​Budget and Safety Tips in Solo Traveling Russia

12 Days Solo Backpacking in Summer Russia (Trans-Siberia Train Ride)

August 25 to September 05, 2017

Moscow City Day-Tours Last Part; Side Trip to ​Sergiev Posad

​1. Russia is very, very safe to travel especially the entire Trans-Siberia journey. Locals are very friendly too. Even there is too much language barrier, i.e. English-translation and English-speaking is rare, locals will try to assist you by action language, calculator and mobile applications. Don't be intimidated if they are raising their voice if they can't understand you, it's just normal and nothing personal. I even asked also roaming policemen frequently on my subway adventure, they are all approachable.

2. Russia Tourist Visa application is easy in the Philippines rather than in UAE as Philippine passport holder due to number of embassy requirements.

3. Book only your accommodation, train and plain tickets if you already received your confirm visa.

4. On my arrival in Moscow Airport (DME), Lady Immigration Officer did not ask any questions to me. She just give me Immigration card and stamp my passport and within 5 minutes she returned my passport. On my airport departure, again no questions asked except by the roaming Immigration Officer while I'm queuing. The Immigration Officer asked how much cash did I brought, I just told around 1,000 USD with Debit Card. He asked again "Less than 10,000 USD?", "Yes Sir" I replied. I thought he will asked about my visa registration. On my entire journey inside Russia, no one asked about my visa registration to police station.

​Budget and Safety Tips in Solo Traveling Russia (matryoshka dolls in Izmailovo Market)

Moscow City Tour Last Part; Side Trip to ​Sergiev Posad

12 Days Solo Backpacking in Summer Russia (Trans-Siberia Train Ride)

August 25 to September 05, 2017

Moscow City Tour 5th Part; Wooden Palace & Other Tourist Spots

I made my side trip from Moscow to Sergiev Posad for the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius is a unique, a monastery complex and the spiritual center of Russian Orthodox Christianity which is included to the UNESCO Heritage Site. Admission is free and open daily from 0900H to 2100H. You need to go to Komsomolskaya Metro Station the take Yaroslavsky Suburban Train to Sergiev Posad for 160 Rubles ($3) and takes around 1.5 hour. Photography is allowed inside.

The Golden Ring of Russia is an itinerary that runs along a series of cities of tourist interest, located on the northeast of Moscow. There is no official list of all the cities included in that route, with the exception of the 8 main cities: Sergiyev Posad, Rostov Veliky, Pereslavl-Zalessky, Yaroslavl, Kostroma, Ivanovo, Vladimir and Suzdal.
https://www.reg.ru/domain/shop/lot/russiaau.com

Moscow City Tour Last Part; Side Trip to ​Sergiev Posad

Moscow City Tour 5th Part; Wooden Palace & Other Tourist Spots

12 Days Solo Backpacking in Summer Russia (Trans-Siberia Train Ride)

August 25 to September 05, 2017

Moscow City Tour 4th Part; Izmailovsky Kremlin and Cosmonautics Museum

I went to a quick visit to Wooden Palace of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich because of its unique architecture. Opens daily from 1000H to 1800H, admission fee of 400 Rubles ($7), photography is allowed inside. Tour can be finished in less than an hour, nearest subway is Kashirskaya Metro Station. Followed by very quick glimpse to the Moscow's Triumphal Arch located near Park Pobedy Metro Station. Church of Christ the Savior is just walking distance from the Kremlin for about 400 meters. Arbat Street is where you can find cheap souvenirs especially the Fridge Magnet.

Wooden Palace of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich with 270 rooms decorated with paintings and carvings was built in 1667 without using any fasten materials, nails or hooks. It consisted of 26 buildings connected with each other by passages and halls.  The whole complex was divided into male and female parts. The male part included ceremonial chambers, chambers of the Tsar and of his sons, while the female part belonged to the Tsarina and to the Tsar’s daughters.
http://www.russiaeguide.com/wooden-palace-of-tsar-alexei-mikhailovich.html

Moscow City Tour 5th Part; Wooden Palace of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich

Moscow City Tour 4th Part; Izmailovsky Kremlin and Cosmonautics Museum

12 Days Solo Backpacking in Summer Russia (Trans-Siberia Train Ride)

August 25 to September 05, 2017

Moscow City Day-Tour 3rd Part; Inside the Kremlin

I did a brief visit to Izmailovsky Kremlin and Cosmonautics Museum. Cheap matryoshka dolls (russian nesting doll) in Izmailovsky Kremlin Market as low as 150 Rubles ($2.5). Photography is allowed inside. Opens daily from 0900H to 1800H, no entrance fee, nearest subway is ​Partizanskaya Metro Station (blue line 3). For Cosmonautics Museum, entrance fee is 480 Rubles ($8.5) including the photography/amateur video permit. Opens daily from 1000H to 1800H, nearest subway is VDNKh Metro Station (orange line 6).

