Who's going to Russia?

Discussion in 'USA Men: World Cup Fans & Travel' started by John McGuirk, Jul 3, 2014.

  1. thethinwhiteduke

    Feb 13, 2008
    trying to figure out a list of host cities id like to visit...Real Corona, you are unquestionably the expert in this thread of Russia. what would you suggest?
     
  2. Real Corona

    Real Corona Member+

    Jan 19, 2008
    Colorado
    Club:
    FC Metalist Kharkiv
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    St. Petersburg: Must visit, north from St. Petersburg you can visit Kizhi Pogost (about 8 hours away) and if you really want to get off the beaten track from there the Solovetsky Islands. On the way to Moscow from Piter you should stop by Veliky Novogord for a day.

    Moscow: If only for a few days to see Red Square and the Kremlin. More if you like to blow serious loads of cash and party

    Kazan: is a unique place in that it's the capital of Tatarstan, relatively clean and nice. It really gives you the Eurasian and multiculutral feel of Russia that you don't get if you just do the tourist trail of St. Peter and Moscow.

    I've never been to Nizhny Novgorod, Saransk or Samara. But honestly I see no reason why anybody would want to go there other than to see a specific game. They aren't bad places just kind of boring. It's like going to Topeka or something.

    Rostov is the same boat, I've been there, it's pretty dull and boring and the one cool thing about the Kuban is the rural areas. But unless you stay there awhile and get to know people it's going to be hard to experience that. Plus like half of the Russian army is driving around there.

    Volgograd is boring unless you're super into World War II history. There isn't much to see, but a giant war statue, one or two shot up buildings. But if you're super into the battle it might be worth saying you've been there.


    Sochi is cool in a weird Coney Island type way. The boardwalks in Sochi and Yalta (dunno about how it is since the invasion) are unique, cooky and odd places that are definitely fun to wander during the summer months. You can pet a leopard, listen to Peruvian indians playing music.... it's hard to explain. The beaches there kind of suck. They are rocky, crowded and dirty but the mountains are awesome. It's hard to really explain the Caucasus and if you don't know anybody it might be hard to get into the back woods areas but maybe you can find a guy with a jeep who speaks English. Or worst case just take the train up to Krasnaya Polyana and wander around. Just be careful though as you do not want to accidentally wander into Abkhazia.


    Most of European Russia is just workmanlike Industrial cities, spread out among small rural villages. Each have their charms but it's not something you just visit for a day or two to appreciate.

    For non World Cup host places to go: Suzdal outside of Moscow is in my opinion a MUST SEE. Find a good English tour guide, it will be worth. Do not think it's a touristy thing to take tours in Russia, it's a very common local thing to do and in Suzdal it will be worth it since the churches are spread out and you'll need wheels anyway.

    I have not been east of the Urals but Tobolsk, Vladivostok and Irkutsk are on my list of places to go before I kicked the bucket.


    There are some very off the beaten track, extreme adventure lands in the Russian Far East if that's your thing. The Altai, Tuva, Sakha, Kamchatka, the Amur etc all are amazing, but often expensive and hard to get to.
     
  3. Real Corona

    Real Corona Member+

    Jan 19, 2008
    Colorado
    Club:
    FC Metalist Kharkiv
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I'd say irrespective of which games are where, if I were doing a two week trip I would do something like.

    Fly into St. Petersburg, (or Helsinki). 4-5 days in St. Petersburg
    morning train to Veliky Novgorod, evening train to Moscow
    two days in Moscow
    train to Kazan
    4 days in Kazan
     
  4. Real Corona

    Real Corona Member+

    Jan 19, 2008
    Colorado
    Club:
    FC Metalist Kharkiv
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I'm dumb. Forgot to include Suzdal in this itinerary.

    The whole golden circle around Moscow has its charms. Vladimir is the big one and you'll almost certainly connect there to get to Suzdal. There's a few other nice towns. Yaroslavl. Sergiev Posad, Rostov Veliky (not to be be confused with Rostov in the south. Veliky means old. So this is old Rostov and Rostov the host city in the south is Rostov na Donu which means Rostov on the Don.)


    This area of Russia is pretty cool but you just have to appreciate it for what it is. It's not going to blow you away like some Spanish or French towns. But it's something like cruising through upstate New York or Sonoma county in the states. It's the core foundational region of the Russian state and it was mercifully considered irrelevant to Soviet industrialists. So it was completely ignored during the 1930s and the Germans never got there in the 40s.

