Although you'll end up paying a little more and understanding a lot less, it's not hard to get around Moscow and St. Petersburg without learning any Russian. Hotels, tourist agencies and many museums have English-speaking staff. In smaller, more isolated cities English speakers are much harder to find, even in large hotels.
If you plan on traveling through the Russian countryside, you'll be forced to learn some Russian.
But even if you're not leaving Moscow and St. Petersburg, it's worth taking some time to familiarize yourself with the Cyrillic alphabet. Being able to read signs on the street and in the metro will make your trip much more enjoyable.
For a list of Russian phrase books you can order online, check our bookstore.
For information on opportunities to study Russian language click here.
Language Resources on the Web
Ozhegov's Dictionary of the Russian Language
A standard Russian dictionary. 40,000 entries, with examples of correct use and some saying.
Andrei Sabelfeld's English-Russian Dictionary
A reasonably functional, no-frills dictionary. About 77,000 entries.
MegaBook
Part of the Cyrill and Methodius portal. In addition to a fairly good encyclopedia, the site has a well-designed English-Russian/Russian-English dictionary.
V. Dal's Dictionary
A dictionary of "contemporary" written words. The online version is based on the second edition of the hard copy, published from 1880-82.
About.com Russian Language
An excellent online resource for those interested in learning Russian. Also has helpful information on how to set up your computer to be able to work with the cyrillic alphabet.
