Heading East tomorrow...

[AKA Luke]

For the Baltic states, finishing in Saint Peterburg in just over a week. 


My Russian is primitive, so I'm a little nervous about St P. I have the use of a local guide for the time I am there (4 days) but I want to explore a little on my own.

Any advice? If anybody has been I would be most grateful for any tips.


My main concern at this moment in time is entering and exiting the country - I don't need to register as I'm not there more than 5 days but I suspect sure somebody in customs will want to shake me down or at least try.

[shakespear]

My main concern at this moment in time is entering and exiting the country - I don't need to register as I'm not there more than 5 days but I suspect sure somebody in customs will want to shake me down or at least try.

First, relax. 

Second, when you enter the country, the Russian immigration official will give you a migration card.  Don't lose this card.  You'll be asked to present it when you leave Russia.  Losing it can create a "situation". 

Third, the crime rate in Peter is high.  Be careful about your wallet and personal property - especially on the Metro.  Wallet in front pocket.  Nothing valuable in back pockets or backpack. 

Fourth, have fun.  Peter is a beautiful city.  Drop by my favorite bar, "Tribunal".  You'll have a good time - trust me    

[AKA Luke]

My main concern at this moment in time is entering and exiting the country - I don't need to register as I'm not there more than 5 days but I suspect sure somebody in customs will want to shake me down or at least try.

First, relax. 

Second, when you enter the country, the Russian immigration official will give you a migration card.  Don't lose this card.  You'll be asked to present it when you leave Russia.  Losing it can create a "situation". 

Third, the crime rate in Peter is high.  Be careful about your wallet and personal property - especially on the Metro.  Wallet in front pocket.  Nothing valuable in back pockets or backpack. 

Fourth, have fun.  Peter is a beautiful city.  Drop by my favorite bar, "Tribunal".  You'll have a good time - trust me   

Thanks Shakey, always have my valuables in my front pockets and I'll be very careful where I go and who with, especially at night time.

I'll be sure to check out the Tribunal bar, what can I expect there???


Luke

[shakespear]

I'll be sure to check out the Tribunal bar, what can I expect there??? 

I'd make it your first night stop. 

This used to be a kind of legendary place, famous for the debauchery and decadence that would set in as soon as the crowd had enough to drink.  It’s now in a new location; and while ads promise that ‘the legend continues’, the debauchery feels a little over-programmed.  Nonetheless, scantily clad women dancing on the bar are practically guaranteed.  Quite a few xpats hang there and they can give you up-to-date information on the best bars, nightclubs and restaurants in Peter.

Address:  Karavannaya Ul26     Closest Metro Stop:  Gostiny Dvor
http://tribunal.ru/

[Vinnvinny]

I hope you have a great time Luke. 

[AKA Luke]

I hope you have a great time Luke. 

Cheers Vinny 

Shakey that bar looks interesting, I'll be sure to make it my first port of call.

TR to follow!

[Manny]

Where are you going in the Baltics?

[Mikeav8r]

I must have walked past that place a dozen times and never noticed it, but I had a distraction and she is not in to the club/bar scene anyway   If you are looking for a place to stay, try the Corinthia Hotel which is about a 15-20 minutes walk from the Tribunal and is well positioned on Nevsky Prospekt.  I could not remember who it was that I said I would provide info on some places to see and go but now that I am reminded:

Sites:
Hermitage
Peterhof
Church of our Savior of spilled Blood
Peter and Paul Fortress
The Cruiser Aurora (if you like naval history)  It fired the opening salvos of the Russian Revolution IIRC
The Admiralty
The statue of Lenin which is outside the Finland station.  It overlooks the Neva river and has lots of fountains and gardens for photos
Kazan Cathedral
Summer Palace (nice museum)
Summer Garden (Beautiful gardens, statues, and fountains)
St. Michaels Castle
New Holland (a local hang out where people go to meet, play music, skate board, throw the frisbee, etc.) gives you some local flavor


