Travel All RussiaReviews of travelallrussia.com

My trip was greatly enhanced by touring the Golden Ring for the first few days. This extension gave me a great appreciation for the history of the Russian common people, not just the nobility who inhabited the fabulous palaces. Also, it was not crowded there and the guides were very welcoming and knowledgeable. In St. Petersburg, I would like to recommend the Faberge Museum which is just off Nevsky Prospect. It wasn't crowded at all and was just fabulous. The lack of crowds meant that it was possible to get right up to the breathtaking exhibits and take time to look closely at them. It's a small place and can be easily added to the afternoon of any of the days in St. Petersburg. I had such a great experience and I am planning to continue traveling with Travel All Russia/Firebird Tours.

My wife and I are very experienced travelers, yet this trip just cannot be topped, I am sure. Getting to visit a place that has always been painted as "the enemy" was an experience in itself. I came away with a deep respect, admiration, and yes, envy of the Russian people. So much so that I believe this will be the first of many visits. I actually got chills up my spine when I stepped on Red Square - so steeped in history and a real source of pride for the locals. In fact, pride was a recurring theme that I ran into across Russia. Russians are as proud, if not more so, as Americans are of their country. We were met at the airport in Saint Petersburg by Sergei, the driver, holding a sign with our names on it. He took us to the hotel (the Hotel Europe - a real gem, by the way). Then he and Mikhail, the guide, met us every day, as we saw fascinating things everyday. And Mikhail could tell us every small detail about everything we saw. Both went out of their way to help us, to show us additional things that we had not thought of, and to fill in holes regarding our knowledge of Russian culture. Kudos to both - it made our visit so rewarding. We also went to two ballet performances at the Mariinsky Theater - and make no mistake, all others are pale imitations of the Russians when it comes to ballet. Phenomenal performances in a grand, historic theater, done by the best in the world. We took the bullet train to Moscow after more than a week (all arranged by Travel All Russia, of course), and we then spent over a week in Moscow at the St Regis (great hotel - unbeatable location). There Maria, our Moscow guide, took us in hand and filled us with so much information about Moscow and Russia that we are still digesting it. We got to go to Ballet at the Bolshoi (it was on my bucket list - what can I say?), Red Square (during preparations for Victory Day), the Kremlin - this trip could not have been better. Before the trip, I did take the effort to learn enough Russian to read the signs and ask where a toilet was (for example). These preparations paid off in spades, as they added so much to the experience. Travel All Russia did everything that they said would, and more. The drivers are really needed, as the traffic and the manner of driving would tax anyone that was used to driving in the West. The real jewels in their crown are the guides. Mikhail and Maria were extraordinary, and they both added so much to our visit that in the end, I did not want to leave. Our trip was more than two weeks, and I loved every minute of it. Leave enough time to go exploring by yourselves, also, as there is just so much to experience on a personal level. But in the end, I had to earn more vacation time, so that I could go again!

Everything about the trip was well planned and executed with perfection! The guides had great knowledge of Russian history and culture. Sergei was both guide and driver for the 'Golden Ring' tour, his world view seemed more in-depth than either of our city tour guides or, maybe just better expressed. The city drivers were always in the right place at the right time. When I decided to alter the itinerary mid-trip, the changes were handled quickly and professionally.i would recommend Travel all Russia to anyone looking for a great Russian experience!! When your tour ends for the day, hop on the Subway, it is clean, cheap and easy to use even without knowing the language. Hint: Book at least two weeks to see St. Petersburg and Moscow. We had 17 days and could have used a few more.

We had an extremely positive experience with Travel All Russia recently on the Trans-Siberian railway. They were very professional and everything was extremely well organised. They paid a lot of attention to detail and were very easy to deal with. Elena and Vera were both very personable, helpful and professional and I would have no hesitation in strongly recommending them to anyone who is interested in travelling in Russia. Our itinerary was interesting and varied. Our guides were all very knowledgeable and professional and offered excellent service. Overall this was one of my best trips ever. It was impossible to choose a highlight - the whole trip was a highlight! Well done and a huge thank you to Travel All Russia.

