We booked hotels, train tickets, and several meals via the internet. Ground arrangements (and airport transfers) in Moscow were made through Alexander of Angel Tour, who can be contacted through WhatsApp at this phone number: +7926-435-86-87.
Ground arrangements (and train station transfers) in St. Petersburg were made through Tanya (contact no.: +7921-923-12-27), a local agent in St. Petersburg.
For out-of-pocket spending, we exchanged some Russian Rubles before leaving. We also brought along our Big Pay debit cards, as these can be used to withdraw Russian Rubles at ATMs. Debit and credit cards can also be used, but many smaller shops or market stalls only accept cash transactions. Click here for exchange rates to Rubles (presently 1MYR = 18.67 RUR, i.e. Russian Rubles).
3. Immigration & Customs Requirements
Tourists entering Russia will need a tourist visa, which can only be obtained via a TOURIST CONFIRMATION VOUCHER issued by a Russian travel agency or a Russian hotel that has the license to invite foreign tourists. This can be done through a local travel agency affiliated with a Russian travel agency to obtain this invitation letter. The following is a list of countries that are visa-exempt to enter Russia.
For Malaysians, leaving and returning to Malaysia, getting through immigration is easier now. Just install and register MyBorderPass, and getting through will be a breeze. A QR code will be generated; have this scanned, and you're through.
When travelling in a group, it's important to be able to communicate with each other, especially if one gets lost from the rest. Back then, it was not easy to buy Russian Sim cards, and our Moscow guide got the Beeline physical SIM cards (with 14 days unlimited data) at 700 RUR (MYR 37.50) for us before we arrived.
At hotels and tourist spots, locals speak fairly good English. In the smaller towns, most locals speak only Russian. As such, it helps to know some basic Russian.
9. Dressing
When entering churches and monasteries, it is advisable to wear long pants, especially for women. Ladies will also have to wear headscarves or veils. Caps and hats should be taken off when in churches and monasteries.
10. Weather
Daytime and nighttime temperatures in St. Petersburg were 18°C and 9°C, respectively.
A useful weather forecast site for Russia is AccuWeather. For more detailed weather, including cloud cover and wind speed, use Weatherspark and Ventusky.
11. Navigation
I used MapMyRide to track our routes and stops. Geo-tagging of places of interest was via FaceBook or Google Maps.
The day earlier Tanya, our local guide, took us on a walking tour today of St. Petersburg, covering several key attractions in the city centre, including parks, canals and stately museum buildings.
This morning I joined a guided cycling tour that took me to many off-the-beaten-track places. Later, I rejoined my traveling companions for a river cruise. ___________________________________________________________________________
Many of the posts below are linked to my Facebook postings during the trip and are embedded here with some comments. (NOTE: Click on respective posts to link to the FB post to read more details. If you can't see the posts, please log out of your Facebook first.) On the walk back after the morning's Cycling Tour, I noticed how beautiful and clean the canals of St. Petersburg are. These canals are a traffic lifeline for the city, with many ferries plying regular routes to transport locals. In winter, along with the Neva River, they freeze over to form one huge skating rink!
On the way to the pier, we walked past the Admiralty Building, it was originally designed as a fortified shipyard in 1704 which was later surrounded by five bastions protected by a moat. The Admiralty's spire topped by a golden weather-vane in the shape of a small sail warship (Korablik) is one of Saint Petersburg's most conspicuous landmarks, underscoring the importance Peter the Great placed on Russia's navy in the city. The Admiralty was the Russian Navy headquarters until 1917, and now serves as a naval college.
Inside the boat, there are several cozy dining tables for small groups and a couple of big ones for large groups. From the menu, one can order dinner and dine while listening to smooth music.
We opted to sit on the roof deck, with a better view.
The Old Stock Exchange: This elegant neoclassical building faces the Neva River from the eastern tip of Vasilyevsky Island like an ancient Greek temple and, with the two Rostral Columns flanking it, forms one of the most celebrated vistas in the city. Designed by De Thomon , it was completed in 1810, with facades feature 44 Doric columns on a high red granite stylobate. Above the main portico is a statue of "Neptune with two rivers - the Neva and the Volkhov".
The stately, blueish-green and white Kunstkamera Museum, which houses theRussian Academy of Science's Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography. Although best known for its "grotesques," the museum houses nearly 2,000,000 items, including materials from various non-Russian countries.
Sailing past the Peter & Paul Fortress, its 122.5m bell tower, topped by a gilded angel-topped cupola-spire, makes it a distinct and easily recognisable building. It is named after the central cathedral built inside it, which was consecrated in honor of the apostles Saint Peter and Saint Paul. Other buildings within the fortress include the still-functioning Saint Petersburg Mint.
Above, the modern glass-top tour boat contrasted against these medieval buildings built in 1703.
Other sights along the way were the Frigate Blagodat,a large-scale historical reconstruction of a three-deck battleship of the late 18th century. The restaurant complex within it was built and decorated in the style of Peter the Great's traditions, when the emperor held grandiose events on military frigates.
A Flying Dutchman Replica (Letuchiy Gollandets). The Flying Dutchmanis a legendaryghost ship, allegedly never able to make port and doomed to sail the sea forever. In ocean lore, the sight of this phantom ship functions as a portent of doom.
Other than old ships, a lot of water activities going on. A speedboat heading into one of the many canals of St. Petersburg. While another cruise boat looks like a mock-up Paddle steamer.
And the girls added to the beautiful scenery!
Approaching one of the bridges and then going below it.
The cruise is renowned for sailing past many of the bridges of St. Petersburg, the city has more than 342 bridges over canals and rivers of various sizes, styles, and constructions, built at different periods. Some are small pedestrian bridges, such as Bank and Lion bridges; while others are huge transport arteries, such as the almost one-kilometer-long Alexander Nevsky Bridge. Most of the bridges are old, but seen above is a newer cantilever cable-stayed bridge.
As we sailed along, we noticed the locals enjoying the river too. Some were racing along on their speedboats or jet skis. Some were raising the sails of their small sailboats, and others were sailing along in their luxurious superyachts.
And on land were restaurants sticking out into the river for better views, and hot air balloons used for advertising.
OR just relaxing in their cute, old houseboats.
All these sat in contrast to new office towers and tall radio telecommunication towers.
10:00pm - The light dinner on the cruise did not fill our tummies ... OR perhaps we were just greedy for more local food. So, off we went to the nearby Kazan-Mangal for a Georgian & Uzbek dinner of:
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