Restaurants:
The Soviet Cafe (51 Nevski Prospekt) Traditional and ethnic Soviet era food, decor and service  )
Teplo (45 Bolshaya Morskaya Ulitsa) Excellent food and service.  You will find many English speaking folks there
Romeo's (Rimskogo-Korsakova 43) Italian cuisine and good service.  This is down the street from New Holland
Las Torres (53, Nesky Prospekt) Excellent Spanish cuisine and floor entertainment (Salsa dancing outside late at night)
Gosti (Malaya Morskaya, 13)  Good food and average service
Wasabi (All over)  This is a chain Sushi restaurant all over Peter with better than average sushi (a hot spot for groups of hotties)
La Maree (34 Suvorovskiy, St) Very expensive but very nice.  Italian ex-pat owner who speaks fluent Italian, Russian and English.  He personally greets everyone at their tables and will pour your wine when the hot wine girl is a bit slow.  A nice place to impress a date but be prepared to spend no less than $250.00 USD

There are plenty of smaller cafes, coffee shops and restaurants all along Nevsky Prospekt and side streets.

Do not worry about English.  There are many signs in English and a high percentage of the locals speak passable English (in the center area).  You can walk in to almost any shop or bar/restaurant and ask for assistance and if that person does not speak it, they will call over someone that does.

I did not see any crime and also rode the metro dozens of times with no issues.  If you stay on the main roads, along the Neva, or in the lit open areas at night, you shouldn't have a problem.  The metro runs until 23.00 (IIRC) and is very easy to understand and navigate.  There are 5 color lines and the stations are very clean and some are quite beautiful. 

Tips:

For a nice walking tour of many of the sites I list above.  Take the metro to the Sadovaya station (Where the Yellow, blue and purple lines intersect)..walk down (south) Sadovaya UL. to St. Nicholas Cathedral...go just past it and hang a right and walk up to New Holland (check tha place out and then continue up to the Neva River (can't miss it)...hang a right and check out the sites...stopping at St. Isaacs (climb up to the observation area and take some awesome photos of the entire city)...continue up the rive to the Admiralty....then the Hermitage...then the marble palace and stop at the summer garden.  Look across the river from there and you will se the Peter and Paul fortress.  Save that side of the river for another day.  Take the metro to the Gorkovskaya station (first stop on the blue line north of the blue/green intersection) to get over there.  Lots to see over there including the Aurora and Finland station (Lenin statue) (second red stop north of the Green/Red intersection which is the PL Lenina station)...but back to the original walk...go through the summer garden and when you exit the other side you will see Michaels Castle in front of you..go past that and to the right you will see the famous Church of our Savior of Spilled Blood (the poet Pushkin's funeral was held there)..the cafe where he wrote a lot of his work is just up the road from there at the intersection with Nevsky.  The Tribunal is along that route IIRC.

When/if you go to see Peterhof....take the hydrofoil up the river and out in the Gulf of Finland...it costs either 1200 or 1500 RUB but worth it.  You can find the dock for the departure between the hermitage and the summer garden on the Neva river.  The views are nice and you also enjoy a quick boat ride out there which takes about 30 minutes.  Peterhof is a MUST SEE.

There are 2 airport terminals (airports as they call them) for LED.  Be sure to know which one the taxi is to tak you to whn you are leaving.  LED 1 is typically domestic and LED 2 is international (I flew in and out of 2 and my lady flew in and out of 1 which made the logistics interesting to say the least)

Walk Nevsky Prospekt from one end to the main metro station up one side and down the other to see all that you can imagine about busy life/night life in Peter...you will see people out at 03.00 or 04.00 at cafes, bars, clubs.  Beautiful young women pass out pamphlets to their "clubs" which are typically right behind them.

Be sure to be back on the main side of the city (center) before 01.30 or 02.00 as the raise the bridges and you will be stuck on the other side.

NOTE:  The last 2 tips pertain to the time frame I was there (mid July during white nights) so it may be different this time of year.

If you have any questions or need anything, feel free to PM me and I will help out with what I can...Have a great trip.

[Phelan]

Luke, you are the man! Date of registration, Sept. 17, and he's on the plane Oct. 16!

[Phelan]

Where are you going in the Baltics?

Wikipedia says there's an HIV epidemic in Narva and rates are on the rise in Estonia. So, keep your condom on ...

[Donhollio]

Where are you going in the Baltics?

Wikipedia says there's an HIV epidemic in Narva and rates are on the rise in Estonia. So, keep your condom on ...

