# Airfare to Russia



## hibbeln (Jun 12, 2008)

Hello!  Wondering if any TUG-gers out there have been to Russia?

Looking at going next summer (2009, probably end of June, encompassing 1st week in July).  My dad (in his 70's), husband, and 2 sons (will then be almost-12 and 14).

Thought is to fly into Moscow for 3 days.  
Overnight train to St. Petersburg.
3-4 days in St. Petersburg.
Then maybe fly/train to Vilnius, Lithuania (where my grandparents are from) for a day or two.
Fly home from Vilnius.
Flying in and out of Detroit.

Anyone who has done this able to give me any leads on airfare, airlines, etc?  Travel agencies if they used them?  Does working with an agent make a cheaper to "do" Russia (hotels sure are expensive there, so I'm wondering if an air-hotel package would help bring down the cost?).  Preferred airlines (due to FF miles) would be NOrthwest, Delta, KLM or AirFrance.
I'm a do-it-yourself type of travel planner,  but this place has me a little leery.

Thank you for any guidance as I am just beginning to research and don't even know what I don't know yet!


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## Carolinian (Jun 12, 2008)

I have been to Russia twice.  Once was a package tour in the mid 1990s which cost about $800 for a week, including airfare, hotel, meals, and train between St. Petersburg and Moscow, flying into St. Petersburg and out of Moscow.  The airline was Finnair and they had good service.  I haven't seen the bargain package tours advertised in quite a while, however.

We also did a trip 3 or 4 years ago, using the old NWA zone certs for a fare of about $500 R/T in March, all-in.  We flew into and out of Moscow and took the train back and forth to St. Petersburg.  In Moscow, we booked a hotel and rented an apartment in St. Petersburg.  NWA connected to KLM in Amsterdam.

The Baltic trip I did to all three Baltic countries was using air miles on Finnair, which was then a DL partner, in July, into Vilnius and out of Tallinn, using buses and trains for local transportation.

If you can't get a good fare into Russia or Vilnius, try flying to another European gateway and then using an LCC.  Air Baltic would be a good choice, although other LCC's fly some of these routes, too.


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## zazz (Jun 12, 2008)

hibbeln said:


> Hello!  Wondering if any TUG-gers out there have been to Russia?
> 
> Looking at going next summer (2009, probably end of June, encompassing 1st week in July).  My dad (in his 70's), husband, and 2 sons (will then be almost-12 and 14).
> 
> ...



Hotels can be REALLY expensive.  Not sure what the prices are at this moment, but on other trips that I have planned, paying for the flight and using points for the hotel actually worked out.  Admittedly, I go out of JFK, so they flights are a bit cheaper.  But it still may work from Detroit.

Never done a package when I was going over there.  But the good thing about a package would be that you could be relatively hassle free.  So it may not save you a ton of money but may save you some sanity.  My wife and I occasionally buy the Russian language newspapers here in Philly and there are tons of ads for travel agencies geared towards bringing Russians home.  We noticed little to no difference between their quotes and what I could get from an online travel agency.

I am on the road, but when I get home next week, I can grab a paper and email you some addresses and phone numbers if you would like.  You just have to remind me.

Just don't cheap out.   Quality and location can be important.  

And try to learn a little bit of Russian!  That way you don't have to use the picture menu at McD's.


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## Carolinian (Jun 12, 2008)

The train from St. Petersburg to Vilnius is an overnight train and runs every other day on even numbered days, leaving in late afternoon and arriving in the morning.  There are three classes of sleeper, 1st class with 2 bunks per compartment, 2nd class with 4 bunks per compartment, and hard class with no compartment walls at all.  We had three in our party on the Red Arrow between Moscow and St. Petersburg and so we bought the 4th place in the compartment, so that it would be just us.

I think Air Baltic flies that route.

For Moscow hotel, we used GTA hotels, an internet booking service, and got a good rate.

Russia is not as intimidating as it first seems.  On my last trip, we even navigated the bus and subway connections between the airport and our hotel and saved a bundle doing it.  Taxis wanted a hundred bucks from the airport, although returning to the airport was significantly cheaper.  We also got around Both cities, and even out to the palaces outside St. Petersburg with public transportation without a hitch.

I would also suggest St. Petersburg In Your Pocket, which can be downloaded at www.inyourpocket.com


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## Passepartout (Jun 12, 2008)

Look at www.Gate1travel.com I just saw a dozen or so escorted and independent trips to and including Russia. We've traveled with them. They are very flexible as to extra days, different cities, other departures.

I just ran a few quick fares and found air alone ranged from under $1100 to over $3600 round trip.

Jim Ricks


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## x3 skier (Jun 13, 2008)

I am also a "DIY" traveler but..... if it is someplace truly different with a completely different language, I opt for a tour for the first experience. IF the place interests me enough for a second or more visit, I then have enough experience to go it alone.

My vote is Gate1 or gotoday as offering the the most flexibility. They should have land only trips so you can shop for the best deal airfare using the Sky Team to someplace and then a LCC to your final destination. Try www.whichbudget.com to find a LCC.

Cheers


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## hibbeln (Jun 13, 2008)

WOW!  Thank you everyone!  I was not expecting such a flood of incredible knowledge!  I need to print this all out and digest it.  You make me feel much better!  I hadn't thought about getting into a gateway city and taking an LCC from there!  Duh!  Thank you for pointing out the obvious to me!

We are planning on getting a hotel in Moscow, and an apartment in St. Petersburg (probably through City Realty).  I will check out those agencies.  I know I've seen ads for Gate1Travel here in the Detroit area.  I would love to get a air-hotel package covering at least Moscow as I'm hoping that would bring the cost of the hotel down.

FinnAir.....do they have in-seat entertainment systems for the trans-Atlantic route?  (little t.v. screens and you pick your own movies)  Travelling with a teen and preteen this has proven to be VERY nice on overseas trips.!!!!!


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## hibbeln (Jun 15, 2008)

*DOES ANYONE HAVE A GUIDEBOOK to recommend that you found particularly helpful for Moscow/St. Petes/Vilnius?*


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## MULTIZ321 (Jun 16, 2008)

A friend of mine recommended this Vilnius travel guide
http://vilnius.russiantravelguides.com/


Richard


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## Carolinian (Jun 16, 2008)

hibbeln said:


> *DOES ANYONE HAVE A GUIDEBOOK to recommend that you found particularly helpful for Moscow/St. Petes/Vilnius?*



The ''In Your Pocket'' series is great.  You can order the book or download it online.  Most of the content is also posted online.  I don't think they have Moscow, but they do have St. Petersburg and Vilnius.

www.inyourpocket.com

In Your Pocket started in the Baltics, and is the longest published travel guide to Riga and Vilnius.


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## hibbeln (Jun 16, 2008)

Thank You!


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