New Russia Sticky

1

links to useful messages on the Thorntree
The following threads are kept on the Eastern Europe of the TT because of their repeated usefulness.
Abkhazia - how to get there

Alaska to Russia

Altai to Tuva

BAM/Transmongolian

Black Sea Ferries

High Season in Russia?

Lake Baikal - Getting Around

Lake Baikal to Yakutsk

Lena River Travel

Lena River, Yakutsk, Magadan

Moscow Club Scene - although a bit old, I doubt that much has really changed.

Mongolia Siberia Border Crossings

New Registration thread

postaction=reply&catid=15&threadid=810571&messid=6892059&STARTPAGE=1&parentid=0&from=73">TransSiberian Railway tips - one travelers report of where he stopped and where he stayed with notes of train ticket prices in 2004

old Trans Siberian thread

New Trans Siberian thread

First check: Everbrite's travel pages, the New RU sticky,and New RU train sticky

Since I have taken the time to answer your question, it would be nice if you took the time to respond as to whether the information was helpful.

2

visas
There are basically four types of Russian visa. A tourist visa which is good for a maximum of 30 days and cannot be extended or renewed without leaving the country. A visitors visa which requires an official invitation from a Russian resident. A business visa which is good for 30 d, 90 d, even a year, and a transit visa which is only good for a maximum of 72 hours if you fly into Russia, but only one night is permitted in Moscow or ten days if you take the train, but again only one night in Moscow. (Actually there are 6, the other two are for students and the 72 hour short stay visa for European or Japanese citizens, although this last has been discontinued for the moment.)

The easiest visas to obtain are tourist visas and 30 or 90 day business visas that are single or double entry. Six month or one year multiple entry can be difficult to obtain and getting business-visa invitations is slower than it used to be. Invitations for multiple-entry six-month business visas now take longer and cost more. Also visas for longer than 90 days require a recent HIV test result certificate in the previous 90 days.

Note that you can enter the country after the date on the visa and leave before the date on the visa but not the reverse.

Generally visas cannot be obtained more than 90 and in some cases 45 days prior to the date of entry. This has nothing to do with the consulate but rather with obtaining the necessary visa support documents. Travelers in Australia and New Zealand report more success with getting visas more than 90 days in advance of entry.

To obtain a Russian tourist visa you need:

1. A passport valid for at least 30 days after the planned date of arrival in Russia, although in some instances they require a passport valid for 6 months. In some cases you will need a photocopy of your passport, trimmed to the actual size of the passport and attached to the upper left hand corner of the application although this is much less common since the Russians now use a full page sticker visa. If three photos are required by the consulate, then the visa will be a separate a separate document. If they require one photo, then you need at least one blank page in your passport.
2. The completed application which can be downloaded from the website of most consulates and embassies. The application is the same for all persons except those traveling with a US passport. The application for US passport holders can be downloaded from the website of the Russian embassy in Washington or from many consulates. The application for other passport holders can also be downloaded from any Russian embassy website. Russian embassy in Washington, DC visa download page
3. One or possibly three Passport photos, one of which is attached to the application in the place indicated with one staple that does not go through the face. The other two, if required, are attached to the photocopy of your passport.
4. A standard *tourist confirmation*(also called visa support or official invitation) from the authorized hosting Russian travel agency or a hotel, registered with the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a housing or accommodation voucher from your hotel or from the travel agency in Russia. The confirmation must contain the agency's reference number and registration number which are needed to complete the application.
a. Remember to make copies of these two documents to carry with you as you may have to present them on entry into Russia.
b. In the past faxed documents were accepted at most consulates. However, the fax cannot be on flimsy thermal paper. If that's what your fax machine uses, then photocopy the papers onto regular paper. Since the new rules have been put into place, you may need original documents at some consulates. Some people have reported success with printing from a computer a scanned invitation.
5. A cover letter from a travel agency OR written by you, containing the following information:
* Applicant's name or alphabetical list of a group;
* Dates and points of arrival and departure in and from Russia and means of transportation;
* Itinerary in Russia (do not include places which are not mentioned on your visa support documents);
* Index and reference number of the receiving organization (also known as the travel agency or visa service).
6. Money for fees. Costs will depend upon your passport, where you apply, the length of the processing time, the type of visa. Some embassy websites provide this information but few are complete or accurate if you are not a citizen of the country in which you are applying for the visa.

Itinerary
You do not need a day by day itinerary. You do need to indicate how, when and where you will arrive and depart in Russia. You do need to be sure that your accommodations' vouchers match the cities in intend to visit. You can change your plans once you arrive in Russia, but note that there are some places which require special permission to enter.

You can enter after the date on your visa and you can depart before the date on your visa, but not the reverse.

Notes:
-the voucher for housing may not be where you are actually staying. In fact, it is almost always a sham unless you arrange all your accommodations in advance.
- when obtaining visa support it is important to clarify if registration is included in the price and if not, how much this would cost as well as where to go to get registered. While one can register theoretically at an OVIR office, you probably don't want to spend a day finding out which one to go to, where it is located and then actually getting this done. This is especially true because dealing with Russian bureaucracy is like entering Dante's seventh level of hell: best to be avoided at all costs. The rules for registration changed recently 15 Jan 2007 and it appears that it may now be possible to register quite easily at any post office in any town.
-The rules are different for different consulates and for persons carrying passports from other countries.
-For holders of passports for most of Europe, Israel and other countries with national health insurance, proof of health insurance is required.
-The consulate also can require to see copies of your round trip ticket or proof of sufficient funds to travel, but usually it is enough to indicate that how, when and where you intend to depart. The requirement to produce a round trip ticket and bank account information is generally for persons holding third world passports.
-Although uncommon, the consulate can also ask for an interview and for proof that you have sufficient funds to travel for the time period you are requesting.

Instead of posting information about various Russian consulates here, it is posted on my website which I can update more easily than these pages. Please check here: everbrite's travel pages

Obtaining visa support
Visa support can be obtained from many travel agencies as well as the hostels and some hotels in Russia. You may want to decide which city you intend to visit first for more than 72 hours and obtain your visa support from someplace in that city so that you can register there. If you are traveling on the train from the East and first stop of any length is Vladivostok, Ulan Ude or Irkutsk, then think about getting your visa support from the place you intend to stay in Moscow. See below for more information about registration.

Visa support for tourist visas is a document that you will pay about 35-50$ USD to obtain. It may or may not include a fee for registering your visa, probably not. It is important to ask this upfront. In addition to this, there is a fee for the visa itself. Remember you will need to pay an additional fee, if the original documents are sent via courier. Some consulate such as Ulan Bator, Mongolia REQUIRE original documents.

For business visas the cost will vary depending upon the length of the business visa. Business visas can be 30 d or 90 d single or double entry, 6 or 12 month multiple entry. The latter are harder to obtain and more costly for visa support documents as well as the visa itself.