 DUREX is always your best friend. 

[Manny]

Where are you going in the Baltics?

Wikipedia says there's an HIV epidemic in Narva and rates are on the rise in Estonia. So, keep your condom on ...

Sounds like he is touristing so Tallinn or Riga are more likely destinations. You really need a reason to go to Narva. 

[luke]

Wikipedia says there's an HIV epidemic in Narva and rates are on the rise in Estonia. So, keep your condom on ...

Here are stats by country; pretty interesting appears Ukraine is going down over the years, its almost the same as America... but then it's showing Estonia at 1.3% wow

http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.DYN.AIDS.ZS

[AKA Luke]

Guys!!! Yes Manny you're right and Mike it was me so hats off to you.

I was looking at stopping in Narva on my way back from Saint P. But it was going to be ball ache to stop there in what is essentially an Eu part of Russia. .  I looked up Narva on Wikipedia and noted the HIV issue mentioned and already knew it was nothing more than an industrial town so probably not much there for me.

Instead im going to Tallinn for a night then flying back from there.

Im doing ALL the baltic states. Currently in Vilnius and my oh my its rough around the edges compared to Estonia and Riga. Though I'm in a bar in a nicer part of town and it's growing on me.

Though within 5 minutes of being outside Vilnius airport (tiny tiny airport) a stocky little guy was giving hell to some young scumbags in tracksuits as they walked by. Then a sparing match occured, the scumers in tracksuits (chavs to us Brits), one scummer pulls out some gas can and sprays it at stocky guy. Then 4blokes start charging towards said scumbags.  Got on my transfer (€1) and within moments of leaving the car park a car tee bones another at a crossing.

What a start.

Things can only get better...surely?

This is more of a travelling back packing holiday than anything else.  I'm meeting friends and a few business contacts across the baltics and one young lady from St P who I've been in contact with for a few years on Facebook. I guess you could call it 2 birds with one stone.

Gun shooting tomorrow in Vilnius,  Glock 17, Marakov, Mp5, Benelli shot gun, Ak47 and others. If I haven't dislocated my limbs ill post some photos.

So far Vilnius seems very very cheap.


More to follow, I'll do a TR .

[Boris]

Luke, I see you are starting to experience the charm that you can only find in the FSU. It reminds me of my reaction of flying in to Odessa for the first time. Have a great trip!


. - now Free

[Phelan]

Are we dealing with two different Lukes?

[luke]

Are we dealing with two different Lukes?

Yes, haha

[CC3]

La Maree (34 Suvorovskiy, St) Very expensive but very nice.  Italian ex-pat owner who speaks fluent Italian, Russian and English.  He personally greets everyone at their tables and will pour your wine when the hot wine girl is a bit slow.  A nice place to impress a date but be prepared to spend no less than $250.00 USD

$250 tab for a meal for two? There is no restaurant here in Denver that would be that expensive (depending on the wine that was ordered).

[Manny]

Vilnius, really? 

I hear the gun stuff is big fun. Like being an American, but without a beard and the high-waisted trousers. 

Riga and Tallinn, of course you will end up in the old town, full of expats and balloons. Avoid the hot girls who talk to you on the street, they are imported Ukrainian hookers. Avoid the strip joints in the tourist areas, they will just bleed you of money.

Avoid British expats generally.

In Tallinn, if you have some money in your pocket, step out of old town a few minutes and go here: http://www.argentiina.ee/

You'll never eat a better steak.....

[Mikeav8r]

La Maree (34 Suvorovskiy, St) Very expensive but very nice.  Italian ex-pat owner who speaks fluent Italian, Russian and English.  He personally greets everyone at their tables and will pour your wine when the hot wine girl is a bit slow.  A nice place to impress a date but be prepared to spend no less than $250.00 USD

$250 tab for a meal for two? There is no restaurant here in Denver that would be that expensive (depending on the wine that was ordered).

Yep.  That was with one of the cheapest bottles of wine also.  The bottle was 3800.00 RUB ($118.00 USD)...the food was not as bad but you see where most of it came from...17% VAT on top of it...or close to it.  This isn't even half as bad as another place on Nevsky Prospekt called Palkin.  You are paying mostly for show there, but people drop big coin in that place.

