Russia
The information below is provided by Lonely Planet readers and is not verified by Lonely Planet. For the official lowdown, contact your nearest embassy or check out our Travel Links.
Visas, Embassies & Border Crossings
The dreaded customs form. On arrival in Moscow the customs officials refused to stamp my form even though I practically begged them. Admittedly, I wasn't bringing in much cash but I thought I needed to get it stamped in order to avoid confiscation of all my cash on departure. On the train, all the English speaking tourists from around the world were under the same impression as me and none of us had managed to get our customs forms stamped. At the border with China we all thought we were going to have all our cash confiscated. However, no one that I spoke to was asked to produce a customs form and no one was searched. It was actually quite painless even though the actual border crossing took 11 hours.
Steven Mathew, UK (Feb 06)
I would ask that you emphasise strongly the need to get one's VISA registered. There seems to be a general rule that if you are in Russia for less than three days (not including Saturday and Sunday) you need to have your VISA registered. I arrived on a Friday night, around 8pm and left on Wednesday. Thus I counted Friday as day zero as I arrived after normal business hours. So when I was leaving on Wednesday, which according to my count was day 3, VISA unregistered, your statement that sometimes Russia can be harder to get out of than into was proved true. Thankfully my bus driver spoke enough English and after filling out some form in a very small room with a very large Border Policeman I was allowed out, but I feel only because I cooperated and admitted my mistake.
John Eder, Australia (Dec 05)
Everywhere you need to show your passport/visa, but it seems that aside from the immigration and police, its just the visa they want to see. I found train and hotel staff a lot happier when I handed them passport turned to the visa page (they didn't generally even bother looking at the picture page) - this is probably especially good to do if you have a bunch of other stuff in your passport.
Ben Clifford, UK (Jun 05)
Travel Tips
I took US dollars because I'd read in various places that this was advisable. My personal experience was that this was unnecessary. I was never asked by anyone throughout my trip for US dollars . It would have been much better for me to bring in enough roubles for the entire trip rather than exchanging dollars for roubles once in the country, seeing as I come from the UK and had already had to pay commission to buy US$. Therefore I ended up paying FX commission twice.
Steven Mathew, UK (Feb 06)
Money: Two or three times when handing over large currency notes, I got back change but far too little - not sure if this was a scam, a mistake or just them saying "we have no change" and me not understanding, but it happened enough for me to start being a lot more careful. Exchanging money/ATMs: a bunch of ATMs give out Euros now. Dual pricing system: I scammed my way in at least one place (Kuskovo park) at native price by letting a Russian girlie buy the ticket and me keep quiet when the ticket was checked.
Ben Clifford, UK (Jun 05)
When I went to the American Express office they wouldn't cash my AmEx traveller's checks. They said they don't do that anymore and sent me to a nearby bank.
Ginny Muller, USA (Jun 05)
I am working in Moscow for the next 2 years, and had 60kgs of excess luggage sent through an Australian company. But when I had to pickup the luggage from the Russian customs they want to charge €27 euros per kilo; this totalled approx. €2000 after VAT. Luckily my Russian guide complained that my luggage was worth AU$400 and the rate was reduced to US$100 (big difference). Important advice to expats/travellers to Russia with excess luggage: never believe the first amount the customs quote to release your luggage. Take a Russian guide, and allow 4-5 hours at customs to pick your luggage as the red tape is huge.
Alan Buckley, Australia (Jun 05)
Moving About
Trains and Buses in Kaliningrad Region: The Lonely Plant gave us the impression it was better to travel to Svetlogorsk and Zenolpast by bus rather than train. On both occasions we went to the station to take the train, but simply could not decipher the timetable and found it impossible to get information out of people (our failure in not speaking Russian or understanding the script).
However, the bus station was a lot easier and there were frequent buses to both places - about 35 roubles to either and just over an hour. By the time the buses reached the stop near Kaliningrad North Railway Station they were very full and both journeys would have been pretty uncomfortable - but we had seats by getting on at the main bus station (so always do that if taking a bus any distance out of Kaliningrad).
Coming back we did take the train on both occasions - the fares were slightly less than the buses and there was no pressure on the seating. The trains probably took slightly less time than the buses. The timetables were easier to sort out in the local stations - even though the trains ran on Moscow time.
Generally trams and buses are easy to deal with in Kaliningrad - 10 roubles a journey. Did not try the minibuses there although they appeared to be popular.
St Petersburg: Arriving at the airport can be quite intimidating with the numerous approaches for over-priced taxis, but it is quite straightforward finding the bus and the connection to the underground also as everyone just gets off the bus.
Alan Graham, UK (Aug 05)
Trains, still very good and the country's backbone, have had a lot of investment in the last two years. Many stations have been totally renovated and in Moscow they've built new modern stations in the suburbs as well. The booking hall at Yaroslavl station in Moscow has been having a facelift for sometime now (although the Hammer and sickle is still prominent on top) and to access the ticket hall you need to enter a side door on the far right of the station; that's the side with the square with Lenin's statue in the centre. Its handy as the platforms for the Eastern trains to Siberia etc are on this side too. Inside you still have to queue and some Russian is required. Make a note of the closing times on each booth as often the shortest queue is for the booth closing in ten minutes.
In Yaroslavl there are two stations. "Glavny" (main) and "Moskovski" (Moscow). Both have been revamped. Fewer trains go to "Moskovski" than to "Glavhy". The newer "Soviet Realist" (concrete) booking hall at "Glavny" in 2003 did all train tickets but just does "Elektreeka" (local trains) now. The old station originally did bus tickets and only a small part was used. Now the new Bus station on "Moskovsky Prospekt" just up from "Moskovski" station deals with the majority of bus travel but there is a little office to the right of "Glavny" that does bus tickets for a few regional destinations.