Izmailovsky Kremlin is another Moscow Kremlin located out of the mainstream tourist path. Here one can find Tsar`s Palace; the Church of St. Nicholas, the highest wooden church in Russia (46 m/151 ft in height); museums, cafes, souvenir shops etc.
http://www.russiaeguide.com/izmailovsky-kremlin.html

Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics is a museum dedicated to space exploration. It is located within the base of the Monument to the Conquerors of Space in the north-east of the city. The museum contains a wide variety of Soviet and Russian space-related exhibits and models which explore the history of flight; astronomy; space exploration; space technology; and space in the arts. 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Museum_of_Cosmonautics

Moscow City Tour 4th Part; Izmailovsky Kremlin

Moscow City Tour 3rd Part; Inside the Kremlin

12 Days Solo Backpacking in Summer Russia (Trans-Siberia Train Ride)

August 25 to September 05, 2017

Moscow City Tour 2nd Part; Celebration in the Red Square

What makes me fascinated about the Kremlin is that I always heard or see this place in a Spy Movie which treats the Russians as villain. Even though there is a challenge of language barrier, Russians was never a villain all through-out my journey. Kremlin is another signature tourist landmark of Russia. Opens daily from 1000H to 1700H, admission fee for Cathedral Square of 500 Rubles ($0.9) and The Armory of 700 Rubles ($12). Photography in The Armory is not allowed. Tour can be finished around 3 hours.

Moscow Kremlin, usually referred to as the Kremlin, is a fortified complex at the heart of Moscow, overlooking the Moskva River to the south, Saint Basil's Cathedral and Red Square to the east, and the Alexander Garden to the west. It is the best known of the kremlins (Russian citadels) and includes five palaces, four cathedrals, and the enclosing Kremlin Wall with Kremlin towers. Also within this complex is the Grand Kremlin Palace. The complex serves as the official residence of the President of the Russian Federation.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moscow_Kremlin

Moscow City Tour 3rd Part; Inside the Kremlin

Moscow City Tour 2nd Part; Celebration in the Red Square

12 Days Solo Backpacking in Summer Russia (Trans-Siberia Train Ride)

August 25 to September 05, 2017

Moscow City Tour 1st Part; Best Metro Subway Stations

When I arrived in Moscow on my entire journey, there was a celebration held in the Red Square which is the Moscow's 870th anniversary (held at the back in-front of Teatralnaya Metro station in green line 2) and the Spasskaya Tower Military Festival (at the entire Red Square itself). As such, the crowd is too much and the security is tight everywhere with lots of police roaming around, I did not have a good shot of the St. Basil's Cathedral at far. St. Basil Cathedral is the signature landmark of Russia for its colorful onion-shape dome architecture. Open daily from 1100H to 1800H with admission fee is 500 Rubles ($9), photography and amateur videography is allowed. Tour can be finish in less than an hour.

Red Square is a city square (plaza) that separates the Kremlin, the former royal citadel and currently the official residence of the President of Russia, from a historic merchant quarter known as Kitai-gorod. Red Square is often considered the central square of Moscow since Moscow's major streets, which connect to Russia's major highways, originate from the square. The name Red Square neither originates from the pigment of the surrounding bricks nor from the link between the colour red and communism. Rather, the name came about because the Russian word krasnaya, which means both "red" and "beautiful," was applied to a small area between St. Basil's Cathedral, the Spassky Tower of the Kremlin, and the herald's platform called Lobnoe Mesto.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Square

Moscow City Tour 2nd Part; Celebration in the Red Square (St. Basil's Cathedral)