P.S.  In Austin, there are 4 places that come to mind that I would drop over $100.00 for a meal and a couple glasses of wine by myself, so that wasn't all that much of a shock, especially considering where I was...

[Mikeav8r]

Vilnius, really? 

I hear the gun stuff is big fun. Like being an American, but without a beard and the high-waisted trousers. 

Riga and Tallinn, of course you will end up in the old town, full of expats and balloons. Avoid the hot girls who talk to you on the street, they are imported Ukrainian hookers. Avoid the strip joints in the tourist areas, they will just bleed you of money.

Avoid British expats generally.

In Tallinn, if you have some money in your pocket, step out of old town a few minutes and go here: http://www.argentiina.ee/

You'll never eat a better steak.....

Especially middle aged ones in Tallinn? 

[ozybob]

My main concern at this moment in time is entering and exiting the country - I don't need to register as I'm not there more than 5 days but I suspect sure somebody in customs will want to shake me down or at least try.

First, relax. 

Second, when you enter the country, the Russian immigration official will give you a migration card.  Don't lose this card.  You'll be asked to present it when you leave Russia.  Losing it can create a "situation". 

last time i was in peterburg ,[2 years ago ]  we crossed by train , and no migration card was issued , for the whole week i didnt have one , no one mentioned it at either border crossing etc coming in or out ?

i was led to believe they would , but told if its less than week then maybe not needed .
all custom control wanted was a couple of aussie gold coins each 

jme

BOB

[Mikeav8r]

My main concern at this moment in time is entering and exiting the country - I don't need to register as I'm not there more than 5 days but I suspect sure somebody in customs will want to shake me down or at least try.

First, relax. 

Second, when you enter the country, the Russian immigration official will give you a migration card.  Don't lose this card.  You'll be asked to present it when you leave Russia.  Losing it can create a "situation". 

last time i was in peterburg ,[2 years ago ]  we crossed by train , and no migration card was issued , for the whole week i didnt have one , no one mentioned it at either border crossing etc coming in or out ?

i was led to believe they would , but told if its less than week then maybe not needed .
all custom control wanted was a couple of aussie gold coins each 

jme

BOB

I don't remember them asking for my card when I passed through passport control as I was leaving either...

[Mikeav8r]

La Maree (34 Suvorovskiy, St) Very expensive but very nice.  Italian ex-pat owner who speaks fluent Italian, Russian and English.  He personally greets everyone at their tables and will pour your wine when the hot wine girl is a bit slow.  A nice place to impress a date but be prepared to spend no less than $250.00 USD

$250 tab for a meal for two? There is no restaurant here in Denver that would be that expensive (depending on the wine that was ordered).

Sorry CC3, I was mistaken.  I went and looked at my CC statement (United Mileage Plus  ) and was reminded that I purchased a bottle of Chianti that the owner recommended which was a bit less (3,170).  The meal was more than I remembered as you can see.

[CC3]

La Maree (34 Suvorovskiy, St) Very expensive but very nice.  Italian ex-pat owner who speaks fluent Italian, Russian and English.  He personally greets everyone at their tables and will pour your wine when the hot wine girl is a bit slow.  A nice place to impress a date but be prepared to spend no less than $250.00 USD

$250 tab for a meal for two? There is no restaurant here in Denver that would be that expensive (depending on the wine that was ordered).

Sorry CC3, I was mistaken.  I went and looked at my CC statement (United Mileage Plus  ) and was reminded that I purchased a bottle of Chianti that the owner recommended which was a bit less (3,170).  The meal was more than I remembered as you can see.

(Attachment Link)

I'm retired. I couldn't afford impressing a potential lady love in St Petersburg or Moscow. I'll stick with L'viv, where my fiancee and I dined at one of the three best restaurants in the city, The Black Cat. It has great ambiance, western style romantic decor and table settings, outstanding food, excellent wine list, and attentive service for the same pricing as Denver area restaurants (not New York prices)...pre-dinner drinks, appetizers, delicious entrees, a good bottle of Georgian wine, dessert, for two, all for less than a hundred bucks.

Next trip, next week, is to Luhans'k, so, alas, no L'viv and no Black Cat. Probably sushi, sushi, and more sushi...with a little борщ thrown in.