We keep reading that Moscow is the world’s most expensive city, and trip reports from colleages support this assertion, Still, Moscow can be seen and enjoyed for much less than the fist class rates many report. A fgood place to begin is visitng inthe winter when there are fewer tourists (assuming you can berave the cold).

While it’s the world’s most expensive city, most of Moscow’s residents are far from the world’s wealthiest. Savvy advice from locals can make your visit much mroe affodable:

But, with the credit crunch nibbling at the heels of the high-rollers it’s time to look at how to have fun on the cheap. Just because oil prices are barreling downwards doesn’t mean we have to peddle pirogi in the perekhod to keep going. Now is the time to discover cut-price Moscow with the bargain hunters’ guide to the metropolis. (more on Moscow News)

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With the brutal cold of Russian winter, people remain in high spirits and enjoy traditionla winter time festivities. The bulk of cultuiral events and celebrations take place in the winter. While the temperatures can discourage the cold blooded, those who are more adventurous will find the cost of travel and lodging is lowest in the coldest months.

Although Russians officially switched to the Gregorian calendar after the revolution of 1917, the Russian Orthodox Church has maintained its holiday schedule using the Julian calendar, meaning Christmas is celebrated on the day the Gregorian calendar calls Jan. 7 and New Year on Jan. 14.

Christmas is mostly a family affair, but come New Year, it’s party time. A few weeks later comes the traditional celebration of Maslenitsa, a last-chance party before Lent, like Mardis Gras or Carnival. And because Russians seem to find their holidays too good to leave behind, even if you can’t make it all the way to Russia this winter, you can find opportunities to join the celebration. (New York Times)

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One of the most popular vacations in Russia is a Volga River cruise. The river ships are small and more quiet and intimate than the big seafaring cruise ships. Prices are very reasonable the service is generally excellent.

In this video report, Russia Today’s Wayfarer goes down the Volga river. Martyn Andrews will taste cheese in Uglich, visit a town that’s full of mice and take a ride on a river steamer. But sooner or later, all good things come to an end. On this trip, the Wayfarer rolls up his sleeves for the hardest day’s work he’s ever done in his life. Don’t miss it!

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There is now a less expensive alternative in getting from Sheremetyevo Airport (where all flights from the US arrive) and Moscow’s city center. Taxis from the airport tend to be overpriced, especially if you are a foreigner, and Moscow’s traffic can often make the trip by street long and unpredictable.

 At a gala ceremony of balloons, brass bands and red carpets Tuesday morning, ministers and railway officials rode the inaugural train to Sheremetyevo and opened the airport’s gleaming new rail terminal.

That means that when the service opens for paying customers Wednesday, air travelers can skip the jams and go from Savyolovsky Station, just off the Third Ring Road in north-central Moscow, direct to Sheremetyevo in 35 minutes, for a price of 250 rubles ($10.50).

Trains will leave from Savyolovsky 24 times per day, at times running a twice-hourly service. Passengers have the option of checking in their luggage at the station and paying 350 rubles for a first-class seat on the train. (Moscow Times)

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Kronstadt is a short trip from Saint Petersburg and makes a great day or half day trip. The historic home of Russia’s fleet and once it’s most important sea port, Kronstadt is a historic landmark.

The town of Kronstadt is built on level ground and is thus exposed to inundations, the most famous being in 1824. On the south side of the town there are three harbours: the large western or merchant harbour, the western flank of which is formed by a great mole joining the fortifications which traverse the breadth of the island on this side; the middle harbour, used chiefly for fitting out and repairing vessels; and the eastern or war harbour for vessels of the Russian navy. The Peter and Catherine canals, communicating with the merchant and middle harbours, traverse the town. Between them stood the old Italian palace of Prince Menshikov, the site of which was later occupied by a pilot school.

The modern town’s most striking landmark is the enormous Naval Cathedral, built from 1908 to 1913 and considered to represent a culmination of the Russian Neo-Byzantism. The older St Andrew Cathedral (1817), formerly Kronstadt’s pride and beauty, was destroyed on communist orders in 1932. St Ioann of Kronstadt, one of the most venerated Russian saints, served there as a priest from 1855 to 1908.