Theoretically, you need not book your entire trip, but you should know that legally with a tourist visa you are required to book your entire trip in advance. Most of the hostels will provide you with a hotel voucher or vouchers that makes it "appear" that you have booked your whole trip. While I understand that many people would like to travel "as independently as they can," do NOT plan to arrive in Moscow or Petersburg without prearranged housing. Both of these cities have a shortage of inexpensive housing and in both of these cities it is absolutely necessary to register your visa if you stay 72 hours or more.
The hostels all offer visa support:
hostels.com
hosteleurope.com
hosteling-russia.ru
Hosteling International or HI

There are also travel agencies and visa support companies which can provide these services. Contact me if you want a more comprehensive list of these. But to name a few:
Nevsky88 A Russian company that advertises they provide the cheapest business visa support on the internet.
Sokoltours.com A Russian tour company whose site has lots of good information.
StudyRussian A company that specializes in studying Russian at MGU and travel on the transiberian route.
Svezhy Veter Another Russian tour company, although not specializing in travel on the transiberian, this site has lots of useful information about travel in Russia. Their ticket prices and other fees are considered among the best on the internet.

VisaToRussia.com and GoToRussia.net use the same agency: IntelService Center. IntelService also operates allrussiatours.com as well. Theoretically and reportedly, the service is the same for all of these companies.

Also there is WayToRussia.net which is a travel information service. They do not personally provide visa support but do so through another company. They try hard to provide the most accurate and up to date information on their website and to monitor the services and quality of their providers. Currently (summer 2006) they appear to be using RealRussia.

Traveldocs.com is another visa service that comes highly recommended by fellow travelers. They are located in the US and Moscow, but will fax your documents anywhere.

First check: Everbrite's travel pages, the New RU sticky,and New RU train sticky

Since I have taken the time to answer your question, it would be nice if you took the time to respond as to whether the information was helpful.

3

Migration cards are also called Entry/ Exit cards
These are usually handed out at the border, on the plane or train. These must be kept with your passport. The card needs to get a registration stamp on the back each time you stay in a hotel or hostel.

You fill out the entry and exit parts when you enter. The entry piece is taken and the exit piece becomes the piece which gets stamped with your registration stamps.

The concern is what happens when you enter Belarus and then proceed on to Russia since there is no border control between Belarus and Russia. The answer is that you must specifically state this when crossing into Belarus. Here's a report from someone who drove through Belarus to Russia dated Nov 2004:

Migration card transiting through Belarus
"As I have read in this forum many people have wondered how to get Russian migration card when traveling to Russia from Lithuania or Poland, transiting through Belarus, I have good news. We were in Moscow with a friend of mine (From Vilnius, Lithuania), traveling by car through Belarus and back last weekend. As there is no passport control (only Russian customs control for temporary import of cars) you must get Russian migration card (Ìèãðàöèîííàÿ êàðòà) from Belarus passport control when entering BY from Lithuania or Poland. You must clearly state you are going to Russia and request this form. It will be stamped by Belarusian immigration and it is perfectly ok to register your stay in Russia with this migration card. Same procedure applies when traveling by train, just REQUEST THIS CARD FROM BELARUS IMMIGRATION. If you travel to Russia without this card you will have problems registering into a hotel and could be fined when leaving Russia or Belarus. If driving a car, hold the transit customs declaration you filled in when you entered Belarus from LT or PL as Belarus customs will need to see it when returning to Lithuania or Poland. Smolensk customs needs a photocopy of driver's passport and car registration documents (which is not standard procedure in Russian customs) in addition to a photocopy of Russian car insurance (which is a standard procedure.)"

Registration
It is necessary to register your visa within three days of arrival, not including weekends and holidays, and theoretically in each city in which you plan to spend more than three days. I say theoretically because in the past people got their visa registered at the first point for their entire stay. The rules changed 14 feb 03 when the migration card was introduced, and there are some reports that this is no longer true. The rules changed again 15 jan 2007 and as is common for Russian law, the implementations are not completely clear. Please read the New Registration thread for updates.

According to the information in recent posting it would appear that registration has gotten easier:
ElenaKKKK
Posted: 02 Mar 2007
5:22pm

Dina, in accordance with new law for foreigner or accepting part (hotel etc) no need to go to militia, it's enougth to go to the nearest post office, fill the form which you can take there in and send it to the militia (free of charge). The filled form will be stamped right in the post, the stamp confirms legal registration of the foreigner. The hotels refusing to do it just save their time and many - not because it's prohibited by the new law (http://sob.ru/news4797.html).
Regards, Elena

OTOH There are reports that people who did not register in a timely manner have been fined. The most recent report I have is a 1500 ruble fine for a delay in registering by two days. (spring 2006)

It is important to note that it is not precisely 72 hours or three days as your passport is not stamped with the hour of arrival. It is stamped with a date. Thus, if you enter on Monday evening at 23:59 your migration card must be registered by close of business Wednesday in order to be in compliance.

It is also important to note that the requirements for registration do not indicate what one should do it one is traveling on a train when the time limit is reached. The usual recommendation is to retain all train tickets so that you can account for otherwise unregistered days. But the folks in Novosibirsk seem to take this seriously and thus it is VERY difficult to get your migration card stamped there.

This information was posted on another travelers' forum, but is a well written explanation of registration:
As for registration.. Well, this is a difficult question, as difficult and unclear, as many laws in Russia Yes, by law, any foreigner should be registered with the authorities within 3 working days after crossing the border of the Russian Federation. Besides, if you change your place of stay, you would need to be registered at the new place, again, within 3 working days. However, the law doesn't foresee the situation when a foreigner is actually travelling AROUND Russia without staying anywhere for a long time. In this case, by law, you would need to be registered this first time after crossing the border (formally, just for one night, at a cheapest hotel), and then travel freely collecting the evidence (tickets, receipts from supermarkets, postal stamps on your travel card, if you decide to make one, etc.) and then present it at the border to prove that you haven't spent more than 3 working days in any city.

That's as stupid as many things in the country, but Russia is still a relatively closed country and does not welcome individual foreign tourists. Unfortunately.

However, the most difficult situation is with those who come to Russia for a hike, with tents and all that. If they come, say, to Kamchatka on a hike for 2 weeks, they need to be registered with the authorities within 3 days, as above. However, when you register, you need to present the owner of the flat you will be registered in, and the laws do not foresee a situation when a foreigner is actually staying in a tent. The authorities do not know how to register these people. So in the end, they might have troubles.

Deklaratsia and money matters
It used to be that everyone entering Russia was advised to fill out a Declaration indicating how much money and other valuables they were bringing into Russia. This is no longer needed unless you are bringing in thousands of US dollars or other VERY expensive belongings.

First check: Everbrite's travel pages, the New RU sticky,and New RU train sticky

Since I have taken the time to answer your question, it would be nice if you took the time to respond as to whether the information was helpful.

4

MOSCOW
transportation
transportation
Moscow metro is not an official site but it does have a nice copy of the metro map.

