Customer Reviews

Frommer's Moscow & St. Petersburg (Frommer's Complete Guides)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I was very disappointed by this book, which feels largely like a cut-and-paste job. It opens with a bunch of general travel advice and then goes on to describe a few things to do and see in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Many blocks of text are repeated in various parts of the book and I felt the actual amount of information about things to do and see in these two amazing cities was pretty limited, especially given the number of pages I carried around with me. I found all the hotel info I needed on the Internet (see tripadvisor.com) and would have liked this book better if they'd left out all the hotel info and left out the repetition.

I feel like I could write you a better travel guide after spending just one week with natives in each city. Surely somebody else has done a better job!

Many of the main attractions in St. Petersburgh and Moscow are museums and the like.

Museums in both cities tend to be closed at least one day during the week. It is different days for different museums.

There were a significant amount of attractions (probably about 1/3) in both cities where the book had incorrect days. So we'd show up on a day it was supposed to be open, and they were closed. Or the hours were wrong. Or the book would say that they had english tours and they did not.

I was extremely disappointed at such a major oversight.

The reason we got the newest edition of this book was so that we can look up restaurants and clubs to visit, and three times, we used the reviews in this guidebook to eat in one of the recommended places. One such place was in Moscow - we found the exact address, but it was a travel agency and there were no signs of that place ever being a restaurant. The other two places were in St. Petersburg, one was even a starred review. We did find one place, "beer exchange", but it was such a sad place that the blurb about it in this book was more like a deceptive ad than an unbiased review. We finally stopped trying, so who knows how many more places recommended in this guidebook aren't really there.
Also, the street names in the book are all in english only, but the street names in Russia are mostly in Cyrillic.

To start, I bought this book because is was more up-to-date (the 2010 edition) vs. the others that were in stock at the Bookstore, like Fodor's and the Lonely Planet, which were 2008 or 2009. I read that having an up-to-date guide was especially important in Russia, where restaurants, bars, clubs, etc. change frequently. Though I normally find Lonely Planet and Fodor's to be better in terms of info and reliability, I had to go to Russia for business with little notice and hence didn't have time to order a book. Plus, because I was going to be there for a month, I figured it would be a low-risk situation, as I'd have plenty of time to see everything even if there were a few bumps along the way.

BOY WAS I WRONG!

I don't see what was updated in the 2010 edition, because almost everything was wrong. The majority of restaurants and bars the book mentioned were no longer there. The opening times and/or days were usually long or didn't tell the whole story. For example, a site may be open from 10:00-18:00 as the book said, but half of that time may have been reserved for groups. The locations on the maps were only directionally correct, as the site indicated was just "sort of" near where the dot on the map was. Bus numbers and routes were wrong or incomplete. Most of the entrance fees and fare prices for transport were 50% off or more (some as much as 2-3x off).

Relying on the book got me into a few bad situations, like showing up at an isolated palace 2 hours early and being left with nothing to do. I figured out soon enough the book was just good for general recommendations or background information rather than specific logistical information, detailed explanations, etc. All-in-all, my trip would have been better had I bought the 2008 Lonely Planet (at least it would have had more in-depth context/history, better maps, etc.) or had not had any guide book at all and instead relied on websites.

What a waste. I am never buying a Frommer's guide again.

This guide reads like a draft.... I don't think it was ever tested with a live tourist.

The Book format has the same information being partially repeated, with confusing cross references. In particular chapter "Suggested Moscow Itineraries" described the exact same places as chapter "Exploring Moscow", and the former chapter constantly referred to the latter chapter for details (WITHOUT page number!) which is annoying.

Addresses given are vague and often inaccurate: that is a big problem in Moscow where addresses (even aside from the problem with Cyrillic) are highly confusing to westerners: as a result I sometimes got very lost.

For example, the Kremlin tourist entrance was specified differently more than once, which is a big problem as the Kremlin is huge (e.g. p3 "The tourist entrance is on the north side ... at the Borovitsky Gates". p 117 has a map that doesn't show Borovitsky Gate. It shows the visitor's Entrance at Kufaya Towers on the west side. The latter was correct, the former in error).

The location of internet cafe "Time Online" was unclear. (p.73 "... on the bottom floor of the the Okhotny Ryad shopping Center near the Kremlin
(1 Maneshnaya Ploshchad" was very misleading because it was not mentioned the whole shopping center is underground and huge. I never found it after looking for 90 minutes)

I accidentally left this book on a shelf in some store and I'm really not disappointed. I read this book before I left for Moscow and St. Petersburg and left for my trip feeling slightly scared and apprehensive. I have never read a guide book so thoroughly paranoid for no reason. It talks of harassment from police officers if you're a tourist, pickpockets on every corner, rude shop keepers and servers, and just gives off a general sense of "beware". Needless to say, my husband and I had a great time in Russia. The locals were some of the nicest we've met on this side of the world, maybe second to Japan. The women were sooo beautiful it was amazing. With unemployment in Moscow being only 1% I really felt more safe there than I did in my own neighborhood in souther Italy. And police harassment? Moscow and St. Petersburg is full of tourists! Why would they want to scare a growing part of their economy?
The one other thing that I wanted to mention is the sections for "Dining". It was verbatim to the little tourist guide you can pick up at any hotel. The descriptions and the maps were all the same. Either Frommers copied from the guide or the guide copied form frommers.

The information was good but not as well written as a normal Frommer's. It does not suffice as the only tour book necessary.

I think the guide is useful and concise, very much to the point and touches on many interesting and relevant topics. I've lived in Russia most of my life, so far, and I think the guide more than does it justice.

With that said, I have been to Russia only once (about 10 years ago) and it was with a tour. I am planning my second trip this Fall (2006) and was pleased to see that Frommer's finally put out a book for Russia. The matter of fact reviews as well as prices cited for absolutely everything give you a snapshot of what it "might" cost. I say "might" because there are so many variables that a book can't truly predict (i.e. fluid exchange rates, supply/demand, the "current will of a taxi driver", etc.) but this book gives you at least a starting point to evaluate if you are overpaying or getting a deal. I am planning to go this Fall without a guide and my confidence is building, as result of this book. I should say that I can read & write in Russian and speak a little, but it was still an intimidating country for me 10 years ago. I can read a Frommers book anytime even if I do not have trip planned. I've just started reading this one and I already love it. Good job (again) Frommer's!

This is a very useful guide to planning a trip to these two cities and finding your way around when you are there.