Travel All RussiaReviews of travelallrussia.com

We enjoyed very much what they promised they delivered.

I'm so happy I discovered Travel All Russia! My wife and I spent 5 great days with a wonderful guide discovering the opulent palaces and churches representative of the pre-Soviet Russian empire. Yana was energetic, friendly, and quite knowledgeable of the history and art displayed at The Hermitage, the Winter Palace, and the palaces of Peter and Catherine, as well as at the most famous cathedrals in St. Petersburg. Historic context related to the czarist era, the devastation of WWII, and more recent events were handled openly. She had great restaurant and shopping recommendations, as well; my wife is still buying online from one of her recommendations. For those unfamiliar with Russia (as were we) the guided experience is almost a requirement; road and street signs in the Cyrillic alphabet make self-navigation a prodigious task at best. Travel All Russia is an excellent solution. They worked cheerfully and seamlessly with us to coordinate our preferences for air travel and hotels, picked us up at the airport and every day for our touring agenda, and handled the paperwork and answered all questions related to obtaining our visas very efficiently. Ten out of ten!

we traveled Western Ukraine, met at train stations, guided tours. very nice! Well organized , fun, every where the food was great. We all really enjoyed, well,set up, understood every thing that was Going on, would recommend ! thank you from the Graham family.

My wife and I dealt with Ivan at Travel All Russia in setting up our vacation to Russia last month, which included a river cruise from St. Petersburg to Moscow on the Volga Dream and some optional excursions. Overall, we were pleased with the service rendered by Travel All Russia and Ivan. The Volga Dream was a wonderful ship. The hotels in St. Petersburg and Moscow were as nice as any in which we have ever stayed. Even the hotel in Suzdal, although lacking the splendor of those in Moscow and St. Petersburg, was very pleasant and a nice change of pace. The private tour guides Ivan arranged for us were knowledgeable, friendly, and spoke English quite well. The following comments may be applicable to essentially all tours and therefore may not come as a surprise to those who regularly go on tour type vacations. Although my wife and I regularly travel, this was the first time we have done a structured tour throughout almost our entire trip; instead, we usually learn enough about our travel destination before we leave so that we only use tour guides when absolutely necessary and then only for short periods of time. Having said that, there are some matters which seem to be matter of course for Russian tours, whether handled through the Volga Dream or directly by Travel All Russia. There was a lot of reliance on buses to get around, even when the distance to walk was quite short; there were times when buses made sense but there were other times when we could have easily walked and reached the destination just about as fast as when utilizing a bus. It also seems that the travel companies tend to use the same restaurants which all have remarkably similar fixed menus for the tour groups. On our private tours, which would have been a wonderful time to have experienced something different than the norm, we were still booked for our lunches and dinner at restaurants flooded by other tour groups. On our private tours, we would have preferred either to have not had our meals included, particularly our dinner in Suzdal, so that we could have selected a restaurant not flooded with tour groups, or for Travel All Russia to have provided our guide with greater latitude on where to take us to dine. As the title of our review indicates, some mistakes were made by Travel All Russia and included: 1. Ivan was unaware that some of the sites on our itinerary were photostops without any time to go into the church or other edifice. He had advised that the tour guide could not take us into such sites but that we would still have time to go into them on our own Fortunately, in St. Petersburg, we arrived a day early so were able to see the inside of some of the listed sites on the itinerary. 2. We had requested that our flight be booked through United because I receive a number of benefits when I book through United which I don't receive if the flight, even thought it involves flying on United, is booked through another airline. For whatever reason, our instructions in this regard were not followed and we were booked through Lufthansa rather than through United despite the fact that our flights to and from Germany, where we connected to Lufthansa for getting in and out of Russia, was on United. 3. We were not properly advised on the practice of tipping in Russia or that there would be a suggested tip amount for our time on the Volga Dream. Although tipping was never mandatory, once on board and towards the end of the cruise, we found that the Volga Dream had suggested guidelines as to what would constitute an appropriate tip. With our hectic schedule and the lack of an ATM on board the ship, there were exceedingly few opportunities to stop at an ATM in any of the ports to restock rubles; fortunately, between the US$ we had brought with us and the rubles we had left from our time in St. Petersburg, we were able to leave the suggested tip amount, but just barely. Despite the few mistakes, I would still use Travel All Russia again if I decide to go back to Russia for another trip. The difference is that I now know the areas where I would either need to personally handle matters (such as booking my own airline tickets) and/or be more assertive (such as arranging for my own meals on private tours). In closing, my wife and I had such a wonderful time in Russia that we both agreed it is a country well worth visiting again in the future.

