126
votes
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How to use public transport in Russia with limited knowledge of Russian?
While you will generally experience a strong language barrier, the public transport system should be the least of your worries. With a bit of beforehand knowledge it can be an easy, interesting and ...
- 2,812
112
votes
What to do if I overstayed my e-visa for Saint Petersburg/Leningrad Oblast
First of all, if you are not fluent in Russian, you'll need (this is mandatory) an official translator to a language you speak fluently (in my case it was English, even though I'm a German). The ...
- 1,554
102
votes
Accepted
Personal security during a business trip to Moscow
Update: as of March 2022, travel to Russia is unsafe for anyone.
The country is not even safe for its own citizens.
Anyone — regardless of whether you're a Russian national or not, no matter what ...
- 2,711
88
votes
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Is it possible to enter Russia by train 1-1.5 hours before the visa validity period starts?
There are things I would try doing and there are the others. Attempting to enter Russia before my visa is valid (or attempt to overstay my Russian visa) even if by a few hours only clearly belongs to ...
- 15.9k
72
votes
Is it possible to enter Russia by train 1-1.5 hours before the visa validity period starts?
I wouldn't risk this.
I exited Russia with a friend. He had given the end date for his visa, by mistake, as the day we left Moscow. Travelling by train, we didn't reach the border until a couple of ...
- 751
66
votes
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Will Wi-Fi passwords in Russia be in Cyrillic? How do I type them on a Latin keyboard?
Do not worry, Wifi pass phrases for personal use should only be in printable ASCII characters, in other words English characters. They do not support Unicode or other codepages.
For more details ...
- 96.4k
66
votes
Is it possible to enter Russia by train 1-1.5 hours before the visa validity period starts?
I've been on a Russian train with a Canadian whose visa expired during the train ride (so just a couple of hours) as we crossed the border after midnight into Mongolia. Said passenger was marched off ...
- 159k
59
votes
Moscow (DME) airport arrival 23:55. My Russian visa becomes valid at midnight
Technically, your visa is not valid when you are scheduled to land so boarding is a problem.
Practically, it will be perfectly valid by the time you reach the immigration counter, so you are ...
- 32.8k
59
votes
Accepted
What time zone do trains in Russia operate on?
All trains in Russia for years have operated on Moscow time.
It's only slightly unsettling when you get to your train in Yekaterinburg and find out it's not there, but the upside is most of Russia is ...
- 159k
55
votes
A Russian girl is asking for 500 euros to get a passport in Russia. Is this a realistic amount of money for a passport fee?
If you apply by yourself:
The waiting time for getting a International passport is 30 days if you apply in your city (where you're registered) and 120 days if you apply from another Russian city.
...
- 1,457
49
votes
Accepted
Why am I not allowed to buy alcohol at the store after 11pm in Russia?
It's a law that's designed to reduce public drunkenness / alcoholism, especially at night when you don't want loud, rowdy and sometimes violent drunk people in the streets. Sometimes vendors try to ...
- 9,094
49
votes
Is it safe for a foreigner to travel to Russia these days?
I am a citizen of a Western country and moved out of Russia shortly after the start of the current large-scale military conflict despite having some unfinished business in Russia, and since then I've ...
- 643
48
votes
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Why are there yellow dot stickers on the front doors of businesses in Russia?
This means "there's a glass door, please don't go through it without opening first".
If it contains black curl, then it also means "you can order delivery via Yandex.Food" (a service similar to Uber ...
- 11.8k
48
votes
Accepted
What exactly is a marshrutka (маршрутка)?
Just to add to the above guys answers.
Маршрутка (Marshrutka) is a slang. It's a shortened version of "Маршрутное такси" (can be roughly translated as "Routed" taxi, essentially a taxi that has a ...
- 2,764
48
votes
Accepted
How easy is it to get in and out of Russia by illegally crossing its border?
My answer might have fit better as a comment, but is too long, so please bear with me here.
'How easy' is of course difficult to quantify, but it is in most areas not as easy as it might seem. You are ...
- 53.6k
47
votes
Is it possible to enter Russia by train 1-1.5 hours before the visa validity period starts?
Let's think logically. Imagine one is a Russian border officer. One got a job during which each day got the stamp for the passport and visa checks:
As you can see, there is a date on it, and it's ...
- 22.3k
46
votes
Accepted
Can a person be arrested/detained if a prohibited item is found in the carry-on luggage while transiting?
Why wasn’t the knife taken out at Russian airport ?
Probably because they missed it during screening. Airport security has been known to miss actual explosives in peoples bags, so a tiny knife is not ...
- 82.2k
45
votes
Accepted
Moscow SVO airport, how to avoid scam taxis without pre-booking?
To avoid any trouble with taxis, you can use the Aeroexpress train.
It will get you to the city centre for ~8$ (500 RUB). You can use wireless payment options at the automatic gates: PayPass, PayWave,...
- 11.8k
42
votes
What meals are available on Russian trains?
This is the dining car on the train between Perm and Moscow (Trans Siberian)...
As shown, there are ample provisions with the most concern devoted to alcoholic beverages. But there's nearly every ...
- 84.7k
39
votes
Is it safe for a foreigner to travel to Russia these days?
No source is given, however the UK government travel advice page for Russia says:
”There have been multiple reports of intensive security checks on foreign nationals at Russian border crossings upon ...
- 31k
33
votes
Accepted
Food on the 54-hour Yekaterinburg-Irkutsk train?
Easy, since I've done this trip.
In Yekaterinburg, go to the markets and get some base food. Whatever drinks you want, but vodka will be good to share if you're the sharing type (especially in ...
- 159k
32
votes
Will Wi-Fi passwords in Russia be in Cyrillic? How do I type them on a Latin keyboard?
I am Russian and I never met a WiFi password in Cyrillic.
- 421
31
votes
What meals are available on Russian trains?
Here is a (blurry, sorry!) picture of the menu as I found it when travelling on the Trans-Siberian Railroad in 2013.
Here are some further pictures of the specialties, pancakes, and appetizers.
They ...
31
votes
Personal security during a business trip to Moscow
I would like to add my two cents worth to the already existing answers. I am a German who is studying in Russia at the moment and who has traveled to most large cities in Western Russia, including ...
- 2,812
31
votes
Can a 15-year-old travel alone to Russia from the USA?
You should be able, but you'll need:
written, notarized permission from both of your parents or guardians
a valid passport
an appropriate visa to visit Russia (assuming you're not a Russian citizen)
...
- 15.4k
30
votes
Will Wi-Fi passwords in Russia be in Cyrillic? How do I type them on a Latin keyboard?
For Android depending on the model of your phone you may have to add Russian Language to the available keyboards.
I have Galaxy S5 and under Settings -> Languages and Input you should be able to do ...
- 45.1k
30
votes
Accepted
Is wearing shorts in Transsiberian trains okay
That's absolutely OK. Moreover, Russians' concept of appropriate clothing in trains is very very very relaxed; many people will wear clothing that they will never wear in many other public places (...
- 4,788
30
votes
Accepted
Is there any way to find out what happened to a post card sent from other country?
I used to do Postcrossing a lot a few years ago and I can tell you that the shipping times for unregistered mail are just plain unpredictable. Sometimes you can get a letter from the other end of the ...
- 82.2k
29
votes
When you bring someone to a restaurant in Russia
Will the man order for both or will the parties order individually?
If it is a romantic/dating encounter, the man and woman confer over their choices and each makes their own selection, but then the ...
- 84.7k
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