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Catherine Palace in St. Petersburg: what to see, how to get there & ticketsCatherine Palace, in the town of Pushkin, is the other must-do day trip from St. Petersburg, alongside Peterhof. It sits 25 km south of the city, in what used to be called Tsarskoye Selo («the Tsar’s Village»), and it’s one of the most spectacular Romanov summer residences. The crowd-pleasers: Rastrelli’s 300-metre blue and white baroque […]
Peterhof: what to see, how to get there & tickets from St. PetersburgPeterhof is the day trip you absolutely have to do from St. Petersburg. It sits 30 km west of the city, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, and brings together the largest collection of fountains in the world, several palaces, French-style formal gardens and English-style romantic parks. The summer residence of the tsars […]
Traveling to Russia by RV or Camper: A Practical Guide for Foreign TouristsEverything you need to know to travel to Russia by RV, camper or motorhome: legal framework, open borders, camping regulations, free camping, how to book without Booking and real routes.
Russia Migration Card in 2026: How It Works and What to Do With ItThe migration card (in Russian, миграционная карта) is the document that records your entry to and exit from Russia and, while you’re in the country, serves as proof that you’ve crossed the border legally. For an international traveler arriving on a visa, it matters because the hotel will ask for it to register you. The […]
Russian Airport Services in 2026: What’s There and What It CostsOnce you’ve cleared passport control and customs, you walk into the arrivals hall of a Russian airport and the next part begins: changing money, getting connected, contacting whoever’s picking you up, dropping off a suitcase if you can’t head to the hotel yet. Here I’ll walk you through what specific services you’ll find at the […]
Russia Customs in 2026: What You Can Bring (and What You Can’t)Russian customs isn’t a particularly difficult procedure for a tourist arriving with normal luggage. The vast majority go through the green channel without issues . The general rule is simple: if you fly in, you can bring up to 10,000 EUR and 50 kg of baggage without paying or declaring anything, as long as it’s […]
Arriving at a Russian Airport in 2026: Step-by-Step Border ProceduresIf you’re landing at a Russian airport in 2026, the process looks very different from what it was a few years ago. The paper migration card has disappeared from the big airports, they’ll photograph you and take your fingerprints at passport control, and the whole procedure is now digital. In this guide I’ll walk you […]
Air Borders to Russia in 2026: Hubs, Airports and How to Enter by PlaneIf you’re planning a trip to Russia from Europe, the United States or any other Western country, the first thing to figure out is how you’re going to get in. Flying is the most common option, but since March 2022 there are no direct flights: the airspace between the European Union, the United States, the […]
How to Book Flights to Russia in 2026: Where to Search and Pay with a Foreign CardIf you are planning a trip to Russia from the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, or anywhere in Europe, you have probably hit a confusing double block: Skyscanner, Momondo and Kayak no longer show flights to Moscow, and when you go directly to Aeroflot’s website your Visa or Mastercard is rejected at checkout. The flights […]
Where to stay in St. Petersburg: the best neighborhoods and areas for touristsSt. Petersburg is much easier than Moscow when it comes to picking a neighborhood: practically everything you’ll want to see is concentrated in two adjoining central districts, Tsentralny and Admiralteysky , separated by Nevsky Avenue. If you’re only in town for a few days and it’s your first time, stay in either one. If you’re […]
Where to stay in Moscow: the best neighborhoods and areas for touristsMoscow has 12 districts and around 125 neighborhoods, so deciding where to sleep can be a real headache. Short answer: if you’re staying just a few days and want to walk to Red Square, look in Tverskoy , Arbat or Yakimanka . If you’re traveling with kids and want quiet, check out Basmanny or Presnensky […]
Types of Accommodation in Russia: Hotels, Apartments and Other Options for Foreign TouristsAccommodation eats up about half the cost of a trip to Russia, and getting it right is the difference between enjoying yourself or putting up with it. The choice is huge and varied: hotels of every category, tourist apartments, hostels, sanatoriums and guesthouses . As a foreign tourist on a first visit, the three options […]
What to Buy in Sochi: Tea, Honey, Wine and the Best SouvenirsSochi and the Krasnodar region have a pantry as rich as it is unexpected: this is where the world’s northernmost tea grows, where 60% of all Russian wine is made (including Abrau-Dyurso’s sparkling, the so-called “Russian champagne”), and where some of the country’s most prized Caucasian honeys, cheeses and sweets are produced. If you’re coming […]
Adler, the Olympic Park and Fisht Stadium: What to See and DoAdler is the southern district of Sochi, where you land if you fly in and where practically the entire legacy of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games is concentrated: the massive Olympic Park, the Fisht Stadium (which later hosted 2018 FIFA World Cup matches), Russia’s first theme park (Sochi Park) and a 7-kilometre seafront promenade. For […]
Crossing the Azerbaijan-Russia Border (2026): What You Need to KnowThe land border between Azerbaijan and Russia is one of the most confusing in the Caucasus. The recurring question — “is it open or closed?” — depends entirely on which direction you’re travelling. On top of that, Azerbaijan has been extending its border closure every few months since March 2020. The crossings that work today […]
Skiing in Krasnaya Polyana (Sochi) in 2026: The Complete GuideKrasnaya Polyana is Russia’s largest ski area : three modern resorts in the Caucasus mountains, 167 kilometers of runs, an Olympic-grade infrastructure inherited from the 2014 Games, and a season that runs from December to May. It’s 40 minutes from Sochi airport, making it a surprisingly accessible option for skiers who want a different destination […]
How to Get from Sochi Airport to the City and to Krasnaya Polyana in 2026Sochi International Airport (AER) is actually in Adler , about 30 km southeast of central Sochi and just 2 km from the Olympic Park. It’s the same airport people mean when they say “I’m flying to Sochi,” “I’m going to the Olympic Park,” or “I’m going skiing in Krasnaya Polyana”: there’s no other terminal in […]
Things to Do in Sochi in 2026: The Complete Travel GuideSochi is Russia’s most popular seaside resort, a 145-kilometer stretch of subtropical Black Sea coast where you can have the beach and an Olympic mountain just 40 minutes apart by car. It’s a different Russia: palm trees instead of golden domes, cypresses instead of fir trees, tea grown at 400 meters of altitude, and a […]
How to Declare Cash When Entering Russia: A Practical GuideIf you’re traveling to Russia with a significant amount of cash, two almost identical questions come up that turn out to be very different: how much can I bring in without declaring? And what happens if I want to take the leftover money out when I leave? The first one has a simple answer. The […]
Where to Apply for a Russian Visa in the USA (2026)Applying for a Russian visa as a US citizen in 2026 means choosing between three routes: directly at a consulate, through the Russia Visa Centre in New York, or through a private visa agency. Each one has different costs, addresses and processing times. This guide is based on the official websites of the Russian consulates […]