Sasha Y.
A Must For Your Introduction to Russia
Absolutely amazing time in St Petersburg thanks to Vitaly (our sweet and earnest driver) and Mikhail (a senior guide who's a history professor and the most thoughtful person ever). Vitaly (former professional basketball player) met us at the arrivals hall of St Petersburg airport (you can't miss him - he's more than 2 meters tall and holding a bright red sign with your name), drove us everywhere in such a way that you barely notice the drive, is trustworthy (we just left our bags / coats etc in the car under his watch), is genuinely interested in your wellbeing, and speaks English in a very bashful manner. Mikhail (our guide) speaks perfect English, has a great sense of humor, and knows EVERYTHING (fun history facts, all the little details about every painting in the Hermitage Museum, info about every mosaic in every palace / church, etc) and EVERYONE (other guides, the staff at all the landmarks, etc). Thanks to his experience and connections, Mikhail knows all the shortcuts (don't fret when the queues are long - Mikhail knows a way in without needing to Q), how to get last minute tickets to the last ballet of the season, etc. But more than that Mikhail treats you as a kindly uncle would his favorite nephews / nieces: he walks you to your seat in the ballet theatre, carries your bags all the way in to your train carriage (when we were departing for Moscow), frets over you & your happiness constantly, gives the BEST recommendations for food / currency exchange / shopping, personally hunts down the items and snacks you want, jumps out of his seat as soon as you casually mention something like "oh more butter would be nice", and is SO patient (we were always late). We had the most spectacular introduction to Russia thanks to Vitaly and Mikhail, and will definitely be back in St Petersburg (with these two gentlemen as our driver and guide)! In Moscow we had Yuri as our driver from the train station to the hotel, and then for the first day of our tour. He doesn't speak English, and has a very serious mien, but you can count on Yuri to always be there when you need him, to get you through the insane Moscow traffic to wherever you want to go, and to do it all professionally and without you noticing the drive (all his gadgets are pretty cool too - e.g. he used a tablet to greet us at the platform right outside our train carriage - the backlighting was very useful in the dark of night). The driver we had on our second day of touring (and for airport transfer to DME) was Vassily (who also doesn't speak English) - less technologically adept than Yuri, we had to wait a long time for the pick up near the Kremlin, and the drive was less smooth (and quite scary at some points given high speeds and sudden braking). Our Moscow guide was Milla - a kindly lady who is knowledgeable and accommodating (and who helps you bargain at the stores). Side note: Several bottles of water are provided in every car every day, for those who worry about finding drinking water while on tour. And the guides know where to find the clean (and free) bathrooms in each city. Caution: we were dropped off at DME right in front of a porter with a luggage cart, who instantly grabbed our bags once the trunk was opened and loaded them up (while Vassily, our driver, simply drove off without a word and without attempting to intervene on our behalf with the porter). The porter doesn't speak English, and will try his best to spirit your bags away for an unknown fee - we had to liberate our bags while he stood there glaring, sulking and muttering. Within DME (after yet more metal detectors at the entrances), there will be strange men randomly approaching you and speaking in Russian - no clue what they want, but they definitely aren't Girl Scouts. Keep watch over all your belongings and don't follow anyone you don't know. You're on your own once TAR's driver deposits you at the DME driveway. One issue we had with the TAR itinerary: We were taken from the St Petersburg airport to the hotel and then an hour later to Tsar's Village (which is near the airport) - resulting in 40-50 minute journeys each way that could have been done without if we'd gone from the airport to Tsar's Village before heading to the hotel. Uncertain if this was because TAR thought we really wanted to check in and freshen up first, or if it was just poor planning. We weren't aware of Tsar's Village's proximity to the airport, and we didn't check or query beforehand as we figured TAR knew better than we did. Our regret: not spending more time in St Petersburg and Moscow. There's so much to see and do - we had to rush through museums and skip palaces thanks to our short stay. We'll definitely be back for more, as well as the Golden Cities Tour (historical cities older than Moscow) and the Trans Siberian. All in all, Travel All Russia is definitely worth the fees thanks to its guides (who bring Russia past & present to life) and drivers (who greet you at the airport / train station to prevent you getting lost, and who get you everywhere you need to go). Can't stress enough how brilliant Mikhail (our St Petersburg guide) is - he knows so much (well, he IS a history professor and has been a guide for 26 years), can get anything done, and is genuinely kind and caring. Thanks for the fantastic intro to Russia, TAR!