Adopting from Russia - In The City Your Child Is From

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On this page:
Adoption Process Information
  Receiving the referral in Russia
  Meeting your child ...
Per-City Information

Adoption Process Information

You travel to the city your child is in to meet the child, decide whether you will adopt the child and then go to court to adopt the child. If you adopt, you then go to Moscow where the US Embassy will issue an immigrant visa. Then you sightsee if you have time and return home. [Note that for Far Eastern adoptions, you may only have to go to the Consulate in Vladivostok and a courier may take your documents to Moscow and back.]

You will have a meeting with the MOE where you will officially receive the referral. Some agencies operating in some regions provide you the referral information before you travel. Wear business clothes (as you will in court) as the MOE may not think you take the adoption seriously if you are in casual clothes.

When you meet the child, a representative of the MOE will be present to observe the encounter.

During one of the visits, you will take the child to a photographer to get a Russian passport picture. Someone from the Baby Hospital or Children's Home will be with you since you do not have custody at this point. If you can get the visa picture taken at this point, it will save you time the morning that you go to the US Embassy in Moscow.

Your child may be scared of you or otherwise not react well. Your child may bond to one parent and reject the other. On our first adoption, three toddlers all attached to their new mothers instantly and didn't want anything to do with the fathers.

One APR contributor said her (older) child had been told that her parents were coming back to get her (in reference to her new adoptive parents).

Depending on how much time you have between your arrival in the city and the court date, you may see the child more than once before the court proceeding. If you have any doubts or concerns after meeting the child, you are not obligated to go through with the adoption. [Your agency should stress this to you before you leave for Russia.] If you don't feel comfortable about it, don't.

If you are uncertain, additional visits before the court hearing can be very valuable. On our first adoption, our son was apathetic and lethargic in our first encounter. We were extremely anxious after that. We met him again the next day, before our court hearing, and he was very interactive and showed initiative.

Here are some questions you might want to ask the doctor or director:

• Does the child have a favorite color, food, toy, type of clothing, song, friend, caregiver, etc.?
• Is there any food (s)he dislikes or reacts badly to?
• Does this child remember his or her birth family?
• What nick names is the child called?
• What is the child good at and what is hard?
• What is the child's schedule and usual foods?
• What conditions, medicines and treatments is or has the child had?
• Are any other pictures of the child available?

The facilitator has a lot of work to do during the trip to the city and you may or may not be dragged along. Bring food and water with you in case you are on the go all day long. On our second adoption, we left Moscow at 5:30AM, drove to Yaroslavl and finally checked into our hotel around 7PM. We tagged along as the facilitator visited various offices.

Toddlers do not typically wear diapers in Russia. Bring an extra change of clothes for yourself in case you are urinated on. I speak from direct personal experience!

When you go to court, you should wear formal clothes. It is a serious formal event and you should dress accordingly.

[Judge will walk you through the petition - like being walked through wedding vows]
[Prosecutor reads prepared statements; judge asks you questions]
[Being led through waiting period waiver request]

After the judge approves your adoption, you will get the child's new birth certificate, adoption certificate and passport. For at least one of these, your presence and signature will be required. Depending on how your facilitator does things, you may tag along for the entire paper chase.

Effective April, 2000, adopting parent(s) not using an accredited agency must appear personally before the Ministry of Education to receive referrals. This means that the adoptive parent(s) must make one trip to Russia to receive and accept a referral and another trip to adopt the child in a Russian court. However, the use of facilitators continues. This is good news for the majority of us who do not speak Russian or have any clue how to navigate the Russian bureaucracy

When working with an accredited agency, referrals may be received without traveling to Russia. When working with these agencies, many regions are on the 'one trip' system that was used before the April 2000 law change. The list of accredited agencies is available on this Russian website.

Whether or not a 10 day waiting period will still be imposed after the adoption is not clear and may vary from region to region, as it does now.

Any regional differences in the enforcement of the new laws will be reported as people return from Russia and report their experiences.

Per-City Information

For each city you will find:

• How to travel to/from the US if not in and out of Moscow.
• Mode of travel, distance and cost per person to/from Moscow.
• Waiting period waived or not after adoption is completed in court. If the waiting period was waived at a given time, that time is in green. If the waiting period was not waived at a certain time, that time is in red. Examples: 10/98 2/00 means waived in 10/98 and not waived in 2/00.
• Total length of stay in Russia. Note that this isn't a guarantee of how long it will take you but simply a report of how people before you have fared.
• Three graphs showing how people have rated the attitude and helpfulness of the Ministry of Education, judges and orphanage (adequacy of the medical information and time with the child before making a decision). In each graph, the red extreme corresponds to the worst case and the green extreme to the best case. The graphs are marked M (Ministry of Education), J (Judge) and O (Orphanage).
• Hotel information - price, phone number, notes.
• Things to see and do during any free time.
• If the city name is a hyperlink, the link is to a mailing list or eGroup that specializes in that city. Most of these were provided by Karen Holt.

In addition to reports about hotels that we have received, you can browse hotel listings yourself. Note: the hotel phone numbers at tourintel.ru don't bear any resemblance to those on our hotel receipts. Where a hotel receipt is available, information from the receipt is given.

You can look for information about particular cities at www.city.ru.

If you travel by train, bring sheets to put on the mattress, toilet paper, soap, food and water. Train schedules.

If you travel by plane, you may find the domestic airports crude. One couple did not realize their Moscow facilitator couldn't accompany them past a certain point and they were completely on their own. Also, smoking is allowed on domestic flights. To avoid as much smoke as possible, try to sit at the front of the airplane.

Russian hotels do not routinely offer bed sheets or pillowcases. They use duvets. It can be far too hot in the summer; some would prefer sheets. There isn't air conditioning or screens on the windows in most places except the better western-style hotels. Windows can be so low your child could fall out.

Bathrooms typically don't have shower curtains and the floor will be completely wet after a shower.

If you stay in someone's home, take off your shoes.

Important things to remember:

Loosey, goosey, go with the flow. Say it to yourself.

Do not jaywalk! See the earnest admonition on the Moscow page.

City index: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

M:   O:   J:

Hotel Abakan
Cost/night: [1/98]: $65.
Our room was actually more like an apartment. 2 bedrooms, kitchen, bath, lav and 2 balconies. The one balcony overlooked the square/ commons and you could see the vent shafts to the massive bomb shelters.

Park Hotel
Cost/night: [10/01]: $78.
Old and in need of repair. Luxurious at one time, which was evident by the furnishings and marbled bathroom. Staff was wonderful and very warm and as helpful as possible. The pillows are down, so if you have allergies, bring your own pillow. The hot water could be turned off for any reason at any time, and this happened while we were there.

We were expected to eat our meals at the Hotel restaurant and to write our own menus ahead of time so that they could custom prepare meals for us. Our wonderful translator/facilitator helped us with this. It was very awkward, since we had no idea what was available locally, and we would have much rather simply picked something from their existing menu. Our translator told us that this was a difficulty for many of the adopting parents and he had tried without success to change things. It sounds silly, but having to write our own menu on a daily basis was very stressful, and during the adoption period, one doesn't need any added stressors!

M:   O:   J:

Archangel
2 hours north of Moscow by Aeroflot.
Cost, if not included in fees: [10/98]: $150.
Waiting period: 10/98 5/99 12/01 7/02
Total days in Russia: [10/98]: 14, [5/99]: 7, [12/01]: 14, [7/02]: 26.

Hotel Dvina
Cost/night: [5/99]: $30.

Hotel Pur Novalok
Cost/night: [7/02]: $125.

Homestay:
Cost/night: [10/98]: $50.

M:   O:   J:

Amur region
7 hours by plane from Moscow.
Waiting period: 10/00
Total days in Russia: [10/00]: 12.

M:  O:  J:

Angarsk, Irkutsk region
6 hours by plane from Moscow, then 30 minutes from Irkutsk.
Cost, if not included in fees: [9/04]: $400-700.
Waiting period: 10/99 2/03 9/04
Total days in Russia: [10/99]: 22, [2/03]: 28, [9/04]: 30.

Anzhero-Sudzhensk, Kemerovo region
1 1/4 - 3 hours by car from Kemerovo, depending on weather conditions.
Court, MOE info at Kemerovo.

Apatity, Murmansk region
3 hour train ride from Murmansk (where court is)
Court, MOE info at Murmansk.

Couple had to stay 2 nights in a sanitorium for children (Children's home?). Bring your own water. Then stayed in Murmansk.

Hotel Isovela

M:  O:  J:

Arkhangelsk
1 - 2 hours by plane from Moscow
Cost, if not included in fees: [7/01]: $170, [2/03]: $75.
Waiting period: 7/01 2/03
Total days in Russia: [7/01]: 15, [2/03]: 21.

