Christmas gift to my wife

[Nack]

Originally Posted by DougD

When would you go? July is the most expensive month, so try to avoid it.

dd

Probably sometime in the June through August timeframe, during you know, the offseason for teachers :)

[Lapa]

Tim,

If you have no option but to feed yourself in places where they prepare it (in other terms, restaurants and the like), you should plan on a minimum of about $15 per person per meal (unless you can survive on blins and pirozhki, but I would not advise that on more than a couple of days).
Hotels are quite expensive; old Soviet style (looks like you walked through a time-warp) will cost you at least $70 for 1 person or $90~100 for a couple (at that price, the toilet and the showers are down the hallway).
Travel by train is reasonable if you travel in "Russian conditions", very expensive if you want upper category, and by plane quite expensive too.

Marc