Moscow in January (layover)

[Deleted]

I just found an amazing fare to Thailand...with a one-day (20 hours) layover in Moscow on the way back.  I'm intrigued.  I'm thinking we could check in to a hotel, freshen up, and hire a guide to take us to some of the main sights in Moscow before flying home.

Good/bad experiences in Moscow in January?  Is it easy enough to get from the airport to make one day worthwhile? 

[emilyinchile]

Which airport? There are two, and one is closer to the city than the other.

I went to Moscow in Feb of last year (blog posts: www.emilyinchile.com/tag/russia/), and I loved it. Yes, it's very cold, but I bundled up and was fine. You don't even necessarily need a guide, the main things like Red Square and the Kremlin are in the same area, and the metro is pretty easy to use.

Don't forget that you'll need a visa if you're a US citizen.

[emilyinchile]

neeps I'm not sure if you're criticizing me or not - it seemed like OP would be flying in from outside of Russia, so I just wanted to point out that she needed to be aware of which airport she was flying into because there is more than one. (FWIW, I went and looked up Moscow airports because I didn't know there was another one. It looks like there are actually three international airports with VKO being the third and receiving some flights from Bangkok, so we could both be wrong!)

Good call mentioning the hotel rooms. I stayed in a 3-star hotel stuck in the 80s and paid something like $250/night. Moscow is expensive.

[Deleted]

It's through SVO. We will be flying in/out of New York so having a winter outfit/coat is not a problem. I have heard Moscow is pricey - if I book this flight versus a more direct flight, we save about 1200, so it's still a win, plus we get to see a new city.

Thanks for the advice! Open to hotel recs etc.

[mdgirl]

My husband just got back from Moscow (and Sochi), and he said it was the most expensive city he's ever been to (including New York, London, and Tokyo). Even saving $1200 on your tickets might not actually bring you out ahead when you figure visas alone will be about $500 for the two of you (they're listed as cheaper, but they kept tacking on fees when my husband actually went to get one).

He stayed at Hotel National and he liked it quite a bit. Nice hotel and it's in a central location.

[alleinesein]

Mar 6, 2014 11:22:35 GMT -5 @travelbug1210 said:

It's through SVO. We will be flying in/out of New York so having a winter outfit/coat is not a problem. I have heard Moscow is pricey - if I book this flight versus a more direct flight, we save about 1200, so it's still a win, plus we get to see a new city.

Thanks for the advice! Open to hotel recs etc.

New York winter gear will not cut it for Moscow. My uncle worked for a Russian company and spent many winters in Moscow and froze his ass off and he lives in Iowa. When Iowa in the winter is considered warm you know it gets damn cold in Moscow.

[emilyinchile]

Oh yeah, totally wasn't thinking about how Russia shuts down during the first part of January (I work with Russians, they are completely unreachable). This is a very relevant point.

I think maybe the cold wasn't as bad because I forgot that everywhere would be nice and toasty inside, not like stupid Chile where most places don't have heat. It was also only about -10C during the day while I was there, and it does get a lot colder. But basically I wore leggings under jeans, winter socks with boots and a few layers on top finished with my down parka plus of course gloves, scarf and hat, and I could last about 2-3 hours with my body feeling ok. That seemed to be the time limit before I started to lose feeling in my face, so at that point I'd go inside for a coffee ($8 lattes, woo hoo!) or lunch depending on the time of day.

[Deleted]

To answer some questions: it would be January 2-3, so it shouldn't conflict with Russian holidays as far as I know. I appreciate the tips on the cold. I guess I'm envisioning not spending a ton of time outside, just in and out of places (thats why Im thinking maybe a tour instead of wandering around ourselves like we usually do). I think the wording in my post was unclear, I'm not really viewing this as a money saver per se, more that the flights are so much cheaper that for the same overall trip cost we could do a day in another city my husbands been interested in seeing. The actual day will fall on our 5th anniversary, so it'd be something different and I'm not overly concerned with the cost if its something feasible and worthwhile doing.

The comments about proximity to the airport and ease of getting around are very helpful! Also appreciate the visa advice, I had not thought about that at all.

Emilyinchile, I need to check out your blog when I'm not on my phone!!

[Deleted]

I'm glad I asked. I knew the Russian Christmas is the 7th, I wouldn't hav expected things to be closed down the preceding week. Good point.

[emilyinchile]

Yeah, it's shut down approximately NYE through Christmas (neeps, don't jump on me if I have my dates a bit off! haha). I might email the recommended tour company just to ask, but unfortunately I would assume pretty much everywhere will be closed. For cheap airfare, if you didn't have to get visas, I'd say do it anyway because even just seeing the Kremlin etc. from outside is pretty cool, but I don't know if it's worth the hassle of getting your visas if you're only going to be able to walk around outside.

[Deleted]

I went for it. We had enough points for a room at the Ritz Carlton so at the very least it will be a nice anniversary night, and we'll try to see what we can the following day before we head out. From reading other blogs/reviews it sounds like there are *some* things open to cater to holiday visitors.

Thanks for the input! I'm glad I asked, because I would not have thought to start the visa process early.

[toutsuite]

neeps - I lived there too for several years! - I wonder if our time at all overlapped.