Hotel Pur Novalok
Cost/night: [7/01]: $60, [2/03]: $120.
Nice; good restaurant. Internet access $2/hr. Couple enjoyed homestay better. You can email them for contact information.

Armavir, Krasnodar region
3 1/2 hours by car from Krasnodar.

M:  O:  J:

Hotel Korvet
Pretty plain. Beds were awful. Rooms are huge and very nice but I couldnt sleep in that bed! Typical Russian breakfast included - things like fried bologna, yogurt, cheesy hot dogs(not kidding). Not a buffet - you dont get to choose. Right behind a busy bus stop. The smell of rotton garbage was everywhere outside.

Hotel Lotus
The hotel was old, but clean. It had a window air conditioner, a refrigerator, and a remote control TV. It had a restaurant on the main floor where our interpreter took us to eat for meals. The food was good, but greasy.

Hotel Victoria
[1/03] Pool broken and closed.
Breakfast buffet automatically added to rate.

Bagrationovsk
3 hours by train and car from Moscow.
Cost, if not included in fees: [4/98]: $250.
Waiting Period: 4/98

Hotel Kaliningrad
Cost/night: [4/98]: $120
Nice, near a park. Shops nearby.

M:  O:  J:

Birobidjan
8 hours by plane from Moscow to Khabarovsk, then 3 hour drive. $400 airfare, $400 car [6/02]: $600.
Waiting Period: 2/98 5/99 4/00 7/00 2/01 4/02 6/02 10/04
Total days in Russia: [2/98]: 10, [5/99]: 14, [4/00]: 26, [7/00]: 15, [2/01]: 16, [4/02]: 21, [6/02]: 14, [10/04]: 6.

Hotel Vostok
Cost/night: [4/00]: $70.

Homestay
Cost/night: [10/04]: $185.

Biysk (Altai region)
3-4 hours by plane from Moscow. $100/person round trip.
Waiting period: 11/98
Total days in Russia: [11/98]: 11.

Barnaul Central
Cost/night: [11/98]: $50.

M:  O:  J:

Blagoveschensk
9-10 hour flight from Moscow. Flights make a stop in Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk, Komoro or another city on the way. [1/02]: $430.
Waiting period: 12/01 1/02 4/02 7/02 10/02
Total days in Russia: [12/01]: 20, [1/02]: 42 (stayed in Russia between trips), [4/02]: 20, [7/02]: 10.

Hotel Churin
Cost/night: [4/02]: $90, [7/02]: $70.
Breakfast included; grocery store across street.

Hotel Druzba
Cost/night: [1/02]: $16.

M:  O:  J:

Borovichi
Court in Novgorod.
6 hour drive from Moscow. Bumpy ride.
[3/03]: $385.
Waiting period: 3/03 10/03
Total days in Russia: [3/03]: 11.

Beresta Palace
Cost/night: [3/03]: $90.

M:  O:  J:

Bryansk
6.5 - 7 hours by car from Moscow. [11/00]: $500.
or 6-7 hours by train. [2/01]: $60.
Waiting period: 11/00 2/01
Total days in Russia: [11/00]: 20, [2/01]: 5.

Hotel Chernigov
Cost/night: [11/00]: $40.
The hotel was in poor condition, dirty, bad smell and there were a lot of working girls there (walking up and down the halls at nights, taxis arriving at all hours, very noisy). This hotel was the "best" in town we were told.

[Possibly the same hotel, 2/01, $20/night]: We were there in late January, our room was cold, we slept with our coats on. Other Americans in the hotel did have heat, we just got lucky enough to not have any! It was inexpensive and clean. The hotel itself is old, very old, furnishings look 40's to 50's and yes they are the originals. No one at the main desk speaks any English and if they do they don't let on. What was good about this hotel was calling home. You went to a designated room with a phone in it and were given the key to use the phone. Our facilitator gave un instructions on how to use the phone. The desk attendent on the second floor was alway very accomodating with the use of the phone. It was VERY inexpensive to call the US this way, our calls ranged from 2.00 to 5.00 per call. The 5 dollar call was 10 minutes to the US. Food was excellent in this hotel and very inexpensive although I have heard from later families going the prices have been increased due to the high traffic of US families visiting.

M:  O:  J:

Cheboksary (Chuvash region)
14 hours by train from Moscow. The train leaves at 5PM and arrives at 7AM.
Waiting period: 10/99 11/00
Total days in Russia: [10/99]: 9, [11/00]: 7.

Hotel Chuvasia
Cost/night: [11/00]: $40.

Homestay:
Cost/night: [10/99]: $100.

M:  O:  J:

Chelyabinsk
2 hours by plane from Moscow. $100/person round trip.
Waiting period: 9/95 98 6/99 8/02
Total days in Russia: 7, 10, [9/95]: 7, [8/02]: 21.

Homestay:
Cost/night: [8/02]: $40.

Hotel Victoria
email (3512) 989-820 Fax (3512) 989-821
Cost/night: [6/99]: $140.
Nice. Used to Americans. A lot of employees spoke English.

M:  O:  J:

Chita
6-7 hours by Aeroflot from Moscow. (In Siberia.)
"We were told not to wander about the town [5/99]"
Waiting period: 4/97 5/99 1/02
Total days in Russia: [4/97]: 6, [5/99]: 7, [1/02]: 10
Buy bottled water in Moscow.

Boarding house
Cost/night: [4/97]: $70.

Hotel Panama
Under construction in 1999. Bungalows reminiscent of a small highway motel.

M:  O:  J:

Ekaterinburg
2 - 2.5 hours by plane from Moscow. [98]:$222 , [11/99]: $300, [00]: $200 - $240, [10/01]: $270, [4/02]: $220, [6/02]: $220, [2/04]: $350, [8/04]: $300.
2 flights/day - at 2PM and 1AM.
Lufthansa also flies direct from Frankfurt.
Waiting period: 3/98 5/98 8/98 11/99 2/00 10/00 12/00 5/01 7/01 8/01 9/01 10/01 12/01 2/02 4/02 6//02 10/02 12/02 2/04 8/04
Total days in Russia: [3/98]: 7, [5/98]: 5, [8/98]: 8, [11/99]: 13, [2/00]: 10, [10/00]: 25, [12/00]: 22, [5/01]: 26, [7/01]: 20, [8/01]: 15, [9/01]: 26, [10/01]: 22, [12/01]: 21, [4/02]: 17, [6/02]: 10, [10/02]: 17, [12/02]: 28, [2/04]: 16, [8/04]: 21.
Woman in Vital Statistics office requires both parents sign final papers, which means both must make two trips.

I have heard some facilitators who don't work in Ekat theorize that those that do like the increased fees from a longer process.

Some say it is a wonderful city to wait out the waiting period in, others say 'avoid Ekaterinburg' because of the recent [late 2001] impossibility of having the waiting period waived. One judge said she could only waive the 10 day waiting period if there was a serious medical condtion.

Homestay:
Cost/night: [3/98]: $70, [8/98]: $70, [11/99]: $150, [10/02]: $40.

Atrium Palace Hotel
Cost/night: [2/00]: $200, [7/01]: $220, [12/01]: $170, [6/02]: $170.

Although this is the nicest hotel in Ekat., it doesn't compare at all to the luxury hotels in Moscow. The people were friendly, the service was good. It was nice to be walking distance to town and to have internet access and a fitness center for the down time. Still we had only one T.V. channel in English, so bring lots of books.

City Municipal Hotel
All 10 rooms booked by adopting couples. Refrigerator and microwave in each room. Described as "wonderful."
Cost/night: [4/99]: $50.

Hermitage Hotel
Very nice hotel about 2 miles from town. Beautiful area, safe, but not much to do.
Cost/night: [4/02]: $85.

Inter Hotel
Sibirsky Tract, 11. (3423) 24.24.58. Tel/Fax (3432) 659806.
Small hotel - 7 rooms, many adopting couples. Small cafe; cribs available.
Cost/night: [10/00]: $105 for 2 room suite; $80 for large single room, [10/01]: $105.

Isit Hotel
Cost/night: [12/00]: $75, [2/04]: $135.

Magister Hotel
Includes breakfast and kitchenette with fridge, stove and oven. Grocery store next door. Close to shops, flea market, nice park.
Cost/night: [8/04]: $174.

Elista (Kalmikya region)
3 hours by plane from Moscow.
Waiting period: 3/00
Total days in Russia: [3/00]: 8.

M:  O:  J:

Fryazina
1 hour drive from Moscow.
Waituing period waived: 7/04

M:  O:  J:

Glasov
18-20 hours by train from Moscow
Direct train from Moscow. Security is fine in 1st class compartments.
Waiting period:12/99
Total days in Russia: [12/99]: 24.

