European Russia stretches from the borders of the states of Belarus and Ukraine to the Ural mountains, over 1000km east of Moscow; even without the rest of the Russian Federation, it constitutes the largest country in Europe.
Population: around 150 mln.
Major cities: Moscow (capital), Saint Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Vladivostok
Visa and registration requirements
Russia has rather strict rules and regulations as to registration of its citizens and guests, which may considerably differ from those in your country.
Obtaining a Russian visa is obligatory for foreign nationals from most of the countries in the world, with rare exceptions for formerly socialistic countries.
One must leave the country before his visa expires. Although existing rules allow extension of visas, it is very difficult in practice and is to be considered on a case to case basis.
Anyone travelling on a tourist visa to Russia must have accommodation arranged before arrival.
Passport and visa of every foreign visitor should be registered within three working days upon arrival to Russia.
If one plans to stay in a hotel, his registration will be done by them, as hotels are usually licensed to effect registration of their visitors.
If one plans to stay in a private residence, he is to provide duly executed documents, proving his accommodation, to the receiving company.
The said documents can be either a notarised consent of the landlord, or a duly registered lease agreement. Please note, that due execution of the said documents takes sometimes longer than two days, and therefore it is recommended to secure availability of the said documents in advance.
It is a legal requirement that prior to beginning of working on the Russian territory, a foreign national is to receive a working visa and a personal work permit from the company, where he intends to work.
It is of crucial importance to keep in touch with the receiving company and give it correct information about accommodation address in Russia, relocation within the country as well as dates of arrivals and departures from the country prior to occurrence of these events. One will avoid many difficulties as long as he does so.
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Money and Banks
The official currency of Russia is the ruble, each ruble divided into one hundred kopeks: there are 1, 5, 10 and 50 kopek coins, and notes to the value of 5, 10, 50, 100 and 500 rubles. The currency was devalued on 1 January 1998 as a result of the stabilisation of the economy and only new money is now valid.
All payments on the Russian territory are to be made in rubles. Prices in shops and restaurants in Moscow and Saint Petersburg are often given in US dollars, a fairly stable measure of real costs - but in practice they're charged and paid for in rubles. It is now illegal to pay in foreign currency.
As the black market offers nothing but risks, you should change money in an official bank or currency exchange (hotels, all large shops and a number of restaurants).
Most banks are open Mon-Sat 9am-6/8pm. There are some exchange offices that are open around the clock.
ATMs are now found in plenty, and using your credit or debit card to obtain cash from them is the safest way to get money in Russia.
Visa, Mastercard and Amex are widely accepted, as are Cirrus cards. Travellers' cheques are time-consuming and expensive to use.
Major credit cards are also often accepted as a paying method, but predominantly in the largest Russian cities.
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Arrival to Moscow
Arriving by train from London, Berlin or Warsaw, you'll end up at Belarus Railway Station, about 1km northwest of the Garden Ring, which is served by the Belorusskaya metro station.
Most trains from the Baltic states arrive at Riga Railway Station (Rizhskaya metro line), 2km north of the Garden Ring,
while services from Prague and Budapest terminate at Kiev Railway Station, south of the Moskva River (Kievskaya metro line).
If you're coming from St Petersburg, Finland or Estonia, your train will terminate at Leningrad Railway Station.
To get into the centre from any of these stations, you can take the metro. Taxis tend to charge whatever they can get away with, having nothing to do with the real charges.
The main international airport is at Sheremetevo-2, 28km northwest of the city centre.
To avoid any hassle, or if you know you'll be arriving after dark, most hotels and travel agencies can arrange for you to be met at the airport. The fee ($60 plus) is similar to what private taxis charge, without any haggling.
Taxis leaving from the departures terminal may charge less, as they don't belong to the "taxi mafia" that operates at the arrivals section.
It is unlikely that a first-time visitor can find out how to get into town by public transport, which involves a two-stage journey by bus and metro, and costs the ruble equivalent of $4-5. This is not feasible after about 10pm.
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Moscow City Transport
Moscow metro is famous for its unusual decoration and efficiency.
The metro trains run daily (6am-midnight), with services every two minutes during peak periods (8-10am & 5-7pm) and every three to five minutes at other times.
Passengers buy magnet cards, and the cost is minimal, 5 rubles (around 20 cents) per trip. Providing you don't leave the metro you can travel any distance, and change lines as many times as you like, using a one-trip card.
Stations are marked with a large "M" and have separate doors for incoming and outgoing passengers. All signs and maps are in Russian including "entrance" (vkhod), "exit" (vykhod) and "passage to another line" (perekhod).
As the metro gets you to within fifteen minutes' walk of all the main sights, you're unlikely to need any other forms of public transport, which tend to be less efficient anyway.
