Tips for Traveling in Moscow

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While Moscow is an intriguing city, it is a very confusing city. There is so much history in Moscow, you could easily spend a week there. There are so many museums detailing the proud moments of Russian history. There is the Kremlin, where you could easily spend a day. And unlike St. Petersburg, it has a unique feel to it. The feel is more Russian. Most tourists go to St. Petersburg, therefore, St. Petersburg is more used to tourists and has plans in place for them. That is not the case for Moscow, so figuring out how to get around can be quite complicated. Here are some tips.

Most phones will not work in Russia, so plan your day ahead of time using the good old fashioned map. And even if the phone does work, the GPS does not work as well as it would in other countries. That's because Russia has its own version of Google Maps that works much better in the country. So since there is a major language barrier, know where you are going ahead of time and try to stick to that plan.

Speaking of knowing where you're going, learning the Cyrillic alphabet is incredibly helpful when trying to figure out where you are going. That way you can at least try to sound out what you would like to see and the ticketing agent can better serve you. 

In Russia, all tourists must have their passports with them, so don't be surprised if you get stopped by police. When I was there, I never had a problem with this, but you can always tell that the police were out and in numbers. So don't take the chance, just keep your valuables with you. 

You can't take photos of government buildings or police. You can take pictures of historic sites, monuments, and yourself. So make sure to watch out for no photo signs, because there is usually someone watching, so I wouldn't take the chance on it. 

Whether you are going out to dinner or visiting a church, make sure that you are dressed appropriately. The Russians do take it serious and can deny you entry. The problem is you won't understand the language, so instead come in the appropriate wear and you won't have any problems.

Visiting Lenin's mausoleum is something that is heavily monitored. He is essentially considered the father of a nation and therefore requires a lot of respect. The entire visit is monitored and guards will come up to you and tell you to do something if you are not. So take off your hats, stay silent, and keep your hands held in front of you. But if you can follow some of these Russian rules, in general it is a very nice time to visit Moscow.