Glasov Hotel
Cost/night: [12/99]: $22.

M:  O:  J:

Irkutsk Irkutsk Independent adoption
6-8 hours by plane from Moscow.
Cost, if not included in fees: [12/01]: $325.
Waiting period: 3/01 7/02 1/03 7/03
Total days in Russia: [3/01]: 34, [7/02]: 40, [1/03]: 28, [7/03]: 32.

[11/00]: The one judge in Irkutsk denied four adoption petitions, despite the recommendation of both the physician in charge of the orphanage and the social workers in charge of the children. She insists on working only with accreditted agencies and only after there are more than only a handful acreditted.
[3/01]: Judge doesn't like international adoptions and requires MOE and orphanages to follow the letter of the law. Harsh; demands extra paperwork.
[7/02]: Judge does approve independent adoptions.

Angarsk Hotel
Cost/night: [12/01]: $150.

Sun Hotel
Western style. Two restaurants; helpful staff. Most speak some English. Pretty far from the city center; tram available to town. Business center next door with great restaurant.
Cost/night: [3/01]: $130

M:  O:  J:

Ivanovo
6 hour night train from Moscow. [1/02]: $30.
4-5 hours by car from Moscow.
Waiting period: 1/02 7/02
Total days in Russia: [1/02]: 11, [7/02]: 11.

Perpetual Wanderer's Inn
Cost/night: [1/02]: $60.
NB: a strip joint. Good food.

Homestay
Cost/night: [7/02]: $150.

M:  O:  J:

Izhevsk
2-3 hours by plane from Moscow. [10/00]: $85, [6/04]: $180.
Waiting period: 10/00 6/04
Total days in Russia: [6/04]: 16.

Hotel
Cost/night: [10/00]: $60.
Good heat. Meals included but horrible. Walking distance to orphanage.

Hotel Okolitsa
Great hotel - comparable to a US bed and breakfast.
Cost/night: [6/04]: $80.

M:  O:  J:

Kaliningrad
1.5 - 2 hours by plane or 30 hours by train from Moscow (on Baltic sea). [7/02]: $200, [3/04]: $200-400.
Scary domestic airport.
Great place to buy amber.
Waiting period: 3/97 1/98 4/99 11/00 7/02 7/02 4/03 10/03 3/04 4/04 7/04
Total days in Russia: [3/97]: 17, [1/98]: 8, [4/99]: 8, [11/00]: 23, [7/02]: 8, 14, [4/03]: 20, [10/03]: 17, [3/04]: 28, [4/04]: 15.

[4/03]: Even though 10 day wait was waived, passport office took that long to issue the passport.

Home stay
Cost/night: [11/00]: $100, [10/03]: $80, [7/04]: $80.

Hotel Chaika (Seagull)
Cost/night: [12/03]: 30.
Great hotel in a residential area, nice modern room, renovated bathroom, restaraunt had menus in english with cooperative staff, food was very good.

M:  O:  J:

Kaluga
3 hours by car from Moscow.
Waiting period: 8/01(*) 6/03 7/03
Total days in Russia: [8/01]: 12, [4/03]: 26, [6/03]: 21, [7/03]: 21.
(*): had to wait 9 days for passport to be issued.

Hotel Priokskaya
Older, clean. Has larger suites. Cafe on 1st floor has decent food & friendly service.
Cost/night [8/01]: $120, [4/03]: $85.

M:  O:  J:

Kamchatka
9.5 hours direct flight from Moscow.
Waiting period: 7/00
Total days in Russia: [7/00]: 13.

M:  O:  J:

Kashin
4 hours (by car?) from Moscow. [2 hours past Tver.]
Because Kashin is so small and its one hotel undesirable, you will stay in Tver.
Apparently very adoption-friendly region. 10 day wait consistently waived.
Waiting period: 1/99 2/02
Total days in Russia: [1/99]: 5, [2/02]: 11.

Hotel Volga in Tver
Cost/night: [2/02]: $100 ['luxury suite'].
Full kitchen, living room, large tub.

Kazan
14 hours by train from Moscow.
Waiting period: 6/99 7/99
Total days in Russia: [6/99]: 6, [7/99]: 8.
Kazan is beautiful in architecture, people are gracious and not as depressed as in Moscow.

Hotel Bulgar
Hotel was funky - furniture dated back to the 40's.  Clean and hospitable.  Food was good.

M:  O:  J:

Kemerovo
4 hours by plane from Moscow.
Cost, if not included in fees: [12/01]: $300, [5/03]: $200, [5/04]: $200.
Waiting period: 1/01 7/01 9/01 10/01 10/01 6/02 11/02 5/03 9/03 a11/03 12/03 12/03 5/04
Total days in Russia: [1/01]: 10, [7/01]: 12, [9/01]: 12, [10/01]: 10, 14, [11/02]: 11, [5/03]: 12, [9/03]: 15, [11/03]: 16, [12/03]: 20, 20, [5/04]: 18.

Region very favorable toward adoption.

Hotel
Cost/night: [12/01]: $90.

Hotel Azot
Cost/night: [??]: $90.
European style. Walking distance to a nice cafe. Food was decent (less than $30 for dinner for two). Adequate grocery store, pharmacy, internet cafe and shopping within walking distance. No international calls from hotel but international cell phone did work from region.

Hotel Kusbass
Cost/night: [5/03]: $60, [5/04]: $50.
The "floor ladies" will do just about anything to help you out for a small fee (and I do mean small).

Food in the hotel is not bad if you can somehow communicate your wants and desires. Nobody speaks any English and if you look confused they will speak faster and louder - in Russian.

Close to your main sources of food - World Pizza and Golden Chicken.

There is a Department Store, a supermarket, any number of smaller markets and even a nice baby store within walking distance of the hotel. The Puppet Theatre is one block from the hotel - corny, but the kids loved it.

Turn your phones off at night as the "call girls" will call you, over and over and over.

Hotel Novokuznetsk
Cost/night: [12/03]: $90.

Renovated room well worth the extra money. Has queen bed rather than two small beds, AC, TV, Frig, etc. Be sure to request one! Phone calls back to the states were easy and fairly inexpensive.

Hotel Thom
Cost/night: [11/03]: $80.
Old, but well kept. Room was a large 2-room suite.

M:  O:  J:

Khabarovsk
7.5 - 9 hour flight from Moscow. $300-800 if not included in fees.
From West Coast: via Seoul.
Waiting period: 9/98 10/99 4/00 10/00 11/01 11/02 12/02 12/03 1/04
Total days in Russia: [9/98]: 60, [10/99]: 25, [4/00]: 21, [11/01]: 19, [11/02]: 28, [12/02]: 24, 28, [12/03]: 23, [1/04]: 20.

Hotel Amethyst
A short walk from the court house.
Very nice, fairly modern. BBC, internet access. Nice restaurant. Staff speaks English.
Cost/night: [9/98]: $75, [11/01]: $60, [10/02]: $100, [12/02]: $89, $89.

Hotel Amur
Basic. Big lobby on each floor where kids can play.
Cost/night: [10/00]: $24.

Hotel Mar Kuel
Highly recommended.
Cost/night: [10/00]: $70, [12/03]: $100.

M:  O:  J:

Kirov
12 - 13 1/2 hours by train from Moscow. [5/04]: $900-1600/person.
Travel to Kirov on an overnight train, spend a full day and return by overnight train. The trains serve dinner.
Waiting period: 4/99 7/01 11/01 1/03 2/03 5/04 5/04 7/04 8/04
Total days in Russia: [4/99]: 6, [7/01]: 8, [1/03]: 10, [2/03]: 11, [5/04]: 10, 12, [7/04]: 17, [8/04]: 10.

M:  O:  J:

Klin
2 hours by car from Moscow
Waiting period: 12/98
Total days in Russia: [12/98]: 6

M:  O:  J:

Komsomolsk, Khabarovsk region
8-10 hour flight to Khabarovsk then either overnight train or 5 hour drive. [3/02]: $400, [10/02]: $400.
Waiting period: 3/02 10/02 9/04
Total days in Russia: [3/02]: 21, [10/02]: 28, [9/04]: 28.

Hotel MarKuel
Cost/night: [9/04]: $100.
Apartment style hotel. Bedroom, complete kitchen and nice "living" room with a sofa bed. A maid comes daily to clean the bathroom, do dishes, bring towels, etc. It is a great place to stay for the long term trips.

Visit Hotel
Cost/night: [3/02]: $70.
Clean, large rooms. Modern bath. A bit chilly in room in January. Cafe in hotel, but not good. Better to stop at market and have food in room for breakfast.

