New Rules in Museums of Moscow Kremlin

From 18th of January 2007 the administration of the Kremlin's Museums announced the same prices for tickets for citizens of the Russian Federation (excepting students and veterans) as well as for foreign tourists. Also the Kremlin Museums announced that they would no longer permit private guides to offer guiding services to their clients on the territory of the Kremlin and Armory Chamber without a special "Tour Voucher". The "Tour Voucher" is available only for their local guides who work in Kremlin or to the guides who have Accreditation from "Association of Guides-Interpreters" and work with one of 40 big travel agencies which have agreements with the Moscow Kremlin. Because of the limited number of local private guides it is almost impossible to book one in advance for a reasonable price, but if to take their guide right on the spot you have to pay 3 times more than the regular price (about 6000 rubles / $240 a person for one tour... To use a guide from any travel agency in advance will be almost the same price as to hire local Kremlin's guide. Recently I have made contacts with Excursion Bureau of the Kremlin and couple of travel agencies where it is possible to hire the guide with “Tour Voucher” for the pretty "reasonable” (min) price - 2000 rubles / $75 a person for 3 hour tour to the Kremlin cathedrals plus Armory Chamber. It is better to make this order 1 week in advance or earlier. In addition to the guide services, of course, you have to buy the tickets (prices for a person):

• The Architectural Ensemble of the Cathedral Square: 300 rubles / $12 (1,5-2 hours tour)
• The Armory Chamber: 350 rubles / $15 (1,5 hours tour)
• The Diamond Fund: 350 rubles / $15 (1,5 hours tour)

So you can see now, that if you would like to have guided tours in the Kremlin's museums, you have to book it many days in advance, spend there more than half of a day and a lot of money. Due to these circumstances about the touring on the grounds of the Moscow Kremlin, I have some conclusions and thoughts for my dear clients about discovering the Moscow Kremlin:

• While I can still accompany my clients to the Kremlin and be with them as they look around, I can offer no guiding services.
• In the meantime, I have applied for accreditation with the Association of Moscow Guides which I hope to receive soon but, as with so many things in Russia, it can take some time for the paperwork to make its way through the bureaucracy.
• In an effort to generate revenue, the Kremlin administration now insists that visitors hire guides provided by them to tour the Kremlin cathedrals and Armoury Museum. This can be expensive.

Here are options for my clients:

• Expencive option - Purchase a conducted tour of the Kremlin and its museums from a Moscow tour company or Excursion Bureau of the Kremlin (this is better to organize 1 week in advance or earlier). This eliminates standing in lines to buy the tickets and searching for a local Kremlin guide whose services can be very expensive right on the spot.
• Inexpencive option - I can give my clients a special guide book about certain museum which they sell right in their gift shop and/or you can buy some of these books which have good sections on the Moscow Kremlin: Moscow by Insight City Guide, Moscow by DK Eyewitness Travel Guides, Moscow City Guide by Lonely Planet, The Rough Guide To Moscow (this has the best section about the Kremlin by opinions of experts).

I have a lot of photographs from the Kremlin and have also an idea to make some kind of virtual tour around the Kremlin so that the people who have time and would like to learn about Russia in advance can be acquainted with Moscow Kremlin and not be lost even if it is your first trip to Russia! . It is very important for me at first to learn your opinions and thoughts about this idea and the whole theme about the Kremlin in general. I am looking forward to receive your responses and comments. Was this news useful for you?

With BEST Regards,
Your Moscow Guide & Driver