working days.
TRIP EXPENSE
For a shoe-string budget trip, estimate 2,500-3,000 per person, per day, covering food, stay and sightseeing. For a mid-range holiday, the prices will shoot up to the 6,500-7,000 bracket. The high-end holidays will cost upwards of 15,000 per person, per night.
ACCOMMODATION
The bad news is that hotels in Russia don’t come cheap. In fact, Moscow hotels, with average nightly rates of $414 ( 26,200), were ranked the priciest in the world in 2012 by the Hogg Robinson Group. Instead, consider hostels and B&Bs, which will cost between 800 and 5,000 a night for a private room with an en-suite bath.
LOCAL COMMUTE
The cheapest and the best options are the metro and local buses. For inter-city travel, you can also depend on the country’s expansive and efficient railway network.
Sushmita Choudhury Agarwal. ETW131118AIR FARE
A multi-city Delhi-Moscow-St Petersburg-Delhi itinerary, with the shortest stopover on the last leg, costs 55,336 per person. There are no non-stop flights from Mumbai, and these cost much more, so we would suggest ex-Delhi itineraries.
EXCHANGE RATE
The official Russian currency is the Russian Ruble (RUB). Currently, 100 will fetch RUB 51.71.
VISA
Visitors need to fill the electronic visa application form (https://visa.kdmid.ru) and submit it along with the required documents to the diplomatic representative authority or at the Consular Department of the Russian Federation. The visa fee for a single-entry visa is 2,700 and it is usually processed in two working days.
TRIP EXPENSE
For a shoe-string budget trip, estimate 2,500-3,000 per person, per day, covering food, stay and sightseeing. For a mid-range holiday, the prices will shoot up to the 6,500-7,000 bracket. The high-end holidays will cost upwards of 15,000 per person, per night.
ACCOMMODATION
The bad news is that hotels in Russia don’t come cheap. In fact, Moscow hotels, with average nightly rates of $414 ( 26,200), were ranked the priciest in the world in 2012 by the Hogg Robinson Group. Instead, consider hostels and B&Bs, which will cost between 800 and 5,000 a night for a private room with an en-suite bath.
LOCAL COMMUTE
The cheapest and the best options are the metro and local buses. For inter-city travel, you can also depend on the country’s expansive and efficient railway network.
No comments:
Post a Comment