Taxis come in all shapes and sizes. The official taxis are yellow Volgas and the taxi drivers often don't use their meters, so it's best to negotiate the fare before getting in to avoid any unpleasant surprises, especially as foreigners are likely to be charged more than the standard fare. Private cars will also stop if you stick your hand out and can be considerably cheaper when compared to an official taxi with its meter off - they're generally safe but for a woman travelling alone at night they should be avoided.
Most Russians hitch, especially after the public transport system closes down, when you'll see people flagging down anything that moves, even ambulances or trucks. If the driver finds the destination acceptable, he'll state a price, which may or may not be negotiable. If you're not happy, wait for another car to come along. Russians will usually pay the ruble equivalent of a couple of dollars to ride several kilometres. Foreigners are likely to be charged more unless their Russian is impeccable.
Don't get into a vehicle which has more than one person in it, and never accept lifts from anyone who approaches you, particularly outside restaurants and nightclubs. Instances of drunken foreigners being robbed in the back of cars have been known, and single women should give the whole business a miss.
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Driving
Traffic in the cities is heavy and many Russian motorists show a reckless disregard for pedestrians and other cars.
Driving, therefore, requires a fair degree of skill and nerve.
Unless otherwise specified, speed limits are 60kph in the city and 80-90kph on highways.
A growing number of car rental agencies offer Western models and prefer payment by credit card. Most tend to ask for about $60-100 a day, after all the hidden charges are taken into account, so you might as well go for a well-known firm.
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Communications
Communications in Russia have greatly improved in recent years, but still can't be taken for granted. Most post offices are open Mon-Sat 8am-7pm, Sun 9am-7pm, although stamps can also be bought at the postal counters in large hotels. Both Moscow and St Petersburg have express-letter post companies such as Post International, which despatches mail via Finland or the US for moderate sums.
The few remaining old grey public phones (taksofony) take tokens (zhetony), which can be purchased at metro stations.
For the new phones, which are good for local and international calls, you need a phone card (available in 25, 50, 100, 200 and 400 units from newspaper kiosks and post offices).
Phone booths in airports and major hotels aren't always run by the city phone network, and are much more expensive: $6 per minute to Western Europe, $12 to the US. You can buy cards for these phones on the spot or use your Amex or Visa card.
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Emergencies
The mafia is less of a hazard in Russia than is petty crime, which presents itself mostly as thefts from cars and hotel rooms. Sensible precautions include making photocopies of your passport and visa, leaving passports and tickets in the hotel safe, and noting down travellers' cheque and credit card numbers. Try to blend in whenever possible: though there's less risk of being mugged in Moscow than in New York, tourists are sometimes stalked by gangs who dance around you while they rifle your pockets.
The police (militia) can be recognized by their blue-grey uniforms with red lapels and cap bands; some may be armed. If you do have something stolen, report it to the militia: try the phrase "Menya obokrali" ("I have been robbed"). It's unlikely that there'll be anyone who speaks English, and even less likely that your belongings will be retrieved, but you'll need a statement detailing what you've lost for your insurance claim. You're only likely to come across the paramilitary OMON in situations of civil unrest or during raids on nightclubs.
Visitors to Russia are advised to get booster-shots for diphtheria, tetanus and polio. If you are on any prescribed medication (particularly insulin), you should bring enough supplies for your stay. For minor complaints, it's easiest to go to a high-street pharmacy (apteka). Foreigners tend to rely on private clinics with imported drugs and equipment, which charge excessively high rates, so take out insurance.
EMERGENCY NUMBERS
Police tel: 02;
Fire tel: 01;
Ambulance tel: 03.
Your insurance company will also provide you with their agens tel. numbers who are to assist you in emergency cases.
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Opening Hours and Holidays
Most shops open Mon-Sat 10am-7pm, and close for an hour or two for lunch between 1 and 4pm. Sunday opening hours are less predictable, but most department stores, bars and restaurants stay open.
Opening hours for museums are 10am-5/6pm. You'll find that they are invariably closed at least one day a week (usually Mon) and, in addition, one further day in the month will be set aside as a "cleaning day".
Opening hours for churches are less easy to predict but they tend to be accessible from 8am until the end of the evening service.
Russia's official national holidays have been in a state of flux for the past couple of years, since so many were associated with the former Soviet regime. Many of these have now been done away with and replaced by traditional religious holidays. The current public holidays are: Jan 1 and 2, Jan 6 and 7 (Orthodox Christmas), March 8, May 1 and 2, May 9, June 12, Nov 7, Dec 12.
We, at The Russia Adventure Club, wish you to enjoy your stay in Russia and keep away from troubles.
Please call at tel: +007 (095) 233-3490, fax: 233-34900
or e-mail to vladimirf@extremetravel.info for more details and assistance