Thorn Tree travel forum

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1. Do your homework. The web is filled with lots of basic information. Google.com is your best friend. Try the local public library; many have guide books that you can check out before buying your own.

Please get your basic info first before posting questions here, then you can ask intelligent questions on the TT and take advantage of the many knowledgeable locals and travelers who frequent this site just hoping someone will ask about a hostel in Prague, a train to Kiyv or a bar in Moscow.

2. Do a TT search. At least five posters a week ask which island to visit in Greece, how to get a Russian visa, whether to stop in Bulgaria or Armenia on their way around the world, whether it's possible to work under the table/overstay a tourist visa, when the trains depart for Mongolia, or how to get from the airport in Moscow downtown. The road is well traveled. Find those threads, and add a reply (which brings the topic to the top, restarting the conversation). If you don't find the answer to your question, then see #3.

You might also check out two other LP sites: Destinations World Guide and Subwwway

3. Be specific.
a. Ask one question at a time or at least make sure your questions are closely related. This branch covers 25 different countries and a huge amount of land (mostly due to Russia). Some people here only know about one country and can't be bothered to read through every message. Indicate in your title the country, city or place about which you are seeking information.
b. Check your TT profile, if it isn't up to date, then please make sure your post mentions anything about you that would be helpful to know. An 18 year old Brit on his first trip abroad usually wants different advice from a Italian family with an infant or a couple in their 50s from Ohio.
c. Give background information that will help others answer your questions. You might include: How much you have to spend? ("reasonable" doesn't cut it. BE specific. Your reasonable and mine might be very different) Back country trekker or bargain shopper? Prefer First class or hard class? Cafes to people watch or blini stands to get a quick bite? Two days in Budapest or two months as a student in Prague? Tell us what you mean by minimal - a bathroom insuite, a bunk bed in a room with others or a place to set up a tent. We don't know unless you tell us.
d. If asking a question about visas be sure to indicate what passport you hold and where you are thinking of obtaining your visa. Visa procedures vary not only with passports, but also with consulates.

4. Be wary of mixing politics with tourism. There's a Talk Politics board on the TT so that this board can be about visiting a number of different countries with diverse populations some of whom don't think kindly of one another. Two World Wars already started in this region, let's not start a third.

Russia
Indispensable websites for Russian travel:
WayToRussia
Although this is a commercial site, this may be the best the web has to offer regarding travel to Russia. Please look it over. You can read about visas, see what one looks like, as well as the visa support document, the new migration card. You can find out out registration and other important matters regarding Russian visas.

For the locations of Russian consulates around the world check Russianembassy.net OR visatorussia

For Russian train information including trains to/from Europe and China check here: Your Train True, it doesn't offer all the prices, but no one on the web offers the real prices or all the prices. Their purchase service is new (March 2003). The prices change with the season and other variables. All you will get anywhere on the web are estimates or jacked up agency prices.

These websites list all the hostels in Moscow, Petersburg and Russia.
hostels.com
hosteleurope.com
hosteling-russia.ru
This site has user ratings for hotels:
HotelsRussia

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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 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 has been discontinued.)

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 will be difficult and getting business-visa invitations is slower than it used to be. Invitations for multiple-entry six-month business visas now take a minimum of six weeks. Multiple entry business visas

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.

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. If three photos are required by the consulate, then the visa is a separate document and two photos should be attached to the photocopy of your visa.
2. The completed application which can be downloaded from the website of most consulates and embassies. The application is the same everywhere. A PDF can be downloaded from this site in the US Russian visa application There is a supplemental application required for US men between the ages of 16 and 45. This can also be downloaded from the Russian embassy in Washington, DC webpage.
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 invitation) from the authorized hosting Russian travel agency or a hotel, registered with the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a housing 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.
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;
* Index and reference number of the receiving organization.

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 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.
-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.

The following notes are a collection of comments from fellow travelers posted on this board and sent to me privately.

Australia:
1. The rules for visas changed as of November 1, 2002. According to reports posted here and sent to me privately since then regarding the consulates in Australia, you are best advised to use the consulate in Canberra, rather than Sidney. But note that they do communicate with one another via a central computer. This suggests that if you are denied at one consulate, you will be denied at the other.
2. The web address for Russian consulate in Sidney is Russian Consulate
3. Recent reports to me and on this board indicate the consulates in Australia have a list of places providing visa support that they consider suspect, this includes the hostel in St. Petersburg (RYH) When contacting places regarding visas, ask their recent experience with the consulate to which you intend to apply.

Canada
There are two consulates. One in Ottawa and another in Montreal. Reportedly many Canadians in the western part of the country send their documents and such to the US consulate is San Francisco.

China
Everyone who posts anything about this says to avoid the Beijing consulate. According to the TT lore, Beijing is the most difficult place to obtain your visa. Not sure that this is true any longer, but here are some pointers:

1. Although their webpage says otherwise, Beijing is said sometimes to insist on an original copy of the invitation from a Russian tour company. Recently someone reported that the problem is not really with the fax, but rather with those faxes which are on flimsy thermal paper. It was suggested that the solution might be to photocopy the invite onto stiffer paper.
2. And there have been reliable reports of people getting their application for a visa denied in Beijing even with original copies of the necessary documents because the agency which issued them was not considered acceptable to the consular officials. When contracting with an agency for visa support, be sure to inquire whether they have had difficulties with their documents being accepted in Beijing. Another recent posting on the TT indicated that documents from the Hostel Tramp were accepted by the Beijing consulate (March 03)
3. The webpage for the Beijing consulate is Russian Consulate in Beijing
4. There is a charge at the Beijing consulate of $50 USD for the visit to the consulate even if they reject your documents. If they accept them, the processing time is 5 business days, although it can be less if you are willing to pay more. They give you a receipt and you return in a week, stand in line again and pick up the documents. Get there very early for both visits. They will shut the door at the time posted even if there are people in line. In fact, they reportedly will not accept new applications 15 minutes before closing time.
5. The total cost for a visa depends on a number of factors including where you obtain visa support (anywhere from $25-40 USD, how it is sent to you (extra for DHL or Fed Ex delivery of the original), whether your visa support also includes registration, the length of processing time ($50 for 5 day processing, $80 for 3 day and $120 for same day, add another $50 for double entry and $100 for multiple entry.) Note that they legally have the right to charge you whatever is charged for visas in the country of your passport, but I don't know that they actually ever do this.
6. The folks at the consulate reportedly are as anal in Beijing as in Washington, DC. Be sure to cut your passport photocopy to the correct size, be sure to attach your photos to the correct locations and don't put a staple in the face of any photo. These little errors are sure to get your documents rejected.

