Since 2022, Booking.com and Airbnb have stopped operating in Russia. The good news is that booking hotels and apartments in Moscow, Saint Petersburg or any other Russian city is straightforward again — you just need to know which platform to use, and that depends on where you’ll be when you make the booking.
There are two clear paths. If you’re booking from outside the European Union and the UK (the US, Canada, Latin America, Asia, Australia…), Zenhotels is the easiest option and works with any card. If you’re booking from inside the EU or the UK, Ostrovok is your best bet, paying with a Mastercard. Find your case below.
🌎 Booking from outside the EU and the UK → use Zenhotels
If you connect to the internet from the United States, Canada, Latin America, Asia, Australia, the Middle East or any other country outside the European Union and the UK, this is the simplest option by far. Zenhotels is a Russian platform that shows the full inventory of hotels, apartments and hostels across Russia, and you can pay online with any foreign card — Visa, Mastercard, Maestro or American Express. No VPN, no workarounds: search, pick your accommodation and pay as you would on any other booking site.
Zenhotels belongs to Emerging Travel Group, the largest online travel company in Russia, so you get a huge selection of properties, instant booking confirmation and 24/7 customer support.
🇪🇺 Booking from the EU or the UK → use Ostrovok with a Mastercard
Since October 2025, Zenhotels no longer shows accommodation in Russia to users connecting from the European Union or the United Kingdom, due to the 19th EU sanctions package. If that’s your situation, the best option is Ostrovok — the same group as Zenhotels, but geared towards the domestic Russian market and fully accessible from the EU and the UK without a VPN. It recently started accepting foreign cards from anywhere in the world.
There’s one important condition: for now it only works with Mastercard (Visa isn’t accepted yet). If you have a Mastercard, you can book online in a couple of minutes, with no VPN and no cleared cookies. Start your search here:
Why Ostrovok is a solid choice
Ostrovok is, essentially, the «Booking.com of Russia»: it’s the most widely used accommodation platform in the country and has been running since 2011. A few things worth knowing:
- Huge inventory: over 218,000 properties in Russia — hotels, apartments, hostels and guesthouses — in Moscow, Saint Petersburg and hundreds of other cities.
- Competitive prices: in around 40% of searches, prices come in 5-10% below the market average.
- Flexible cancellation: a great many properties let you cancel for free up to the day before arrival.
- Instant confirmation: your booking is confirmed straight away, with a voucher you can download (in English) and show at reception, even offline.
- 24/7 customer support: help by chat and phone at any hour.
How to pay with your foreign Mastercard on Ostrovok
The booking process is the same as on any other platform: you search, choose your dates and accommodation, and move on to payment. The only point to watch is the payment screen.
There, Ostrovok offers several payment methods. You need to choose the «Credit card» option and enter your Mastercard details. Don’t choose «FPS»: that’s Russia’s instant payment system and only works with Russian cards and accounts. The image below shows the correct option:
Once you’ve selected «Credit card», you enter your Mastercard details as you would for any online purchase, and that’s it. Remember: Visa doesn’t work yet, so make sure you use a Mastercard.
If you don’t have a Mastercard
If you don’t have a Mastercard, the simplest fix is to get one: many banks and fintech apps offer free Mastercards you can have ready within days, or you can ask a trusted family member or friend and book under their name. If you’d still rather not use a Mastercard, you have two options.
Book on Ostrovok and pay on arrival. Many properties on Ostrovok let you book without entering any card details and pay directly at the hotel when you check in, in cash and in rubles. In the «Payment and booking» filter, tick «No credit card needed» and «Pay on the spot». Keep in mind you’ll need to carry enough cash in rubles or exchange currency once you’re in Russia.
Use Zenhotels with a VPN. You can still book with Zenhotels from inside the EU or the UK by using a VPN and clearing your cookies, which lets you pay with any foreign card. The process has a few steps — I explain it in detail in the full guide on how to book accommodation in Russia.
🏠 Want an apartment? Book it on Sutochno
Ostrovok and Zenhotels are great for hotels, but if what you want is an apartment —to travel with family or in a group, have your own kitchen or stay like a local—, your best option is Sutochno, the Russian equivalent of Airbnb, with hundreds of thousands of apartments, studios and houses you book directly from the owner, with no service fee.
And it has a big advantage: it lets you pay with a foreign card, both Visa and Mastercard, from anywhere in the world and with no VPN. The payment is processed through a Belarusian gateway (TravelFly) in Belarusian rubles, and your bank handles the conversion from your currency automatically. That makes it especially handy if you’re in the EU or the UK and only have a Visa — it’s the one platform here that lets you pay online with a Visa from inside the European Union, with no VPN.
I explain what Sutochno is, what it offers and the step-by-step payment process (with screenshots) in my guide on how to rent apartments in Russia with a foreign card.
Quick comparison table
| Platform | Where it works | Foreign card? | Pay on arrival? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zenhotels | ✅ Outside EU/UK, no VPN · ⚠️ Inside EU/UK only with VPN | ✅ Yes (Visa & Mastercard) | ✅ Sometimes |
| Ostrovok (with Mastercard) | ✅ Worldwide, no VPN | ✅ Mastercard only | ✅ At some properties |
| Ostrovok (pay on arrival) | ✅ Worldwide, no VPN | ❌ No card needed | ✅ Yes (cash in rubles) |
| Sutochno (apartments) | ✅ Worldwide, no VPN | ✅ Yes (Visa & Mastercard) | ✅ Yes (balance to owner) |
Frequently asked questions
Which platform should I use to book hotels in Russia?
It depends on where you’ll be when you book. From outside the EU and the UK, Zenhotels is the easiest option and accepts any foreign card. From inside the EU or the UK, Ostrovok is the best choice, paying with a Mastercard. And if you want an apartment rather than a hotel, Sutochno works worldwide and accepts both Visa and Mastercard.
Can I pay with a Visa card?
On Zenhotels, yes, if you book from outside the EU and the UK. On Ostrovok, not yet — for now it only accepts Mastercard for foreign payments. If you want an apartment, Sutochno accepts both Visa and Mastercard worldwide; and if you only have a Visa and need a hotel, you can book a property with payment on arrival instead.
Do I need a VPN to book accommodation in Russia?
Not in most cases. Zenhotels works without a VPN from outside the EU and the UK, and Ostrovok and Sutochno work without a VPN from anywhere. You would only need a VPN to use Zenhotels from inside the EU or the UK.
Can I pay at the hotel instead of paying online?
Yes. Many properties on Ostrovok let you book without entering card details and pay in cash, in rubles, when you check in. Use the «No credit card needed» and «Pay on the spot» filters to find them.
Is it safe to book on Zenhotels and Ostrovok?
Yes. Both belong to Emerging Travel Group, the largest online travel company in Russia, operating since 2011. Payments are processed securely and you get instant booking confirmation.
Can I book an apartment with a foreign card?
Yes. Sutochno, the Russian equivalent of Airbnb, lets you pay for apartments with Visa, Mastercard or Belcard. The payment is processed through a Belarusian gateway in Belarusian rubles, with automatic conversion from your currency.
If you’d like to see the full comparison with other alternative platforms (Sutochno, Yandex Travel, Bronevik) and understand more about how booking accommodation in Russia has changed since the sanctions, read the full guide on how to book accommodation in Russia.