From: djd@cbnewsg.cb.att.com (david.j.daulton)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.soviet
Subject: Travel Tips for Russia
Date: 28 Jan 93 00:30:04 GMT
Organization: AT&T

SUBJECT: Travel Tips for Russia

Thanks so much to those who responded!  (My friend who asked for the
tips sends her thanks too.)   I had several requests for
summaries, so here goes.  If you disagree with any of this, please
do so kindly, since these people were kind enough to spend time
offering this information.  I apologize for posting something so
long.  I started to summarize, but found this so full of good info
that I gave up trying to reduce it more.  I did remove all personal
references.

Dave Daulton, Columbus, Ohio

Response #1-------------------------------------------------

1. Fax pas.  
     
I have read that when walking down an aisle, like in the theater,
you should face the people who are seated...

...do not talk loudly.  And don't criticise the country you're in to 
your guide.  (I'm sure your friend won't do this, but I've seen 
too many other tourists act this way and it's very embarrassing.)

2. Souvenirs.  

Lacquer boxes.  I saw boxes that sell for $400 dollars here going
for $40.  Shop around and be careful of the ones sold on the street.
Some are authentic, some aren't.  Check the lids to see if a 
postcard has been lacquered to the top of a papier-mache box.
These are probably the best buy (and very beautiful too).

At all the restaurants I ate at, the waiters and waitresses 
would come around and sell things to us at the table.  The stuff
was good quality and varied from colorfull wool scarves (a 
must buy) to lacquer boxes to amber (another *very* good buy,
but only buy it from reputable stores).  They will also
sell the hotel's caviar and vodka to you.  Ask for the ruble
price -- a bottle of vodka cost $5 or 150 rubles.  At 300 rubles
per dollar, you can guess which deal I took :)

Speaking of restaurants:  If your friend eats at a restaurant
where her meal isn't already pre-paid (from the tour) she 
should do two things:  ask for the ruble price (it will
be in Russian, so here knowing Cyrillic at least is a
great help) and place one or two dollars near her plate.  
The dollars will get her much better and quicker service (of 
course she had better leave them there when she's finished.  
You just tip "in advance" so to speak)

Fur caps are sold *everywhere*.  I think this is the sort of
souvenir everyone has to bring back from Russia :)
Also, painters in Red Square selling watercolors.  Very
nice and inexpensive.
Malachite is a good buy and is of high quality.
Of course, matryoshka dolls are everywhere.  The one 
with Yeltsin, Gorby, etc.  are probably the cutest.
Stamps.  Commemorative stamps seem to be a very big thing
there.  

I also saw a beautiful blue and white bone china tea set.
The work was stunning.  Unfortunately, there was no way
to get it home.  Your friend might want to try though :)

I'm sure her tour will take her to the new private shops.
(She'll never find them on her own.  With the exception
of the one near the Aurora battleship, none of them
have signs.) They are much better than the beriozka shops 
which are now almost gone.  The service and selection is much better.
Also, you are offered a shot of vodka when you enter :)

3. Dangers.  

My guide warned me away from the Arbat.  I'm going to go again
this summer though and *will* see it (but in the day and a good
hold on my purse).  Don't leave luggage unattended for a second.
Basically, be as careful as you would in any other large city.
Don't drink the water in St. Petersberg (it is too alkaline).
Moscow is ok.  Bottled water is cheap though.

Other tips:
Don't change more than $5 or $10 into rubles.  She won't need
them.  Don't worry about taking a few "souvenir" rubles out
of Russia.  They don't care anymore.

4. Must-sees in in Moscow and St. Petersburgh.

If her tour doesn't do evening things, like the circus, she should
definitely sign up for it at the hotel.  It's very cheap that way.
If she has a free day, she might consider taking a trip to 
Suzdal or Zagorsk.  Again, book it over there.  Booking the
Suzdal trip here is $300 while booking it there is $150. 

I went on a "cheapy".  That is, the tour itself didn't include
a lot of things (circus, theater, the Winter Palace) and had 
quite a bit of free time.  However, my guide was very quick
to point out the Intourist desk in each hotel and tell us we
could book these tours.  I ended up with a trip that saw and
did as much as the "deluxe" tours but at a much cheaper price.
(Of course, there is the added headache of arranging everything,
so such an arrangement isn't for everyone.)

Fun things:  In St. Petersburg there are two guys who work for
the circus.  For some time they've been hitting the tourist spots
with a bear cub (named Boris).  For a $1 they'll take a zillon
photos of you with Boris.

In Moscow there are lots of guys with life-sized photo cutouts
of Yeltsin and Gorby.  You can get your picture taken with them
if you're so inclined.  (I was so inclinced but ran out of time 
so I don't know how much it cost).

Response #2-------------------------------------------------

1. Fax pas.  

Same as anywhere in Northern Europe. Let your friend just be cool, and
all will be OK.

2. Souvenirs.  

Antiques. Sometimes you can buy them dirt cheap.

3. Dangers.  

Theft (especially in hotels). Some robbery. Taxi drivers. One must
NEVER pay as much as they ask.

4. Must-sees in in Moscow and St. Petersburgh.

In St. Pb. all places of interest are concentrated, so there is no problem.
In Moscow the non-obvious must-sees are:

 - Kolomenskoye (17th century royal residence)
 - Ostankino (18th century palace and arts collection)
 - Izmailovo (flea market, antiques trade)
 - Oriental Arts Museum (especially Roerich collection)
 - M'ARS Gallery (contemporary art and sculpture, some things for sale)
 - Moscow University 
 - Andrey Rublyov Museum (in 14th century monastery)

There are some fun places near Moscow too:

 - Monino (Air Force Museum, lots of unique airplanes)
 - Kubinka (Tank Museum, splendid tank collection)
 - Zhukovskiy (NPO Energiya Museum, spacecraft collection)

The access to these three is connected with some formalities, but worth
trying.

Response #3-------------------------------------------------

If your friend is interested in art, she might consider going to 
art galleries.  The Central Artist's House on Krymsky Val used to have
interesting exhibitions.

I hope she will be taken to Bolshoy Theater.  Russian churches are worth
visiting.  Kremlin is gorgeous, but there are many other churches. 
Elohovskaya (I believe it is not far from Oktyabr'skaya metro station, 'not
far' only by Moscow standards), then Novodevich'e (metro Sportivnaya), one
near metro Sokol.  She should probably walk Arbat street (it is a little
Monmartr, and at the same time has Russian flavor).  Some of the metro
stations (downtown mostly) are beautiful.  I think she will be taken there
anyways.

She should be allert against people approaching her in the
streets.  I am afraid Moscow now is not a very safe place, especially for a
foreign woman.  She should be very cautious.  The best thing is to be
accompanied by someone.

If she is interested in classic music concerts -
Conservatory, Chaikovsky Hall.  Tickets might be a problem though.  If she
is interested in shopping, she would be pleasantly surprised with prices (I
was told so, not my own experience).  Dollar is going up.  Some nice
European stores.  Books were very cheap.  It is difficult to suggest what
to buy when don't know the taste of a person.  

Russia has had very strict customs rules.  I would suggest she
check these rules out ahead of time.  They are subject to change of course any
time.  I can't think of anything in behavior that would greatly offend
Russians. The cultural difference surely exits, but both sides are aware of it.  
Response #4-------------------------------------------------

1. Fax Pas

I have heard that a cake or flowers are appropriate gifts when
invited to someone's house for the evening.
Newsgroups: soc.culture.soviet