continued

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

It is said that it is easier to obtain a Russia visa in Shanghai but that it is only possible if you have a specific date of entry into Russia and have already obtained your trans-siberian train ticket.
Shanghai Consulate
Address: 200080, Shanghai, Huangpu Road, 20
Phone: +86 21 6324-8383, 6324-2682
Telex: (85) 337020
Fax: +86 21 6306-9982
E-mail: consul@online.sh.cn
Website: not found as of March 2003
Posted by MudPumpkin 27 Mar 03 We needed: 1) Set dates 2) Copies of our Tourist Support and Hotel Voucher 3) 1 Passport Photo 4) Photocopy of Passport 5) A filled out Visa Application form which we got at the Russian Consulate. We were not asked for our train ticket. The cost was $50US for the Visa, PLUS $25US for a "Consulate Fee"...so a total of $75US. They will let you pay in Yuan, and convert at the going rate of around 821 to the dollar. The staff at the consulate were efficient but helpful...no smiles though. The cost above was for '5 working days' which translates into EXACTLY 7 days...i.e. - put it in on Tuesday and get it back on Tuesday...day you submit doesn't count. Express costs more. All in all, time consuming but relatively hassle free.

We got our Visa Support and Hotel Voucher through G&R Travel on the web...paid online with no hassles and had everything emailed to us same day...very helpful. We printed the emailed documents at a digital printer in Shanghai in colour and they look original, which will hopefully be enough for the border guards. The consulate warned us to have originals for the border, but as this was going to cost us more in time and express post fees, we did this instead...fingers crossed. A 'firm' copy of a fax is bogus by the way...doesn't even begin to look original, although perhaps this might work...goes against what the consulate told us however, so be forewarned.

Czech Republic
If you are in Prague and time is running out - try to call Asiana agency. They've got good relations with Russian embassy and do "miracles" sometimes for my friends who want to go to Russia and "forget" about visas :-).
Of course, you need to pay them... but it is better than nothing.
btw, you get to keep your passport while the application is in process. You only need to give it to them on the day you get the visa.

Finland (Helsinki)
Finland, Helsinki:
Lots of people leave Russia for Helsinki to get a new visa as it is only a 4.5 hour train ride from Petersburg. To obtain a Russian visa in Helsinki check these websites :
visa in Finland
Escape travel
RTT
Russian Tours LTD
Finnsov Travel

Germany and perhaps, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark, as well
I know that only Germans or those with permanent resident papers for Germany can obtain Russian visas in Germany. I believe that the same may be true for residents of the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark, but I would do a search for the websites of the Russian consulates in those countries to be certain.

Russian consulate in The Hague

Italy
The consulate here reportedly accepts only original documents and requires evidence of your travel insurance as well.

Latvia
Janiscelo says he can arrange a 30 day tourist visa in Russia in 6 business days, Contact him at: jttravel@latnet.lv

Vilius, Lithuania
Posted on TT: "In 2002, in Vilnius l got a 3 month business visa the same day for $55 (must pay in dollars). If you wait 3 days it's cheaper. I used an invitation from visatorussia.com. There's an small travel agency that provides travel insurance and possibly invitations opposite the Russian consulate entrance. Vilnius is the place to go."

Mongolia
1.There was no web site as of summer 2002.
2.The travel agent in the Aeroflot office is able to organize both tourist and business visa for $150 USD for a 30 day visa and business visas for $180 for a 90 day visa. Process takes 12 days but can be expedited for more money in less days.
3. Reportedly the Buryat-Erdem agent in the Aeroflot office gets the visa support documents from Ulan Ude which is handy for registering after entering Russia. The invites come through in about 2 days and the visas take 1-7 working days to issue. Private reports to me in the summer of 2002 suggest that the agent seems to have good contacts with the Russian consulate in U.B.
4. Reportedly the consulate requires original documents and will not accept faxes. Also people from countries that are member of the Schengen Agreement will have to purchase travelers health insurance for $1 USD/ day if they don't already have travelers insurance.
5. On several occasions travel and tour operators in Mongolia have suggested that it is better to get one's Russian visa in China. So although it is possible, it is not considered the easiest alternative.

Turkey (Istanbul)
I have searched several times for a web page for the embassy/consulate in Istanbul to no avail. This is the information I can find:
Consulate General of the Russian Federation
Location: Istiklal Caddesi 443, Beyoglu, Istanbul, Turkey
Phone: +90 212 292-5101, 292-5102
Telex: (607) 25556
Fax: +90 212 249-0507
E-mail: visavi@turk.net

Ukraine
To obtain the visa you will need to visit the Russian consulate in Kiyv or Odessa. This is the Kiyv email address: embrus@public.icub.kiev.ua and their phone numbers 044 244-09-61, 244-09-63, 244-09-67. I'm afraid that I can't find a web site that has any information in English. According to one site they are open 9-6 Mon. through Fri. but note that most visa sections are only open 9-12:30 and don't accept applications after 12 noon or so.

And this is the Odessa consulate email address gcrf@eurocom.od.ua and telephone numbers (0482) 22 31 67, 22 28 57.

