Travel All RussiaReviews of travelallrussia.com

The Trans Siberian train trip in August was a once in a lifetime experience for me! Thank you!

We used Travel All Russia for independent car, driver and guide in St. Petersburg and Moscow while on a river cruise through Russia. What a great call, it was an additional expense but well worth it. Cars were new, clean and comfortable driven by excellent drivers. Both our guides were excellent, spoke perfect English and very knowledgeable. Our guide in St Petersburg was a history teacher! We saw so much more, and more in depth than our fellow passengers. In Moscow our guide was able to get us into the Kremlin before any other visitors, she also was able to alter our itinerary on the spot so that we got to visit Tolstoy's home. Everything worked out just as arranged plus some. So glad we went this route so worth it. Reservation agents were great to deal with, they also handled our visas which is quite a process. This was an A plus experience!

On our return, the following review was sent to Monika Tamosiunaite, the travel agent who managed our tour. We’re back from Russia with wonderful memories. Logistically, everything worked fine. We’re glad we accepted the St. Regis and Grand Europe Hotels on your recommendation. At first, the rooms in both hotels were a little warm for our taste (that seems to be the Russian norm) but, as you might expect from 4 & 5-star hotels, the accommodating staffs quickly rectified that minor problem. Breakfasts warrant special mention – they were spectacular in both hotels. The guides were well informed, articulate, and generally good company. In particular, Svetlana Armstrong combined professionalism and a pleasant personality to enhance our St. Petersburg experience. As well, she proved to be resourceful and accommodating, particularly when she arranged to extend a day in which we spent more than the allotted time at the Jewish Community Centre. Elena, in the Golden Ring, was extremely competent and most helpful when Janis needed some medical attention for a persistent cough. Mila, in Moscow, was ‘interesting’. She was efficient, knowledgeable (especially in art), and made excellent use of her contacts to short circuit waiting lines and squeeze as much as possible into busy days (eg., adding a visit to Lenin’s mausoleum, which was not on our itinerary). At times, her efficiency came at the expense of flexibility and she occasionally exhibited a stern impatience which, to our minds, was unfounded. This was particularly apparent on the day we visited the synagogue, a highlight for us, where she seemed ill-tempered and less than helpful in making arrangements. We did sort things out (although we had to take some initiative) and it ended well. We parted on good terms and even joked about our different styles. The Golden Ring tour was enjoyable, if a little hectic – we assume some responsibility for the tight schedule. The banya in Suzdal was a welcome contrast from the many churches and icons – the accompanying dinner not so much. It turned out not to be dinner with a Russian family (as promised) but a spartan, unimaginative meal in an isolated room in the host’s house. In general, the meals provided in the Golden Ring were not up to the tour’s standard and fell far short of the meals we arranged on our own. That’s something you should take into account in future planning. We would like to put in a special thank you to Ekaterina in your office. At one point, Gail thought she had lost a small bag with her jewellery in it and Ekaterina contacted all of the hotels to see whether it had been left there. Gail ultimately found the jewellery (tucked away in a “safe place) but wanted to be sure to mention Ekaterina’s helpful and efficient effort. The Donners and we have traveled extensively together to diverse places (eg., Africa, South East Asia, South America) following similar arrangements with other tour companies. We’re pleased to be able to say that, in terms of organization and meeting expectations, the Russian trip ranks with our best. We thank you personally for your hard work and patience in dealing with our seemingly never-ending questions and requests to revise our itinerary. The service provided by Travel All Russia was excellent in all respects and we will be pleased to recommend your agency to friends.

I recently traveled to Russia on a customized tour set up by Travel All Russia. It was an outstanding experience. Not only did they arrange for me to get to specific sites that I wanted to see like the Borodino battlefield and Stalingrad but the guides and logistical arrangements were superb.

The river cruise from St. Petersburg to Moscow was a first rate experience. The tours in SP were very well done. As a small group of English speakers, we had our own guides and they were excellent. Our on ship guide, Alina, went above and beyond to take care of us an answer our needs and questions. The food was very good and our steward, Tatiana, took good care of us. Only issue was that they ran out of our preferred wines by the end of the cruise. The ship itself is clean, comfortable and easy to move about. The cabin was wonderful. The village excursions were fun and educational. Magical trip.

EVERYTHING WELL ORGANISED - FOOD ON TRAIN WAS EXCELLENT. TOTALLY ENJOYABLE TOUR.

Listens to needs,flexible, very knowledgeable, art and history. Not sure she was open to sharing true economy and life in Russia outside of St. Petersburg.

Well organized and responsive private tour. Travel AllRussia was very communicative throughout the preparation phase. Execution on the ground was faultless. Guides were very knowledgable and interactive. Advance purchase of tickets to crowded sites practically eliminated waiting time. Tour guides were flexible and adjusted to changes in circumstances. Very enjoyable 8-day visits to Moscow and St Petersburg.