Russia

Why It Is Difficult

Status, May 2026: At war with Ukraine since February 2022. Sanctions in place; flights from the US, UK, Canada and almost all EU countries suspended; foreign cards (Visa/Mastercard) do not work; the ruble has stabilised around 80-90 to the USD. Tourism continues from “friendly” countries (Turkey, UAE, China, India, Belarus, Central Asia, parts of Africa and Latin America). Travel by Westerners is legal but logistically complex and not advised by most embassies.

Why It Is Worth Visiting

St Petersburg and Moscow remain among the great European cities. Kamchatka and the Trans-Siberian remain unique. Tatarstan (Kazan), the North Caucasus (Dagestan, Chechnya), the Russian Arctic, Lake Baikal. The country is enormous and intellectually it is genuinely one of the major civilisations.

Practical Travel Notes

Use this guide as an early planning brief. Re-check official advisories, insurance coverage, local transport reliability, communications, and cash access before committing to a route.

Access And Logistics

Flights from “friendly” countries: Turkish Airlines (most reliable), Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad, Flydubai, Uzbekistan Airways, Belavia, Air Serbia, Air Arabia, EgyptAir, Air China. Air Astana via Astana/Almaty is the easiest route from many Western itineraries. Overland from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China and Georgia (Verkhny Lars - when open). Money - pay attention here No Western cards work. None. Bring USD or EUR cash; exchange at banks (Sberbank reliable, 60-80 RUB/USD typical, passport required). Russian-issued Mir cards work locally but you cannot get one as a foreigner without a Russian bank account. Train tickets can be bought in cash at stations; some online portals reject foreign cards even after VPN. A common workaround per the archive: pay a trusted Russian friend in USD or USDT crypto, have them book on their card. There is trust involved. Connectivity NordVPN does not work in Russia. Working VPNs per the archive: 1.1.1.1 (Cloudflare), X-VPN (fastest but reconnect every 5-10 min), Turbo VPN, VPN Super Unlimited. SIM: Megafon was the archive author’s pick (best coverage outside cities); MTS and Beeline also good. Around USD 15 for 35 GB. Internal travel Train tickets via rzd.ru (works without VPN for foreigners during quiet periods). Red Arrow Moscow-St Petersburg overnight is a classic. Buses via avtovokzaly.ru, biletyplus.ru, na-avtobus.ru, BlaBlaCar. Accommodation: onetwotrip.com, ostrovok.ru (Russian equivalent of Booking). Avoid guesthouses unregistered for foreigners - the archive reports refusals at check-in. Moscow - Red Square, Kremlin, Tretyakov, GUM, VDNKh, Bunker-42 cold-war museum. St Petersburg - Hermitage, Peterhof, Catherine’s Palace, Mariinsky, canal cruises. Kazan - Tatarstan capital, Kul-Sharif Mosque, Kremlin. Kaliningrad exclave - separate visa procedure (the archive has notes). Kamchatka - Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Avacha Bay, Mutnovsky / Gorely volcanoes, Russian Bay killer-whale day trips (60 km south of city). Note: helicopter trips to Geyser Valley and Kuril Lake were cancelled after a 2021 crash - verify availability. Lake Baikal - Listvyanka, Olkhon Island. May-September best. Trans-Siberian / Trans-Mongolian / Trans-Manchurian - long-haul rail journeys. North Caucasus - Dagestan (Derbent), Chechnya (Grozny), Ingushetia. Recommend a guide. Sample 12-day Moscow-St Petersburg-Kazan Days 1-4: Moscow. Day 5: Red Arrow overnight train to St Petersburg. Days 6-9: St Petersburg. Day 10: Sapsan to Moscow, evening flight to Kazan. Days 11-12: Kazan, fly out via Moscow or Istanbul.

Safety Considerations

Treat security as the core planning constraint. Avoid improvising routes, keep a conservative schedule, and re-check local conditions immediately before travel.

Visa Or Permit Notes

E-visa relaunched in 2023 for ~55 nationalities - 16 days single entry, USD 53. Apply at evisa.kdmid.ru. Not available to US, UK, Australian, Canadian passport holders. Tourist visa: requires an invitation letter (LOI). Auto-generated by online agencies: GoingRus (~EUR 15), iVisa (~EUR 50), Fortuna Travel, OstWest. The cheap auto-generated letters work fine - historically USD 10-15 was standard. On arrival you receive a small migration card. Do not lose it; every hotel will ask. Re-register within 3 days if you stay anywhere longer than 3 nights.

Obfuscated Contact Leads

These archive leads are intentionally not clickable and not clean-copy formatted. Re-type them manually if a lead is relevant, and verify independently before relying on anyone.