We have just completed the A Winter Private Tour, Trans Siberian Railway journey from Xi'an to St Petersburg. Feb / Mar 2016. 26 days in total. From Our first contact with with Travel all Russia. we were made to feel welcome. Our Tour Guides opened their warm arms to us, and we in return open minds and listen and learnt, being from Australia Our journey become a life changing one. What we saw and what is sacrifice by Chinese, Mongolian & Russian people is remarkable and What is taught to us in western schools is not whole story. What Travel all Russia Controls they do exceptionally well. Everything they say they would do, they did and more. the only trouble we had was Outside the Control of Travel all Russia. Which was at the boarder of Mongolia going into Russia. Which is currently being looked into by Travel all Russia. We currently looking at of returning to Russia in 2018. and I will be using Travel all Russia again

Well, this truly was the trip of a lifetime. We have traveled a lot but both agree this is the best one yet. At every turn, your people were standing there with signs to greet us. We had absolutely no problems with anything on the entire trip. The first morning when we walked to the Monastery to hear the Male Choir was a great experience. It couldn't have been better. David decided he wanted to get a better view and insisted that we climb the spiral staircase, only to find out that is where the Choir sits. They were kind but motioned for us to return to the main floor. The service was beautiful and was a true Russian experience. The fact that you were able to get us to tickets to the Bolshoi Theater to see the Nutcracker on our first night was unbelievable. The seats were on the main floor, 5 rows back center could not have been better. The guides were remarkable. Aleksey in Moscow couldn't have been more knowledgeable. We were stunned at the amount of information he was able to share with us. We were given such a comprehensive view of Russian history that it made it come alive for us. While in Red Square, Aleksey saw one of his friends who is a Bass in a singing group called Doros. He said we will see and hear him later. In St Basil's Cathedral in Red Square, he took us to meet his friends in one of the chapels who did indeed sang for us. It was a truly moving experience. The amazing Kremlin Armory was so worth doing. I expected it to be all about weapons and armor, but that is just a small piece of it. It was not at all what we expected. The finery, Royal Coaches, gifts from foreign countries and Crown Jewels were jaw dropping. We also were happy to see the famous Faberge Eggs. As we were leaving Moscow, we were stuck in a traffic jam and our driver was impressive. So good at what he does. We were late because of the traffic so Aleksey grabbed two of our bags, helped us jump the lines at security and raced with us onto our coach, said goodbye, hugged us and ran for the door as the train was starting to move. He went over and above what was expected of him. We can't wait to hear what he will name his new baby which will arrive sometime very soon. In St. Petersburg,again the driver met us with a smile. Mikhail, our guide also is so good at what he does. I can understand why you employee these guys. They are totally professional. At the Hermitage, he guided us through the maze of palaces and showed us the highlights, while keeping us safe from the pick pocket teams that were waiting to pray on the tourists. We sort of feared for him as he had been threatened by them if he pointed them out to his clients. He took us to some wonderful places to purchase Russian treasures which were of outstanding quality, much different that we had seen in other stores and shops. The Vodka tasting was a unique experience. We both loved it, although David struggled with shooting the shots instead of sipping. We were able to take over 1000 photos many of which we shared on Facebook. The comments from people were mostly... "Thank your for letting us see your photos and share in your adventure." Many were stunned to see the beauty of Russia. It is so different from what our perceptions were before we left. We were glad we were able to share it with others. In Helsinki, we were again met by our smiling driver. What a kind gentle man. Olof, our guide was so accommodating and a breath of fresh air. The first thing he said was "Do you want a Sauna?" I wanted to try it, but David was a bit hesitant. When we went to the place they had planned, it was packed with people who were enjoying the time off for the holidays. We opted to try that on another trip. We were taken to the most beautiful sights. We also did our share of shopping. The hotels you booked were spectacular and the staff helpful and very friendly and most had excellent English. I want to say how impressed we were with how smooth the process of getting the Visa's was. You made it almost effortless on our part. Your company is to be commended for such an outstanding job. You especially were helpful with our questions and fears and were quick to answer any of our concerns. We couldn't be happier that we found you and your company to help us discover the magic of Russia. We definitely want to return when we can spend more time in your beautiful country. Thank you again for everything. Rob Anderson

One should note that the physical accommodations on the "Russ," and I presume other river cruise ships operated by the company "Teploxod," are not as upscale as what one would find in the west. But the food, the people, and the service were all excellent. Travel All Russia handled my reservations and Visa requirements most efficiently. I recommend these trips wholeheartedly, with the understanding that the service and food are excellent, the physical accommodations will be a bit spartan.

This was such an amazing trip! My mother has never been outside of the US and was nervous about going. But, she had the best time. The tour guides were awesome and all the planning was taken care of. The places chosen for us to see were all well worth it. We did all of the optional tours we could to do and see as much as possible. The entire trip was worth every penny; from the moment we booked until we got home. I would definitely use this company again in the future and have no problem recommending them to my closest friends and family!! It was a great experience.