Getting from Sheremetevo Airport to the metro:
Assuming that you arrive in Sheremetevo as most but not all international flights do, you can order a taxi to meet you at the airport from many of the hostels or hotels or WaytoRussia. Usually the price is about $25-40 euro depending some on when and where you are traveling.
OR Taking public transportation is not too complicated provided that you don't have much luggage, you read some cyrillic and you know where you are going.

If you decide to be adventurous, note that the Moscow metro is not luggage friendly, and there are tons of stairs so luggage on wheels is not necessarily helpful. Public transportation from Sheremetevo is a three-step process. First, before leaving the building get some rubles. There are exchanges and ATMs in the area after you pass through immigration and customs.

Next, go outside on the ground or arrivals level, turn to the right and cross to the third lane where the buses are lined up. Look for the bus with the number 851C (the C indicates that it is a fast, direct bus and will go directly to the metro). Hop on the bus and pay the driver the fare (25 rubles in April 2007). The bus ride is 25-40 minutes depending upon traffic if you take the C. Walk straight ahead to the Rechnoy Vokzal metro station.

Finally, buy a metro ticket (17 rubles for a single use ticket in April 2007). Board the metro green line at its northern terminus. Moscow Metro Map. For Red Square, exit at Teatralnaya station. From here you can walk to the entrance to the Kremlin or transfer to the Red line (Okhotny Ryad station) and travel one stop to Biblioteka Lenina.

Getting from Domodedovo Airport to the metro:
Domodedovo is at the completely opposite side of Moscow. It is considerably easier to get from this airport to downtown. There is an express train from the airport to Paveltskaya Train and Metro Station. Your boarding pass from your flight should enable you to travel on the express train for free. This metro stop is where the green line intersects the ring line on the south side of the city. For details on all the public transportation options, check out the airport website in English: Domodedovo International Airport. Don't forget to change some money into rubles before leaving the airport.

Getting from Sheremetevo to/from Domodedovo Airport
According to the above link for the Domodedovo Airport website there is a bus which travels between these two airports. Travel time is reportedly 1.5-2 hours. Unfortunately, the website does not have information about prices or drop off/pick up points.

Transiting between Sheremetevo SVO1 and Sheremetevo SVO2
SVO1 and SVO2 are like two separate airports using the same set of runways. They are not adjacent terminals. You can't walk between them and certainly can't leave one without a visa for Russia. You should NOT go through immigration and customs. Aeroflot SHOULD arrange a free transfer but recent reports suggest that more and more people are being asked to obtain transit visas. If you follow the crowd, then you will end up at immigration and since you don't have a visa, you will have problems. See Aeroflot's recommendations for transit passengers for more information.

*ACCOMMODATIONS
NOTE: Both Moscow and St. Petersburg have a severe shortage of inexpensive housing, but here are some suggestions. Do NOT arrive in either city with no prearranged housing. *
Inexpensive accommodations
Your options for hostels are:
hostels.com
hosteleurope.com
hosteling-russia.ru
hostelling international

Concerning the locations of the hostels in Moscow, according to my handy city street atlas (listed alphabetically):
AD&T Guesthouse no longer seems to be in operation as a guesthouse.

Art Hostel is college dorms and they are only open when classes are not in session. No dormitory bunkrooms - just single rooms and double rooms. Good neighborhood though, actually inside the ring metro line, 10 minute walk to the ring line and an almost straight shot to the Kremlin. Unfortunately was closed for renovations in 2004 and there is no indication when it might open again.

Asia or G & R is located in a rundown old soviet-style hotel much further from center city, in the south west part of town, near the next to last stop on the purple line - 5 stops from the ring line. This is reportedly a nice place to stay and easy to get to and from.

Godzilla appeared on the scene recently (2006) and seems to be quite popular. Its location is great - Bolshoi Karetnyy 6, Apt 5 (First Floor), a 5 minute walk from the Tsvetnoi Bulvar metro station. They provide visa support and registration.

Heritage, located at Kosmonavtov Ul. 2, which is a couple of minutes walk from VDNkh station. It is supposedly a member of the International Youth Hostel Association but I couldn't find a webpage. Telephone number might be someplace online but I couldn't locate it or perhaps try this Email address: evgen@az-tour.msk.ru.

Home from Home Hostel is located two minutes walk from Krasnoselskaya metro station at 22/24 Krasnoprudnaya Street, corpus 1, Apartment no. 71. It is a five minute walk or one stop on the metro to the ‘Three Stations’, Leningradsky, Kazansky, and Yaroslavsky stations (where the Trans-Siberian trains depart from). They also rent a 5 bedroom apartment which is located just off the Garden Ring, steps from the Krasniye Vorota metro station. They recommend the waytorussia.net site for visa support and it is unclear if they offer registration.

Sherstone is between two metro stations (about 10+ minute walk from each) also 4-5 stops from the ring.

Snail Hostel doesn't appear to have its own website nor does it appear to really be a hostel, but it is located a 7-10 minute walk from the Botanichesky Sad metro station in a "picturesque, green and ecologically clean, non-polluting district of Moscow", only in 100 meters from the river "Yauza", and very close to the All-Russia Exhibition Center and the Botanical Garden.

Sweet Hostel seems to have changed locations, but has settled in at on Stary Arbat Street at 51
Apartment 31. This is reasonably well located in an historic part of town near several metro stations.

Tramp is also far out - 4 metro stops past TGH and a 10-15 minute walk. They reportedly do not accept any walk-ins off the street.

TGH is about a 10-15 minute walk from a metro station that is on the ring line. This is an old building in poorer neighborhood on the edge of an industrial zone.

Because these places are relatively new (2006) you need to check whether they can provide registration and visa support.

Trans-Siberian Hostel
Barashevskiy Per. 12
This is just outside the Boulevard Ring, near the Kurskaya metro station. It is new and does not appear to have its own website. They have doubles, singles and dorm rooms. Breakfast is included.

Yellow Blue Bus Hostel
Rd Tverskaya-yamskaya St 5
This is located on the extended part of Tverskaya Road outside the Garden Ring Road. It is near the Mayakovskaya Metro station. It is on the third floor of a building. It is new and does not appear to have its own website. They have 20 beds and a new kitchen.

Napoleon Hostel
Maly Zlatoustinskiy Street, Dom 2, 4th Floor, Moscow, Russia
This is not far from the Kitai Gorod and Lubyanka metro stations.

New Moscow hostels thread from Oct/Nov 2006

Another, more home-grown dormitory option is Galina's Flat (galinas.flat@mtu-net.ru). Galina is a kind and very welcoming Russian woman who speaks a little bit of English, and offers beds in a 5 bed dormitory for $8 a night. Doubles can be arranged for $10 each. She is located a 5 minute walk from Chistye Prudie or Turgenevskaya metro stations. Tel.. Major concern in staying at Galina's is that she is unable to provide visa support and more importantly unable to provide migration card registration. This means that you must use a visa service that can provide registration in Moscow and more importantly any savings by staying there might be eaten up by paying for registration. Also she smokes and has cats.

First check: Everbrite's travel pages, the New RU sticky,and New RU train sticky

Since I have taken the time to answer your question, it would be nice if you took the time to respond as to whether the information was helpful.