Moscow City Tour 1st Part; Best Metro Subway Stations

12 Days Solo Backpacking in Summer Russia (Trans-Siberia Train Ride)

August 25 to September 05, 2017

St. Petersburg Day Tour Last Part; Church of Savior on Blood & Kazan Cathedral

One of the best photography enthusiast places in Moscow is its subway station which looks like in a palace or in a 5-star hotel lobby. The best catch on that is you can visit those for only 35 Rubles ($0.6) on any lines. The Moscow Metro was one of the USSR’s most extravagant architectural projects with the intention of building palaces for the people. Built when Stalin was in power, the metro’s artists and architects went about designing stations that were to epitomize the Russian word ‘svet’, meaning radiance & brilliance and ‘svetloe budushchee’ – a radiant future. With their reflective marble walls, high ceilings and grandiose chandeliers, many of Moscow’s Metro stations are likened to famous European palaces.

Moscow City Tour 1st Part; Best Metro Subway Stations (Novoslobodskaya in brown line 5)

St. Petersburg Day Tour Last Part; Church of Savior & Kazan Cathedral

12 Days Solo Backpacking in Summer Russia (Trans-Siberia Train Ride)

August 25 to September 05, 2017

St. Petersburg Day Tour 3rd Part; Inside Hermitage Museum (Winter Palace)

Finally, walking along the Moyka River from Hermitage Museum to Church of Savior on Spilled Blood (St. Petersburg version of Moscow's St. Basil Church) to view its awesome colorful onion-shape dome architecture. Opens daily from 1000H to 1800H with admission fee of 1800H, photography and videography is allowed inside. Also, cheap souvenirs are available at the back of the church beside  the river. On the other hand, there was an on-going mass during my visit to Kazan Cathedral (free entrance).

SAINT PETERSBURG DAY-TOUR ITINERARY (September 02, 2017 Saturday)
​0539H ETA St. Petersburg Glavny; Rent Locker & Buy Metro Card 815
Bound to Gorgovskaya station (M2); Peter and Paul Fortress to Troitsky Bridge
Subway breakfast 383; walk to Palace Square then to River Pier
1000H ETD Hydrofoil to Peterhof 800
1045H ETA Peterhof Pier; Peterhof Lower Park Fountains 750; Peterhof Palace 700
1330H ETD Peterhof Pier 800
1415H ETA Hydrofoil; Snacks 160
St. Isaac's Cathedral Museum & Promenade 400
Hermitage Museum / Winter Palace 700
Church of Savior of Spilled Blood 250; Souvenirs 300; Diner meal 1,077
2304H ETD St. Petersburg
Total: 7,135 Rubles

St. Petersburg Day Tour Last Part; Church of Savior on Spilled Blood

St. Petersburg Day Tour 3rd Part; Inside Hermitage Museum (Winter Palace)

12 Days Solo Backpacking in Summer Russia (Trans-Siberia Train Joy Ride)

August 25 to September 05, 2017

St. Petersburg Day Tour 2nd Part; St. Isaac Cathedral Museum & Promenade

After I visited the St Isaac Cathedral, I went straight to Hermitage Museum which is just around 200 meters away and located in the Palace Square, in-front of the Neva River. Hermitage Museum is open daily from 1000H to 1800H with admission fee of 700 Rubles ($12). Tour can be finished for around 2 hours, photography and amateur videography is allowed. Hermitage Museum is considered as the Russia's Louvre Museum and one of the largest and oldest museum in the world.

State Hermitage Museum is a museum of art and culture founded in 1764 when Empress Catherine the Great acquired an impressive collection of paintings from the Berlin. It has been open to the public since 1852. Of the six buildings in the main museum complex, five—namely the Winter Palace, Small Hermitage, Old Hermitage, New Hermitage and Hermitage Theatre—are open to the public. A hermitage is the dwelling of a hermit or recluse (people who live alone). The building was initially given this name because of its exclusivity - in its early days, only a very few people were allowed to visit.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermitage_Museum

St. Petersburg Day Tour 3rd Part; Inside Hermitage Museum (Winter Palace)

St. Petersburg Day Tour 2nd Part; St. Isaac Cathedral Museum & Promenade

12 Days Solo Backpacking in Summer Russia (Trans-Siberia Train Ride)

August 25 to September 05, 2017

St. Petersburg Day Tour 1st Part; Hydrofoil to Peterhof Palace

After I finished the Peterhof Palace and Lower Park Garden tour, I went back to the city via Hydrofoil again and then docked near the St. Isaac's Cathedral. The Cathedral opens daily from 1000H to 1800H. Entrance to the Cathedral Museum (250 Rubles) is separate to the Promenade (150 Rubles). Cathedral Museum is the inside while the Promenade is the colonnaded walkway above. Photography and amateur videography is allowed inside. The Cathedral is also open at night from 1800H to 2200H with entrance fee almost doubled the daytime.