United Kingdom
The web address for the London embassy is Russian Embassy in London. The consulate web page, which is where you will find visa information is here: Russian Consulate in London
The queues here are reportedly quite long and only a few people are processed each day. Most recommend mailing your application, using a visa service or going to Edinburgh where things reportedly are easier. The consulate indicates that mailed requests take three weeks.

continued

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

United States
The web address for the consulate in Washington, DC is Russian consulate Washington, DC
If you are an American male between the ages of 16 and 45 you will need to complete a supplemental form. It does not matter where in the world you apply for your Russian visa, this form is still required. This is an issue of reciprocity. We make foreigners do this to enter the US and now Russia plays tit for tat with us.
There are actually four Russian consulates in the US: New York, Washington, DC, San Francisco and Seattle. Theoretically, where you live in the US determines to which consulate you should apply. The procedures are slightly different for the different consulates, but all are anal about what you attach where. The Seattle page even has a diagram showing how to staple things together.
Russian Consulate in NY
Russian Consulate in San Francisco
Russian Consulate in Seattle

New visa prices go into affect on 01 June 03 at the NYC consulate. It is not clear when they go into affect at the other consulates. This increase is in response to an increase in the cost of US visas. The day the application is submitted does not count as a processing day.
SINGLE-ENTRY VISA PROCESSING TIME: $100 six or more business days, $150 three-five business days, $200 next business day, $300 same day  
DOUBLE-ENTRY VISA PROCESSING TIME: $100 six or more business days, $200 three-five business days, $250 next business day, $350 same day
MULTIPLE RE-ENTRY VISA PROCESSING TIME: $100 six or more business days, $300 three-five business days, $350 next business day, $450 same day

Other countries
For the locations of consulates in other countries check Russianembassy.net OR visatorussia

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.

It is necessary to register your visa within 72 hours of arrival, not including weekends and holidays, and theoretically in each city in which you plan to spend more than 72 hours. 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.

This 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. 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. 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 severe 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

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:
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.

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.

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.
continued

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

Deklaratsia and money matters
When entering Russia by plane, after passing through immigration, you pick up your luggage and pass through customs. Be sure to go through the line with other Russians and get your Deklaratsia stamped. This is absolutely imperative if you intend to leave the country via a different location, in particular, via the transiberian train. Without a stamped deklaratsia you will have trouble taking foreign currency out of Russia.

Occasionally you must insist that this document be stamped. Just stand there and wait. Often, they simply don't want to take the time because they must mark off the document before stamping it (so that nothing can be added later).

If you are entering by train, remind the attendant that you will need a declaration form. Even if she/he does not speak any English, they should recognize the word: deklaratsia. Again you will deal with immigration and they will stamp your passport but there is another person who is responsible for stamping your deklaratsia. Insist that that person stop as well. Sometimes it is necessary to make a nuisance of yourself, but if you don't and you depart the country by train in Siberia people have reported all sorts of problems: loss of monies because they had to convert to travelers checks, paying bribes or "fines", missing their train and other nightmares.

You can download the form here Deklaratsia. Remember that there are two sides to the form but it is shown in the download as side to side. Remember that you will need one to enter the country and a second one when departing. Take along some extras in case you make mistakes.

Although the law states that it is ok to bring in $10,000 USD without declaring it, please heed these warnings.

Note that you cannot take quantities of Russian rubles into or out of the country. Most people travel with crisp new US dollars or Euros. If you bring US dollars note that they should be the newer style with the large offset portrait. They should be in reasonably good condition with no tears or markings.

You can get money from ATM machines in the larger cities. In the smaller towns, this is less frequently an option and the amount of money that you can withdraw is considerably less. In Moscow city center, it is possible to withdraw up to $500 US per day (depending upon preset limits your own bank might impose). You can also withdraw money in rubles, although the equivalent amount is considerably less. In residential parts of town, the amount you can withdraw is also less.

In most cases your home bank will charge a minimal fee for the withdrawal, about $1.75 US is typical for US banks. In some cases the Russian bank imposes an additional fee. Generally, but not always, the ATM machine will note this additional fee which is about $5 US per transaction. Be aware of this additional fee as it can add up if you are withdrawing small amounts.

ATMs for both VISA and MasterCard are widely found. Both companies have pages on their websites which give you the locations of their ATMs.
continued

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

Moscow
General information
Everbrite's personal suggestions for 5 days in Moscow would be as follows:
day 1 - Kremlin including the Amory Museum and the Diamond Fund - this is open on Monday and closed on Thursday.
day 2 - KGB Museum in the morning (this requires reservations - only place I know that offers these tours is Patriarshy Dom and then walk in Kitai Gorod and Red Square in the afternoon. Walk along Tverskaya St.
day 3 - Novodevichy Convent and Cemetery - I know it sounds weird visiting a cemetery but it is very interesting. Lots of famous people buried here and the sculptured headstones and monuments are worth seeing and then out ot the MGU campus and the sparrow hills overlook.
day 4 - Church of Christ the Savior, the Pushkin Art Museum and the Prechistenka/Ostozhenka area, walk up Bolshaya Nikitskaya Street.
day 5 - the Tretyakov Gallery and Zamoskvorechye area. Park of the Fallen Heroes and New Tretyakov Gallery

Optional additional days: one of these estates: Kolomenskoye, Ostankino, Kuskovo if the weather is nice and you want to picnic, a day trip to Sergiev Posad and Abramtsevo. If you are there on a weekend then go to Ismailovo Park metro and the crafts fairgrounds at Vernisazh.

Do a tour of the metro stations.
Take the boat ride during the week from Kievskaya Metro/Vokzal to NovoSpassky Monastery.
If you are there in the summer and enjoy classical music, check out what is performing at Kuskovo or Ostankino, both are interesting venues for performances and were Sheremetevo estates.
Check out the walks offered by Patriarchy Dom.

news and cultural information
the Moscow Times English language newspaper available online and free with good travel information.
the Exile a more irreverent online English language newspaper with restaurant reviews
Official Site of the Moscow Government

transportation
Moscow metro
Your Train Train schedules for trains in Russia including all FSU countries. Tickets can be ordered for delivery in Moscow.
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 (see above) or hotels or www.waytorussia.com. Usually the price is about $25-40USD 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 two step process. Just go outside the airport and look for small white buses which have numbers like "200" on them. It's usually 20-25 rubles to the nearest metro station. This station, Rechnoy vokzal, is the northern terminus of the green line. From here, with a metro ticket costing 50 rubles for 10 trips, you can get almost anywhere on the metro. Don't forget to change some money into rubles before leaving the airport.