5

PETERSBURG
ACCOMMODATIONS
Inexpensive accommodations
There are several hostels in Petersburg:
International Hostel
Correspondence address:
PO Box 8, 53501, Lappeenranta, Finland
Central Reservation Office for this hostel and the Puppet Theater Hostel:
PO Box 57, St. Petersburg, 193312, Russia
Metro: Ploschad Vosstania
Tel./fax: +7 (812) 329 8018
Email: ryh@ryh.ru

International Hostel Holiday - according to their website, this is currently closed for reconstruction
9, Arsenalnaya emb./1,Mikhailova str
St. Petersburg, 195009, Russia
Tel./fax: +7 (812) 327 1070, +7 (812) 327 1033
Email: info@hostel.spb.ru

Puppet Theater Hostel
12, Ul. Nekrasova, St. Petersburg, 191014, Russia
Metro and then trolley
From Finland station - trolleys #3, 8 & trams #14, 90 (3 stops).
From Moscow station - tram #25 (2 stops).
From Baltic & Warsaw stations – metro to Vladimirskaya, then trolley #3, 8, 15 or tram #28(3 stops).
From Vitebsky station- trolleys #3, 8, 15 (6 stops).
Tel: +7 (812) 272 5401
Fax: +7 (812) 272 8361
E-mail:puppet@ryh.ru

All Seasons hostel
Floor ,11, Yakovlevskiy lane, St. Petersburg, 196105, Russia
Entrance code: 369
Tel.: +7(812) 327 10 70
Fax: +7(812) 327 10 33
E-mail: info@hostel.spb.ru
Metro: 10 minute walk from the metro station Elektrosila
Note that there is no lift.
Reservations are made through the International Hostel Holiday.

Menshikovskiy
8 Menshikovskiy Prospect
St Petersburg,195067,Russia
Tel.: 7-812-2999806
Fax.: 7-812-2998977
Email: info@mhostel.netz-zinfo@mhostel.spb.ru

Metro tour - doesn't seem to have a website or email address
47 Blagodatnaya Str,
St Petersburg, 196105, Russia
Tel.: 7 812 388 5969
Fax.: 7 812 388 5969
located near the Electrosila metro station

Nord Hostel
10 Bolshaya Morskaya Street
Tel/fax: +7 (812) 117 03 42
E-mail: info@nordhostel.com
Metro: Nevsky Prospekt

Ostrovok doesn't seem to have its own website and it isn't located downtown, but it is near a metro.
130 Bukharestskaya str, Korp 2 ,
13th Floor,
St Petersburg, 192288, Russia
Tel.: 7 812 7016497
Fax.: 7 812 7762340
Email: ostrovok-13@yandex.ru

St. Petersburg Traveller Hostel
Sadovaya Street 25
Entrance from Bankovsky Pereulok
St Petersburg,191023, Russia
Tel.: 7-812-314-0814
Fax.: 7-812-3100412
Email: tenzorspb@mail.ru
Doesn't seem to have its own website but reservations can be made through BootsNAll.com or through Hostelling International
It is located 700 meters from the Nevsky Prospekt metro station.

Apartment Hotel - an apartment hotel
Homestays - HOFA or a mirror site Hofa in Russia These folks although located in Petersburg can arrange homestays in a variety of places including Petersburg, Moscow and Irkutsk.
Petersburg for tourists - they can arrange home stays and have some budget accommodation listings

First check: Everbrite's travel pages, the New RU sticky,and New RU train sticky

Since I have taken the time to answer your question, it would be nice if you took the time to respond as to whether the information was helpful.

6

NOVGOROD Accommodations
There are now at least two hostels in Novgorod.
Also check out the Tourist Office of Veliky Novgorod for hotel information and tourist information.

Roza Vetrov, doesn't appear to have a website.
27 'A', Novoluchanskaya St., Novgorod, Russia
Tel.: +7 (81622) 7 2033
Fax.: +7 (81622) 7 1570
dorm - $ 4 (per person)
double room - $ 5 (per person)
single room - $ 9

Hostel "Kruis"
Address: 11, Prusskaya str., Velikiy Novgorod, 173007, Russia
Tel.: +7 (8162) 77-5487
Fax: +7 (8162) 77-2283
Еmail: nsm_kruis@mail.natm.ru

IRKUTSK and LAKE BAIKAL Accommodations
Inexpensive Accommodations
1. Baikaler Hostel run by Jack Sheremetov is a 3 guest room apartment in the center of town.
Address: Lenin street, Building #9, Apartment 11
Baikal Hostel was the first hostel in Irkutsk. It is slightly outside town and run by a German Russian friendship group
Address: Lermontova Str., 136, first Floor, Apartment 1
Downtown Hostel is run by a Russian group and is located in City center
Address: Stepana Razina Street dom 12, Apartment 12
Reportedly there is another hostel in Irkutsk at Pionersky pereulok, 10-17.

2. ”The cheapest hotel in Irkutsk is a place called Yzory, located in the city center, near the bus station. They have rooms for USD 6.5, but also, they have a billiard-table room where you can sleep on the table for less then regular room price :-))”

3. Other hotels:
[i[Hotel "Angara"+ located in the main square of Irkutsk (breakfast included)
Floor 7 (3+ star after reconstruction in December 1996, these rooms are better than similar rooms in the hotel "Irkutsk-Intourist") but are also twice the price of room on Floor 3.
Hotels "Baikal-Intourist", "Irkutsk-Intourist" (breakfast included)
Hotel "Rus", located near the main square of the city (breakfast included)

Hotel "Akademicheskaya", located in the Academicians Village, about 20 min from the centre by bus; breakfast not included)

4. Homestay can be arranged in Irkutsk, Listvyanka, village Bolshie Koty and Olkhon Island. Write any of these contacts:
Mario@studyrussian.com
hostel-asia@mtu-net.ru see their website Hostel Asia/ G& R Travel">
Host Families Association Although located in St. Petersburg, they have accommodations in over 60 Russian towns.

5. Listvyanka: There are lots of little guesthouses here along the lake. This one, Mariarose Guest House, can be booked from many internet sites. 69 Chapaeva Street, Listvyanka Village

Lake Olkhon Accommodations - courtesy of TT contributor, Markbek
Remember there are no phones, no electricity, no computers etc on the island!
Don't go there if you're in a hurry or want facilities, but it is a great place to really soak up some spiritual energy.

The bus Irkutsk to Khuzhir runs daily in mid summer cost R257.50 2002 and took us 8hrs (departs 8.10am but be sure to buy tickets a day before at least as it's a long way to stand even if they were to allow you to!). N.B. The bus is only daily in mid summer - the frequency drops off progressively until around November when the ferry stops running completely and there is no way across at all. Then in Mid winter when the lake freezes properly, it's possible to drive across but in that season the bus runs only to Yelantsy (or possibly to MRS - marked on some maps as Sakhyurta, where the ferry would leave from in summer) and from there you'll have to hitch or hire a ride. In late spring, the island is inaccessible again as the half melted ice makes it impassablme for both cars and boats. From around May/June there may be a bus a week, rising to 3/week in late June and daily in July.

