Travel All RussiaReviews of travelallrussia.com

The guides were spectacular. They new the details of the sites we saw and could place everything in the context of the history of the time in which the structure was created. Similiarly, they knew things about every artist and their work.

Everything is great! Thank you so much!

Very well organized and professional. Arranged local guides in every city in which we stopped which provided a knowledgeable experience. This was in addition to a dedicated guide who was with us during the entire trip.

I loved this trip. By the 7th day I wasn't sure I could keep having so much fun... I heard only a couple of minor complaints from fellow travelers but I believe you also have a responsibility to yourself to let minor things go. I thought the itinerary was excellent and our guides did a very good job.

This is our experience with Travel All Russia/Firebird Tours. While we were in Russia before the Trans Siberian tour we were informed that we would not be travelling by train between Yekaterinburg and Irkutsk, a significant portion of the trip. There was some excuse given but it didn’t make sense to us and when we asked for more detail it only became more vague. The main reason for the extremely short notice change, we were told, was that some people had cancelled , therefore, leaving insufficient numbers for a private car on the train; we didn’t book for a private car on the train, it was supposed to be 1st class on a scheduled train. I cannot see how other people cancelling or altering their trip should cause half our trip to be scrapped! With a weeks notice of cancellation, the people would not have received any refund, in other words, Firebird Tours would have been financially in the same position but nevertheless rearranged our entire trip. If we were informed of this before we left home we would have cancelled the trip! However, as we were already in Russia we had no alternative but to accept their arrangements; which initially included flying from Yekaterinburg for 3 hours to Moscow, waiting for an hour and half then flying to Irkutsk for 8 hours at midnight and expecting us to sleep on the plane; which we cannot do at the best of times. It was an insult! Firebird also put us in 2nd class on a Chinese train from Irkutsk to Ulaan Baator, we had a compartment for 4 to ourselves but it was still 2nd class, very dirty, the toilet was disgraceful, it could be smelt from the passageway and was not cleaned at all, the windows were too dirty to see out of clearly. We paid for 1st class and we got 2nd class. We met a small group in Ulaan Baator who were travelling with Firebird doing the same trip in reverse ie to Moscow and they were told the same story and were going to have to fly from Irkutsk to Yekaterinburg. It seems to us that this is the way the trip is done. We were offered a couple of extra meals, side trips and some compensation (about 20%) but all that was meaningless, we paid a lot of money to travel across Russia by train and that is what we wanted to do. It was the train ride we were interested in, they didn’t seem to care about this. I waited 50 years for this trip, paid a lot of money and did not get the trip I paid for. I wonder if the trip was never going to be the full train ride.

My wife and I used this company for our Trans Siberian Railway trip from Vladivostok to Moscow and St. Petersburg last May(2018) stopping at eight cities in between. We were very happy with the guided tours, all the guides were good English speaking, and three of them were outstanding! The railway is double tracked the whole way, all trains electrified, and never once was a train late either arriving or leaving!!! We found the Russian people very good to us, we took many photos and outside of the organised tours walked freely in the cities. This was our "trip of a lifetime" Thank you Travel All Russia

We just got back from our tour to Russia and by all means, WE HAD A TEFFIFIC TIME. Our tour guides Elena in Moscow and Constantine in St. Petersburg were excellent in every sense of the word. The personal at the hotels made us feel incredible pampered. The tour program is superb and perfectly complete. We were taken to all the highlights of the cities without feeling tired and still had time to enjoy the attractions on our own. TravelallRussia by firebird tours is a magnificent experience that we highly recommend. This people know the art of touristing and do it in such a pleasant way, that all you want is to travel again with them.. We are already planning our next year’s vacation with them. 💯 all the way.

Before I booked this trip I called the company. When I travel, I generally read in depth about the country I will visit including histories and contemporary and classic literature. I explained this and asked if the guides had in depth knowledge of Russia. I was assured that they did. Much to my disappointment, 2 our of the 3 guides didn't. For the 2 poor guides, their English was only OK, so even simple questions elicited incorrect answers. More importantly they had memorized dates and facts, but had no understanding underlying historic or philosophical trends. You couldn't ask "why" because they couldn't discuss "why". The third guide in St Petersburg, Konstantin, was excellent - smart, well read, personable, and extremely knowledgeable. Many days we either spent close to half a day in transit or with time off. For example on two days in St Peterburg, the day started at about 10 and was over by 3. I do not consider this a full-day tour. I took initiative and my husband and I went off to museums not included in the tour on these afternoons. The tour company makes no effort to provide you with information about what is happening in the cities being visited that is not included in the tour, but which could be interesting. We attended the ballet and an a concert that I found myself. I realize I'm an outlier because of all the reading I do prior to traveling, I just wish they had been up-front with me.