Russia - Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Vyborg

Russia was never on my go to list as a holiday destination from Mumbai. I was always intimidated by the Kremlin and used to feel the cities are full of thugs. However this presumption was proved completely wrong upon visiting this enchanted, beautiful, serene, mesmerising country which is full of surprises. Agree language is a barrier, like barely anyone speaks English, but hey, there is Google translator with offline language mode. I planned a trip to visit three places within a span of ten days. Visiting in month of November had it’s perks. It’s off season and the weather although quite chilly is bearable (Around 4-5 degrees during the day).  

I started off my trip by entering Moscow from Mumbai with one friend. We had taken Flydubai flights which proved to be very economical and hence allowed us to spend lavishly on good hotels and the usual expenses there within our planned budget. The visa procedure done from Mumbai was fairly easy, hardly any documentation required. Once we landed we booked a cab for our hotel which was in the heart of Moscow city. As mentioned language is a barrier, so the Uber driver could not understand us, however once we went in the arrival zone he recognized us with his phone in hand showing the booking. I stayed at Ibis Hotel near Paveletskaya (Russian: Павелецкая) metro station in Moscow which was quite central.

Moscow is so beautiful. The architecture influenced from Byzantine empire is truly marvellous and unbelievable. The Kremlin Complex is definitely one of the places to see before you die. Surrounded by red square on the outside along with the famous Basilica, no denying this is one of the most visited spots in the city. The Soviet Union memorials are also historically quite interesting including the famous KGB headquarters. We took a walking tour of Soviet Union history on the first day. We booked this one through the Hop on Hop off bus. The reason we approached this bus was not necessarily to get a tour of Moscow, but mainly because we were struggling to understand what to do at Kremlin booking office. Even with translator, was not able to understand how to get a tour of Kremlin with an English speaking guide.  Finally we managed to get one after doing a lot of calls. These guys are a rare species in Moscow!

The Kremlin was such a huge complex, knowing the power it holds one feels overwhelmed on entering. Our guide was superb and very informative. She explained us the main blocks of the complex with important historical facts. In Russia you will hear a lot about Ivan the terrible and it’s a very common name too! She also showed us where Putin sits when he wants to address the nation. The Orthodox Church was one hell of a building in the complex. In Russia people still follow orthodox religion although some have converted to Christianity now. 

Now being with a local guide has its set of advantages. 

After the tour was over she took us to a canteen in the gem store at the red square where we got to experience Russian cuisine at its best. Borscht soup is a must try which is made from beetroot. There was buckwheat with sourcream and yes offcourse the famous Herring and Caviar. It didn't suit my taste palette however it was worth trying. There were some other croquettes which were also pretty good. This was a really local experience.

The night spots are also very good to roam around. Using metro is the best  way, however be ready, the map of metro is not in English in the stations or even the signs. So having one with English in the mobile is very important and you have to keep referring whenever signs show up and its best to memorise the stops because it’s very easy to lose the station because of names in Russian language.  The supermarkets are superb, apart from branded stuff there is a lot of local savouries you get which are so good. Also people in Moscow although do not speak English are quite helpful and try their best to help in directions. 

We went to a couple of pubs in the three nights we spent in Moscow. They love old school heavy metal which is good to our ears and something familiar. The local brewed beers are pretty good and of course the famous vodka had in ice water in the freezing temperature gives the chill of a lifetime. I preferred going for Jack Daniel shots most of the time.  The entire atmosphere in the night is quite soothing. Because of the freezing temperature lot of people prefer having hot coffee as well, so there are a good number of small local coffee shops. I tried Burger Shack once for dinner and wow the burgers were so juicy and delicious.

Moscow to St. Petersburg is best recommended by flight which we had already booked. It’s very convenient and saves lot of time. St. Petersburg is totally different from Moscow. It gives the feeling of being in Venice. It’s truly a golden city in the night and very happening. I believe lot of European tourists also visit this city for a good number of days as there is so much to do in and around the city. We had around 5 days planned for this city with an excursion to Vyborg. Roaming around this city is much easier compared to Moscow. There are sign boards in English and here the culture is more modernised. Metro again is very well organised. Doing a hop on hop off bus tour is essential as there are too many places to see within the city itself and the bus helps you decide which places to see as per one’s preferences. There are boat tours all day along the canals in the city and also take you to the breath taking view of the Peter Paul fortress and of course the bridges.  