If you drive by car, the 8 hour journey is cut to 4.5 - 5 hours - worth considering if you have a group - ask around on the island and you can often find someone to take you back to Irkutsk for a sensible price (say 1000R), though going the otherway you'd pay a fortune.

THE place to stay in Khuzhir is Nikita’s Guest House. The address is ul. Kirpichnaya 6.
It's just behind the Shaman Rocks. The owner speaks English and it's a truly great traveller hangout. If you may think the $15 charge is a bit high for a place with nice but simple facilities plus 3 great meals a day (personally I think it's worth the money), then there's a little cottage hotel near where the bus stops on ul. Lesnaya - beds cost R70 if you can find the woman who has the key!!! There are some other yurt camps further up the island which look great, but they're more expensive than Nikita's and a little less friendly, plus hard to reach. You can rent a mountain bike at Nikita's to go and look at them, if you want!

Another TT contributor wrote: "If you go, then head up to the island of Olkhon and the main village/town of Khuzir. Beats the pants off Listvyanka and the place to stay is with a lovely woman called Lyube who speaks some English and her mother Baba Liza who cooks fantastic food. Cost incl. meals is US 15 per night and there are a far number of interesting sights to see, including hints of the islands shamanistic past. Address for Lyube is:
Ulitsa (Street) Lesnaya 37
Khuzir

Yet another option is:
Sunny Hostel - 14 Solnechnaya Str, 53 Gogol Str, off. 3,

Here are some resources for the Lake Baikal area:
Baikal Complex a hostel in Irkutsk
Baikal Naran Tour email Svetlana Timofeyevna or Naran to arrange accommodations and tours in the Ulan Ude area
Great Baikal Trail a travel agency on the east side of the lake in UU
Irkutsk Home
Jack Sheremetoff a tour guide in Irkutsk
Russia Experience a tour company located in the UK
Siberian Student guides young local tour guides

SokolTours a Russian tour company

Tours-Baikal another Baikal area tour company

WaytoRussia guide an information resource and perhaps the best place to get an overview of things to do in the Baikal area towns.

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7

Kaliningrad General Information
General information
Kaliningrad is a Russian enclave, and as part of Russia it requires a Russian visa to enter. Visas cannot be obtained at the border.
See the Kaliningrad inyourpocket site for some basic information.
See the Kaliningrad City Hall website for some information as well.

Getting there
Options include:
1. Air Baltic flights from Riga.
2. LOT flights from Warsaw
3. Flights from Moscow
4. Train from Moscow which passes through Belarus thus requiring a transit visa
5. Train from Vilnius
6. Bus from points on the Curonian Spit, Gdansk and other places
7. Hydrofoil from Elblag (summer only)

Accommodations: (spring 2006)
Chaika - (spring 2006)
It's an inn situated in an old part of town - it's surrounded by mansions mostly built by germans. It's a quiet and ecologically fine location. Besides, you can easily access any point of the city from there by bus or taxi. Concerning service -reportedly it's nor impressive but neither is it too upsetting.
Address: Pugachova street 13.
Reservation +7 0112 210729

Cherepakha (Turtle) Hotel - more of a guest house than a hotel with only 11 rooms; also a bit more expensive but you get what you pay for - there is a sauna, billiards table, bar and restaurant. It's about 110 USD per night including breakfast.
Address: Zoologichesky tupik, 10
Reservation +7 4012 957 500
Email: info@turtle-hotel.ru

Kaliningrad - biggest hotel in the city center
Address: Leninskiy prospekt, 81.
Reservation 7 0112 536021

Moskva (Moscow) - (June 2006) a 2 star hotel, UK£44 per night (80 USD), expensive but will register visa and is centrally located. Rates might be lower on various internet sites.
Address: prospekt Mira, 19.
Reservation +7 0112 352333

Oberteich - a mini hotel, also a little more expensive but also a little nicer. Located on the bank of Lake Verkhnee, not far from center city.
Address: Verkhneozernaya Str., 11
Reservation +7 4012 365020
Email: oberteich@km.ru

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8

Karelia
Try the Karelian Tourism Portal
OR any of these recommended travel companies (listed alphabetically):
Lukomorie
Address: Varlamova st., 13-a
Office hours:
Phone: (814-2) 57-24-29, 78-61-50, 78-50-33, 57-10-89
Fax: (814-2) 57-24-29, 78-61-50, 78-50-33, 57-10-89
E-mail: lukomorie@onego.ru

Nordic Travel
Address: Kljuchevskoe ave., 13
Office hours:
Phone: (814-2) 56-02-01
Fax: (814-2) 56-02-01
E-mail: nordictravel@onego.ru

NorthWest Travel Bureau
Address: Titov st., 11
Office hours:
Phone: (814-2) 76-47-18
Fax: (814-2) 76-47-18
E-mail: nwtb@onego.ru

Stella - website in Russian only
Address: Lenina str.31/a, of.313
Office hours:
Phone: (814-2) 57-70-46
Fax: (814-2) 57-70-46
E-mail: stella@onego.ru

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9

Vladivostok
accommodations June 2006
Check out this site: All-Hotels.ru for some information.

There have been at least two ThornTree Posting in recent years about the difficulty of finding budget housing in Vladivostok. Both people seemed to end up at the same place for a short-term apartment. It is located in the outskirts of Vladivostok (the city center is reachable in 20 minutes by bus). No one speaks English, they won't be able to register you and there may be no water but the place is relatively clean and views of the city were wonderful plus the cost in 2005/2006 was 1000 rubles a night.
Gostinii Dvor&#39
ulitsa Ladigina 5-85
Tel: 526-993 or 264-117 or 448-694

The agency that was used by one of the above mentioned travelers was VladTurBiznes.
Website:http://vtbis.narod.ru/ or http://vladtyr.narod.ru/
Address: #18,3, ADMIRAL FOKIN STREET,
VLADIVOSTOK, 690091, RUSSIA
Tel.:7(4232) 260-328, 226-606
Fax.: 7(4232) 260-328

Two other hotels get mentioned regularly in various articles and travel boards:
The Moryak 2 - This hotel was built in 1967 for transiting seamen, hence the name which means sailor. It was renovated in 2003. There are 6 floors and no elevator. This is a mid range to budget place located centrally not far from the train station and the main post office. There may or may not be people who can speak English but they do provide registration for foreigners. OTOH as do many of the hotels in Vladivostok, they charge 20-25% booking fee so unless you are planning to stay for a few days, it might not be the best option.
Address: Posyetskaya 38.
Tel.: +7 (4232) 49 94 95,
(The is not the same place at the Moryak mentioned in the Moscow Times article from 2002)

The Vizit Vladivostok Hotel - This three star hotel opened in 1975 and continues to be the largest hotel in town. It is a 15 minute walk uphill from the train station but at least this 11 story building has an elevator. A beautiful view overlooking the Amursky Bay and the absence of the usual booking fee might make this a reasonable choice. Some staff even speak English. Among the services offered are wi if and cable tv.
NOTE that this is a different hotel from the Vladivostok Hotel. Although colocated in the same building, this hotel is a separate hotel with a separate management.
Website: http://www.vizit.vl.ru/eng/index.html Address: Nabereznaya St 10
Tel.: +7 (4232) 413 453
Rates: 90 - 200 USD per night (2006)
Don't be confused between these two places. This is the website of the Vladivostok Hotel, not the separate Vizit Vladivostok Hotel. Although in the same building, the former charges a booking fee and a registration fee for foreigners.