Inexpensive 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. *
Moscow
Hostels
hostels.com
hosteleurope.com
hosteling-russia.ru
Concerning the locations of the hostels in Moscow, according to my handy city street atlas:
TGH is about a 10-15 minute walk from a metro station that is on the ring line.
Asia or G&R is much further out, 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.
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.
Tramp is also far out - 4 metro stops past TGH and a 10-15 minute walk.
Sherstone is between two metro stations (about 10+ minute walk from each) also 4-5 stops from the ring.
+Heritage+Kosmonavtov Ul. 2 +095:2860536 near V.D.N.Kh. Metro email:evgen@az-tour.msk.ru (taken from RickSteeves guide)

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 $10 each. She is located a 5 minute walk from Chistye Prudie or Turgenevskaya metro stations. Tel. 921-6038.
inexpensive Hotels and other possibilities
Hotel Universitetskaya on the impressive Moscow State University campus. Doubles start at 30 USD per room, and the place also has triple rooms starting at USD 55. This is actually not much more than the hostels. Check out Universitetskaya
the Izmailovo complex hotels- Vega which are about 30-70$ USD per night
Hotel Rossiya which is right near Red Square which is about $65-75 per night for a renovated room and less for an unrenovated room
http://www.accommodation.boom.ru/[/url]
L=WayToRussiahttp://www.waytorussia.net/Services/ApartmentsMoscow.html">Moscow Apartments
Tsentralnaya - another inexpensive hotel, right downtown on Tverskaya (number 10). Check out this website for a description. Tsentralnaya

Bed and Breakfasts
Although rare, they do exist. OTOH They are often just homestays taken to the next level, with a few people staying in a large apartment. Checking with travel agencies and in newspapers is the best route to finding them.
Moscow Bed & Breakfast
Daily & weekly rentals near Belorussky Vokzal
Tel: 147-0021, U.S. 603 585 3347
Fax 585 6534
jkates@top.monad.net
B&B Agency
Tel: 095 252 4451
Fax: 095 205 7683. No credit cards.
B&B on the Arbat
Tel: 203-9446. No credit cards.

continued

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

Petersburg
General information
Everbrite's personal suggestions for 5 days in Petersburg would be as follows:
day 1 - St. Petersburg city tour including the Peter and Paul Fortress, St. Isaac's Cathedral, Church on the Spilled Blood, and walk along Nevsky Prospekt to see some other notable buildings - note that these places are all open on Monday and since lots of other things are closed on Monday, this is important to keep in mind.
day 2 - full day at the Hermitage including the two Gold Rooms. (There is a cafe/buffet in the museum where you can get a snack. Take is slow and enjoy yourself.)
day 3 - Catherine's Palace in Pushkin and if you want to push, you could also visit the Pavlovsk Palace (this is easily all day and it might be too tiring to do both)
day 4 - Palace of Peter I and fountains in Peterhof, and take the hydrofoil back to Petersburg for a change of pace. (you could also visit the Chinese Pavilion in Lomonosov but this would make for another long day)
day 5 - Yusupov Palace and the Menshikov Palace which focus on two different periods of Petersburg history. Yusopov Palace is where Rasputin was murdered in 1914 and the Menshikov Palace was the home of Peter the Great's side kick two hundred years earlier.)

One evening take a night time boat ride through the canals. Be sure to bring along a jacket and a blanket as it does get chilly on the water.

For another evening check out if there is anything playing at the Mariinsky Theater.

Optional additional day in Petersburg, then consider a side trip to Novgorod. Check out this website: Veliky Novgorod

Check out the walking tours offered by Peter of Peter's walks

news and cultural information
The St. Petersburg Times
City Vision
Exploring St. Petersburg

Inexpensive accommodations
Apartment Hotel - an apartment hotel
Hotel Guide for Petersburg - a comprehensive listing of hotels in Petersburg and reviews collected in 2002
Apartment Suites - apartment rentals
WayToRussia Apartments - apartment rentals
Budget accommodations TT travelers have reported Alexei to be very helpful.
Homestays - HOFA These folks although located in Petersburg can arrange homestays in a variety of places including Petersburg, Moscow and Irkutsk.
Send a PM to Yaroslava, a resident of Petersburg is offering the spare room in her flat as a B&B.

Irkutsk and Lake Baikal
General information/ Guides
Common things to do are to visit the city Irktusk, travel to Listvyanka, a tourist town on the lake shore, head up to Olkhon Island for a few days, take the CircumBaikal Train from Slydyanka to Port Baikal and then the ferry to Listvyanka.
Some people also spend a few days on the Eastern side of the lake in Ulan Ude and explore that area are well.
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.

continued

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accommodations
1.There has a new little hostel in Irkutsk opened in March 2003. it is run by a German-Russian-friendship group. 8 euro per night, 3 or 5 beds per room. contact BaikalPlan for more information or booking.
You also find hostel-information in the Lake Baikal area(Olkhon, Sajan Mountains, etc.) at Baikal Hostels - still only in German, English translation following.
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:
a. 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.
b. Hotels "Baikal-Intourist", "Irkutsk-Intourist" (breakfast included)
c. Hotel "Rus", located near the main square of the city (breakfast included)
d. 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.
Contacts:
Mario@studyrussian.com
hostel-asia@mtu-net.ru see their website Hotel Asia
Host Families Association Although located in St. Petersburg, they have accommodations in over 60 Russian towns.