    My suggestion is enjoy it like the Russians do. Either get yourself a lakeside cafe or make your own picnic. Vodka, Grilled sashlik, tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers. Realize that eight hundred years ago a bunch of these villages built the largest country on earth.
     
  5. thethinwhiteduke

    Feb 13, 2008
    dude, that was perfect. thanks so much.

    is it expected that russia will waive the visa requirements for the World Cup? has anyone heard anything on that?

    is anyone thinking of going for Confederations Cup?
     
  6. Real Corona

    Real Corona Member+

    Jan 19, 2008
    Colorado
    Club:
    FC Metalist Kharkiv
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I don't think they wave the visa requirement but like with Brazil they will waive the fee. Whether this includes the invitation or not I don't know. You can apply for a 3 year multi entry visa though if you want to do it now. Want to say once you pay all the crap it's like $200.
     
  7. thethinwhiteduke

    Feb 13, 2008
    yeah, thinking of getting a new passport and getting the visa now. its just tough to find a window where i know i wont need my passport for say 3 months
     
  8. Real Corona

    Real Corona Member+

    Jan 19, 2008
    Colorado
    Club:
    FC Metalist Kharkiv
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    If you have more money then time. You can get expedited processing. The Russian embassy just wants money. I think I got mine in a week a few years back for like $400


    Ive used travisa and CIBT. Both will get it done quickly.
     
  9. thethinwhiteduke

    Feb 13, 2008
    ive been waiting and hoping that this proposed acquisition of a Russian company goes through for my company so i can make them pay for it.
     
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  10. DJS86

    DJS86 New Member

    Sep 15, 2016
    For those of you that have 100% committed to attending, what are you thinking regarding ticketing (Venue series, and if so, where? vs. team specific ticket?) Real Corona, you might have a bit more knowledge about the feasibility of traveling between venues, but my first thought is that Russia is a bit...big. Group D will have a team going from Kaliningrad to Volgagrad to SP. A team in Group G will go from Sochi to Moscow to Yekat. That kind of seems like a pain in the ass, much like Natal to Manaus to Recife was in 2014. Thoughts?
     
  11. soccer_23

    soccer_23 Member

    Feb 6, 2014
    In Brazil, I was lucky enough to be there the entire month and attend every U.S. match and four others, including the final. This time, I plan on spending at least 3 weeks and (at a minimum) attending every game the U.S. plays. In addition to that, I'll want to spend some time in Moscow (for the parties) and St. Petersburg (White Nights) and attend whatever matches are there. That will probably keep me busy enough for 3 weeks and none of the other cities really stand out as must-see. And obviously I'll be going to at least one other city while following the U.S. I'd make an exception if I can get tickets for a marquee game in one of the lesser cities.

    That all being the case, I'll apply for some or all of the Moscow and St. Petersburg group stage games in the "blind" application phase (October 2017). I'll probably avoid the venue passes since I don't necessarily want to pay that much for the semifinals or final (need to look into this more). Then I'll apply for the full team specific ticket through USSF for the U.S. games in January 2018. It's important to apply through USSF if you want tickets in the U.S. section at their matches. I'll apply for the max of 4 tickets for each group stage game to accommodate my friends, guessing that any Moscow or St. Petersburg games conflicting with the U.S. schedule can be sold away later without too much trouble (as that's where most visitors and fans will be based).

    As far as logistics, it seems like the only direct flights are between the various cities and Moscow (i.e. you can't fly from Sochi to Kazan without connecting through Moscow). I looked up flights for June 2017 as a reference, and it's only about $55 from any city to/from Moscow one-way. I also remember this being the case when I visited in 2014, but I'm sure they plan to add some service for 2018. Given the airline connections, it wouldn't be a bad idea to base yourself in Moscow, or at least plan to return there frequently if you want to fly from place to place.

    Trains are probably a decent option between the outlying cities that are relatively close together. To my knowledge, Russia doesn't have any "fast" trains like in Western Europe or Asia. I did take an overnight from Sochi to Volgograd in 2014, and it wasn't bad but took 19 hours. I suppose it's up to personal preference whether an overnight train ride or 6 hours on a plane with a layover in Moscow is the better option. The train was surely a memorable experience.

    Looking forward to it. Russia's a unique place and should make a great host country.
     
