🇷🇺 Ready-to-Use Russia Free & Easy Travel Guide! ✨

▪️ Itinerary Overview ▫️ MOSCOW Day 1: Red Square (St. Basil’s Cathedral, GUM Department Store, Lenin’s Mausoleum) → Kremlin (Armoury Chamber, Diamond Fund, Cathedral Square) → Alexander Garden → Metro Station Tour (Must-visit: Komsomolskaya Station 🚇) Day 2: Izmailovo Market / Arbat Street (Izmailovo is best on weekends 🎪; Arbat has cute boutiques) → Armed Forces Cathedral 🚗 Transport to Armed Forces Cathedral: Taxi from city center to: territoriya Park Patriot, 1 (≈1 hour, ~1,700 RUB). Returning by taxi at night is difficult — take Bus 75 from the back gate to Golitsyno Station 🚌, then take a train back to Moscow + taxi to hotel. 🏨 Hotel: Savoy Hotel Moscow (former Sheraton — highly recommended! Great value, near Belorusskaya Station) ▫️ ST. PETERSBURG Day 1: Kazan Cathedral → Dom Knigi (Historic Bookstore) → Duma Tower → Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood → St. Isaac’s Cathedral 📸 All are within walking distance except St. Isaac’s. You can climb either Duma Tower or St. Isaac’s for city views — one is enough! St. Isaac’s is incredibly beautiful — definitely worth visiting! Day 2: The Hermitage Museum → Mariinsky Theatre Ballet Show 🩰 We booked a Chinese guide for the Hermitage — no getting lost! Took 4-5 hours. Dinner → ballet in the evening. Day 3: Peterhof / Catherine Palace → Shopping 🛍️ Both are far from the city — choose one. For shopping: Galeria Mall near the train station — has Zolotoye Yabloko, supermarkets, and a food court on the 4th floor (even Xinjiang-style baked buns!) 🏨 Accommodation: Best to stay on Nevsky Prospect for convenience. I stayed at Matisov Hotel — service was great, but value was average. ▪️ Ticket Booking: 🚄 High-speed train between Moscow & St. Petersburg (4 hours). Overnight trains also available. Arrive 30 mins early — no need to go too early. ✈️ Not recommended to fly — airports are far from downtown. Tickets (train + some attractions) were booked through a student agent. ▪️ Cash & Cards: 💳 Entered Russia with 0 RUB — got a YooMoney card at the airport. Withdrew RUB using a Chinese UnionPay card → deposited into YooMoney. Super convenient! 💰 Need more cash? Exchange RMB → RUB in St. Petersburg at great rates: Ligovsky Per., 2, Pod. 2 (on Nevsky Prospect). So just bring: UnionPay card + RMB cash. No money worries! 💵✔️ #RussiaTravelGuide #SaintPetersburg #Moscow #ArmedForcesCathedral #TravelTips