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Konakovo [Tver region]
2 1/2 to 4 hours by car N/NW of Moscow.
Waiting period: 5/97 6/98 11/99
Total days in Russia: [5/97]: 20, [6/98]: 10, [11/99]: 11.

Hotel/night: [5/97]: $70.

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Kotlas (Archangel region)
22 hours by train or about 1 hour by plane from Moscow.
Cost, if not included in fees: [4/97]: $300 (train), [4/03] $200 (plane).
Waiting period: 4/97 4/03
Total days in Russia: [4/97]: 11, [4/03]: 19.

Hotel (the only one)
Cost/night: [4/03]: $12.50 + $.30 to take a shower.

Home Stay:
Cost/night: [4/97]: $95.
There are no hotels or restaurants in this town.

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Kovrov
1 - 1 1/2 hours by car from Vladimir.
Waiting period: 4/98 3/03
Total days in Russia: [4/98]: 12, [3/03]: 15.

Hotel ?
New.
Cost/night: [3/03]: $50.

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Krasnodar
2 - 2 1/2 hours by Aeroflot. [8/00]: $140, [8/01]: $200.
Waiting period: 5/99 10/99 8/00 8/01 6/02
Total days in Russia: [5/99]: 14, [10/99]: 12, [8/00]: 7, [8/01]: 12, 14, [6/02]: 6, [9/02]: 7.

Hotel Platen
Cost/night: [8/00]: $35.
Not close to anything. Rely on your own food.

Hotel Intourist
Cost/night: [10/99]: $60, [8/00]: $68, [8/01]: $100, [6/02]: $75, [9/02]: $70.
"The Intourist was supposed to be the nicest hotel in Krasnodar. It was somewhere between a campground and a Motel 6, but did have a good restaurant."
Renovated before the 8/01 visit. Then 'very nice,' clean and with friendly staff.
[9/02]Dangerous bathrooms.
No air conditioning.

Hotel Moscow
Cost/night: [7/03]: $99.

Great location. Next to a market and across the street from a "mall". Great pizza place across the street.

Home Stay:
Cost/night: [6/98]: $70, [5/99]: $50, [8/99]: $50

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Krasnoyarsk
4 1/2 - 5 hour flight from Moscow. 60# weight limit/bag.
Siberia is very cold in December - 30 below zero.
Cost, if not included in fees: [1/00]: $200, [01]: $190 - $400, [4/02]: $400, [5/02]: $400, [7/03]: $200.
Waiting period: 1/00 2/00 12/00 3/01 9/01 10/01 12/01 5/02 3/03 7/03
Total days in Russia: [1/00]: 13, 2[00]: 9, [12/00]: 13, [3/01]: 13, [9/01]: 14, [10/01]: 13, [12/01]: 10, [4/02]: 14, [5/02]: 17, [3/03]: 14, [7/03]: 16.

As in Moscow, you can buy anything you need here.

Hotel Intourist
Cost/night: [7/03]: $150.
Nicest hotel in Krasnoyarsk. Not luxurious, but English speaking staff, clean rooms, good restauraunt with English menu.

Hotel Krasnoyarsk
Cost/night: [12/01]: $40, [4/02]: $50 for suite, [5/02]: $50.
Clean, old. Food in cafe not very good.
Go for the suite on the second trip - single room is too small for adults + child.
Take fewer clothes & have them laundered cheaply in the hotel.

Moscow Hotel
[7/03]: We stayed at the Moscow Hotel on our first trip and cried when we opened the door to our room and they told us we were staying in the refurbished room for westerners!

Hotel Octobraskaya
Cost/night: [1/00]: $35, [2/00]: $79, [3/01]: $90, [9/01]: $100.
Clean and inexpensive; accomodating staff. BYO washclothes & toilet paper.

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Kungur (Perm region)
2 1/2 hours by plane to Perm, then 1/2 hour drive.
Cost, if not included in fees: [8/01]: $250, [5/03]: $250.
Waiting period: 8/01 5/03
Total days in Russia: [8/01]: 28, [5/03]: 31.
No one speaks English here or in Perm. Family wishes it had brought more food.

Iran Hotel
Cost/night: [8/01]: $40.
Clean but primitive. No hot water - sponge baths with cold water.

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Kursk
8-9 hour overnight train ride from Moscow.
Cost/person, if not included in fees: [2/02]: $20.
Waiting period: 3/99 2/01 2/02
Total days in Russia: [3/99]: 8 (2 trips of 4 days each), [2/01]: 21, [2/02]: 27.

Kursk Hotel
Cost/night: [2/02]: $40 (2 room suite).
Near market & cyber cafe. Can eat at pub on premises.

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Kyzyl (Tuva region)
5 hours by plan from Moscow then a 5 hour drive.
Cost, if not included in fees: [10/00]: $375/person.
Waiting period: 10/00
Total days in Russia: [10/99]: 18

Hotel ?
Cost/night: [10/00]: $24 for 2 room suite.

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Luga
2-3 hours south of St. Petersburg by car.
Cost, if not included in fees: [7/01]: $80.
Waiting period: 9/00 7/01
Total days in Russia: [9/00]: 7, [7/01]: 10.

Hotel Pribaltiskaya
Cost/night: [9/00]: $130

Homestay
Cost/night: [7/01]: $50.

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Magadan
8-9 hours by air from Moscow (?) Any flights from Seoul?
Cost, if not included in fees: [12/03]: $550/person.
Waiting period: 6/00 12/03
Total days in Russia: [6/00]: 10, [12/03]: 10

Home stay
Cost/night: [12/03]: $50.

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Magnitogorsk
Trips to Russia: [9/97]: 1, [2/02]: 2.
Waiting period: 2/02
Total days in Russia: [9/97]: 8, [2/02]: 17.

Hotel Asia
Cost/night: [2/02]: $20.
The price sounds like the place would be awful, but quite frankly it was a better deal than staying at Hotel Europe which costs $140. a night. We had basically a flat, so we could cook and do laundry in the room.

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Maikop (near Krasnodar)
3 1/2 hours by plane from Moscow $300/person each way.
Waiting period: 11/01 6/03
Total days in Russia: [11/01]: 21, [6/03]: 16.

Maikop Hotel
Cost/night: [6/03]: $25.
Ask for room on renovated side. Bigger rooms available for $45.
Good rerstaurants nearby (Fortuna, Tahoe).

Marx
1 hour by car from Saratov. Court in Saratov.
Orphanage is all special needs kids.

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Medvezhyegorsk
Overnight train from Moscow
Waiting period: 10/00 11/00 11/01
Total days in Russia: [11/00]: 17

No accomodations in Medvezhyegorsk? [11/00]: Stayed 2 1/2 hours away in Petrozavodsk.
Petrozavodsk homestay cost/night: [11/00]: $20-$50.

Min Vody, Stavropol region. Court in Pyatigorsk.
3 hours by plane from Moscow; $350/person if not included in fees.

Home Stay
Cost/night: [1/02]: $100.

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Moscow - City
Waiting Period: 4/97 4/98 1999 10/00 1/01 5/01 11/01 12/01 1/02 2/02 10/02 3/03 5/03 7/03 7/03 8/03 9/03 10/03 8/04 12/04
Total days in Russia: [4/97]: 11, [99]: 12-21, [01]: 8-21, [02]: 12-28, [3/03]: 19, [5/03]: 21, [7/03]: 17, 19, [8/03]: 14, [9/03]: 15, [10/03]: 13, [8/04]: 10, [12/04]: 12.

Moscow hotel and what-to-do information is on the Moscow page.

About the waiting period: One contributor thinks it depends on the judge. If you have any information about Moscow being different from its suburbs, please contribute that information via the Contribution form. Thanks.

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Moscow - Region (Suburbs)
Within a couple of hours of Moscow by car.
Waiting period: 12/97 5/98 3/99 6/99 7/99 1/00 6/00 10/00 5/01 6/01 10/01 1/02 3/02 4/02 11/02 4/03 5/03 6/03 8/03 10/03 10/03 5/03 6/04 6/04 8/04
Total days in Russia: [12/97]: 11, [5/98]: 6, [99]: 7, 8, 10, [1/00]: 8, 16, 28, [5/01]: 22, [6/01]: 16, 21, 25, [10/01]: 14, [1/02]: 20, [3/02]: 17, [4/02]: 10, [11/02]: 17, [4/03]: 17, [5/03]: 11, 18, [6/03]: 17, [8/03]: 14, [10/03]: 12, 21, [6/04]: 14, 30, [8/04]: 16.

[5/03]: Delays in getting passport.

Moscow hotel and what-to-do information is on the Moscow page.

