Way to Russia Blogs

Must See Places in Moscow

Wed, 14 May 2008 23:21:12 +0400

You will regret if you don't see these places while in Moscow... If you have suggestions, please, leave a comment.

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How to Save Money on Rent

Tue, 13 May 2008 01:07:00 +0400

If you come to Moscow for the first time it�s better to find an apartment before you arrive, as it will be much cheaper than a hotel. Currently there's a lack of quality 3-star hotels in Moscow, and since Rossiya hotel was set for reconstruction a year ago, there's very few rooms in the center of the city for less than $200 per night.

Posting apartment ads in Moscow

However, apartments in Moscow are not cheap and it's better to know a few tricks that will let you save the money.

In case you're thinking about renting an apartment for long-term later, it's better to use the same agency as the one you used for getting a short-term apartment. They'll probably give you a discount for the agency fee (which in Russia is usually a one-off payment that equals 1-month rent) , besides you'll know who you're dealing with. Usually the more well-known a real estate company is, the less is the probability of getting a discount, because they don't need to make much effort to win over potential clients. Their clients mostly come from corporate contracts, so they're not too keen on giving away the money they would earn anyway. So if you're making the move on your own or there's not a big corporation behind you that is ready to pay $10000 a month for a penthouse in a gated community, you're better off using smaller, but reputable companies. It's much better to arrange a possible discount beforehand and perhaps make it the condition on which you rent an apartment for short-term period.

If you�ve been living in Moscow for already a considerable period of time you may try to look for a place by using your personal contacts (e.g. using social networks, such as LinkedIn, Xing, or FaceBook) or by posting your ad on the Internet (e.g. Expat.Ru or WaytoRussia.Net forums).
Finding an apartment through your friends or internet may save you the agency fee though you may run the risk of dealing with non-reliable and unfair landlords and in case of any trouble you�ll have to pull through all by yourself. To ensure that everything is OK, you should check the property documents of your landlord (it's even better if they have "propiska" - "registration" at the apartment) and also make sure that you get what you're promised. You should also make sure that the landlord will be able to help you with the registration of your visa (that's where his "propiska" becomes handy).

Once, a teacher working for a language school found and apartment without any agency�s assistance. The apartment was unfurnished but the owners promised to by all necessary furnishings and equipment on receiving the first month rent and security deposit from the tenant. Can you imagine the great surprise of the teacher when having arrived to the apartment he found there furnishings that �that dates as far back as the Crimean war�. No money was reimbursed to him.

As for the prices in Moscow real estate market they are very high and continue to go up by 25-30% per year. Four years ago one could find a nice studio apartment in the center for $500; nowadays such place would cost at the least $1500, and for a one-bedroom apartment you�ll have to pay $2500 at the minimum (we�re not taking in consideration old Russian style apartments of 1980th.) And you might need to look for your perfect place for about 3 months, until you find the perfect combination of price, area, and living conditions. It seems like in the current situation when the prices are quite high, it's better to pay a bit more (if you can afford it) and get a central 1-bedroom flat for about $2500 / month rather than getting a small studio outside of the center for $1500 / month or so.

According to Svetlana Bulgakova, expert agent of ASTONS company, foreigners having come to Moscow for the first time and having inspected a number of apartments are sometimes very disappointed with the difference between what they expected to find and the real situation in the market, as a result they have either to spend more than expected or lower their standards. Though there is a possibility to negotiate down the price � by making an upfront payment for several months, this way one can save up to 20% of month rent.

By the way, the widespread rumor that the landlords intentionally overprice their properties when leasing them to the foreign clients is not true. �This is absolutely wrong� � says Svetlana. �On the contrary, Russians still have a strong belief that foreigners are more predictable, steady and reliable persons, unwilling to break the lease, that is why very often they are considered to be more preferable tenants�.

Studio for $1700 US
This studio apartment above costs in May about $1700 US / month and is located next to Preobrazhenskaya Square metro, which is about 15 mins from the center by metro.

1-bedroom for $2500
This one-bedroom apartment above costs in May about $2500 US / month and is located on Tsetnoy Boulevard metro station, in the center of the city.

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This publication is the first one from a series of publications prepared by ASTONS real estate agency about real estate market in Moscow.

You can view their offers for short-term rent at Way to Russia Apartment Listings and if you'd like to get in touch with them about the long-term rent, you can call +7 495 984 66 42 or send a message through the contact form for one of their flats on Way to Russia.

Interactive Map of Russia

Sun, 11 May 2008 22:41:59 +0400

Check out our new interactive map of Russia on Google... You will find brief descriptions of the major cities, destinations, and train routes, as well as links to more information.

