DK Eyewitness Moscow

good guide book if you are primarily looking for photos and maps. Not much specific info.

These are by far the best travel books out there, because of the detailed picture maps and the specific historical info for each area of the cities.

Went to Moscow in December 2002 for 2 weeks for a funeral with my mother (I'm a hardened traveler in my 30s). I speak very little russian and read even less (i.e. none). I also took the Rough Guide book on Moscow. Didn't use the Rough guide after the 2nd day, stuck to the Eyewitness guide. Why? Because if you can't read russian your screwed - the cyrillic alphabet is like reading arabic; if you want to toodle around on the subway or walk the streets - nothing makes sense and it all looks the same. Pictures and maps (with the actual and phonetic spellings on them) are how you're going to make it work. Rough guide has no pictures - Eyewitness boatloads! I explored Moscow on my own - with no guide, no translator and no dictionary - only my eyewitness guide. I didn't get lost and I saw everything that I wanted to see. I didn't care that Eyewitness Moscow was published in 1998 - churches, museums and other places of interest do not move - prices change frequently anyway. It also cuts out a lot of the crap that other guides spend too much time on. This is a guide for seeing, doing and exploring. If you want a hotel guide, get a travel agent.

I have travelled to Moscow several times and bought this book for my nervous parents who are soon coming along with me for the first time. What I like about this book is that it preps you for what to expect in Moscow without having to do extensive research. The pictures are really helpful, and I found the portrayals to be very accurate (pre-Kosovo). However, I did buy the book with the thought that I will be able to help my folks along. If you have a guide or host to help you with your trip, than this book is ideal.

Incredibly helpful - the best Moscow travel guide available. My advise to anyone who wants to go to Moscow: go in the Spring and take this book with you.