A truly valuable service not to be confused with a "guided tour" for tourists. Normally done by Olesya. Of you are out of luck and she is not available the old grouch Uncle Pasha will do that personally. At the same "child labour" rate.
Take a look at Uncle Pasha's Virtual Tour of Moscow and more. Unfinished but still a pretty nice project.
Public transportation: the logic of it, main systems, buying subway cards, bus and streetcar tickets, etc.
Taxi: understanding the price structure and negotiating taxi fares
Public phones - little tricks to make them work
Where to shop AND NOT TO SHOP for food. Where to find that special something. Challenge us with your most exotic food preferences.
Layout of the city. Staying oriented. This exercise consists of identifying places you know and using them as landmarks.
Survival Russian. Help compiling and remembering 8-12 key Russian phrases.
Figuring out the Russian interface in Internet cafes
Help in making a list of places to visit and things to do
Buying tickets for performances.
Railroad and air tickets. No need for complicated planning. Get your tickets without surcharges.
Advice and assistance to travellers with special need.
Discussion of any other questions you may have.
Common tricks played on foreigners.
WHAT TO DO IN CASE OF EMERGENCY. GETTING IN TOUCH WITH YOUR EMBASSY. HOW TO CALL THE POLICE.
Moscow for travellers with special needs or concerns, eg. visible minorities, vegetarians or vegans, single women, gays, families with children...
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Check with Olesya about the rates to avoid disappointment. Many people will be happy to give you an unprofessional tour entirely free of charge. And even buy you as much beer as you want in exchange for English conversation practice. Check the Free Accommodation in Moscow page of my Cheap Moscow project for such offers. Also see or leave a notice in my guestbook.
Pasha
