Right Place to Stay

It often happens that a badly chosen гостиница (hotel) spoils the whole trip. You don't bring home memories about the country and the people, but about routine problems in the гостиница

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What are the choices? The obvious option is a номер (room) in a гостиница. Hotels of this type are very often buildings from the Soviet era. The rest of the hotels are fashionably called отель (hotel) to imply that they are more modern and of higher quality. In reality, this is not always the case.

If you are going to Moscow, be ready for the hotel to be expensive. Moscow is one of the most expensive cities in the world for tourists. Снять номер (renting a room) outside the city will be a bit cheaper. How can you снять (rent) housing for less? The easiest way is to stay a bit away from the city centre. The greatest differences in prices will be in large tourist cities.

Of course, striving for constant savings, you can consider less “official” and more risky options. You will see a lot of ads at bus stops and train stations: гостиницы в квартирах (hotels in apartments), квартиры посуточно (apartments daily), сдаю комнату (rooms for rent). All these are popular with locals, but not standard for foreigners. If you have decided to снять privately, make sure that you clearly understand all of the conditions.

If a hotel is cheap and of high quality, you may be told: Свободных номеров нет (there are no vacant rooms, we are fully booked). That is why you have to бронировать (book) in advance. The most reliable way to бронировать номер (book a room) is by using an international booking network.

Don’t forget that to book a room in a hotel you often will not need a карта (payment card). You can бронировать (book) without prepayment and without any penalty for cancelling the бронь (booking).

At check-in in any legal hotel you will be asked for your паспорт (passport) besides your имя (first name) and фамилия (last name). Remember that your паспорт is your only suitable ID in Russia. If required by law, the hotel will register you and inform the government about a foreigner staying there.

An interesting fact is that you «останавливаетесь» (stay) in a hotel in English, and you «живете» (live) in a hotel in Russian. Of course, a properly chosen hotel becomes your home for the duration of your trip, but still, be careful and do not leave any valuables in this temporary ”home“ of yours!

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Best regards, Denis Ivanov
Co-Founder of "Learning To Know"
Connect us: facebook.com/LearningToKnow

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