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Murmansk
1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours by plane from Moscow; $150/person if not included in fees.
Waiting period: 12/99 10/00 1/01 3/02 10/03 10/03 2/04
Total days in Russia: [10/00]: 7, [1/01]: 12, [3/02]: 10, [10/03]: 14, 15, [2/04]: 12.

Hotel Arctic Service
Cost/night: [5/00]: $65 for a huge suite.

Hotel Poliarnie Zori (Northern Lights).
Cost/night: [10/00]: $110, [3/02]: $100, [2/04]: $120.

Nicer, much more European than Arctic Service. Comparable to a Holiday Inn. Professional, helpful, English-speaking staff. Business center with $4/hr internet rate.

The room and the hotel were great. Two double beds, a small sitting area, cable TV including one British news channel, a modern bathroom (shower only). The gift shop was very reasonably priced and nice craft items including many examples of Matroskya dolls. The best part of the hotel was the free use of the sauna. If you are staying in a business class room or a suite you get free use of either of the private saunas. The larger one has TV, dining/conference table (where you can order room service), a steam sauna and (the kids loved this) a small swimming pool. If you are staying in a less exensive room you can still rent the saunas, but I think that they are expensive.

Nakhodka
About 3 hours from Vladivostok.
Court in Vladivostok.

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Nizhney Novgorod
7-9 hour overnight train from Moscow. [7/02]: $100/person.
Its worth paying extra for the 1st class cabin.
Waiting period: 9/97 11/99 10/00 7/01 7/02 1/03
Total days in Russia: [9/97]: 14, [10/00]: 16 (2 8 day trips), [7/01]: 7, [7/02]: 10, [1/03]: 12.

Homestay
Cost/night: [12/96]: $120, [7/01]: $100.

Best Western
Cost/night: [7/02]: $119.
No air conditioning; hot in summer.
Told to not talk about adoption & act like tourists.
Don't use tap water even for brushing teeth.
Little on menu was available.

Hotel Tsentralnaya
Deluxe rooms $20 more. Internet cafe ~$6/hour; 3 restaurants
Cost/night: [7/02]: $70.

Hotel Volna
Business hotel in the suburbs.
Cost/night: [1/03]: $200.

Hotel Volshky Otkos
Cost/night: [10/00]: 100.

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Norilsk
4 hour flight from Moscow
Waiting period: 4/03
Total days in Russia: [4/03]: 12.

In Northern Siberia, 100 miles north of the Artic Circle. Very remote and considered closed because of sensitive governmental work done there. Special clearance required to enter; few Americans have been there. Our child was the 7th adoption from the city. Very polluted, harsh climate; bleak and depressing. People were wonderful. Airport closes regularly due to high winds. Flights are diverted to other Siberian cities all the time, where you can be stuck for days. In most of these cities, noone speaks English. We were stuck for a day in another city without a translator. It was a very frightening experience. I would recommend only making the flight with a translator.

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Novamoskovsk (Kemerovo region, Siberia)
4 hours by car from Moscow. [5/99]: $120.
Waiting period: 5/99 9/00
Total days in Russia: [5/99]: 12, [9/00]: 14.

Hotel Central
Cost/night: [5/01]: $40.

Novgorod

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Novokrainsky
2 hours by plane to Krasnodar, then 4 hours by car.
Waiting period: 6/98
Total days in Russia: [6/98]: 7.

Stay in Krasnodar.

Novokuznetsk (Kemerovo region; court in Kemerovo)
4-5 hours by plane from Moscow. [7/01]: $250, [5/02]: $350, [6/02]: $400.
60 hours by train from Moscow. If you have the time, the trip is unforgettably beautiful. [6/02]: $300.

Local officials really want to see children placed in good homes & were very accommodating.

"There is only one flight per day into and out of Moscow. You fly Siberian Air, which is really quite well run and the food isn't bad either. It won't be the most comfortable plane you've ever been on, but it's certainly interesting. You are taken to the plane on a trolley type bus, everything metal so that you'd better have gloves on if you are traveling in winter and don't want to stick to the railings."

Hotel Novokuznetskaya
Room consisted of bedroom, small sitting area with TV, refrigerator.
Has a little diner-type kitchen with English menu. If you order your eggs "Omlette" they will scramble them for you.
Travel agency in lobby has internet access at about 40 rubles per hour. One of the young women there spoke English, but I don't think anyone else in the hotel did. Restaurants in walking distance, including a nice little deli/pizza place. Restaurant "Krystall" is nice for about 400 rubles each (dinner). No English menu; translator had to order.
No hot water but AC (a rarity in Russian hotels) in summer.
Cost/night: [5/02]: $34, [9/03]: $185.

Home stay cost/night: [7/01]: $20, 6/02]: $60.

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Novosibirsk
3rd largest city in Russia. Where the once secret city Akademegorodok is located. Has ballet & opera.
4 hours by plane from Moscow.
Cost/person if not included in fees: [12/00]: $150, [5/01]: $400, [6/02]: $300-$400, [11/02]: $300, [1/03]: $400.
Waiting period: 12/99 12/00 5/01 6/02 9/02 11/02 1/03
Total days in Russia: [12/99]: 15, [12/00]: 13, [5/01]: 10, [6/02]: 19, [9/02]: 19, [11/02]: 16, [1/03]: 13.

Hotel Central
Cost/night: [1/03]: $70.
Older but clean. Excellent location. Great restaurants.

Hotel Sibir
Cost/night: [6/02]: $70, [11/02]: $49.
Clean & safe but not comfortable. Think Red Roof Inn. No AC or fan. English spoken at desk. Horrible food but many other options within walking distance.

Home stay
Cost/night: [9/02]: $50.

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Omsk
3-6 hours by plane from Moscow. [6/00]: $210/person (business class), [10/01]: $200.
Waiting period: 7/00 10/01.
Total days in Russia: [7/00]: 7+7 (two trips), [10/01]: 51.

Tourist Hotel
Cost/night: [10/00]: $40 for a suite, [10/01]: $70.

Homestay cost/night: [7/00]: $40, [10/01]: $20-$35.

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Orel
7 hours by train from Moscow.
Waiting period: 9/99 12/00
Total days in Russia: [9/99]: 8, [12/00]: 11.

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Homestay cost/night: : [9/00]: $50.

Private hotel (for oil industry executives)
Apartment with kitchen, living room & 2 bedrooms.
Cost/night: [11/02]: $65.

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Orsk (Orenberg region)
3-5 hour drive from Orenberg. [3/02]: $150.
Waiting period: 2/00 3/02
Total days in Russia: [2/00]: 8.

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Penza
About 11 hours by overnight train from Moscow.
Waiting period: 3/99
Total days in Russia: [3/99]: 7.

Hotel Penza
Cost/night: [3/99]: $75.
Downtown - convenient for sightseeing & shopping.

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Perm
2 - 3 hours by air from Moscow. Cost/person: [7/99]: $120, [5/04]: $200, [8/04]: $250.
Waiting Period: 2/98 6/98 12/98 7/99 9/99 11/99 3/00 1/02 2/03 2/03 5/04 5/04 8/04
Total days in Russia: [98]: 6 - 8, [99]: 14 - 19, [3/00]: 17, [1/02]: 26, [2/03]: 27, 28, [5/04]: 12, 29, [8/04]: 25.

"From what I understand it is very difficult to get the 10 day wait waived. Court was very difficult but because of our daughters serious special needs we had the wait waived! Be prepared to provide supporting documents (letters from doctors, etc.) to ask for the wait to be waived."

"You won't get the 10 day waiting period waived unless there is a medical problem with the child requiring immediate attention or a significant problem with yourself or your spouse or someone you are responsible for caring for in the US. You will be required to prove any such claimed medical issues."

Town has a zoo and an amusement park. 

Hotel Mikos
Cost/night: [11/99]: $50.

Hotel Urals:
Cost/night: [98]: $60, [7/99]: $35 for a 4 room suite, [9/99]: $29, [1/02]: $90 for a suite, [2/03]: $28, [5/03]: $45, [5/04]: $40, $65-120.
In the center of town.
"We stayed at the Hotel Urals in Perm last summer, and I would highly recommend it.  Of course, it's not up to American standards for hotels, but I thought it was quite acceptable (better than I expected from the nightmare stories you hear).  It is run by Permtourist ...  Of course, since the 10 days is almost never waived in Perm, we stayed there 12 or 13 nights.  The staff was really nice to us.  Went out of their way to try to be helpful (although only a few speak any English). There are several cafes in the hotel with quite reasonable prices (and the one on the 7th floor has an English menu).  There is also a bank in the lobby for money exchange and an office of the airlines there so we could make our flight reservations to leave in the lobby.  There is a nice market right across the street.  Nobody there speaks English, but we did okay with pointing to what we wanted and having them show us the total due on their calculator so we didn't have to be able to understand what they said either."

