Moscow Tours - Getting into a good tour is relatively easy. There are many good tourist agencies around, and you should try and use their expertise when you find an activity you want to do. Perhaps you want to arrange an outdoor activity such as hiking or rafting? This would be an example of which the services of an agency are almost always required. Or you could decide to go all out and have everything taken care of on a fully organized tour.

Intourist is no longer the big monopoly it once was. There are some companies that survived the old Intourist structure to some extent and they usually have an extensive selection of tours and other services available.

Mir Corporation - www.mircorporation.com. (206-624-7289). This agency offers trips around Russia and lavish private train tours along the Trans-Siberian route in Pullman-style carriages.

Russiatours - (800-633-1008) www.russiatours.com. This agency specializes in luxurious group tours between Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Dom Patriarshy Tours - alanskaya@co.ru. Provides English language tours on just about any specialized subject. Sometimes they may provide access to museums that are usually closed.

Capitol Tours - www.capitaltours.ru. Offers a twice-daily Moscow City tour and Kremlin Armory tour.

Intourist - 956-8844 Runs several mainstream tours geared for large groups and visitors to popular places like the Kremlin.

Sputnik - specializes in outdoorsy tours such as camping, fishing, and spas outside the city of Moscow