OP - sorry I am late to the game here - the Ritz is one of my FAVORITE places to go in the city.... It has arguably the best bar in the city - make sure you go to it there (they also have my favorite spa but the Hotel Ukraina has another good one and is close to the U.S. Embassy, river, etc.) O2 lounge is awesome - but expensive. It overlooks Red Square and has awesome drinks. It is widely known to be an expat hotspot and you will meet tons of interesting folks there. Given your location you will be able to walk to Red Square, GUM, the Kremlin, and a bunch of the major tourist sites. That will probably take up most of your time. If you are looking for a good restaurant with decent Russian food within walking distance to your hotel, you can try Cafe Pushkin. It's pretty touristy (and expensive), but they do have decent Russian food and it is a unique experience. If you go here, I highly recommend obtaining reservations beforehand. Noviy Arbat is also relatively close - this is also a major tourist spot with good (but expensive shopping), restaurants, etc. Most people who work in the restaurants and shops here will speak English. Near the end of Noviy Arbat is another hotel called the Lotte Hotel on the Garden Ring - there is a great restaurant at the top of this that overlooks the city - its gorgeous (they also have a fabulous spa here). It is easy to get around the city in the center, though English is not as common the further out you get - thus it always helps if you have some Russian or can read Cyrillic.

Second PPs - that week pretty much everything beyond the major hot spots (though including some of the major tourist spots) will be closed. I remember when I was there the city was pretty dead for almost 10 days in between New Years and Russian Orthodox Christmas. It was even difficult to find restaurants/bars to go to. If you go in any churches, bring a scarf since you should cover your hair (Russian Orthodox practice but not mandated everywhere). Also while there (and since it is close to your hotel), check out the metros, as that tends to be a major tourist attraction...Most of the Stations are works of art themselves with the mosiac and architecture. The Russian metro system also tends to be very efficient.

Also second PPs who noted the clothes you need for Moscow are completely unlike the clothes you need for Bangkok. I am from Boston and the cold I experienced in Moscow was way more intense than the cold experienced in New England even in the harshest winters. It is bone-chilling and dry. Layer up - Down coats with fur linings tend to be the go-tos for Russians who can afford it. It is hysterical though because you will see them all bundled up then the women are wearing the highest, skinniest stiletto heels you have ever seen - though they never seem to fall which I don't understand...

If you were going to be there for longer, I would definitely recommend some other areas to go, but you will have so much to see around you that you will be busy as it is! Just FYI, the traffic is reallllllly bad from Sheremet'yevo to the city and back, so give yourself plenty of time to get to the airport unless you plan to take the direct train from Belorusskaya Train Station. I have almost missed flights before because of it. It has taken me three hours or more to get to Sheremet'yevo before. That said, most Russians who can afford it will leave the country during this timeframe so hopefully you won't encounter the same travel woes.

Be forewarned - I have done the flight from Shere - Bangkok several times before (if you are taking Aeroflot which I am assuming you are??). If you can upgrade - do so. Whenever I have taken that flight the Russians have gotten completely sh!tfaced before even taking off at the airport and since it is an overnight flight, it can make for some interesting and certainly memorable experiences. They actually stopped selling alcohol on that flight because it would get so rowdy and boisterous.

Enjoy your trip! Also, let me know if you need any recommendations for Bangkok - it's one of my favorite places and is a great place to vaca - you will have a blast!

[toutsuite]

Reading fail - your layover is on the way back through Moscow. Don't worry about the overnight flight in that case...There likely will still likelyl be some rowdiness and good stories...As a matter of fact one time I was coming back to Moscow from Bangkok I was forced to sit next to a lady wearing see through tights, and granny pant underwear - she had forgotten her pants at her hotel and owned her look/outfit like no other.

[Deleted]

toutsuite - what can you tell me about getting from the Ritz to the train to the airport? I want to maximize our time since we really only have one evening and one full morning.

[toutsuite]

@travelbug1210 - When I was there (which admittedly was well over a year ago so things could have changed significantly), Leningradskoye Shosse (the main road to get you to Sheremet'yevo Airport) was undergoing a lot of construction and had been for years - this is what caused the traffic issues. I highly doubt they will be doing that work during the Russian Christmas and New Year holidays...Rather than risk it though, there is he Sapsan train which you can take directly from the airport to Belorusskaya Station...It is comfortable and convenient. In total, the ride will take you about 50 minutes and it runs every half hour. Once you get to Belorusskaya, you can either take a cab or the metro to the hotel. If you take the metro from Belorusskaya which is on the brown and green line, you will want to take the metro into the city to Teatral'naya Station which is also on the green line. In the metro stations, you will want to look at the signs about the platform to determine which metro track you will want to take. As long as your destination (in this instance Teatral'naya) is on the sign, you are good to go. It may be difficult for you to understand the conductor when they announce the stop, so just count them (for you it will be your third stop). Going back to the airport, you can do this process in reverse or have the hotel get you a taxi to Belorusskaya.

Teatral'naya is underground - once you get there you will want to look for signs that take you to Tverskaya Ulitsa (Street). You can't miss the Ritz since it is right on his street, close to the intersection of Tverskaya Ulitsa and Ulitsa Okhotnyy Ryad. Be forewarned, you will need to use underground perekhods (pedestrian street crossings) to cross the major streets in this area. If you have a lot of luggage, that may make things difficult though not impossible. The perekhod crossings typically are not luggage (or really even handicapped for that matter) accessible.