" We were there in late July and early August, and the worst thing was no AC or fans and no screens in the windows.  It was hot and there were lots of mosquitoes. Also lots of noise from the street with the windows open."

Ask for a room not facing the street to avoid loud train noise at night.

Suites are available with separate sitting area, queen size bed.at a higher cost.

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Petrozovodsk
All night train from St. Petersburg.
Waiting period: 12/03
Total daysa in Russia: [12/03]: 12.

Hotel Sevrini
Old hotel. Small restraunt with english menu. Beds are twin size.

Prokopyevsk (Kemerovo region; court in Kemerovo)
4 hour flight from Moscow. [10/01]: $600.
Hotel ?
Cost/night: [10/01]: $50.

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Pskov
8-12 hour overnight train from Moscow + 3 hour drive. Train: $300, [12/00]: $58. Car & driver: [12/00]: $200 round trip.
Waiting period: 11/98 1/99 1/99 8/00 12/00 2/03
Total days in Russia: [11/98]: 7, [1/99]: 6, 7, [8/00]: 20, [12/00]: 10.

Hotel ?
Cost/night: [12/00]: $35for a suite.

Homestay
Cost/night: [8/00] $50.

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Hotel Intourist
Cost/night: [11/00]: $40, [6/02]: $47.
Much nicer than Stavropol Intourist.

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Rostov-On-Don
Very old, depressed city.
1 1/2 - 2 hours on Aeroflot or 20 hours by train.
Cost, if not included in fees: [4/97] $400, [00]: $100 - $200, [7/01]: $100, [11/01]: $150, [7/02]: $150.
Waiting Period: 4/97 1/98 11/98 12/98 3/99 2/00 6/00 8/00 9/00 3/01 7/01 11/01 11/01 12/01 7/02 12/02 12/02 1/03 8/04
Letter from at-home son's teacher in US stressing importance of parents presence may have helped in unusual 9/00 waiving of 10 day waiting period.
[12/02]: Some families' 10 day wait was waived but this facilitator forgot to ask!

Total days in Russia: [97]: 9, [98]: 14, 14, [99]: 20, [2/00]: 17, [6/00]: 25, [8/00]: 26 [9/00]: 12, [3/01]: 20, [7/01]: 18, [11/01]: 16, 20, [12/01]: 12, [7/02]: 16, [12/02]: 20, 31, [1/03]: 28, [8/04]: 16.

Homestay/night: [1/98]: $75, [12/98]: $195, [3/00]: $75, [2/00]: $75, [8/00]: $195, [7/02]: $60.

Intourist hotel:
Clean and comfortable; not luxurious. Lower floors poor, executive floors OK. In the summertime (Texans say it is HOT there even in June!) the $115 rooms are worth it because they have air conditioning.
Cost/night: [4/97] $80 [6/00]: $50, $115, [8/04]: $130.

Hotel Rostov
Very nice. Suite with bedroom, sitting room, bathroom and small entry room with refrigerator. Plenty of hot water and air conditioning. Preferred to Intourist for those who have stayed in both.
Cost/night: [9/00]: $45, [3/01]: $66, [11/01]: $60, [12/01]: $70, [12/02]: $35, $60.

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Ryazan
3 - 3 1/2 hours by car from Moscow
Waiting period: 12/01 2/03

Ryazan is an historic fort city with many old churches in the surrounding area. It is birthplace of Ivan Pavlov [1904 Nobel Prize in Medicine] and Russian home of Alexander Solzhenitsyn [1970 Nobel Prize in Literature].

The local education office person can be a real stickler for detail [7/2003] and every piece of paperwork must be in order. The female judge was quite stern before making her decision, but afterwards smiled. She made her decision rather quickly, although the social worker said it could be a while in some cases.

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There is only one hotel. Name not given.
Cost/night: [4/01]: $60.

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Salekhard
2-3 hour flight from Moscow.
Waiting period: 1/03
Total days in Russia: [1/03]: 23.

Arctic Circle Hotel
On edge of town; impossible to go anywhere. There is another more expensive hotel in town.
Cost/night: [1/03]: $60.

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Samara
17 hours by train from Moscow.
1 1/2 - 3 hours by plane from Moscow. Cost/person: [10/01]: $150, [9/03]: $135, [8/04]: $200, [12/04]: $230.
Waiting period: 6/97 10/98 2/99 3/99 7/00 3/01 10/01 10/02 9/03 12/04
Total days in Russia: [6/97]: 6, [10/98]: 6, [2/99]: 8, [3/99]: 8, [7/00]: 12, [3/01]: 7, [10/01]: 8, [10/02]: 10, [9/03]: 15, [8/04]: 7, [12/04]: 12.

Samara is the Russian equivalent of Hershey, PA - chocolate city.  Buy boxes of it to bring home.  They also make vodka there.  Don't take American liquor as a gift, because they think it tastes like bad homemade vodka. 

International Hotel
Cost/night: [10/98]: $60.

National Hotel
Cost/night: [3/99]: $33, [7/00]: $80, [3/01]: $40, [10/01]: $80.
National Hotel must have been opulent in 1915, and has survived nearly intact even following 80 years of communism.  Compared to modern hotels, the National has a charm you will seldom find in world travel.  Forget what you've read about austere Russian hotel rooms.  Every room at the National is different and the appointments surpass the modern expectation of plastic cups and synthetic bed covers.  Use your skeleton key to open a door into history.  Expect to find wool blankets and a glass china cabnet filled with crystal and china table settings with cloth napkins shaped into flowers.  High ceilings, long drapes, oriental rugs, and matched antique wooden furniture are the norm.  There was no refrigerator or microwave and no English spoken.  The "restaurant" served whatever they darned well wanted to serve for breakfast (included in cost).  We had fish our first morning and tongue for our final morning meal.  There is a deli outside on the corner and a grocery store one street away.  Buy a carton of little chocolate candy bars to hand out when you return home.  Somedays there is a market on the side street outside.  Don't miss the Russian folk singing and dancing floor show at U Polyshu restaurant a block away - take your video camera. 

Purple Hotel
Cost/night: [9/03]: $50.

Renaissance Samara
Cost/night: [12/04]: $115.
Eequivalent of about a 4 star US hotel - very nice. Outstanding Italian restaurant on the top floor. Breakfast buffet (very nice and big) included in rate. Lots of western travelers stay here for aerospace industry. We did not feel out of place. Staff spoke excellent English (better than in Moscow hotel). Lots of the guests also spoke English so we fit in well. Downside - far from town. You are isolated at the hotel and not much interaction with the town.

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Saratov
1.5 - 2 hours by plane from Moscow. [5/98]: $100, [4/00]: $75, [12/02]: $120.
12 hours by overnight train from Moscow. [11/98]: $100.
Waiting period: 5/98 4/00 10/02 12/02 12/02 6/04
Total days in Russia: [5/98]: 8, [11/98]: 9, [4/00]: 9, [10/02]: 19, [12/02]: 15, 17, [6/04]: 14.

Everyone walks and it is hilly, make sure to bring extemely comfortable shoes! Saratov is know for parasites in the water. Better not to drink!

Hotel Olympia
Cost/night: [11/98]: $28.

Hotel Saratov
Cost/night: [11/98]: $15.
Clean, Western style. Employees used to adopting parents.

Hotel Slovakia
Cost/night: [12/02]: $75, $90.
Right on the Volga river. 1960s era. Twin beds; rustic baths; comfortable. Restaurants in hotel.

Hotel Volgagrad
Cost/night: [6/04]: $85.
Lots of food stands close by. Ask for a room away from River view in Summer. They party and have a disco boat that blares loud music ALL NITE!! The floor staff is nice, make sure to tip!

Home stay
Cost/night: [5/98]: $60, [4/00]: $90.

Serov
2 hour flight from Moscow to Ekaterinberg, then 5 hours north by car.
Waiting Period: [3/2000]: Waived.
Total days in Russia: [3/00]: 10.

Homestay/night: [3/00] $100.

Shakhty
2 hour Aeroflot flight to Rostov + 80 miles by car. There are now trains to Rostov.
Waiting Period: 11/98
Total days in Russia: [11/98]: 14.
No hotels. Most homes primitive - limited water, bathroom, electricity.

Home Stay:
Cost/night: [11/98]: $185!!

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(name not remembered) Hotel
Cost/night: [3/00]: $32.

Sochi
Court in Krasnodar.
A resort town on the Black Sea.
2.5 hour flight from Moscow or
7 hours by car from Krasnodar.
Waiting period: 7/03
Total days in Russia: [7/03]: 20

Radisson
Cost/night: [7/03]: $99.

