How difficult is going to Russia on vacation/holiday?

Enigma16

Hi. I am looking into visiting Russia, more specifically Moscow in the summer of this year and needed some advice on what the essential things i would need are. I have heard the visa for Moscow is difficult to get, which has made me a little tentative, but i would like to visit Moscow because it's a great city and i want the experience of going.

blindman

Enigma16 wrote: »

Hi. I am looking into visiting Russia, more specifically Moscow in the summer of this year and needed some advice on what the essential things i would need are. I have heard the visa for Moscow is difficult to get, which has made me a little tentative, but i would like to visit Moscow because it's a great city and i want the experience of going.

Unless you live in London or Edinburgh (I think) the Visa has become a PITA as you must PERSONALLY go to the Visa processing office where they get your fingerprints when you put in the application form.

The application form is a bit of a faff, but fll it out carefully and you should be OK.
One part asked How many countries I had travelled to in the LAST 10 years-and provde the dates!
Totalled 33 IIRC

The Visa can then be sent back to you by post so you only need one visit.

Excludng travel to the centre expect to pay about £100 total for the Visa.

Travel to Moscow
I flew with BA on their Reward saver Flight using Avios. 17000 AVIOS +£35 each (Off peak dates)
[STRIKE]Not sure of the prices now.[/STRIKE] £300 + by cash.
EasyJet (I think) have just stopped doing this route.

Moscow
Brilliant place, cheap transport, friendly people (honest!)
Easily spend a week there to see everything.

Accomodation.
I stayed in a hostel one time-then went with the wife so had to stay in a Hotel.
Used IHG points though so not too expensive.

donglemouse

"I have heard the visa for Moscow is difficult to get"

- you have to fill out the appropriate visa forms and provide the requested information plus make one visit to the visa processing office in London or Edinburgh as the earlier poster notes to give finger prints

- however I have never heard of anyone who filled out the forms correctly being refused a visa except in specific circumstances such as people who previously tried to undertake business in Russia on a tourist visa etc.

In summary it;s 99.99% you will get a visa if you follow the process

The internet is awash with info on what you need to do

converted

Hi - it is a bit of a hassle, but absolutely well worth it.


You can complete the visa application online yourself (there are companies who will charge for this to ensure it is done properly) but honest with a bit of preparation it is easy done yourself.


You have to take the completed application to London or Edinburgh where you have your finger prints taken. When I did it last summer, I completed the application myself and took it to London. I arrived in Kings cross at 10.35 then got a tube to the Barbican arrived at the visa centre had the process completed and was back at the Barbican tube station at 11.15am. It was posted back to me about a week later. I have heard it can be just as quick in Edinburgh.


I went to St Petersburg during their 'white nights' it was absolutely brilliant and I agree with blindman the places and people were lovely. I spent a week there and barely scratched the surface.


if it is your first trip I would highly recommend contacting http://www.globalgreeternetwork.info/ which is available in Moscow. I found them invaluable for getting my bearing and getting used to the transport system and the local knowledge they can give.


Go for it, it is well worth the extra bit of hassle and it is quite cheap once you are there. I would go back in a minute.

Enigma16

blindman wrote: »

Unless you live in London or Edinburgh (I think) the Visa has become a PITA as you must PERSONALLY go to the Visa processing office where they get your fingerprints when you put in the application form.

The application form is a bit of a faff, but fll it out carefully and you should be OK.
One part asked How many coutries I had travelled to in the LAST 10 years-and provde the dates!
Totalled 33 IIRC

The Visa can then be sent back to you by post so you only need one visit.

Excludng travel to the centre expect to pay about £100 total for the Visa.

Travel to Moscow
I flew with BA on their Reward saver Flight using Avios.
Not sure of the prices now.
EasyJet (I think) have just stopped doing this route.

Moscow
Brilliant place, cheap transport, friendly people (honest!)
Easily spend a week there to see everything.

Accomodation.
I stayed in a hostel one time-then went with the wife so had to stay in a Hotel.
Used IHG points though so not too expensive.

Thanks very much for this. How many pages is in the application form? I don't know the exact dates of my previous holidays, but i know the years. Would they dismiss an application for something as small as not knowing the exact dates of a holiday?