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Russia Search Engine

Sun, 11 May 2008 20:49:00 +0400

We invite you to try out the new collaborative search engine for Russia powered by Way to Russia and Google.

You can choose which sites are searched and which results are given more relevance.

See the project's page or try out the search results:

Russia Waives Visas for Football Fans

Tue, 6 May 2008 18:26:37 +0400

Russian officials will allow the fans of Manchester United and Chelsea to enter Russia without a visa for the May 21st game. The visitors will only need to present a valid ticket for the match to be allowed to enter Russia. Football fans will be able to enter Russia from 19th until 23rd May and shouldn't stay longer than 72 hours.

See more info here: nytimes.com and Guardian.Co.Uk

Work for Way to Russia � We're Hiring!

Wed, 2 Apr 2008 05:11:22 +0400

Currently we need a very experienced programmer / web person.

We also need talented writers.

See our Vacancies page.

The salary is $1400-$2000 / month and you can work from anywhere you want. However, it's a full time and full-on employment. You need to be a guru of programming and html to get this position.

If you're not a guru, you can also try, as we need less experienced people as well and we can transform you into a guru in 6 months.

Moscow Public Transport Search

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 09:26:43 +0400

There's a new, interesting website that allows you to search public transport routes in Moscow. You enter your starting point (street or address) and your destination and it tells you the best public transport options (buses, trams, metro, etc). Could be very useful when you're trying to get somewhere that has no nearby metro station. Here's the site:

Moscow Public Transport Search

It's still in Beta version and at the moment there are some problems with entering street names (it's not clear what transliteration is needed). But the 'Object' search currently works well. And the Russian language search works fine.

Best Parties @ Your Mobile Phone

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 19:07:21 +0400

Be the first to learn about the best concerts, underground parties, and club openings in Russia. This service is provided by Way to Russia together with Twitter.

If you already have Twitter just text "follow waytorussia" from your mobile to Twitter number or add us through the online interface and you'll receive our updates for free.

If you don't have a Twitter account, Just SMS "subscribe" to our number
+44 7624 802 552 ��we will send you an invitation for this great service.

You will then receive an SMS from Twitter number asking you to register in their system by sending them your nickname. After your registration is confirmed, just text back "follow waytorussia" and you're subscribed.

You don't have to pay anything for this service, apart from sending a message to us or to Twitter, which you'll have to do only once, when you register. These are not premium numbers, so standard SMS rates apply.

We promise there won't be more than 1 or 2 per day and you can be sure that it's only the best stuff: quality bands, underground loft parties, new openings, and important travel news from time to time.

You can unsubscribe any time by texting "leave waytorussia" back to Twitter or to our number.

Twitter has lots more features, such as the ability to post microblogs online and forward it to all your friends via web and mobile. Check it out!

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Trans-Siberian Ticket Problems July/August

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 11:06:05 +0400

Just a quick warning for those planning to take Trans-Mongolian or Trans-Manchurian train journeys in late July or August. Due to the Beijing Olympic Games, tickets for trains starting in Beijing will not be able to be booked the usual 45 days in advance. They will go on sale only a few days in advance.

There might also be some trouble obtaining tickets from Mongolia to Beijing at this time. Tickets on this route can still be ordered in advance, but due to high demand there might be problems. Some agencies are recommending clients should fly this part of the trip.

Trains within Russia, from Russia to Mongolia, and from Russia directly to Beijing will be unaffected. At least, these tickets shouldn't be too much harder to obtain than they are any other year.

Putin and Medvedev Address the Crowd on Red Square

Mon, 3 Mar 2008 18:18:16 +0300

Dmitry Medvedev became the new president of Russia, winning with over 70% of votes. Yesterday he and Putin went to the Red Square where the Russian band Lube (quite awful but patriotic music) were having a concert, and addressed the people.

Watch the video from the Russia Today channel (which is a disgrace to TV industry):

(Putin and Medvedev appear about halfway through the video)

Even though they say all the right things, the fact that it was Lube's concert is a bit annoying, plus watching it on this Russia Today's Russian propaganda channel is not very pleasant too... The presenter in the beginning has a severe right brow condition :)

Regarding the election and the results, there was no other alternative really. Zyuganov is a communist (got about 19%), Zhirinovsky is ultra-nationalist (some say that he's fake, and was created just to take away the votes from the potential real ones - nevertheless he got 10%), and Bogdanov looks more like a Turkish pop band singer (got 1%). So-called opposition Kasyanov wouln't have any chances anyway, so many people believe he just chose to be banned from elections. The was no point for Kremlin to get rid of him, because he wouldn't be of any competition. Hence the results...