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St. Petersburg
Open jaws to St. Petersburg; return from Moscow.
Or fly from Moscow: 1 hour $100, [4/03]: $200.
Or take train from Moscow: [6/03]: $170.
To Moscow: 8 hours by overnight train. [10/01]: $240.
Waiting Period: 3/96 6/97 11/97 11/98 5/99 2/00 12/00 1/01 5/01 8/01 9/01 10/01 11/01[2] 12/01 7/02 11/02 11/02 12/02 4/03 4/03 6/03 11/03

Total days in Russia: [96]: 5, 6, 7, [97]: 10, 10, [98]: 10, [99]: 8, 13, [00]: 7, 10, [01]: 8, 10, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, [7/02]: 17, [11/02]: 16, 17, [12/02]: 21, [4/03]: 12, 13, [6/03]: 14, [11/03]: 21.

Roads in St. Petersburg were quite bad, w/ numerous potholes. There are American food alternatives, MacDonalds, Baskin Robbins, an American pizza chain, and also good domestic restaurants. Very pretty city, with waterways and bridges. We went in summer, during the "White Nights." Fun to see everyone up at midnight strolling and playing. Canal tour is nice, but is in Russian, so be prepared to just enjoy the scenery or ask your facilitator to come and translate. Peter's Palace, outside Petersburg, is wonderful. The churches are beautiful. There is a great bazzar under the eaves of the Church of the Blood of our Redeemer, with many handmade Russian items for sale.

Oksana's apartment, transfer and guide service - Services include locating private apartments for any budget, meeting at the airport or train station, translating and interpreting , tour-guiding, providing visa support, and general assistance.

Best Western Hotel Neptune
Cost/night: [11/97]: $75, [11/98]: $120.
A Best Western hotel but don't expect American standards.
[1/02]: "Nicer than any Best Western I've seen in the States."
Not fancy but wouldn't hesitate to stay there again.
No tub - shower only. Room with a tub costs more.
Go figure!

Hotel Astoria
Cost/night: [4/99]: $250.

Hotel Chaika
Cost/night: [6/99]: $30, [1/01]: $45, [5/01]: $80, [11/01]: $40.
[6/99]: "Although the outside looked quite run-down, we had a brand-new, clean 1-bdrm. apt. There was a living room, bedroom, kitchen, and bath facilities (a "shower room" and separate room with toilet). We really appreciated the privacy and space. Our facilitators took us to Russian supermarkets and we shopped and cooked for ourselves quite a bit of the time. There is a restaurant on the top floor which is very nice. Drawbacks: no one speaks English, it's out of the center of St. Petersburg so you'd need daily transportation and you need to pack things like good T-paper and face cloths. Cooking may or may not be a challenge - we found few pots, pans, or utensils, so became quite inventive."
[5/01]: "The Chaika was a nice apartment type hotel with 2 bedrooms, living room, kitchenette, bathroom."
[8/01, 11/01]: Property was stolen from the room including large sums of money. The manager didn't care and acted like it wasn't a big deal. This family recommends avoiding the Chaika.

Hotel Corinthia Nevsky Palace
Nevsky Prospect
Cost/night: [8/03]: $300.

Hotel D'Angleterre
Cost/night: [9/01]: $130, [11/02]: $135, [4/03]: $175.

Hotel Grand Europe
Cost/night: [11/03]: $300.

Hotel Octobrskaya
Ligovskiy Prospect
Cost/night: [10/01]: $80.

Hotel Pribaltiskaya
Cost/night: [6/03]: $150.
Nice hotel, clean room, however, not centrally located and could not go anywhere without facilitator or hotel taxi.

Hotel Puljovskaya
Cost/night: [2/00]: $100, [7/02]: $132, [4/03]: $85.
About 2 miles from airport; not in center of city but has shuttle.
Good breakfast; small refrigerator in room; cafe & grocery store across street.

Radison Hotel
Cost/night: [12/01]: $225, [11/02]: 265.
Small, new. Staff very accomodating and speaks English well. Business class room upgrade recommended. Several delis within walking distance.

St. Petersburg Hotel
Cost/night: [11/01]: $100.
Plain but clean. Inconvenient to city center. Great views of Neva River from front-facing rooms.

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Stavropol Yahoo discussion group.
2 hour flight from Moscow. Note: You walk to the airplane - dress warmly in winter. [6/02]: $185, [7/04]: $180.
Waiting period: 2.00 1/01 12/01 7/04
Total days in Russia: [2/00]: 8, [1/01]: 9, [12/01]: 15, [7/04]: 14.

The judge probed quite hard and seemed to be looking for improprieties in the system.

Or, I found [the judge and court] to be very kind and even warm with me. The people at the orphanage were also kind and helpful.

Hotel Intertourist
On a noisy street and noisy side streets. I was warned not to leave the hotel at night. The restaurant had fairly good quality food, adequate to poor service. Breakfast was included. No air conditioning. A better restaurant was two blocks away on the other side of the street. The cathedral in Stavropol was worth seeing.
Cost/night: [1/01]: $50, [12/01]: $40.

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Talgam
2 hour drive from Moscow
Waiting period: 6/01
Total days in Russia: [6/01]: 10

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Tambov
6 1/2 hours by van from Moscow

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Tbilisi
Waiting period: 8/02
Total days in Russia: [8/02: 28.

Silva Kemertelidze
30A Saburtalo Str. 380060 Tbilisi
Cost/night: [8/02]: $50.

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Tobolsk
2 - 2 1/2 hours by plane from Moscow to Tyumen. Then a 3 hour drive. Cost/person: [6/02]: $175, [11/03]: 175.
Waiting period: 6/02 11/03
Total days in Russia: [6/02]: 9, [11/03]: 20.

Stay in Tyumen and drive to Tobolsk.

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Tomsk
3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours by Aeroflot from Moscow. Cost/person: [5/99]: $200, [7/00]: $200, [2/01]: $400, [11/01]: $160, [10/04]: $480.
[10/03]: Airport bathroom is a hole in the floor.
Waiting period: 5/99 7/00 2/01 5/01 9/01 11/01 12/01 6/02 10/03 11/03 1/04 3/04 10/04 12/04
Total days in Russia: [99]: 12, [00]: 9, [01]: 11, 13, 14, 14, 17, 17, 20, [6/02]: 15, [10/03]: 20, [11/03]: 14, [1/04]: 23, [3/04]: 18, [10/04]: 18, [12/04]: 13.

Hotel Apteka
Very small, well furnished, clean. Good, inexpensive room service meals.
Cost/night: [11/01]: $45 (room), $100 (suite).
Room was inexpensive but over karaoke bar and very loud from 10PM - 2AM. Saturday night was Russian folk dancing until 4AM.

Northern Hotel
Across the street from the "Siberian Bistro" which had Russian "fast food". The hotel was being renovated and was clean and nice. The water was turned off sometimes during the day for repair, but usually after we had bathed for the day. Very convenient to food and the orphanage.
Cost/night: [5/01]: $20.

Hotel Octoberskaya
[7/00]: A refrigerator, sitting room, complete bathroom and sleeping room. No cribs available. There is a restaurant in the hotel with very tasty homemade food at very cheap prices.
Cost/night: [7/00]: $30.

Hotel Siberia
Clean and safe. Central location. Must pay in rubles. Has cafe with English menu, gift shop. Breakfast included. Ask for a suite ($60).
Cost/night: [12/01]: $38, [6/02]: $40, [11/03]: $60, [1/04]: $50, [12/04]: $100.

Hotel Tomsk
"Hotel was clean, restaurant reasonable with English menu, location is not convenient for you to do anythng on your own. City is a University town but hardly anybody speaks Englsh. You cannot get around without help. It is very isolating."
Cost/night: [2/01]: $30.

Homestay/night: [5/99]: $75, [5/01]: $185.

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Tula has a beautiful Kremlin which should not be missed.

Some make day trips from Moscow ([11/00, 1/02, 9/02, 2/04]: $150/trip) and don't stay in Tula.

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Tver
From Moscow: 2 - 2.5 hours by car [1/04]: $120. By train: [1/04]: $4.
Waiting Period: 9/02 7/02 3/03 1/04
Total days in Russia: [7/02]: 16, [9/02]: 14, [3/03]: 13, [1/04]: 21.
[7/02] Court scheduled for 1 week after meeting child.

Hotel Osnabruck
Cost/night: [9/02]: $80, [3/03]: 70.
Great hotel. Wonderful, inexpensive food and extremely nice staff. Very convenient location - 15 minute walk to shops/market/etc in Tver. We felt extremely safe there. Rooms are quite small - ask for a suite. Internet access for $5/hour.