  12. Real Corona

    Real Corona Member+

    Jan 19, 2008
    Colorado
    Club:
    FC Metalist Kharkiv
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Russia has the Sapsan train, and the Allegro train which are high speed. I guess it depends on the definition of high speed. Moscow to St Petersburg is like 150mph and St. Petersburg to Helsinki is like 125 I think. But the last one you blow an hour at the border so it doesn't seem fast.



    Soccer_23 kind of nailed it above. Flying or train travel is going to be your best options. Typically everything runs through Moscow, both trains and planes. Any train that isn't a commuter and doesn't go throw Moscow is probably a super slow plodder. (Really the entire country funnels all it's resources through Moscow, even if it's coming from the Far East. It's a major political thing, and Moscow and the rest of the country almost aren't even the same world. But that's a big digression. Point being every transport option pretty much heads to and from the city.)

    For plane tickets, I'd venture the entire system will be revamped with new flights added. Just think of 2014. During the summer there's usually like 2 flights from Rio to Manaus. During the World Cup there was like 6 to 8 just from Rio. So I'd assume Aeroflot, S7, Rossiya and UTair will be adding flights. The good news is that for the most part Moscow is at the center of everything. So flying from Sochi to Moscow to Yekaterinburg isn't like flying Natal to Rio to Manaus which was totally out of the way.


    Russians generally travel by overnight train. Frankly I think if you go to Russia and don't take an overnight train, you are really missing out on a major experience. Some of them are long. Sochi to Moscow is like 24 hours. Ditto Yekaterinburg. So I'd probably fly those, just like I wasn't going to take a riverboat to Manaus. But a 12 hour train from Moscow to Kazan is entirely reasonable. Remember you're going to be sleeping most of it. Plus it's going to be a huge party. Assuming you are remotely friendly to people, within an hour you'll have people feeding you and doing vodka shots.


    I think a lot of people will base themselves in Moscow for logistics reasons. Sort of like how a lot of people based themselves in Rio for 2014. I don't mean US fans, but everybody. We'll have to see how the US draw comes out but I might consider basing myself in Kazan or another Russian city. Of course I've also seen Moscow and St. Petersburg plenty so I don't need to stay there.
     
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  13. wixson7

    wixson7 Member+

    May 12, 2009
    boulder
    "The 2018 World Cup draw will be staged on Dec. 1 at a Kremlin concert hall in Moscow.

    The draw will take place at the 6,000-capacity State Kremlin Palace, a grand structure built inside the Kremlin walls in the Soviet era to hold Communist Party conferences. Nowadays, the venue usually plays host to veteran Russian pop stars, ballerinas and awards shows."
     
  14. Jazzy Altidore

    Jazzy Altidore BigSoccer Yellow Card

    Sep 2, 2009
    San Francisco
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    This will be crazy. Russia oh man what will you do next Russia.
     
  15. PabloSanDiego

    PabloSanDiego Member+

    West Ham United
    United States
    Jan 18, 2014
    San Diego, CA
    Club:
    West Ham United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    @Real Corona, your info is terrific. I never would have considered an overnight train but now that's added to my List. I remember doing that [many] years ago when backpacking thru Europe as a poor young guy. We did it more to save a night's hotel cost. And with the cost of hotels in Moscow, that savings is not an insignificant factor next year in doing the overnight trains.

    There's still a lot of factors, mainly where the USMNT ends up playing [I know they still need to qualify], before I do my final itinerary. So I'll wait until the draw to book anything. Then there's the added factor of what games I can get tickets for. But right now I'm leaning towards a week in Moscow and a week in St. Petersburg, with a few side trips thrown in. That's more or less how I did Brazil except I was mainly only based in Rio.

    My lesson learned from Brazil-14 is that the city-to-city travel is something I want to minimize. It's a wasted day, in fact almost worse than that because it's also exhausting. It's not just the 3 hour flight. It's waking up early to pack, getting to the airport early to check-in and clear security, then getting to the new hotel, checking-in, unpacking. That often meant missing at least 2 games on TV that day. The easy 3 hour flight is really a stressful all day ordeal.

    This tournament seemed so far in the future but now it doesn't seem quite so far. I'm really looking forward to planning it all out and putting all the pieces together. I was way into it in 2014 and sure I will be again.
     