The schedule for the ferry service between Vladivostok and Fushiki, Japan can be found at www.euras.co.jp.
The information is in both Japanese and English.

There are other ferries between Far East Russia and Japan/Korea so also check out this website: Japan International ferries with Russia for some information.

There are several border crossings with China in this part of the world. Suifenhe and Hunchun are definitely open to foreigners.

A recent announcement, 18 June 2006, indicated that the situation on traveling between Harbin and Vladivostok would be made easier as both the Russian and Chinese governments had come to some understandings about the road border crossings. The new agreements should cut road travel from two days to about 12 hours. Road travel between the two cities has been facilitated with an agreement to allow passengers to pass customs before their journey's begin.

Previously, travelers could only buy a ticket to the border and then wait there to clear the crossing before entering the other country and purchasing another ticket on another bus in order to get to Harbin or Vladivostok.

Reportedly there will be a bus operating between the two and a ticket from Vladivostok will cost 1600 rubles. (June 2006 about 60 USD). Service supposedly will be provided on the Russian side by Primoravtotrans, Tel.: +7 (4232) 45 03 93 but their website which is entirely in Russian only indicates travel for Russian tourists on trips to China not transit passengers traveling on their own.

Until there is more information about the through bus, Dalintourist travel agency in Vladivostok indicates that there is a Bus that leaves daily, except Sundays. It leaves from railway station around 04:30 a.m. and arrives at Suifenhe at 08:00 a.m. Our Chinese partners can help with arrangement within China territory. Price is 58 USD per person.

Another possibility is to take the daily train from Harbin East Station to Suifenhe. Leaves at 915pm, arrives at 0630 the next day. LP recommends using a bus to cross the border then continue on to Vladivostok.

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10

Other inexpensive accommodations
Most of these date from 2005 but some are newer
TRANSSIB
VLADIMIR: Vladimir Hotel £6.60. ( Reg visa ) Great value, near railway station, good for day trip to Suzdal.

NIZHNY NOVGOROD: Hotel Tsentainaya £ 17.80 ( Reg Visa ). This hotel is 10 - 15 mins walk from station with a cool staue of Lenin outside. Miles from centre. You have to stay here as costs of other places listed in LP are way out of date here eg Hotel Volzhsky £35 cheapest room, Hotel Oktyabrskaya £50 cheapest room - both in centre. City 1 day enough, all worth seeing is Andrey Sakharov Apartment / Museum. See www.visitnizhny.com for more information.

KAZAN: Hotel Regina (about $45) - it has very spacious, clean rooms with a view onto Baumana Ulitsa, the pedestrian street, but the hotel facilities are very basic.
Shalyapin Palace Hotel (about $105) - classy hotel also on Baumana Ulitsa. The rooms are a bit smaller, but are just as nice and the hotel has the full range of facilities.

(spring 2006) There is a relatively new hotel in kazan, which has turned out to be the best value place that we've stayed in in russia. it's called hotel fatima. its address is 2 karl marx. they accept foreigners no problem, and register you for free. it costs R1600 for a twin with bathroom and R900 for twin without bathroom (our bill said R450 per person). the rooms were good and the shared bathrooms were good.

easy to find - its the green building on the south-east side of the kremlin. 15-20 min walk from the station.

YEKATERINBURG: This was sent to me by a friend who spend some months in Yekaterinburg in 2005:
A cheapie in Russia is something different. I haven't been there personally, but I know it was converted from russian students dormitories, so do not expect much at all. If price really not the issue, get yourself in Trans Hotel. It ls nice and reasonably priced. (but more expensive than crap like Eurasia, Iset or Sverdlovsk) I've stayed in Trans it was nice. Not as good as the same money will buy you in Singapore, but at least clean and with good service. Or get yourself an apartment from http://flats.h1.ru - it is cheap and OK. Someone I know did that and was happy.

But there is a great and cheap hotel slap bang in the centre of the city just behind the Ballet and Opera Theatre on Prospekt Lenina. Its called Gostinitsa Balshoi Ural. It costs 6 pounds (9 Euro) a night for a single room, with a nice new TV, a fridge and a sink. Nice showers are downstairs but you have to pay 50 cents (15 roubles) for a shower. The next cheap option is the Sverdlovsk oposite the train station this cost 650 roubles (19 Euro) a night with en suite bedroom(no-frills soviet room). You do get a (poor) breakfast with this and your own bathroom.

He also suggested contacting Alexander Korjev, a fantastic guy, who speaks great English and is helpful to the extreme. This is his website: http://www.ekaterinburg.tv/

Someone else wrote me: Also for tours and expeditions in the Urals or from Yekaterinburg, take a look at this website: http://www.welcome-ural.ru/

OMSK: stayed at the komnata otdikhal of the train station... recently renovated, it seems, but then again, so have the prices!

KRASNOYARSK: stayed at Anatolyi's appartment... very nice place with English videos, which was a real treat after such a long time! Contact details: www.sibtourguide.com

BAM
SEVEROBAIKALSK: stayed at Rashid Yahin's appartment for 600 rubles a night... great but the man screwed us on a tour around Baikal lake, which was not so great. As LP says, make sure you know the price beforehand!
TYNDA: quite a depressing city... stayed at the komnata atdikhal of the train station... our most hilarious - and telling - hotel experience in Russia ever.

As is true everyone consider these possibilities for free homestays:
hospitality.org
couchsurfing.com
place2stay.net
globalfreeloaders.com

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11

TRAVEL TO RUSSIA
Getting from Helsinki to Russia
1. Train - is the most expensive but also most comfortable, not least because the border formalities take place on board in the train. There are two trains to St. Pete's and one to Moscow daily. The ticket prices in 2nd class one way are 55.40 €(June 2006) to St. Petersburg. St. Pete's trains leave at 7.42 and 15.42, the Moscow train at 17.42. There is only one railway station in Helsinki and it's very centrally located. For more info on trains check http://www.vr.fi/heo/eng/ita/ita.htm

2."Vodka bus". These "vodka buses" like we call them in Finland are actually Russian Charter buses, and they are the cheapest way to get to St P.