How much spending money would you suggest i take with me? I am planning to visit as a single male. I don't know if i would stay in a hostel, but maybe a reasonably priced hotel in a vibrant area or might even check to see if air bnb will have places available closer to the time.

blindman

Enigma16 wrote: »

Thanks very much for this. How many pages is in the application form? I don't know the exact dates of my previous holidays, but i know the years. Would they dismiss an application for something as small as not knowing the exact dates of a holiday?

Possibly 3-4 On-line IIRC
No-I think it's a paper pushing exercise TBHO-I only filled mine out accurately as a trip down memory lane!

How much spending money would you suggest i take with me? I am planning to visit as a single male. I don't know if i would stay in a hostel, but maybe a reasonably priced hotel in a vibrant area or might even check to see if air bnb will have places available closer to the time.

How long is a piece of string?

I travelled by myself first so stayed in a hostel. Loads on Tripadvisor and the staff spoke English.
Cheapest option at the time and suited my needs.

Hotels can be stupidly expensive due to business types and the second time I booked with IHG points so did not look at costs too much.
However the Ruble has been falling so the hotel nights were about £50 per night.
Hostels can be as low as £7 per night and are generally clean and tidy. If you're Ok with sharing facilities (and even rooms) they can be a cheap way to bed down for the night(s).
Like any accomodation look at reviews before you book.

Eating
Like any major city can be from the sublime to the ridiculous.
Restaurants are expensive but cheap cafes\supermarkets abound if you research.

Metro is quite extensive, very efficient (maximum wait over 7 days of travelling was 2 minutes!) and very cheap (20p IIRC).
So any accomodation near a metro is OK

There are free organised walks of the city to give you the bearings.

Overall it's relatively easy to get to and around Moscow and definitely worth the effort.

I've been twice and would go back again-if there was not so much of the world to see.

Rambosmum

When we went the visa was a faff, and I filled the paperwork in wrong but a nice lady from the embassy called me and completed it on the phone. They were surprisingly helpful.

What I found most surprising is how expensive hotels in Moscow are. Food and public transport were cheap for a capital but hotels were astronomical. We ended up stayng in a hostel, private room, private bathroom, no window for £400 for 3 nights, the room barely fitted a double bed in.

novelty-socks

It's a few years since I visited Russia, and it sounds like the visa process has become more complicated in some ways.

However, I absolutely echo the other posters who've recommended it as a destination. I spent a month there, travelling independently from St Petersburg to Moscow and then on to Vladivostok.

The people are friendly (the lack of smiles is highly misleading), Moscow is an exciting, dynamic, imposing city (St Petersburg is probably more beautiful), and there is absolutely loads to see and do.

I fully intend to go back soon.

jackieblack

Is it difficult if you don't speak or understand russian?

I know that sounds pathetic, but I have absolutely no ear for languages and, despite my best efforts, have failed miserably to master any beyond some very basic schoolgirl french & german (and latin, but that's not really much use in a practical context).
Lack of language skills puts me off travelling to places where I can't understand or be understood

converted

I would not let the language and different alphabet put you off, the one and only word I had was thank you (spasibo) and I got by just fine. I got lost on a bus one day and the bus conductress obviously asked everyone on the bus if anyone spoke English and a young chap came and asked how he could help, the same happened in a pharmacy when I was looking for ointment to treat having been severely bitten by mosquitos. Everyone was lovely and so helpful.


As for filling in the forms, I put down roughly the years of places I visited and I don't think I was totally accurate. I really don't think they check all the information with any great detail. One question is what are your parents names, I could not see how they could check this out so I took my birth certificate with me to confirm their names, but they were not interested in seeing the proof!


I did here that the reason it is so cumbersome to get a visa is that for Russians coming here it is just as difficult so the Russians are only following our lead and if Britain relaxed the visa rules so would they.


I also did not find it expensive at all and I went in June which is their peak season. But like any city you can spend as much or as little as you like.

eDicky

jackieblack wrote: »

Is it difficult if you don't speak or understand russian?

The Russian language, with its complicated grammar, is one of the harder languages to master, so Russians have no expectations that visitors will be able to speak it. I have even been advised by Russian friends not to try to learn it!

It's not like the French resentment of visitors who cannot speak their language, Russians will be friendly and helpful. Just learn the odd word or two of greeting etc, and they will be really pleased.

Eg. Good morning - "dobry hootara" (roll the 'R's a bit).