Went on their "Black Cavar" tour to Moscow and St Petersburg, Russia. Absolutely amazing- every step of the way. From friendly, prompt airport pick up, to incredible hotels, good drivers and great guides- just tops, the whole way. We felt safe, informed, entertained, and even got to get into some places other tour companies couldn't get into. We were also a small group, so easy to navigate crowded Palaces etc. We loved both cities, and the whole country. The people were friendly and helpful, the country is fascinating, and with an extraordinary history. And the people have a strength, endurance and soulfulness which are admirable and heartwarming. The music, the culture, the history, the people - a trip of a lifetime. Absolutely wonderful. Thank you "Travel All Russia"!

I was booked through Travel All Russia on the Volga Dream and had a great time. I was booked in the Deluxe Single on the top deck and it was a great cabin. The food was excellent as was the entire staff.

I have always dreamed of visiting Moscow and St. Petersburg. Thanks to Travel All Russia, I was able to experience these two magnificent cities in the best way imaginable. My visa, travel transfers, itinerary, accommodation and special requests were all taken care of in detail. My only responsibility was to immerse myself in a fully guided, 7 day tour learning about Russia’s history, visiting gorgeous churches, palaces and landmarks, looking at art and monuments and experiencing Russia’s thriving modern culture. In addition to what was part of my tour package, I purchased a few “add-ons.” My Destination Specialist, Ivan Shirokov, was very helpful and accommodating by making sure I got exactly what I wanted while on my trip. He always steered me in the right direction and no question was ever left unanswered. I am so thrilled I was able to add on a coveted ballet ticket to Giselle at the Bolshoi and a day trip to Kolomenskoye Estate before my tour officially began with the group. Arriving early allowed me to adjust to the time difference and acclimate to Moscow while taking in the beauty of all the new sights and sounds. I highly recommend coming a day or two early to take advantage of getting a bit of a head start and for the opportunity to see a few more of the many sights that are available. Hotel Baltschug Kempinski in Moscow was my lovely hotel right across the Bolshoy Moskvoretsky Bridge connected to Red Square. What a thrill to sit down for dinner at the Baltschug Grill after my first day of sightseeing and have the view of the sun setting behind Saint Basil’s Cathedral. This splendid moment set the tone for the rest of my tour. The Baltschug hotel staff were helpful and friendly and the vegetarian options were delicious and not boring. The hotel building dates back to 1898 but my room was super clean, contemporary, quiet and equipped with plenty of hangers!! The included breakfast offered lots of variety and everything I had was fresh and delicious. I got hooked on morning routine of reading the Moscow Times while enjoying my breakfast. Grand Hotel Europe was my hotel in Saint Petersburg. It is a large hotel with old world charm, celebrating their 140th anniversary. Breakfast in the L’Europe restaurant was a bit overwhelming as the room is large and there are many stations but once I figured out the lay of the land I was able to get what I needed fairly quickly. This hotel is a little less intimate than the Baltschug because of its size but no less elegant or accommodating. Love the location... just off of Nevsky Prospekt so I took advantage of exploring the area on my own. Our city transfer... getting to the train, luggage pick up, our seats and ride, arrival and transfer to hotel all went smoothly. I would recommend “add-on’s” to other Russian destinations offered via train a definite consideration as it is an easy way to travel when there is the assistance (and peace of mind) of a guide or driver to help on both ends with transfers. The tour itinerary was very well planned in that there was never a day where I felt the schedule was too ambitious or too lax. Obviously there is heaps to see and do in both cities and therefore impossible to experience everything in a week. The big highlights were definitely covered. Next time, I will