Trans-Siberian Train
There are three routes:
Moscow-Mongolia-Beijing (the Trans-Mongolian), Moscow-Manchuria-Beijing (the Trans-Manchurian) and Moscow-Vladivostok (the Trans-Siberian). There are also trains to Pyongyang in North Korea.
For the Moscow-Vladivostok route only a Russian visa is needed, for the Moscow-Manchuria-Beijing a Russian and a Chinese visa is needed, for the Moscow-Mongolia-Beijing route all three, Russian, Mongolian and Chinese visas are needed. Note that Mongolian visas are not needed by everyone. Israeli and US passport holders should check out this webpage: Visa requirements for US nationals

Train timetable:
These timetables have been the same for long time and don't change much. All trains (both trains to Beijing and Vladivostok) are very comfortable, and have restaurant car on board. These are the direct, through trains. One can board these trains but only if your end point is the end of the line. They cannot be used for intermediate travel or for pieces of the journey. Note that there are many intermediate trains that don't run the entire length of these routes. MSK = Moscow time. Note that you cannot get on and off the through trains.
Moscow - Beijing:
Trans-Mongolian:
Train 004Z leaves on Tuesdays from Moskva (Moscow) Jaroslavlskaja. Train departs at 23:50 MSK, and arrives in Beijing 15:33 local time, six nights later. A Mongolian transit visa may be required.
Trans-Manchurian:
Train 020Ch, "Vostok", leaves on Fridays from Moskva Jaroslavlskaja. Train departs at 23:40 MSK, and arrives in Beijing 05:30 local time, seven nights later.
Moscow - Vladivostok:
Train 002M, "Rossia", goes on odd-numbered dates from Moskva Jaroslavlskaja 16:27 MSK, to Vladivostok 23:06 MSK six nights later (06:06 local time the following day).
continued

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Train fares:
There are three types of accommodation - platskartny ("rolling dorm" which is 6 berths in an open compartment), kupejnij (also called kupé, or second class, a closed sleeping compartment with 4 reasonably comfortable beds), mjagkij (or first class, an expensive sleeping compartment with 2 beds). Only the last two accomodations exist on international trains to Beijing. Within Russia you can travel in platskartny as far as Ulan Ude or even on to Ulan Bator on Russian trains and then switch to an international train, if you want to save money or have the experience of traveling platskartny. See the man in seat 61 website for pictures of the bunks.

There is the daily Irkutsk - UB secondary service, train 264, which is not the same as the express trains 4 or 6 (the ones which run through from Moscow on certain days of the week only). Train 264 (or 263 in the opposite direction) is hard or 3rd class only (platskartny), whereas train 6 has sv and kupé and train 4 has 1st class 2-berth (which some people feel is well worth the extra if you can get it), 1st class 4-berth and 2nd class 4-berth (the last two almost identical).

SV (1st class 2-berth on Russian trains) is effectively the same as kupé but minus the two top bunks - both berths in SV are at the lower level. So you get more space and privacy, and always get a window seat. On the other hand, it's at least twice as expensive as kupé, and the social life in kupé or platzkartny is considered by some to be the most rewarding part of the trip....

The fares listed are roughly those for tickets bought at a Russian railway station. It's much more expensive through a travel agency, especially outside Russia. The reasons for the increased costs are several - one, someone must go to the train station and actually purchase the tickets and two, an extra fee must be paid when tickets are purchased without presentation of one's passport. (see notes below) Train prices vary with the season of travel (summer being more expensive).

Train prices also vary with the level of service. Trains can be passenger trains which are the cheapest, or fast trains which make slightly fewer stops, or fast, firmy trains which have a higher level of service. The lower number of train generally indicates that it is a higher quality of service, a more modern car with air conditioning, more comfortable bunks, newer bedding, cleaner bathrooms.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Right now (spring 2003) Russian travel agencies and tour operators are nervous about quoting prices and selling tickets because the Russian railway ministry (MPS) has announced there will be both drastic and gradual price increases for tickets in peak demand (e.g., June-September) this year. Price increases are expected to be as much as 100% higher than those shown below (although on some trains and for some routes they may only be increased 30%). This is part of the structural reform process at MPS. The new process to sell tickets should bring more openness about prices and better equilibrate the supply and demand, not a bad thing in theory but it does make it almost impossible to budget or plan.

Moscow - Beijing (2002 fares):
The fare Moscow - Beijing is US$200 in kupejnij, $320 in mjagkij. The fares are about the same on both Trans-Manchurian and Mongolian routes with the Trans-Manchurian being a few dollars more for the ticket, but the Trans Mongolian requires an additional $30-50 for a Mongolian transit visa for some travelers.
Moscow - Vladivostok (2002 fares):
The fare Moscow - Vladivostok is US$100 in platskartny, $185 in kupejnij, $538 in mjagkij.

Notes about Russian train travel
It is cheaper to book your ticket at the train station, but that assumes that you speak the language, have the time and can be flexible if the day you want is booked. Even during the height of the tourist travel in July and August, travelers have not reported difficulty getting train tickets for intermediate trains.

If you intend to stop, you cannot take the direct trans-siberian, transmongolian or transmanchurian trains and hop off and on again. You can do this on other Russian trains. Also if you don't plan to go straight through, but rather plan to stop in one or two places, you don't need to buy separate tickets for each stop unless you want to be assured of a berth. For example, you could purchase a ticket from Moscow to Ulan-Ude and make stops in several places. But again, there is no guarantee of a berth on the train you want to take later.

If you decide to get off the train and reuse the ticket to continue your travels, you will need to speak with someone in the station. You need to make arrangements to depart again within 10 days, but note that your continuation will be on a space-available basis.

To repeat: you cannot get off and on the through trains to Beijing or Vladivostok. You cannot get on the through trains unless you are headed to the final terminus. However, you can buy a ticket Moscow to Ulan-Ude for example and get off in Yekatrinburg, then again in Krasnoyarsk, and Irkutsk. Plus at the same time, you can purchase a through ticket from UU to UB and then get another ticket from UB to Beijing.

If you depart from Moscow or Vladivostok, you can buy all the tickets there. If you leave from Beijing, in Beijing you can buy a through ticket, but not separate tickets for stop overs. So you can buy the Beijing - Ulan Bator leg and will have to purchase the UB to Moscow section or sections in Mongolia. You can, however, order tickets from a travel agency.