Among other public buildings are the naval hospital, the British seamen’s hospital (established in 1867), the civic hospital, admiralty (founded 1785), arsenal, dockyards and foundries, school of marine engineering, and the English church. The port is ice-bound for 140 to 160 days in the year, from the beginning of December to April. A very large proportion of the inhabitants are sailors.

The Kronstadt Sea Fortress used to be considered the most fortified port in the world. It has never been taken by an outside force. Kronstadt still retains some of the “forts”, small fortified artificial islands. Formerly there were 42 such forts, situated in line between the southern and northern shores of the Gulf of Finland. Some fortifications were located inside the city itself and one was on the western shore of the Kronslot Island (on the other side of the main navigational channel).

Nowadays, the construction of the Saint Petersburg Dam has led to some of the forts being demolished. The dam also permitted Kronstadt and some of the forts to be reached without using a boat. Among the most important surviving forts are the Fort Konstantin, the biggest in the Gulf of Finland; the Fort Rif on the western shore of the island; and the particularly well-preserved Chumnoy Fort (Plague Fort). The largest and the newest of the forts, constructed at the beginning of the 20th century, is Fort Totleben, named after Eduard Totleben.

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Sochi has been in the news recently as the location of recent meetings between the Russian and American presidents, and will soon be hosting the Olympics. Until recently, this resort city was one of Russia’s best kept secrets.

If luxury and amenities are important to you, Rodina may be just the place for you to enjoy a vacation. An exclusive property set on 15 hectares of gently sloping manicured parks, The Grand Hotel & Spa Rodina offers majestic views overlooking the Black Sea. The architecture is contemporary yet classic with large arched windows similar to those at Gran Hotel La Florida. Grand Hotel & Spa Rodina has 40 luxurious rooms and suites, 2 restaurants for casual Moskva and fine dining Black Magnolia, bar Cho-Co-Tea and library. In addition there is a private movie theater Phloxa, and a billiard room. During the summer months, the roof-top terrace Nebesaa of the hotel has an additional dining option. The resort also has tennis courts, a basketball court, beach club and boathouse. Grand Hotel & Spa Rodina offers its guest the best indoor and outdoor heated full-size swimming pools.

More photos are available on the Russia Blog

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Traveling to the Russian far east will get a little easier for Americans and Canadians in July. Mid summer is the best time of the year to visit Vladivosktok.

On July 7 regular flights from Vladivostok via Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky to Anchorage, Alaska, will be launched, officials announced.

“Direct flights to Alaska are our dream which we have long been striving for,” said the head of the tourism agency in the Kamchatsky region Tamara Tutushkina, according to a press statement from the region’s administration.

Direct flights from Kamchatka to Anchorage were halted in 2005 and tourism drastically declined. According to Tutushkina, the Kamchatsky tourism agency held numerous talks with the Primorye regional administration aiming to resume the flights. (Vladivostok News)

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Visiting Russian inevitably requires some involvement with their daunting bureaucracy. Even the casual tourist must register upon arrive at each destination. Daily interaction with the world that us Russian society is very different from what we are accustomed to, making an un-escorted visit quite a challenge. For this reason, many opt to have a tour operator handle the details, and will only see the tourist traps as part of a group.

Life can be even more complicated for the foreigner on an extended stay in Russia. A new site seeks to help both the short and long tern visitor.

In April, a group of six expatriates decided that Russia needed a new web site to provide crucial and not-so-crucial information to old and newly arriving English-speaking foreigners in a corner-cutting manner. They founded Redtape.ru and embarked on the near-impossible task they call the Russia Made Easy project.

“The idea is not to foster the we-are-in-this-together spirit, but rather to provide a medium through which foreigners can enter the Russian society and get actively involved in it,” said Nathan Stowell, a U.S. citizen and co-founder of the site.

“Isn’t the name symbolic?” said Jennifer Howard, an American and a regular user. “It was first conceived to help foreigners get over the red tape quickly, to help overcome bureaucratic issues in Russia.”

The new site lets visitors buy and sell everything from iPhones to apartments, post personal pictures and profiles, share information, date each other or simply catch up on the latest gossip. (from Johnson’s Russia List)

You can find Red Tape at redtape.ru, or by vising the resources links on the Russiatrek travel portal.

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Welcome to the RussiaTrek Travel and Tourism site. We are in the process of a complete sit rebuild. Check back  often for the most comprehensive collection of resources, information, articles and links on visiting Russia in English!

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