plan on spending a few more days in each city and include more historical residences and museums like The Yusupov Palace, The Kunstkammer, Alexander Pushkin Museum and for good measure, the Museum of Russian Vodka!!!! Any restaurant recommendation from my guide was very appreciated and very much enjoyed. I love to eat amongst the locals!! Being a vegetarian, I thought I would struggle finding Russian cuisine that I could order off a menu. This was not the case... I was always able to find something delicious that worked with my dietary needs. Only once was there a pre-set lunch where the vegetarian choice was not very creative... a plate of unseasoned steamed veggies but being in a country that has a meat-based diet, I just went with it as I was there for the sights and not the food... I enjoyed the atmosphere and the fact that I was in Russia!! Here are some tips I learned that might assist other travellers while on a tour... Learn a few basic greetings and at the very least, know how to say “please” and “thank you”. It goes a long, long way and shows that you are making an effort to embrace the place you are visiting. English is not as prevalent as it is in other western European countries and learning the Cyrillic alphabet is impossible in a pinch. Also, having a full-time guide makes it far too easy to not even bother with a few basic Russian words... so make the effort!!! I found the more I learned and tried out Russian words, the better response, interaction and attentiveness (and even smiles) I received in return. Some of the women on my tour wished they brought a scarf to tuck in their purse or backpack for when entering a Church or Cathedral, they could pull it out and wrap their heads as a gesture of respect. Many of the Churches we visited are active and in order to diminish the divide between tourist and congregant, a scarf is a good idea and easy to pack. Also, gentlemen, you need to avoid wearing shorts on the tour as churches are visited almost on a daily basis and not allowed. Tours during the summer months, keep in mind that Moscow is quite a bit warmer and dryer than Saint Petersburg so bring clothes you can layer. Here at home, we are accustomed to exuberant, hyper-attentive restaurant service. The tempo and restaurant experience is a bit different in Russia, and the rest of Europe for that matter. Eating out in Russia, people take their time eating and servers take their time serving... it is an occasion not a pit stop. As the sightseeing pace on these tours is fairly active, and if you know you get peckish frequently, carry power bars or the like with you to tie you over between meals. This will resolve any food issues so when you are seated in a restaurant, you can relax, take your time and marinate in the splendour of being in Russia, doing as the Russian’s do.

From their website and first contact through to the end of the trip, to Russia itself, everything was handled in a first class and exceptional manner. Ivan our counselor was first rate and kept everything on track. E-mails were returned promptly and questions answered. Never left in limbo. On the tour, no one was ever late, nothing went wrong--just a seamless planned trip from start to finish with nothing for our group to ever think about. It was all thought out and handled for us. In Russia, from arrival through to departure nothing could have been bettered. From the best hotels(no caviar and champagne every breakfast was hard to deal with on our return), surprises along the way including entry into the Kremlin to parts tourists rarely see the experience was wonderful. Russia itself was a great surprise and far exceeded our expectations especially Moscow. Two wonderful cities. St Petersberg was beautiful and we saw it from all angles Comfortable bus with A/C and wifi (most welcome) along with two terrific prompt and caring guides in Moscow and St Petersberg (both with good English), a fast paced itinerary, head of line/queue entry(saving hours of time), and nothing was shortchanged for cost. We highly recommend this company, you get what you pay for(and more), they are reliable and trustworthy and we were also so glad their company handled the visa process. One great trip! We will be looking at a further trip with them in 2016/7