Common Places to Stop
It would be a shame to travel that far and not stop along the way. Buying separate tickets and making stops will add about $20-25 per stop to the total cost of the tickets. Common places to stop are Yekatrinburg, Novosibirsk (although I must admit that I haven't heard anyone say that this was really worth it for a visit), Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk (for a side trip to Lake Baikal), Ulan Ude, and Ulan Bator (in Mongolia) or Chita and Khabarovsk in eastern Siberia. Please search both the Eastern Europe and the NorthEast Asia branch for more information about these stopover places.

continued

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Everbrite's General information about trains
You do not need to bring a sleeping bag or a sleep sack. Bedding and pillows are there for each berth. A package with clean sheets, a pillow case and a towel are provided. You pay the attendant a few dollars for these items. On some of the lower number trains you may be offered a sanitary packet that also includes toothbrush and tooth paste, soap, tissues and some other odds and ends.

There are two bathrooms, one at each end of each car. While the attendants try hard to keep them clean, the number of people sharing these two bathrooms in platskartny is pretty high and thus this is sisyphean task. Bring your own soap, your own toilet paper and understand that the power outlet in the bathroom doesn't operate when the train is stopped and sometimes even when it is moving. The bathrooms are locked for 45-60 minutes while in the station, after leaving and before arriving in Moscow and Petersburg, plus for shorter periods when entering and departing other large cities. This is due to the sanitary districts since the bathrooms open directly onto the tracks.

The lower bunks in the 1st and 2nd class compartments can be raised and there is room to safely store luggage underneath provided it's not a gigantic suitcase or pack. There is also space above the doorway, but it's harder to get things up there and to safely secure them. The compartment doors can be locked from within and the attendant can lock them as well. If you are uncomfortable with your fellow travelers, make that known to the attendant and s/he will try to accommodate a change of bunk. Offering to share you food and drink will increase the likelihood that your fellow travelers will look out for your belongings.

While there are dining cars, the food in the Russian dining cars is generally poor (at least in my personal experience), often not available and overall not worth the price. Some of the stops are quite long and most anything you might want will be available either from the groceries in the station or on the train platforms from vendors. Some things can be purchased from vendors who ride the trains: chips, drinks, snacks. Generally passengers tend to share their foodstuffs. You can get a glass, tea holder, tea bags or instant coffee, sugar and hot water from the train attendant for minimal cost. Bring along a mug, dried soups, coffee and cocoa for variety. I usually carry nuts, dried fruit, cheese (and for my meat-eating fellow travelers, salami as well). Bread can usually be bought on the platforms, sometimes fruits as well. Don't forget to bring a sharp knife with bottle opener.

On long train rides, for entertainment I generally bring along a deck of cards and several travel games - usually boggle and yahtzee. Boggle is a word game and the time to finish rounds is short, plus it can easily be interrupted. Yahtzee is a dice game that doesn't require language skills and so can be played with fellow travelers whose English is not the best. If you bring along cards, see if some Russian speaks enough English to explain a game they play called Preference - it will help pass the time. Also I suggest several books, usually trashy things you can pass around or leave with fellow travelers. Be sure to carry some paper, something to write with and a dictionary. I've been using my Collins Gem for years and while not the best dictionary - it is small and compact.

Be sure to search this board for information about the deklaratsia. I probably post something about once a week. It is extremely important information for passengers boarding in Moscow and leaving Russia in Siberia aboard either the trans-mongolian or the trans-manchurian. I advise you to read it through.

The train schedule can be viewed at poezda.net. Beijing is called Pekin.

Other resources about the trans-siberian
Here are some sites suggested in the past by others who researched this route:
G&R International This is a travel agency in Moscow that has lots of information about the transiberian including their fees for various train tickets.
monkeyshrine.com This firm sells train tickets and packages. They post ads on various Russian train sites and are pretty hard sell. Without question, their prices are high but their service is pretty good.
RickSteves A guide book website.
Russia Experience A Brit who operates lots of organized trips on the transiberian route. Some hold true - the prices are high but the service is reportedly good.
russian-gateway.com.au An Australian travel agency that specializes in travel to Russia.
Russian Passport/Red Bear travelAn Australian company that arranged travel to Russia, Mongolia and North Korea.
seat61.com THE train guru. His site includes pictures of what a 1st class and 2nd class bunk look like, shows the route maps and includes load and loads of other useful information but it is NOT the best or cheapest place from which to obtain train tickets.
sokoltours.com A Russian tour company whose site has lots of good information about things to do and places to see.
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 and if you send them a request for prices quotes their prices are reasonable.
Tramp Hostel Reported to be responsive to requests for info, have reasonable prices and reasonably reliable.
Trans-Siberian Railway Web Encyclopedia Good information about history of the trains, cars, books about the trains, but the English section is not well translated.
Vodka Train This used to be Sundowners. They are trying hard to undercut MonkeyShrine and Russia Experience with a no frills tour price.
WaytoRussia A travel service, not really an agency, but they keep their webpages up to date regarding train times and ticket prices, both of which change with the season plus they check the service and quality of the companies with which they work. They also have information about things to do in some of the cities/towns along the route except for Krasnoyarsk.

Personal accounts of others who have traveled this route:
Fred's Trans-Siberian Railroad Adventure The personal accounts of a Brit who took the trans-mongolian trip in November-December 2001. Lots of pictures.

Overland to Hong Kong Another Brit who traveled the Trans-Mongolia beginning in the UK

continued

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10

Belarus:
visas
Check out the two consulate sites below for particulars.
For a tourist visa, you will need an invitation and accommodations vouchers.
For a transit visa, you will need a visa for that country to which you are headed OR train tickets to prove onward travel. It is no longer true that you can transit Belarus with a Russian visa. It seems you must choose a seven day period in advance in which to use your 48 hour transit visa, allowing a certain amount of flexibility. Transit visas allow a one night stay in Belarus.

Belarussian visas can NOT be obtained at the land borders. However, you can arrive at the airport in Minsk and buy a visa with the necessary accommodations vouchers, completed application, photo and payment of a fee. The cost is less if there is no consulate in your country.