Saint Isaac's Cathedral or Isaakievskiy Sobor is the largest Russian Orthodox cathedral (sobor) in the city. It is the largest orthodox basilica and the fourth largest (by the volume under the cupola) cathedral in the world. It is dedicated to Saint Isaac of Dalmatia, a patron saint of Peter the Great, who had been born on the feast day of that saint. The cathedral took 40 years to construct, under Montferrand's direction, from 1818 to 1858.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Isaac%27s_Cathedral

St. Petersburg Day Tour 2nd Part; St. Isaac Cathedral Museum & Promenade

St. Petersburg Day Tour 1st Part; Hydrofoil to Peterhof Palace

12 Days Solo Backpacking in Summer Russia (Trans-Siberia Train Ride)

August 25 to September 05, 2017

Vladivostok Short Morning Tour

My actual plan on how to go Peterhof Palace (Russian version of France's Versailles Palace) is to take the subway and bus from the St. Petersburg central area. On my morning stroll when I passed by the riverside from St. Isaac Cathedral, I was fascinated on looking at the river, because it's my 1st time doing a Europe river tour and even though it was expensive but saves a lot of time, I immediate grab the Hydrofoil tour for only 800 Rubles ($14) (one-way) and 1,500 Rubles (two-way but with fixed schedule). Hydrofoil to Peterhof River Terminal is located at the back of the Admiralty Building, near the Hermitage Museum. At the Peterhof Palace Pier, entrance fee to the Petehof Palace Lower Park is waiting for 750 Rubles ($13). Entrance fee to Peterhof Palace can be purchased in the Palace itself for 700 Rubles. Photography is not allowed inside the Palace. Tour in Peterhof Palace and Lower Park Garden can be done around 3 hours. Park opens daily from 1000H to 1800H.

Peterhof Palace is a series of palaces and gardens laid out on the orders of Peter the Great. These palaces and gardens are sometimes referred as the "Russian Versailles". The palace-ensemble along with the city center is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Peterhof is a Dutch and German word meaning "Peter's Court". 

http://wikitravel.org/en/Peterhof

St. Petersburg Day Tour 1st Part; Hydrofoil to Peterhof Palace (Grand Cascade)

Vladivostok Short Morning Tour

12 Days Solo Backpacking in Summer Russia (Trans-Siberia Train Joy Ride)

August 25 to September 05, 2017

Trans-Siberia Train Ride; Moscow to Vladivostok in 6 Days (7 Time Zones)

My actual plan was to check-in in hostel the night of my arrival but due to mistake of time zone (Trans-Siberia Train journey Vladivostok arrival time is in respect to Moscow time, that means my arrival of 2355H should be 0655H the next day), I have only around less than 2 hours to roam around Vladivostok. Upon my arrival in Vladivostok train station, I went to breakfast nearby outside then went to Revolution Square for a quick photo-ops while walking. I left Vladivostok City (UTC +1000H) 0905H local time going to airport via airport express at 230 Rubles ($4) for 45 minutes travel time. I left Vladivostok airport 1300H going back to Moscow (UTC +0300H).

Vladivostok is a city in Russia that serves as the eastern terminus of the Trans-Siberian Railway and a major Pacific port. Some travellers arrive here at the end or the beginning of a trip on the Trans-Siberian. If you've arrived in Vladivostok on the Trans-Siberian, at the end of a trip that began in Moscow, head straight for Sportivnaya Harbor.
http://wikitravel.org/en/Vladivostok

Vladivostok Short Morning Tour

Trans-Siberia Train Ride; Moscow to Vladivostok in 6 Days (7 Time Zones)

12 Days Solo Backpacking in Summer Russia (Trans-Siberia Train Ride)

August 25 to September 05, 2017

How to Apply for Russia Tourist Visa

"Trans-Siberian is not just a railway, it’s an experience, a condensed version of life in somewhat extreme but comfortable and even amazing setting. That’s why TransSib is something people want to do at least once in their life: it’s comparable to climbing a mountain or going to a meditation retreat. Except that in the case of Trans-Siberian railway the adventure is aided by infrastructure, it also has several degrees of comfort (a brief hello from capitalism), and is not a solitary but a truly collective experience – a very 21-st century way of engaging into a spiritual quest. "
http://waytorussia.net/TransSiberian/Intro.html

Important Note: If you make the Trans-Siberian route by train and sleep on it, the train ticket would be equivalent to the visa registration (always keep your ticket in handy).

