Although Russia is under embargo, for the male tourist, this country has not changed much, still making him reluctant to leave...
A trip to reminisce about old memories
“Before the trip, I read information online warning that Russia is currently under embargo and not very stable. However, friends living in Russia told me that life is very safe now. To be honest, at first, when thinking about this trip, I had many concerns and was a bit worried. When I set foot in Russia, my thoughts disappeared because the reality was far different from what I thought when I was at home,” Mr. Hoa expressed.
During the summer months, the tourist areas in the two big cities of Moscow and Saint Petersburg are described by Mr. Hoa as being very crowded and bustling, with many tourists still crowded on the streets at 1-2 am.
On this trip, he visited Moscow for 4 days, stayed in Saint Petersburg for 3 days and walked through Kazan for 2 days. In addition, he decided to "live slowly" more than on previous trips to feel more of the natural beauty and culture of Russia. He spent time visiting some cities in Russia's "golden ring" near the capital Moscow, such as Suzdal, Sergeev Posad or Alabino.
The male tourist shared: “I went right during the “white nights” in Saint Petersburg. Every year, the “white nights” usually start from mid-June to early July. On these days, at 9-10 pm the sky is still as bright as day and at around 3-4 am the sky starts to get light. This is a very interesting natural phenomenon.
This is not the first time I have visited Saint Petersburg, but the ancient beauty of this city still attracts me like the first time. Perhaps that is the reason why Saint Petersburg is considered the “Northern Capital” of Russia.
The weather during Mr. Hoa's stay in Russia was quite pleasant. In Moscow, the days were a bit hot, with temperatures around 28 - 30 degrees Celsius, but the nights were very cool. In this city, Mr. Hoa suggested that visitors should spend a whole day visiting Red Square and the surrounding famous buildings such as: Lenin's Mausoleum, St. Basil's Cathedral, GUM department store, Alexander Garden with the Eternal Flame, the Kremlin, Christ the Savior Cathedral, Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, and the Opera House.
On this trip, the male tourist was most impressed with the museum and military church in Alabino city, about 70km from the center of Moscow, with the main exhibition theme being the Great Patriotic War of 1941 - 1945.
Mr. Hoa said: “The architecture of this tourist destination is truly magnificent and elaborate. The museum and the Military Church are built on a very open and spacious campus.
I was impressed by the length of the museum: 1,418 steps - symbolizing the number of days and nights that the Great Patriotic War lasted. Inside the museum, there are more than 8,000 exhibits. To visit the entire museum and the Military Church, visitors should probably spend a whole day here.
Useful tips
According to Mr. Xuan Hoa's observation, the public transport system in major cities in Russia is developing at a "dizzying" rate. The subway system in Moscow has expanded significantly, making it very convenient for travel.
Therefore, he advises tourists to use public transport when traveling in big cities like Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Kazan... to save money, time, and avoid traffic jams.
However, he noted, many public transport vehicles in Moscow and Saint Petersburg do not have on-board ticket sellers and it is not possible to buy tickets from the driver, so visitors are forced to swipe their bank cards or wallet cards.
Mr. Hoa said: “Cards issued by Vietnamese banks do not work in Russia. Therefore, you need to buy a wallet card to travel on public transport. This card is sold at ticket counters at metro stations in Moscow and Saint Petersburg.
Each city has a different card that can only be used in that city: Moscow uses the Troika card and Saint Petersburg uses the Podorozhnik card. When you buy the card, you have to deposit 150 RUB and then top it up to use it as an electronic wallet.
In addition, in Saint Petersburg, Mr. Hoa warned that there are still pickpockets when traveling on public transport or in crowded tourist areas. This is inevitable when traveling abroad and visiting any country in the world.
The total cost of Mr. Hoa's 14-day trip was about 35 million VND. After the trip, he still regretted not being able to visit all the Metro stations in Moscow, especially many Cultural Heritage stations built in the 30s of the last century, and not having time to go to the Murmansk region or visit Lake Baikal .