You CAN obtain a Belarus visa in Russia in either Moscow or Petersburg.
In Petersburg it's located at Robespierra 8/46, Office #66 Tel.: 812-273-00-78. Transit visas are issued on the spot for US$36.00 (if you provide a photo and the necessary tickets), and in five days for US$20.00. Someone else confirmed the price but indicated the location as: ul. Shkapina 25 (same entrance as Slovakian consulate in a quite grotty backyard).
In+Moscow+ it's located at Maroseika 17/6, a couple of blocks from the Kitai Gorod or Lubyanka metro stations. Local Tel.: 924-70-31, 777-66-44. The building is very interesting. It is the very striking green-blue and white mansion designed by Vasily Bazhenov, who also designed the Pashkov House. It's had a number of famous occupants.

There are also Belarussian consulates in Vilnius, Warsaw, Prague, but if there are websites, they are not in English.

Belarus consulate in UK
Belarus consulate in US

Travel in Belarus is generally avoided by the independent traveler because of the requirements to book travel in advance. OTOH if you are interested in Soviet architecture and having a "Soviet style" experience, this is the place to go.

For information about Minsk, check out the inyourpocket.com as no current guidebook covers the area well. There really isn't much to see in Belarus as the country was almost completely flattened during WWII. What the Germans did not knock down, the Soviets did. Other than Minsk, the places to consider are the Brest Fortress, a visit to Lake Naroch and the Khatin War Memorial.

accommodations
There are no hostels in Belarus open to foreigners. Only a few places are permitted to have foreigners stay overnight as most places can't register them. Since registration is essential if you stay more than 72 hours, this severely limits where you can stay.
Homestays - HOFA These folks although located in St. Petersburg, Russia can arrange homestays in a variety of places including Belarus and can provide the necessary visa support documents and vouchers as well.

Ukraine:
visas
Ukraine consulate in UK or Ukrainian consulate UK
Ukraine consulate in US
Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs government website in English with information about visas

transportation
Ukraine Trains for main trains to and from Kyiv and approximate prices
Bus from London to Kyiv Yes, a bus to Ukraine to and from London.
Kyiv Boryspil Airport
Boats to Georgia and Turkey (English and Russian)
Ukrainian bus timetables (Russian only)

General travel links
Budget Travel
Ukrainian travel agent
Crimea info (English)
More Crimea info (English, Russian)

News
World Service (Ukrainian)
Ukrainska Pravda a subversive internet paper - Ukrainian, Russian, English
Kyiv Post English language Kyiv newspaper

accommodations
All Ukraine HotelsBest hotel lists, all Ukraine, includes the cheaper hotels. Site is in Russian
Cheaper hotels Kyiv
Cheap, May 2002
Kyiv - Hostinitsa Drujba, 5 bul. Druzhby Narodiv, tel./fax: 00380-44-2683387, USD 12 single
August 2002: A hotel at Kikvidze street 39. Clean, nice, quite close to the centre. 36-88 UAH (7-17 USD) per night.
L'viv - Hotel Karpaty, 30 Kleparivska, tel.: 00380-44-333427, USD 8 single
L'viv Bed and Breakfast - The New Ukrainian
Odesa - Hotel Tsentralni, 40 Preobrazhenskaya, tel.: 00380-482-268406, fax: 00380-482-268607, USD 9 single
Sevastopol - Komnata Otdykha, next to the station, behind the local ticket offices and under the bridge, USD 3 bed in dorm
Yalta - Hostinitsa Krym, 1/6 Moskovskaya, tel.: 00380-654-327873, USD 8 single
Homestays - HOFA These folks although located in St. Petersburg, Russia can arrange homestays in a variety of places including Ukraine and can provide the necessary visa support documents and vouchers as well.

Thanks to all who contributed information to this message.
I am still looking for more information to add and am working on other stickys for this branch as well.

Ruth

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11

Websites for both VISA and MasterCard (Cirrus/Maestro) have pages which give the locations of ATM machines. VISA Russia and MasterCard ATM locator

Ruth

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12

Travel within Russia
Air Travel
For airline information within Russia, starting or ending in Russia, try these sites:
Infinity Travel This is the travel agency associated with Travelers Guest house. Their airline web page is one of the easiest to use.
Star Travel This might be the only place in Russia to obtain an International Student or Youth ID card, for students or travelers under 26. They also have special prices for students.
Tickets Plus has a fair selection of Russian air ticket info and you can book online. Their Russian language version (www.biletplus.ru) supposedly has a wider range of destinations and options.
Sibir Airlines their main page in English with their route map and the ability to check prices.
Vladivostok Avia flight routes and schedules
Novosibirsk Transport this page is in Russia but it indicates flights leaving Novosibirsk.
Tolmachevo English language page for airport in Novosibirsk

Driving in Russia modified from information provided by janwd
- Generally speaking you do not need a car. Everyone acts as a cab. Stick out your hand, a car will stop, negotiate the price before getting in. don't get into a car with someone other than the driver present, don't get into a car with empty bottles on the floor or if you don't like the appearance of the car or driver.
-If you want to get out of town, usually it is easy to arrange for a car and driver to do this. Many travel agencies can provide this service at a reasonable cost. Sometimes it can be arranged by your hotel.
-Russian road police is omnipresent and indeed quite unpredictable. Generally however, they were not at all very difficult to deal with, provided that your papers are in order and you have adhered to the traffic rules.
-Russian drivers rarely keep to the speed limit and have a different sense of traffic rules but perhaps not all that different from Greece or Italy. Be prepared to find cars on side walks, in imaginary lanes and other unexpected locations.
- The driving mentality of the Russians is somewhat chaotic, but to be honest it does not differs much from driving in Italy or Greece.