Just go to front of Museum of Contemporary Art (Kiasma), Tennispalatsi (big cinema) or Hotel President (distance between this places are maximum 200m) and you could find lot of this buses and they all leave approximately noon. Pay for the driver and hop in; it shoud cost 12-15e per person. Bus ride takes about 7 to 9 hours, so you should be in St P in the evening. When you're coming back, these same buses shoud leave from the front of Hotel Oktjabarskaja (near to metro station Vosstaniy) approximately 7 to 8 p.m. and you're back in Finland early in the morning. I haven't try this buses by myself yet, but I have only heard good things about these - at least you can't beat the feeling. Reportedly the ticket costs 12 € to St. Pete's but the travelling time can be up to 10 hours since russians normally wish to stop for shopping in several malls along the route when going home.

3. Bus - There are three Finnish buses to St. Pete's daily at 9.00, 12.00 and 23.00. The ticket is approximately the same price as by train. The bus station, too, is centrally located and easy to find. For more info on finnish buses check Matkahuolto

4. via ferry to Estonia. Taking this option will spend more time but save some money and as a bonus you'll see the wonderful city of Tallinn. There are tens of boats, catamarans & ferries daily to Tallinn. The fast ones will take you there in and hour and a half as the slow & cheap ones sail for four hours. There are four passanger ports in Helsinki, so make sure you know where your ship leaves. The ticket prices vary from off season slow ferry 15-20 € up to 40-50 €.

For more info on ships Hki-Tallinn check:
http://www.eckeroline.fi/en/
http://www.tallink.fi/
http://www.silja.com/english/
http://www.njl.fi/

5. via Helicopter to Estonia. CopterLine

From Tallinn you can either take a bus or go by train. Note that there is NO train from Tallinn to Petersburg. This train stopped operation in the fall of 2004. For info on buses check http://www.eurolines.ee/?lang=eng&id= and for info on trains check http://www.evrekspress.ee/ (unfortunately only in estonian, but "piletid ja teenused" will take you to the timetable&fares) or Your Train - CIS train schedule or Die Bahn.

Getting from the Baltics to Russia
Your options are
1. flights - Check Air Baltic and Estonia Air
2. trains - see Your Train - CIS train schedule or Die Bahn for schedules but note that there is NO train between Tallinn and Petersburg.
3. buses - see Eurolines Russia International Schedule - this site is only in Russia but relatively easy to understand if you learn Cyrillic.

check this site for an overview of planes, buses and ferries to/from the Baltics: Online Baltic Timetables

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12

BUDGET AIRLINES to RUSSIA
There are few budget airlines that fly directly into Russia for a variety of reasons. OTOH there are a number which fly to the Baltic countries from which it is easy to get to Moscow or Petersburg.

Check out these budget airlines: (July 2006):
from Denmark - Snowflake
from Estonia - Estonian Air
from Germany - dba or Germania or GermanWings or hapagfly
from Italy - Wind Jet
from Latvia - Air Baltic
from Norway - Norwegian
from Sweden - Snowflake

Also look at these websites in case additional companies start traveling to Russia:
which budget,
flybuget,
cheap0,
europebyair.com, and
openjet

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13

International ferries
Petersburg

Black Sea
Black Sea Ferries thread

Vladivostok and Far East Russia
The schedule for the ferry service between Vladivostok and Fushiki, Japan can be found at www.euras.co.jp
The information is in both Japanese and English.
Tickets for the Vladivostok-Fushiki ferry can be purchased on the 3rd floor of the ferry building behind the main railway station in Vladivostok. Tickets cost from $210 one-way with all meals included. The food isn't bad.
It takes about 42 hours in total. There are two ferries a week.
More information can be found on www.bisintour.com

Gelli posted this in September 2005
How to leave Vladivostok when the boat to Fushiki (Japan) leaves a day early...

Just thought i`d share my experiences of leaving Vladivostok by surface in case anybody else happens to run into a similar problem in the future...

It was a tad interesting. I arrived in Vladi on Saturday morning, but the office is shut Sat and Suns anyway meaning that I couldnt get a ticket as nowhere else in the city admitted to selling them. So i went to the ticket office at 10am monday (opening time). Despite the timetable, the sign on the door - which i had seen on my arrival on sat, and was still there moinday morning - which said (in English and Russian) meeting for foreign travelers for customs is at 14.00 on Monday, and another English guy I met who had a reservation and a confirmation email from the ferry company with the sailing dates on it, the boat actually left at some point late on the Sunday evening. There is only 1 English speaking person in the ferry office, and she was away. The remaining people refused to even apologise to the guy with the reservation. As the English guys visa ended that day, which didn’t help his cause, so he ended up having to fly business class to Seoul, as his only way of leaving on time.

I didn`t go back at 14.00, so i have no idea how many other people got caught out, although i have just met a couple in Japan who were on the following weeks boat (which did leave on Monday as normal) who had met a couple of Poles who should have been on the same boat as me, so there was at the very least 4 who missed it.

The boats to Sokcho in Korea currently only run on a Saturday from Vladi, BUT they have 2 other boats a week from Zarubino (the one from Vladi also picks up in Zaruubino), 5 hours down the road by bus. The Dong Chun ferry lines has an office in the same terminal building, but there are more tickets available from the travel agency in the ground floor of the Hotel Hyundai where they normally send you. Be aware that the ticket you are given isn’t actually a ticket and must be exchanged in the ferry terminal for a real one when you pay the second tax (about 300rbl). If you do leave via Zarubino, as I had to (I don’t fly, and although I had a few extra days on my visa, there was no spare train tickets to kharbarovsk – to get a Chinese visa and leave on the boat – and it ran out before the next vladivostok departures anywhere), there is only one bus (at 7am) which is guaranteed to get you there before they close of port entry (open at 2pm, shuts at 4pm, boat timetabled to leave at 7pm, but mine left around 10pm as they were waiting for more freight), and it can fill up, so buy your ticket in advance, and be aware that the central bus station isn`t actually particularly central, being about 10km away from Vladi railway station. The bus journey goes over long sections of dust roads where they are rebuilding, so you get covered in crap and bounced around for 5 hours. There are 2 short rest stops, the first of which has a shop and toilets, the second is more basic.

The ferry terminal in Zarubino is essentially an old shed on the quayside, but you have to enter the compound about 300metres further up, and walk across the old freight yard. The bus drops you about 20metres away, but the entrance isn`t hugely oibvious if theres no one for you to follow. Its kind of down hill into what looks like a small industrial yard.

Also, Make sure you have at least 500rbls cash with you, as there is a Doing Chun and port tax (the port tax was 40rbl, the other 300, although somebody else I saw paid 400 at the second time), payable roubles only, and no way to change money and no ATM. If you are coming North, again make sure you have 400rbls minimum, otherwise you can’t get the bus and Zarubino is a small obscure place, with no obvious way to change any money, so you could end up screwed.

Also, on the boat heading south at least, whilst they did sell a very good Korean style breakfast, there is no bar, and the restaurant is closed in the evening, so have some food with you. The only option is a very small and quickly exhausted supply of pot noodle things in the Karaoke bar, although there was no Karaoke (or bar) the night i travelled. There are a couple of drinks machines, but they take Korean Won only. They do let you pay with Roubles on the boat (and I think, USD and maybe others as well) but the rate is not good. There is a very small shop in Zarubino near where the bus drops you, and another small one in the ferry “terminal” where you can get stuff, but you are better off bringing stuff from Vladi with you. There are Samovars on the boat, so you can get hot water for noodles etc.

