Russia- how safe?The question about safety is very typical,
and there are
quite a few pages devoted to personal experiences
of
people, who have visited Russia and Moscow
recently. One of
them: http://members.aol.com/Russian190/safety.html
As for hotels, they tend to be overpriced
especially in big
cities, so here is a link to the Youth Hostel
Association:
http://www.spb.su/ryh/ryha.html
The guest house was once mentioned on the
thorntree as a
nice place and it looks like it is situated
not far from the
centre of Moscow. Besides, they can be helpful
in arranging
a visa for you. E-mail me if you have any
questions about
something in particular.
russia is as dangerous or safe as you want
it to be .what i
mean is i'm sure you can get into plenty
of trouble where
you are at yet stay safe in russia with a
little thought.
by the way russia probably deserves a little
thought before
just jumping into. however it is a deeply
rewarding place
to visit , highly adventurous as well as
challenging and
worth every penny,pence or rouble (all worth
about the same)
.having spent four months travelling to a
variety of places
in european russia i must say that st.petersburg
was far
superior in my opinion to moscow ,never the
less see both
and let us know. be brave.be very careful
and cautious. and
most of all ...have the time of your life.
i did and ended
up marrying a russian and feel i have a second
home.
schesleeva.
I have heard that you should always phone
for a cab
rather than hailing one off the curb. A friend
of mine
is from St. Petersburg, and on her recent
visit to St. Pete
with an American friend, she waved three
cabs by before she
got into one.
I travelled alone in European Russia in summer
1996 without
any safety problems. However, there a few
things one should
bear in mind:
1. It is very important to appear as little
foreign as
possible, as they attract petty criminals.
So tear off all
airline stickers etc. from your luggage as
soon as you
arrive there. As for clothing, young Russians
in cities
like St Petersburg and Moscow dress similarly
to other
Europeans.
2. When people get into trouble in Russia,
it usually
happens between 10pm - 6am. If you have to
move around at
that time, it is adviseable order a taxi
beforehand.
3. Most Russians still know very little English,
even those
who really should (like clerks at foreigners'
ticket
offices). However, the hostels at least in
St Petersburg
have English-speaking staff, and they are
able to arrange
e.g. train tickets for you. Otherwise, I
have found Berlitz
Russian for Travellers phrasebook very useful.
3. In 1996, tap water in St Petersburg was
still
contaminated by giardia. Even brushing your
teeth could
transmit the parasite. So it is adviseable
to ask first at
the hostels.
If you haven't yet, it is worth visiting
the St Petersburg
youth hostel's homepage at http://www.spb.su/ryh/index.html
for more up-to-date info.
Have a great trip,
Kari
Lonely Planet Publications talk2us@lonelyplanet.com.au
SEE ALSO: My russian Adventure