-Should you decide to bring your car with you from Europe:
1. you can buy insurance at the border, there's always an office of the Military Insurance Company. I don't know the prices, but you can arrange insurance also from abroad (ie. www.ingonord.com). If you don't speak Russian, it is advisable to arrange it upfront, as not all border posts will have English or German speaking guards.
2. you will have to temporarily import your car to Russia. You will need your international driving license, and the 'car passport'. The important data are the chassis number, the volume of the engine and the manufacturing year. You will need to pay half a euro for a registration paper upon which they will copy the car passport. This paper you'll then need to hand in somewhere else, upon which you will receive your temporary admission. Typically this form is valid for the same duration of your visa. If you have a double entry visa, then you will be able to keep the paper, and will not have to buy a second one for your second entry. You will still get a new admission paper though. And upon leaving the country you will have to export the car, and hand in those papers. There are no further costs (so all in all it costs only 50 eurocents - they accept euros, but roubles will do as well of course, the experience is that they also take Polish money if you are at the polish border).
3. There is big difference between border posts. Some are very fast and efficient (ie. on the orad from St.Peterburg to helsinki: finished in 20 minutes). Some are very slow (Narva in Estonia to Ivangorod in Russia can take up to six hours easily).
4. Parking is free in Petersburg and Moscow. OTOH there are 'independent businessmen' who will guard your car for a small fee. This arrangement is more common in Moscow than Petersburg and you would be wise to pay when someone presents themselves unless you like changing flat tires. Guarded parking is widely available. Prices are not very high. Depending on the state of your car you can choose to use guarded parking. If you drive an old car, it is the experience that you can park unguarded without problems, but basic precautions (as anywhere) are useful such as a steering lock and not leaving anything valuable in your car.
5. Petrol stations are widely available. Russia is the cheapest country, Baltic states are all more less equal to each other. If you are getting diesel, take care that you don't use the pump where it says TIR as that is for trucks. In Russia, diesel is marked with the cyrillic letters for the Roman DT.
6. Almost every petrol station will be selling maps, though they are not always on display (ie. have to ask for 'schema kaliningrad?'. The maps are very cheap, and usually will also list accommodation places.
7. There are plenty of signs for directions, but a map will help. Especially in Russia, if you are not Russian-speaking, the cyrillic letters on the signs might be difficult to read very quickly!
8. Siberia: it is legal to drive a car with the steering wheel either on the left or the right side.

Ruth

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13

Kaliningrad
General visa information
Kaliningrad is an enclave; a part of Russia which has no common border with the rest of the country. To travel there one needs a Russian visa. To travel there from Russia, one needs to fly or to obtain a double or multi entry visa. The later is extremely difficult to obtain now but the former is relatively easy.

For a double entry visa, either business or tourist, one does need to indicate both sets of entry and departure dates. A 30 day tourist visa can ve used if the date of first entry to the date of last departure does not exceed 30 days, otherwise, it is better to obtain a 90 day business visa.

Travel information
There are several flights per day from Moscow to Kaliningrad and there is at least one or two flights per day from St. Petersburg.
There are several trains to Kaliningrad from Moscow that pass through Belarus and Lithuania. There is also one train per day from St. Petersburg which passes through Lithuania. See Your Train - CIS railway timetable
There are trains from Poland and there is a bus from Gdansk which costs about 28.0zl and leaves at 07:00 and 15:30. Gdansk, Transport
During summer there is boat service between Kaliningrad, and Frombork, Krynica Morska and Elblarg, Poland. Zegluga Gdanska

General tourist information
Although there is nothing spectacular, must see, Kaliningrad is an interesting place for a few days. Most of the things worth visiting are old buildings from before communist times. The old stock exchange which became the Seamen's Palace of Culture, the cathedral which was completely destroyed in WWII and rebuilt in the 1990s, various gate towers built by the Germans and the Amber Museum, which was located in one of the town's towers. The bunker museum is another place perhaps worth visiting. You might want to visit the Museum of World's Oceans, the only museum of this type in Russia. It is also possible to board the legendary research ship 'Vityaz' and will see the underwater device 'Mir', with whose help the film 'Titanic' was made.

The state university is the same school at which Immanuel Kant taught and was originally founded in the mid 16th century. And there are several parks, which were the sites of various old Germanic fortresses.

In additon to visiting the city, one should arrange a visit to Svetlogorsk, and/or Zelenogradsk to see one of these seaside towns and their sanatoria, perhaps even get a health treatment. Also you can visit the Russian National Park 'Kurish Spit' with its sand dunes and pines on a narrow strip (from 400 to 2000 meters wide and stretching over 90 km) of sand dunes between the Sea and Kurish gulf. This area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

If you need more help with housing or restaurants in Kaliningrad, check out this page Kaliningrad inyourpocket

Ruth

and yes, I am trying to put together some webpages, if you are interested check out everbrite's guide and let me know what you think via PM or email.

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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.

14

Extending a Russian Visa

Extending a tourist visa beyond 30 days from date of entry to date of departure is IMPOSSIBLE. If you have a tourist visa for less than 30 days and decide incountry that you want or need to extend a tourist visa please not that it is NOT a simple process but here's the story. First you must contact the company that originally issued your visa support documents. Hopefully you are still in the same city. The reason is that Russian law requires that sponsors -- not the foreign visa holder -- apply to replace, extend or change visas. Without the support of your sponsor, replacement of a lost or stolen visa can be difficult and time consuming; extensions or changes to your visa may be impossible.

If you discover before you depart that your visa dates are not correct, if the error was made by the consulate, they will make changes. If you discover that the dates you provided were incorrect, you need to get new documents and start the process over. You cannot simply add a new visa with new dates to extend your time. It is not possible to have two different Russian visas on your passport at one time. They will invalidate the first visa in order to authorize the second.

If you got your visa support from the International Hostel in Petersburg and you are there in Petersburg, they indicate on their website that they "can extend your visa for limited time if necessary max of 10 days." Some companies willingly do this, others adamantly refuse. It is the company's decision as to whether or not they are willing to do this and how much it might cost you.

If they are willing to go through the hassle, then you're in luck but the process will take some time, money and lots of mental energy as dealing with Russian bureaucracies is akin to entering Dante's seventh level of hell, something to be avoided at all costs.

Your best bet may be to ask the visa support company and your consulate what their experience is with a one day overstay. Although I can't be certain, this is perhaps much easier than trying to extend your current visa. It may be easier to explain than anything else.

Ruth

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.