The winter palace is the most popular tourist attraction and yes it is totally worth spending a day here. An entire day! It houses the world famous Hermitage Museum which has even Egyptian and Greek artefacts. There is English audio guide available inside the museum which is not mentioned outside at the ticket gates. We did a mistake and hired a guide who basically took us through the main artefacts, however with a help of a map and audio guide it’s very easy to do this on your own. There is usually a huge line to enter the museum so recommended to come in the morning here. The museum is divided into hallways and rooms as per artefacts and paintings of cultural origin. It’s as vast as the Titanic!  The palace square is also very picturesque and I believe a lot of films and ads are shot here. When I had visited this place in November 2015 an unfortunate incident had happened with an airline from Saint Petersburg which had crashed on its way to Egypt. Hope their souls rest in peace. There was a memorial setup at the centre of Palace square and lot of people were visiting.

Other places to visit are the famous Peterhof and Pushkin Palace which is on the outskirts of the city, we skipped it as they were not operational due to some renovation. The Peter and Paul fortress which is basically an island adjoining the city is a marvel. The tall church can be seen from far away and the entire fortress is a wonderful place to explore. There is a souvenir shop located near the church which is very good to buy local stuff as they don’t over charge. The church from inside is pretty much gold and the tombs of Saint Peter and his daughter Lady Catherine are placed here with the family reign.  

Another must visit place especially for guys and weapons aficionados is the armoury which is also called the Russian museum of warfare. This is a long walk from the Peter and Paul fortress. So better take tram or metro. The exterior of this building holds all the tanks and artillery used during the world war. The building comprises of weapons dated back to a century old and the warfare used. The care takers in the building are retired military personnel so they are quite excited to answer or show you around when asked something. Guns, snipers, AK47, vehicles, armours, uniforms and even nuclear warfare is on display here.  

Apart from these there is the Church of Savior on blood, Saint Isaac’s Cathedral, Kazan Cathedral which are a must to visit. The most happening place in the night is Nevsky Project which has everything from shopping to restaurants and pubs. On of my usual hangout in the nights was Rock Star Café which was near Winter Palace. I think I went there about three or four times during my stay, as it had a wonderful vibe and music was again pure heavy metal and rock classics. The chairs had all names of famous rock star encrypted behind. 

As mentioned earlier I had a day trip planned to small town called Vyborg which is just 40kms from Finland border. There are trains every hour from Saint Petersburg which take about two and a half hours to reach this beautiful town. It is a very small town which has an enchanted castle surrounded by water on all sides. Truly beautiful. The culture here is a mix of Finland, Sweden and Russian History. This town was part of Finland before then eventually became part of Russia.

Something totally unexpected happened as soon as we were entering the Vyborg town from the train station, we were held by the local police authorities. I can fairly assume, they are not used to brown skin tourists. They asked us for passport, visa, return tickets and so on. We had to verify so many details which we didn’t have to face at immigration also.  There was a custom officer who was called specially to interrogate us. They were unsure about us, since Finland border is so near that one can cross without documentation and that is true. Alas! We were let go and as soon as I stepped outside a taxi guy approached us shouting Finland, we said no as didn’t have any intentions to go there without visa. Now as we started exploring the little town we realised, we were constantly being followed by two guys. At first, we thought they were local tourists but soon we realised they are not just following us, they are keeping an eye on us. Once we were back at the station those two guys also came and we saw them shaking hands with the interrogator. So yes we were officially spied upon! This gave a feeling of being a secret agent, however felt badly as this should not happen to anyone during holidays.

The last night at St. Petersburg, I again went to Rock Star Cafe and enjoyed my time there truly and then just strolled around Nevsky Prospect for the last time. Russia is very well known for home brand chocolates and honey, so this should be added to the shopping cart apart from usual souvenirs. The particular chocolate brand I loved was written as Poccur, now I am not sure how it's pronounced in Russian. But it's easily available everywhere.    

From Saint Peterburg there was a domestic flight to the international airport of Moscow and then our return flight for Mumbai was booked the same day. It started snowing in Moscow. What a way to end the trip! Russia truly a beautiful country with warm people. Saint Petersburg will always remain one of my favourite cities in the world.