Hotel Volga
Cost/night: [ 7/02]: $70, [1/04]: $50.
Adequate. Make sure your room is on a renovated floor.Refrigerator in room & close to grocery store. Good business center, inexpensive internet access.

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Tyumen, Siberia
2 1/2 - 3 hours from Moscow by air. [5/02]: $250, [4/03]: $250, [8/03]: $400.
Waiting period: 12/98 12/00 5/02 4/03 6/03 8/03
Total days in Russia: [12/98]: 10, [12/00]: 7, [5/02]: 7, [4/03]: 14, [6/03]: 14, [8/03]: 17.

Quality Inn
Modern and comfortable. The restaurant was quite good. Breakfast buffet included. We were able to use the hotel e-mail services to keep in touch with friends back home. Nice park a few blocks away. Very upscale grocery store down the road (1/4 mile walk) with all imaginable items for sale, including diapers, baby food, etc. We bought everything there instead of lugging it from the States. Kids clothing store 2 blocks away.
Cost/night: [5/02]: $175, [4/03]: $120, [6/03]: $180, [8/03]: $185, [11/03]: $125, [3/04]: $125.

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Ufa
From Moscow: 2 hours on Aeroflot. About $200.
[98]: Trips to Russia: 1. Total days in Russia: ?
Waiting period: 6/00 1/01
Total days in Russia: [6/00]: 10, [1/01]: 9.

Rossiya Hotel
Cost/night: [6/00]: $64.
Modest by US standards. Basic, clean. Fridge in room. One of a few hotels that caters to Western visitors. A few of the staff spoke English. Business center (for copying), on site dining; one English menu available.

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Ulan-Ude
6 hours by plane from Moscow. [5/03]: $500.
Waiting period: 5/03
Total days in Russia: [5/03]: 21.

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Children are housed in families (10-14 per cottage) and you stay with that family. Cost/night: [7/02]: $100.

Ussuriysk
About 2 hours from Vladivostok.
Court in Vladivostok.

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Vishly Volocheck
8-10 hours by car from Moscow
Waiting period: 5/95
Total days in Russia: [5/95]: 10

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Vladimir
From Moscow: 2 - 3 hours by car. [8/03]: $100, [11/04]: $130.
Waiting Period: 8/98 10/99 4/00 2/01 3/01 7/02 6/03 6/03 9/03 11/04
Total days in Russia: [11/98]: 7, [10/99]: 7, 4/00]: 8, [2/01]: 11, [3/01]: 7, [1/02]: 7, [7/02]: 13, [6/03]: 28, 29, [9/03]: 11, [11/04]: 10.

Hotel Zarosky
Old and dirty. No heat or hot water in 3/03.

Hotel Zarya
Cost/night: [6/03]: $85.

Home Stay:
Cost/night: [8/98]: $85, [10/99]: $40, [2/01]: $80, [3/01]: $85, [1/02]: $80, [11/04]: 50.

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Vladikavkaz
2 hours by plane from Moscow. Cost/person: [2/04]: $250, [4/04]: 240.
A poor region.
Waiting period: 2/04 4/04
Total days in Russia: [2/04]: 12, [4/04]: 20.

Hotel Vladikavkaz
The only place to stay in Vlad. Lobby, bar, and dining room are clean but very sparce. Rooms are very shabby but the ladies do the best they can with what they have. Beds were quite squeaky and uncomfortable and the bathroom was something like I have never seen before!
Cost/night: [4/04]: $40.

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Vladivostok
From Moscow: 8-9 hours by plane. From west coast of US via Seoul: 9 hours. Cost/person: [3/00]: $1000 [business class], [7/01]: $400, [7/02]: $300, $450, [2/03]: $1000.
Some say business class is worth it for such a long flight.

Some airlines fly direct from the west coast; some connect in Seoul.

If you flew from the west coast, you can avoid going to Moscow by signing a power of attorney that lets your facilitator or agent present your papers at the US Embassy in Moscow and obtain your child's immigrant visa. This embassy web page lists clinics and physicians approved by the embassy to give medical exams.

Vladivostok has everything you would want to buy; pack lightly.

Waiting period: 1/97 5/99 2/00 3/00 9/00 1/01 7/01 8/01 10/01 5/02 6/02 7/02 7/02 1/03 2/03 7/03
Total days in Russia (all in Vladivostok): [1/97]: 20, [5/99]: 11, [12/99]: 12, [2/00]: 16, [3/00]: 14, [9/00]: 32, 1[/01]: 18, [7/01]: 15, [8/01]: 20, [10/01]: 14, [11/01]: 17, [5/02]: 14, [7/02]: 15, 18, [1/03]: 16, [2/03]: 20, [7/03]: 14, [2/04]: 21.

Hotel Hyundai
Cost/night: [11/01]: $175.
Clean, convenient to downtown and govt. agencies, nice restaurant/lounge/billiard room. Accommodated late night internet access at business center.

Mir Hotel
Cost/night: [10/01]: $80.

Hotel Vladivostok
Cost/night: [5/99]: $20, [2/00]: $21, [9/00]: $60 for 2 room suite, [5/02]: $90, [7/02]: $86, [2/03]: $74, [2/04]: $80.
Downtown location.

Vladivostok Motor Inn
Cost/night: [2/03]: $100, [7/03]: $95.
Western style, about 30 minutes from the city. All staff speaks English.
Internet in the room. [2/03]: $3/hr.

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Vladimir
3 hours by car from Moscow
Waiting period: 99 8/04
Total days in Russia: [99]: 8, [8/04]: 14.

Hotel Chalet
Cost/night: [8/04]: $60.

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Volgograd
From Moscow: 1 1/2 -2 hours by plane. $100/person. 20 hours by train.
Waiting period: 11/99 12/99 7/00
Total days in Russia: [11/99]: 10, [7/00]: 28.

Modern city; all items readily available.

Home stay:
Cost/night: [12/99]: $50.

Intercontinental Hotel
Cost/night: [11/99]: $70.

Hotel Octoberskaya
Nice. Air conditioned [over 100F in July/August].
Cost/night: [7/00]: $50.

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Yakutsk
From Moscow: 6-8 hours by plane. Cost/person: [12/01]: $400, [12/03]: $500 - $600, [1/04]: $1000 1st class.
Waiting period: 12/01 12/03 12/03 1/04
Total days in Russia: [12/01]: 42, [12/03]: 27, 28, [1/04]: 21.

[12/01]: The judge in Yakutsk was very efficient and very helpful. The Minister of Education was very anti-international adoption, due to the fact that the Pres. of the Republic (at that time) was also anti-adoption. The OVIR office (for passports) was very obstructionist and I had to wait three weeks for my son's passport.

[12/03]: 7 day delay in issuing Russian passport.

Hotel Lena
Double rooms nice. 50 ruble allowance for meals. Breakfast, lunch & dinner served.
Cost/night: [12/03]: $60 (?)

Sterkh Hotel
Less expensive and not as nice as Lena. Included breakfast is good but no choices. Smaller rooms than the Lena.
Cost/night: [12/03]: $60, [1/04]: $60.

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Home Stay:
Cost/night: [3/97] $80, [2/99]: $100.

Hotel Intourist
By European standards, it is a 1 star hotel.  By North American standards, it is a dump.
Cost/night: [7/97]: $82

Hotel Kotorosl
Cost/night: [5/03]: $90, [9/03]: 90.
Very nice hotel for Eastern Europe and we felt very safe. It did accept credit cards and offered free breakfast service daily in the restaurant. We had clean linens daily.

Hotel Metropol
Small rooms, 'very different from US hotels.' Read into that what you may!!

Hotel Yubilena: Kotorosl Embankment 11a. Tel:(0852)22-41-59
Cost/night: [11/98]: $45.
Make sure all charges are spelled out at check in (see [5/97] entry, below).
Pretty chilly in Nov, but after we had the baby with us, the floor lady gave us her space heater.
[5/97] At checkout, they tried to add extra charges for TV (never watched) and updated bath.
[11/98] No rate changes at check out this time.

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Yoshkar-Ola
From Moscow: 16 hour overnight train.
Waiting period: 9/02
Total days in Russia: [9/02]: 13.

Home stay
Cost/night: [9/02]: $100.

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Zaporozhe
From Moscow: 2 hours by plane
Waiting period: 11/01
Total days in Russia: [11/01]: 20.

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Zavolzhe
From Moscow: 8 hour train to Nizhniy Novgorod, then 1 1/2 - 2 hours by car.
Waiting period: 11/96 5/99
Total days in Russia: [11/96] 16, [5/99]: 10.

Home Stay
Cost/night: [5/99]: $120.

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