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  16. Real Corona

    Real Corona Member+

    Jan 19, 2008
    Colorado
    Club:
    FC Metalist Kharkiv
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I personally wouldn't spend a week in Moscow. But that's just me. I do understand the not wanting to travel though.
     
  17. PabloSanDiego

    PabloSanDiego Member+

    West Ham United
    United States
    Jan 18, 2014
    San Diego, CA
    Club:
    West Ham United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    How about St. Petersburg as a hub then? I'm trying to convince my wife to join me for a week or 10 days and she's going to want to see the cultural stuff, museums, restaurants, shows, etc.

    One thing with Moscow is it has 2 stadiums, so twice the choices for attending matches live. Plus I'd really like to try to be at the Opening Match again. It was an amazing event in Sao Paulo.
     
  18. Real Corona

    Real Corona Member+

    Jan 19, 2008
    Colorado
    Club:
    FC Metalist Kharkiv
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Moscow is a bit like Sao Paolo. Huge cultural metropolis. The Kremlin is great and definitely should splurge for a tour. But after that it's really just an extremely overpriced Russian posh city.

    Now St Petersburg on the other hand. Might be my favorite city on earth. It's like this weird Paris Venice Russian hybrid that you'll need that week just to scratch the surface.
     
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  19. PabloSanDiego

    PabloSanDiego Member+

    West Ham United
    United States
    Jan 18, 2014
    San Diego, CA
    Club:
    West Ham United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Thanks! Plenty of time to plan but that sounds like a good strategy going in. Interesting the São Paulo-Moscow analogy. I was in São Paulo and it was rather boring, certainly way less fun that Rio. Even though I was there during the opening match time, it didn't have much vibe; nothing like Rio. So I'm thinking now of doing it like i did Brazil, Moscow for the opener but then St. Petersburg as the hub.
     
  20. Real Corona

    Real Corona Member+

    Jan 19, 2008
    Colorado
    Club:
    FC Metalist Kharkiv
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Moscow has Red Square which is great. But the rest of the city is busy busy busy. Everyone will probably be rushing to work everyday. The other issue with Moscow is because it's so much richer than the rest of the country a lot of restaurants and cafes are stupidly expensive. I once paid $40 for soup. :/

    St Petersburg is very geared to tourism.

    But if you get out to some of the other cities especially like samara or Yekaterinburg you'll be treated like an honored guest. Those places never see foreigners and Russians go to absurd lengths to be hospitable to guests.
     
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  21. soccer_23

    soccer_23 Member

    Feb 6, 2014
    For the Conderations Cup, there will be free trains for ticket-holding fans going to/from each city on the days before and after each match. I'm guessing there will be a similar program in 2018.

    https://tickets.transport2018.com/free-train/schedule


    Not sure how feasible some of those trips are (34 hours from Moscow to Sochi). But it's an option.

    Also, it looks a "Fan ID" credential is how they'll be managing the free entry visas. There was a similar ID for the Olympics, but that was only a security measure for access to the Olympic Park and venues.
     
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  22. Real Corona

    Real Corona Member+

    Jan 19, 2008
    Colorado
    Club:
    FC Metalist Kharkiv
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    At the Olympics everything was free but it was so self contained that it's hard to compare. Just to get into the complex you needed a ticket for an event that day. Trains and buses were free from Adler to Sochi and Krasnaya Polyana. You didn't need a ticket you just hopped on and off you went. But again you're talking about essentially a city bus.
     
  23. Joe Kurr

    Joe Kurr Member

    Sporting Kansas City
    United States
    Mar 21, 2017
    Corona, as you seem to be the expert on the thread, what's the overall rating for hostels in Moscow and St. Petersburg? Should I expect it to be similar to the rest of European hostels, or are you in for a Russian surprise?

    In 2014, the costs of lodging is what really bit me, as far as costs. Was hoping to get a head start on this and save tons of $ by staying in hostels.
     
  24. Real Corona

    Real Corona Member+

    Jan 19, 2008
    Colorado
    Club:
    FC Metalist Kharkiv
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    They have every kind of hotel. Moscow might have the most expensive prices in the world but there's every range of good to bad.
     
  25. thethinwhiteduke

    Feb 13, 2008
    @Real Corona , so, it seems like you think basing in St Petersburg would definitely be more fun than Moscow, is that fair?

    what is the flight situation from St Petersburg to other Russian cities like? or would trains be better? Moscow definitely seems worth visiting but you dont seem sold on it being worthwhile as a base.
     

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