Russia Travel Info

Travel to Russia is a unique opportunity to get acquainted with Russian history and culture. Russia spans eleven time zones and two continents and is one of the most beautiful countries in the world. This is a great country with an array of rivers, forests and towering mountains. Now you have a chance to explore its land of striking beauty and diversity, from magnificent capitals, Moscow and St. Petersburg, to the measured life of Siberian cities. The whole new world is waiting for you to be discovered.

History of Russia: Founded in the 12th century, the Principality of Muscovy, was able to emerge from over 200 years of Mongol domination (13th-15th centuries) and to gradually conquer and absorb surrounding principalities. In the early 17th century, a new Romanov Dynasty continued this policy of expansion across Siberia to the Pacific. Under PETER I (ruled 1682-1725), hegemony was extended to the Baltic Sea and the country was renamed the Russian Empire. During the 19th century, more territorial acquisitions were made in Europe and Asia. Repeated devastating defeats of the Russian army in World War I led to widespread rioting in the major cities of the Russian Empire and to the overthrow in 1917 of the imperial household.

The Communists under Vladimir LENIN seized power soon after and formed the USSR. Iosif STALIN (1928-53) strengthened communist rule and Russian dominance of the Soviet Union at a cost of tens of millions of lives. The Soviet economy and society stagnated in the following decades until General Secretary Mikhail GORBACHEV (1985-91) introduced glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) in an attempt to modernize Communism, but his initiatives inadvertently released forces that by December 1991 splintered the USSR into Russia and 14 other independent republics.

Since then, Russia has struggled in its efforts to build a democratic political system and market economy to replace the strict social, political, and economic controls of the Communist period. While some progress has been made on the economic front, recent years have seen a recentralization of power under Vladimir PUTIN and the erosion of nascent democratic institutions. A determined guerrilla conflict still plagues Russia in Chechnya and threatens to destabilize the North Caucasus region.

Russia - home of the treasures of the tsars, Peter the Great, Ivan the Terrible, some of the best vodka you’ll ever taste; Moscow and its legendary Red Square and Kremlin, the incomparable Bolshoi and Kirov Ballet; St Petersburg, the jewel in Russia’s Imperial crown and the subject of countless evil espionage stories. Join the revolution - visit Russia with Selena Travel.

Weather info in Russia

The weather conditions across Russia vary with both distances and seasons. It is true to say, though, that December, January and February tend to be the coldest months with temperatures at least a few degrees below zero all over the territory of Russia. Middle of the country gets ‑10 to ‑15 C most of the time. Moving deeper into the Siberia, the average is usually ‑15 to ‑25 C. It is not unusual, for a number of isolated Northern areas of Russia, to experience the extremes of 40, 50 and even 60 degrees Celsius below zero for a few days or even weeks a season.

Moscow

St. Petersburg

Yekaterinburg

Irkutsk

Clothing
Whatever the season is, it is advised to bring your umbrella and a windproof raincoat or jacket. Rain is always possible here. Depending on the time of the year, you w

ill need warm boots with non-slip sole, waterproof boots/shoes, comfortable sandals.

In winter it can get very cold outside, but hotels and homes are reasonably well-heated. You can wear shorts in summer, though these might prevent you from entering churches. Bring a sweater or a light jacket for the chilly summer evenings. It is in autumn that you are most likely to use your umbrella and waterproof boots, though a Russian version of an Indian summer (around mid-September) can be mild and fairly dry.

Make sure you have warm sweater and/or a light jacket for the evenings and cool days. The hot summer season is a little shorter than you might expect and by August will have already begun to cool down. If you have booked one of our guided tours please bring comfortable walking shoes.

You may also want to have enough closing for the entire visit so you don’t have to worry about laundry. If your trip is long, laundry service will be available at your hotel. However, laundry services are way overpriced in most of the hotels while there are no laundromats here at all.

Though, since airlines baggage restrictions are getting tighter we recommend one bag per traveler (20 kg) and a smaller carry on (8 kg). Trains allow having up to 35 kg baggage. If you bring more you might be required to pay luggage fees.

Safety condition in Russia
In spite of common concern Russia is relatively safe country. Coming to Russia is no more dangerous than visiting any other European county. It is about having some common sense: do not carry all your money with you, do not walk alone at nights, etc.

Make sure you have our emergency number and your Embassy number at all times when you leave the hotel. It is also reasonable to pick up hotel’s card at reception desk. In case you get lost in the city, you can always show it to a cab driver to bring you back to your hotel.

Russia is safe for travel, but there are basic precautions that you should take when visiting any country. First of all, keep your passport and money in hotel safety deposit boxes (in-room or at reception desk). It is also recommended to have passport with you while being outside of the hotel, however, many people choose to have a copy instead while keeping passport in the hotel safe. If you are encountered by a Russian police officer (which is rather unlikely) you will be asked to show your ID.

Be careful with your money and credit cards. Where there are tourists there are pickpockets. This happens in every major European capital. Some basic precautions are:

• Don’t let anyone spot you flashing your wallet and money.
• Beware of the people around you and don’t let anyone walk into you. This is how pickpockets work.
• Don’t carry more than $100 with you (or about 10,000 rubles).
• Split your money and credit cards and keep them in different pockets. Divide them between you and your companions.
• Zipped or buttoned inside pockets are best for storing valuable things – they are the hardest for pickpockets to reach.

Traveling by trains
Within Russia all train departures and arrivals are always indicated in Moscow time both in the train tickets and timetables at the railway stations.  In Mongolia and China they use local time in all train tickets and timetables. In your travel itinerary we show Moscow and local time to make our clients understand the day time of their arrivals/departures. In case you are still confused with this issue, please, consult your tour manager or local guide.

In Russia there are 2-nd class carriages with 4-berth compartments (2 bottom shelves and 2 upper shelves above them). These shelves are good enough to sleep unless person is a lot taller than average.  Linens are always included into train ticket cost.

In all trains meals can be ordered in a restaurant car attached to the train (meals cost is not included in to ticket price). Restaurant car is usually in the middle of the train near the 1st class car. You may want to ask your carriage attendant about that.

One can take his own snacks/food into their cabin in all trains. Most Russians would do this, since restaurant car meals may be very regular, but overpriced as if it is a real fancy restaurant. Russians would normally bring drinks, snacks, cookies, hardboiled eggs, instant noodles/instant potatoes, smoked chicken, etc. Beware though, that there is no refrigerator provided, thus, pick food that can be kept at least some time without it.

Many westerners bring from home instant coffee, chocolate, dried fruits, nuts, etc. Please, take your own mug into the train to have instant coffee, etc. Hot boiling water is provided free of charge any time of the day. Though, it may be rather hot in summers, so please be sure to visit supermarket before the train trip to buy some cold drinking water to take to the train.

Each train car has its car attendant. This lady is in charge of keeping overall order. Besides, she makes hot boiled water in the tea pot. It is provided free of charge for anyone to make tea/instant coffee. Very often car attendant also sells tea bags/instant coffee, snacks, etc. One can purchase food from them if he runs out of his own stock or also easily buy food from many vendors on station platforms when train stops.

If traveling in the sleeping car “without services included”, make sure you bring your own toilet accessories including towel, soap and toilet paper.