I was one of only 5 non ethnic Koreans on the boat, and the only non Russian. Many of the other travelers seemed to be fairly regular and know where to go, so just follow them. They don’t seem to get allot of foreigners that way (perhaps unsurprisingly), so immigration can be fun as they don’t know what to do with you. My stuff went through a metal detector, but I personally didn’t. I still have my departure card, and whilst immigration long scrutinized my passport (mostly because I don’t have a machine readable bar at the bottom, and this really stumped them, and caused everybody in the teminal building to becalled over to have a look at this foreigners passport – I had a large and ever expanding crowd of officials umming and ahing) they didn’t care about the gap in stamps I had due to problems registering in Chelyabinsk (although I did have a chunk of other stamps anyway) and didn’t even mention the Deklarista, which I still have, or ask to see my cash/check currency receipts etc. But they do require a couple of copies of your visa page – which I had – and if you don’t have them, I’ve no idea what they do as there wasn’t a copier in sight.

The customs and landing forms on the boat to enter Korea are only in Russian or Korean, so make sure you can at least recognize things like name, nationality, passport number etc in one of the languages, as chances of finding useful help aren’t all that high. With the customs form, fill out the front and don’t tick anything on the back and they let you in no problems. What it actually says on the back, I have no idea!

And as a unique and memorable experience, traveling down a dirt road to nowhere in a bumpy bus with a psychotic driver, and then being the only foreigner on a knackered old boat with lots of holes in it (If I had had a supply of duct tape, I would probably have amused myself by sticking the ferry back together) and a huge and increasing list -
where the people in 3rd class, 200 people myself included, crammed into a small room, sleeping on mats on the floor of a size not intended for anybody over midget size, spend the night sliding back and fore across the floor crashing into all and sundry - traveling down the North Korean coast (for a while, very close to it as well, so you can easily take pics of North Korea) in the middle of a typhoon takes some beating! ((the boat i was supposed to be on to Japan was the one sceduled for August 22))

If anybody wants to know more, there's a full report of the rest of the chaos and mayhem involved in my blog, and if there are any questions etc feel free to post them here or PM me.

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14

Russian borders with China
Russia (Zabaikalsk) to China (Manzhouli) - train and road crossing
Russia (Blagoveshchensk) to China (Heihe) - river ferry crossing.
Russia (Khabarovsk) to China (Fuyuan) - river crossing*
Russia (Ussuriysk / Pogranichnyy) to China (Suifenhe) - train and road crossing
Russia (Zarubino) to China (Hunchun) - road crossing

There may be others but it doesn't appear that they are open to international travelers.

There are Chinese consulates in St. Petersburg, Moscow and Khabarovsk and that's it. I recommend the one in Petersburg. Here is a report (Europakorps) from Nov 2004 about the one in Khabarvosk:
CHINESE CONSULATE IN KHABAROVSK
1) Visa applications are not processed at the Consulate itself but rather in a small building attached to the Lenin Stadium (about 500 metres from the Consulate)
2) There are application forms in English, Russian and Chinese
3) Single-entry tourist visas can be processed in one day (1800 roubles), 3 to 5 days (1500 roubles) or one week (900 roubles)
4) Visa requests are done on Monday, Wednesday and Friday (0930 to 1230)
5) One photo is required, along with a copy of one's Russian visa and registration stamps (copies at the Consulate cost 10 roubles)
6) They only give tourist visas for 30 days (we tried 60 but they refused)

* I am not sure that there is a train connection in the Chinese side, which would mean a bus ride to the nearest train terminus. Actually border disputes in this area were finally settled in June 2005 so I would expect that there will be more traffic in this area now.

Russian borders with Mongolia
As of May 2004 the following border crossings are open between Mongolia and Russia (from West to East):
1. Tsagaan Nuur in Bayan Ulgii province (permits road travel from the Altai Republic),
2. Altanbulag in Selenge province, (permits road travel from Kyakhta)
3. Sukhbaatar in Mongolia (permits train travel from Naushki)
4. Ereen Tsav in Dornod province (permits travel from Kulusutay (south of Chita))

These three permanent highway checkpoints are open five days a week, Monday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Note that they are probably closed for 1-2 hours around lunchtime.)

Note that these border crossings may require prior approval. See this thread for more information: Russian - Mongolian border crossing experiences

This means that the crossing at Borshoo (from Ak Dovurak in Tuva, Russia to the Uvs province, Mongolia) is NOT open to foreigners, nor is the crossing near Lake Khosvgol open to foreigners.

In September 2005 "The Mongol Messenger" newspaper published following article about the Tsagaan Nuur border checkpoint.
Crossing the line
On August 30 Prime Minster Ts. Elbegdorj, accompanied by the Finance and Coal and Energy ministers and MPs, visited Nogoonnuur soum, Bayan-Olgii Aimag to open the Tsagaannuur border checkpoint. He said that the opening of the full-service checkpoint at this historical port, through which Mongolians moved goods like tea and cotton in ancient times, was a remarkable event. The port, previously called Ulaanbaishint (Red House), has been renamed Tsagaan Baishint (White House), Tsagaannuur. He said, “Using the word tsagaan (white) may be a symbol of your good deeds.”

You cannot cross between Mongolia and China or Russia at any of the many other border points that are seasonal and are only open to Mongolians and/or Chinese/Russians.

There is a Mongolian Consulate in Moscow but reportedly it is VERY busy. Most people recommend getting your visa in Irkutsk or Ulan Ude.
Mongolian General Consulate in Irkutsk, Russia:
Irkutsk 6640, ul. Lapina I 1, Irkutsk, Russia
Tel: (7-3952)-342145, 342447

General Consulate in Ulan-Ude, Russia:
Buryatskaya AR 670000, c. Ulan-Ude,
ul. Erbanova 12, Hotel "Baikal"
Tel: (7-30122)-20507, 22934
Fax: (7-30122)-63244

GENERAL
Payment is preferred in rubles (US dollars are also accepted).

I needed my passport and one passport photo (no itinerary or evidence of onward travel was required).

I arrived at the consulate at 10am and was offered a 4.30pm same day pick up (at 24 hour processing price), 4.30pm next day pick up (at 48 hour processing price), 4.30 pm three days later pick up (at 6 day price).

TRANSIT VISA COST AND PROCESSING TIMES (valid for 3 days only - not 10 days as indicated in LP and Trailblazer)
$US65 - 24 hours
$US53 - 48 hours
$US28 - up to 6 days
$US20 - 7 days

TOURIST VISA COST AND PROCESSING TIMES (valid for 30 days)
$US105 - 24 hours
$US55 - 48 hours
$US43 - up to 6 days
$US30 - 7 days

(Updated 10/3/2005)

First check: Everbrite's travel pages, the New RU sticky,and New RU train sticky

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