Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
all russians love the song 'katyusha', which i have seen a disparate group of russians from all over the country sing beside the lena
Tell me about Moscow and St Petersburg
- Thread starter Mrs Miggins
- Start date
Mrs Miggins
It’s all happening tomorrow
Thank you! Even more reasons for me to go in your post!
I want to go to the Catherine Palace to see the Amber Room - which I know is a recreation but it's something that has fascinated me ever since I heard about it many years ago....
I will definitely get a visa sorted. Years of being a travel planner have drummed that sort of thing into me!
Step 1 is getting my passport renewed as I won't have 6 months left on the current one when I plan to visit.
How long does a tourist visa take to get? I have to have my flights accomodation booked before I can apply right? I'm planning to go in July so although I'm sure I do have time, time is running out and I need to act quickly on this!
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
it takes about a week i think, there's a long and complicated form to fill out including saying where you've been abroad for the past 10 years including precise dates. and you have to be fingerprinted. and it's dear.
Mrs Miggins
It’s all happening tomorrow
Hmmm....I thought it might be a faff. I'm keen to go though so I'll have to suck it up.
10 years including precise dates!! I'm sure I can manage that even though it will be a bit of a ballache. How closely do you reckon they check that?? I can write dates down but precisely how accurate they will be, I cannot tell at this stage.
Mrs Miggins
It’s all happening tomorrow
And where the F do I have to go for the fingerprinting?!
Idris2002
canadian girlfriend
I don't remember the visa process being that difficult or time-consuming, but that was in 2005, so it may have changed since then. I did have to get an HIV test, but I'm pretty sure that's only for work visas.
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
the tour company recommended a place to us near southwark - it wasn't so bad, they just run your fingers over a scanner.
Mrs Miggins
It’s all happening tomorrow
Can one generally use ATMs in St Petersburg with UK bank cards?
Mrs Miggins
It’s all happening tomorrow
Cheers. I've got a week off in June. I can do all this shit then.
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
i think they do it so if they want to chuck you out they can take issue with your dates. but equally it might be something the uk require in their visa applications, as when i was in russia people i spoke to said the arsy form had been imposed in response to british visa changes.
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
dk i was in yakutsk and points north and didn't see an atm.
Mrs Miggins
It’s all happening tomorrow
Tourist visa costs £185 
Mrs Miggins
It’s all happening tomorrow
There must be ATMs in St Petersburg surely?!
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
sure there are but i was about 4-5000 miles away
Athos
Well-Known Member
Yes, but tell your bank before you go.
Manter
Lunch Mob
Yes there are, lots.
Manter
Lunch Mob
Russian consulate website says 4 weeks processing at the moment.
For an ordinary tourist visa I personally would go straight through the consulate and avoid agencies, tour groups etc. Cheaper, faster, accurate.
Manter
Lunch Mob
They are often inside offices- not outside or lobbies like we are used to seeing.
Mrs Miggins
It’s all happening tomorrow
Thanks - I'm looking now and all I can find is agencies who are charging fees and I'd much rather just do it myself especialy as I don't want to book my actual travel and accomodation through an agency.
How do I get the letter of invitation though? When I make a hotel booking? They will provide one right?
Mrs Miggins
It’s all happening tomorrow
£38.40 direct through the consulate. That's a bit easier to swallow than £185!
Mrs Miggins
It’s all happening tomorrow
This sort of shit is just one of the many reasons to appreciate EU membership and how bloody easy it is to go anywhere in that bloc without this kind of palaver.
Mrs Miggins
It’s all happening tomorrow
Is this other St Petersburg in that America?
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
florida
Idris2002
canadian girlfriend
Florida man, Florida man, does whatever a Florida can.
Winot
I wholeheartedley agree with your viewpoint
We went to St Petersburg and Moscow in September 2004. Mrs W was pregnant with W1 and feeling shit so Moscow was a bit of a wash-out. But we really liked the old churches in the Golden Ring (accessible by train from Moscow). I did also manage to see Lenin's tomb on my own (i.e. I was the only person there apart from guards) which was pretty memorable.
St. P was more European as people have said and we did the usual tourist spots inc. Hermitage and St Peterhof Palace. Also some great classical music (a memorable Shostakovich concert in an 18th century concert hall off Nevsky Prospekt with a promenade by the locals in the interval)
Excellent food in both locations (we were there in mushroom season).
Downsides were the visa process and the Russian attitude to tourists. I booked our visas online and had to give an exact itinerary of where we were going to stay every night. As we were only planning to book the first few nights, I made up an itinerary and made an application - but only for one of us to test the process (so I didn't waste two fees). The visa was granted OK but foolishly I hadn't kept a record of my invented itinerary
Luckily a friend speaks good Russian and he translated the visa schedule so I could copy it for the second visa.
I also found the bureaucracy once we were there bloody annoying. I'm pretty widely travelled and no matter where I've been in the world I have generally found that being polite, smiling, asking for help and having a few words of the language means that locals are happy to help out. In Russia by contrast it was as if they were going out of their way to be difficult - I suspect it's just that they don't really have a 'service culture'. But perhaps we were just unlucky.
St. P was more European as people have said and we did the usual tourist spots inc. Hermitage and St Peterhof Palace. Also some great classical music (a memorable Shostakovich concert in an 18th century concert hall off Nevsky Prospekt with a promenade by the locals in the interval)
Excellent food in both locations (we were there in mushroom season).
Downsides were the visa process and the Russian attitude to tourists. I booked our visas online and had to give an exact itinerary of where we were going to stay every night. As we were only planning to book the first few nights, I made up an itinerary and made an application - but only for one of us to test the process (so I didn't waste two fees). The visa was granted OK but foolishly I hadn't kept a record of my invented itinerary
Luckily a friend speaks good Russian and he translated the visa schedule so I could copy it for the second visa. I also found the bureaucracy once we were there bloody annoying. I'm pretty widely travelled and no matter where I've been in the world I have generally found that being polite, smiling, asking for help and having a few words of the language means that locals are happy to help out. In Russia by contrast it was as if they were going out of their way to be difficult - I suspect it's just that they don't really have a 'service culture'. But perhaps we were just unlucky.
not-bono-ever
meh
Just logged into the WiFi on my favourite Georgian restaurant in st p - REDACTED- to check what was going on with shitting brexit and there you go. Big day here with the president at the arctic forum and the ville is loaded with popo . Anyway.off to Moscow on the Sapsan in a couple of days - any specifics you want to ask ? Good rivera and kahlo exhibition on at borises private faberge museum for the next month
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not-bono-ever
meh
Might not be back here for a while so have patience
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not-bono-ever
meh
hgghjhhhhh
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