Trans-Siberia Train Ride Tips before and during the Once-in-a-Lifetime Journey;
http://waytorussia.net/TransSiberian/Intro.html
http://budgettravelrussia.com/Trans-Siberia/TransSiberia.html
https://russiau.com/organizing-trans-siberian-train-trip/

Where to Book the Cheapest Ticket of your Trans-Siberia Once-in-a-Lifetime Journey;
http://pass.rzd.ru/main-pass/public/ru

In my case, evening upon confirmation of my Russia tourist visa, I booked my one-way non-stop ride ticket from Moscow to Vladivostok (6 straight days) which was around 2 weeks before the Moscow departure. The available open slot in 3rd class was only 11 (1 on lower which I availed), 5 open slot in 2nd class while 2 in 1st class (summer season is peak season).

Trans-Siberia Train Ride; Moscow to Vladivostok  in 6 Days (train stop)

How to Apply for Russia Tourist Visa as Philippine Passport Holder

an adventure of Pinoy backpacker in processing travel documents

general info:

* Tourist visa is valid only on the date in/out of your provided itinerary 

* single entry with 30 days maximum duration.

APPLYING FOR RUSSIA TOURIST VISA AS ORDINARY CITIZEN IN THE PHILIPPINES  

http://www.philippines.mid.ru/visa.html

visa fee:

PhP3,612 in cash payment payment through UCPB (2 weeks processing).

requirements:

1. Visa application form (one per person) available at visa.kdmid.ru (fill in the form online and printed). Please read attentively the information on the website before you fill in the application form.

2. A valid passport, which should have at least one page clear from both sides intended for visas. 

3. One passport-size photo of the applicant attached duly to the application form with glue

4. Travel confirmation from a hosting authorized Russian travel agency, accredited by  the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a copy of a travel voucher from the same travel agency in Russia (per application). Fax and e-mail copies are acceptable. The confirmation must contain: the agency's reference number, registration number, the date of entry to Russia and the date of exit from Russia, the purpose of the trip, the number of entries to Russia (single or double entry).

5. Tickets. The dates should be the same as in the confirmation and application form.

appointment:

Monday – 08.00 - 17.00 Tuesday - Friday – 08.00 -16.00 

address:

Room 402 A, 4 fl., RCI Building, 105 Rada Street, Legazpi Village, Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines

rusembassy.manila@mid.ru

Russia Visa applied in UAE (August 2017)

12 Days Solo Backpacking in Summer Russia (Trans-Siberia Train Ride)

sightseeing Moscow, St. Petersburg, Vladivostok and Trans-Siberia's best tourist attraction

August 25 to September 05, 2017

"Russia can't be understood by mind, nor measured by common yardstick.
She has of herself a unique build; Russia can only be believed in. - Fyodor Tyutchev"

My 53rd solo backpacking trip, 26th country to visit in Europe continent, total of 62 countries visited so far and of course, usual budget do-it-yourself itinerary from arrival to departure. This trip is the fourth country I visited on my new expat life and the first part on my first annual vacation leave.

Russia (Rossija) is the largest country in the world, covering more than one-eighth of the Earth's inhabited land area, spanning Eastern Europe and northern Asia. The greatest amazing thing about Russia is, given it's immense size, without a doubt the diversity of climate zones, and the weather extremes. Russia's territory stretches over continents of Europe and Asia and has therefore many different climate zones.Russia shares a border with 14 countries including Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Belarus, China, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and North Korea. No other country has as many borders.
http://wikitravel.org/en/Russia

timezone - UTC +0300H to UTC +1200H (10 time zones)
capital - Moscow         language - Russian              currency - Ruble (RUB) 1 USD = 55 RUB
visa - Philippine passport holders need to apply first before travel

12 Days Solo Backpacking in Summer Russia (matryoshka, fridge magnet and shirt souvenirs)