Taxis have undergone a small revolution since the beginning of this year. I have seen new branded taxis, some yellow and another firm in silver. Hopefully this will make it easier for travellers as you couldn't tell if taxis were official or just private individuals. If you order a taxi by phone they will call back when it arrives outside and give you the registration number so that you get into the right taxi. Generally you shouldn't pay more than 50rbls £1.00 in the centre but they always try it on with me.
Nigel Harper, UK (Jul 05)
Train: Most people seem to prefer the low bunk and generally the ticket people seemed to give me a low bunk if one was available and if I didn't ask for an upper bunk. However, I ended up with good reason preferring the upper bunk - its high up away from the action (whether that action is people drinking all night or people puking all over the floor) and you can always have a lie down up there no matter the time of day, which you can't really do so easily with lower bunks.
I found most of the trains I took had a range of power points in the corridor, sometimes 50v, sometimes 110, sometimes 220v which people were using for charging phones etc. Sometimes it was necessary to negotiate with the provodnitsa to get them turned on, though.
How to read your ticket: the only time I went in platskartny class, the bed number field on ticket said something like 'mecta ykazubaet nrobodhnk' which I think means 'seat will be assigned by the provodnitsa' but actually turned out to mean 'everybody scramble in and grab a bed'.
The travel dress code that all Russians apart from soldiers in uniform engage in: Just after they get on train, everyone changes into something comfortable like a tracksuit and slippers and chills in that for the whole journey, changing back about half hour before arrival... I wish I'd thought of that.
Ben Clifford, UK (Jun 05)
Scams & Warnings
In a year spent here, I have twice been stopped by the police for document checks, once I was detained for a few minutes but let go when they were certain all my papers were in order, the other time I was carrying only a photocopy of my passport and residency documents, and I was told to pay 1000 roubles or come along with them to the police station. I paid, as 1000 roubles isn't worth getting mixed up with the Russian police for. Now I always carry my real passport with me, and feel that if a foreigner's documents are above board, it is unlikely that an officer will ask for a bribe (During the day, at least - I know of other foreigners who have been taken for bribes in the city centre after midnight). Both times I was stopped I was walking in the vicinity of Arbatskaya metro station, at the bottom of Novy Arbat street. Avoiding police encounters is easy if you keep a low profile, and most importantly don't speak in English loud enough that they will hear as you pass them. This is a good rule to follow everywhere in the city to avoid pickpockets and all other undesirables; the only times I have problems are when I'm walking with other loud foreigners who don't keep their voices down when out in the street.
I have never been robbed here, but know countless foreigners who have; a common ploy they use is to stand behind someone wearing a backpack on the metro, and cut into the bag using a box-cutter knife to get at the contents inside. I always carry my backpack while on the metro by its top strap, keeping it at my knees in front of me where it is harder for someone to get at. Okhotny Ryad shopping mall is another favourite place for pickpockets, I know two people personally who have been robbed while shopping there.
Geoff Brown, Canada (Mar 06)
My fiancee and I were in Lake Baikal in Sibera last summer. There is a "zoo" there that I want to warn other travelers against. It is not a zoo,
but an animal torture chamber. They had three large brown bears in a cage the size of a small bathroom. They had raccoons and deer chained up with barely enough chain to move. They fed these animals scraps of food and crackers. I have traveled to over 80 countries, many of which are not big on animal rights, but this was ridiculous.
Eric Jones, USA (Aug 05)
Yesterday three people tried to rip me off in Red square but luckily did not manage. A businessman lost a big bundle of dollar notes right before my feet and my eyes. I took them up and gave it back to him, there had been another man right beside me who behaved as he witnessed the scene and surely to make sure that I would not take the money myself. When the bundle was returned the businesman pretended that he had two bundles and wanted to see from both of us our money bourse, the other person quickly showed everything, in the same time a person arrived showing up a big red star police badge. The other "witness" immediately handed over his bourse and passport, provocating me to do the same. Luckily I didn't and at this moment my Russian girl friend arrived. As soon as she began to speak fluent Russian the three people ran away and we were out of this situation. I think as soon as I had handed over my bourse to the obviously fake policeman it would have been gone. I think when getting in the same situation not reacting to this would be the best solution.
Lars Hauck, Germany (Jul 05)
In St. Petersburg the afternoon of the White Nights festival concert, I was accosted on Nevsky Prospect by a group of costumed children who skipped the begging part and just started grabbing at my pockets. A few choice Russian phrases from my daughter (who speaks Russian well) and a few flying elbows on my part surprised them and they took off without any loss or damage. Amazingly, not one person on the crowded street even seemed to notice. Then today in Moscow at the Vernisazh market the local authorities were checking passports and taking "donations". The crowds were so large, they were easy to avoid if you knew what was coming. Conversely, later today in Red Square, we saw the local gendarmes joking with the tourists and helpfully providing directions.
Such is the enigma of Russia which gives it much of its charm.
Robert & Mauri Thornton, USA (Jun 05)
Yarns, Fables & Anecdotes
To follow up from Tom Masters' comments in your (St Petersburg) guide about the Russian propensity to sunbathe whilst standing, we were most startled to see that this also happens in sub-zero temperatures. Whilst approaching the Peter and Paul Fort for the first time we came upon a line of 30-40 sunbathers, men and women, stripped to their underwear and standing against the walls of the fort and in its alcatraves, catching the sun shining off the frozen Neva. Some had even bought sheets of white card to lean against, and all had turnt a rather unnatural shade of mahogany! Rounding the corner, we were even more stunned to see another group had made a hole in the ice to go for a refreshing dip in the river. Just wish my camera batteries hadn't run out ...
Thea Edwards, UK (Mar 06)
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