Help Needed for Sept. Moscow Trip

[22go]

We are going on a Baltic cruise in late August and would like to stop in Moscow on the way back to the states. ( 3 nights ).
Questions: Anyone ever fly Aeroflot airlines?
Is the Visa application process as difficult as it looks?
What are the not to miss sights in Moscow?
Anyone use a guide they would recommend?
Any other suggestions welcomed.
Thanks. Kathy

 

[Carolinian]

I prefer St. Petersburg over Moscow. I have so far avoided flying Aeroflot. I have however taken the Red Arrow night train several times between Moscow and St. Petersburg, and it was fine. If you have two people travelling buy a first class compartment which sleeps two so you will have a compartment to yourself. For three, get a 4-person second class compartment and buy the extra place, so it will just be the three in your party. I used a good guide book rather than a guide and it worked fine.

The visa process looks tough but isn´t. I have done it two ways, mailing it off and getting the passport back with the visa affixed, and also the in-person same day service.

 

[Margariet]

We are going on a Baltic cruise in late August and would like to stop in Moscow on the way back to the states. ( 3 nights ).
Questions: Anyone ever fly Aeroflot airlines?
Is the Visa application process as difficult as it looks?
What are the not to miss sights in Moscow?
Anyone use a guide they would recommend?
Any other suggestions welcomed.
Thanks. Kathy

Aeroflot has a bad reputation and is certainly not in the top 10 of the safest airlines in the world. I am not a fearful person but even Aeroflot is too scary for me!

 

[amycurl]

My DH has flown Aeroflot, but in the Soviet days. He lived to tell the tale, and arrived in one piece with his luggage and everything. I would think, with increased competition these days, that things would be better; of course, without the full state support, it could be worse, too. Helpful, I know.

When I flew into and out of Moscow, we took Lufthansa and did well. I, too, have taken the train between Moscow and St. Petersburg and would recommend that.

 

[Pompey Family]

Never flown Aeroflot so I can't comment. I loved Moscow, it can be very expensive or very cheap depending on where you go however it's not always easy to determine which is the expensive place and vice versa.

Red Square and the Kremlin have got to be a definite visit and the metro system is fantastic. There's also a huge open air market just on the outskirts where you can pretty much buy anything, it's unbelievable.

 

[Conan]

We'll be flying to St. Petersburg on Lufthansa next year.

I looked into the visa question. People say you can't do it on your own - - the bureaucrats will find ways to reject the application if you don't use an intermediary. The main expense is the actual visa fee, so using an intermediary doesn't add that much to the cost.

Here's the company I'm planning to use (based on internet research - - I haven't used them yet because I'm not within the 45 day window).
http://www.passportvisasexpress.com/visas/visa-to-russia.xml
Per person:
consular price: $140 + service price: $39 = Total: $179
plus $30 for an invitation letter if needed (you should be able to get an invitation for free from your hotel)

You're required to submit your original passport so hopefully you don't have other international travel plans while the process is under way (and if your passport doesn't have sufficient blank pages step one is to get a new passport - - the U.S. has a procedure to insert additional pages but I'm told insert pages are not satisfactory to the Russians).

 

[Carolinian]

We did it on our own with no problem at the Russian consulate in Washington, DC. We walked in early in the morning, handed over our paperwork, and picked up our passports with visas that afternoon. That was some years ago, but there were absolutely no hitchs. We paid extra for the same day service.

As to travelling to Moscow itself, I would recommend getting out to one or mroe of the Golden Ring cities around Moscow.

 

[Conan]

Whether you're doing the visa application on your own or via a service agency, the process must begin online:
http://evisa.kdmid.ru/

Unofficial instructions:
https://www.passportvisasexpress.com/upload/wysiwyg/Russian%20Visa%20Online%20Instructions.pdf

 

[Maple_Leaf]

Aeroflot

We are going on a Baltic cruise in late August and would like to stop in Moscow on the way back to the states. ( 3 nights ).
Questions: Anyone ever fly Aeroflot airlines?

I've flown Aeroflot from Toronto to Moscow twice. It was good but I was in business class. Coach had the look and feel of a bus from Delhi to Bombay. The Russians told me that Aeroflot via Moscow is the cheapest way to get from Toronto to Delhi.