The football tournament will be held from 17 June to 2 July in one of the most beautiful countries in the world, which is famous for its rich history. Here are some tips that will help you to avoid or at least reduce the number of annoying bugs.
Flights are paid, bags Packed, and tickets for the matches of the Confederations Cup, which will begin on Saturday and before the second of July will be held in Moscow, St.-Petersburg, Sochi and Kazan, bought, isn’t it?
You may have already determined the route of his journey and know what to watch first, what to avoid and what Souvenirs to bring home. But because we believe that the more tips, ideas and so on, the better, I decided to share with you some secrets that everyone should know who decided to go to the homeland of Vladimir Putin.
To start immediately please note: to navigate in Moscow and St. Petersburg — not an easy task. “Fault” to Cyrillic — indecipherable Russian alphabet — and also the lack of information in English, whether in the subway, in smaller museums or restaurants. Besides English proficient not all Russians. By the way, the probability of finding a freely speaking in a foreign human language is inversely proportional to the age of the interlocutor. Do not crush, for everything there is a solution — at the very least, you can choose restaurants with a illustrated menu.
When the fear of the language barrier defeated, you can relax a little. At this time of the year in Russia the rule is usually warm and Sunny, the streets are full of people. Hot weather and long daylight lead Russian in an extraordinary delight, it gets dark only at nine in the evening — if at all it gets dark!
Riviera and another Kremlin
The city of Sochi, which is called the Russian Riviera, lies on the shore of the Black sea. The summer season lasts from may to September, just hotter in July and August (website: sochicityguide.com). Kazan, which will host matches of the Confederations Cup, boasts a millenary history and its own Kremlin (kazantravel.ru/en).
Avoid queues, buy tickets online
Both in Moscow and in St. Petersburg stick to the Golden rule: if you want to visit popular tourist attractions such as the Hermitage and the Mariinsky theater (in St. Petersburg) or to go to the ballet to the Bolshoi theater (in Moscow), pre-book tickets via the Internet. This may be cheaper than the box office. Otherwise, there are no guarantees: working hours of theatre box offices and remains a mystery to me, and kilometer queue like the queue to the Hermitage, the risk to take most of the day. However, if you do not afraid of crowds, in all three cases, the result is worth it. Indulge in visiting these places is impossible.
The long road to Lenin
One more turn, which is not going anywhere, reaches out to Vladimir Lenin’s mausoleum. It is built around a giant noisy crowd wanting to witness the embalmed body of the father of the Russian revolution. Surrounded by hordes of tourists — mostly Chinese — it seems that waiting on the red square will never end. Enhanced security measures only exacerbate the situation: in the mausoleum is prohibited to bring bags, backpacks, cameras, mobile phones, food and drinks. Tourists rescues small storage next to the Museum. There, after paying the extortionate price, you can take your stuff. You should also pay attention to the necropolis near the Kremlin walls. Here along with lesser-known Russian leaders buried Joseph Stalin, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin and American writer John reed, author of “Ten days that shook the world”.
Underground Palace or metro?
You have probably already heard about the famous Moscow metro. Its length is 300 kilometers. It consists of 12 lines and will take the tourist in any place of interest to him. It is difficult to resist the temptation to go to each station just to admire the marble, chandeliers and statues, making it very popular among the citizens form of transport (passenger traffic reached almost eight million people a day) called the “underground Palace”. My favorite station is Mayakovskaya on the Zamoskvoretskaya line, was built in 1938. Its ceiling is decorated with mosaics depicting life in the Soviet Union. Station “Revolution Square” at the third branch, perhaps the most famous: there are bronze statues of Soviet workers in life-size.
The midnight sun in summer
If in Moscow in the summer can sometimes be thirty-degree heat, the climate of St. Petersburg is more moderate. But at this time of the year, the city has one attractive feature: the white nights. This natural phenomenon is due to the fact that every six months the Earth’s axis is tilted relative to the Sun in one direction and then in the other, with the result that every summer at the poles the night is virtually nonexistent. People pulled together to the river to watch the raising of the bridges, which occurs only in the period from June to July in the period from midnight to 5 am. In the morning you can go on a short river cruise or to enjoy the white nights to the waterfront. Or to go to cafes all day.
Beware of mini-hotels
Saint Petersburg has a feature — a mini-hotels. This is a traditional establishment with a limited number of hotel rooms (no more than ten). Despite the good location, small hotels are often cheaper than regular hotels and are typical “urban phenomenon”.
However, there is a risk that they will not justify your expectations. If you decide to stay in mini-hotel, look for the information about it and read reviews, not to be trapped. The one where I’ve been — on the Nevsky prospect, the main street of the city left not the most pleasant experience. It was a tiny room, musty and smoky, and the Windows open “view” on a blank wall. Not to mention the utterly vague coffee for Breakfast and not too warm reception of the staff.
Buy: dolls and the bear Misha
Dolls, the colorful wooden dolls that are inserted one into another, is one of the traditional Souvenirs that tourists bring from Russia. They can be found everywhere, but the gift fair a few steps from red square in Moscow offers the buyer the best selection: it presents countless models (at various prices) ranging from traditional dolls and ending with those which adorn the portraits of Putin, trump and Angela Merkel.
Fans of the Russian revolution, perhaps, will appeal to small plaster or bronze busts of Lenin. However, they are hard to find and they are expensive. Vodka and a t-shirt with the Bear, the mascot of the 1980 summer Olympics, will add to your gift set.
