Flying into Russia from China: Shea’s Moscow and Kazan Chronicle

Most people reach Russia from Europe, Istanbul or the Gulf. Shea, who lives in Vancouver, did something different: he flew in from Beijing, as part of a longer summer trip through China, and spent June 2026 in Moscow and Kazan on a regular tourist visa. He speaks a little Russian, which shaped almost everything about how his trip went.

What I love about his story is how practical it is. He explains the China–Russia flight route that lets you pay with a Canadian, American or European card; how he set up YooMoney before leaving home; a small trick for getting a better exchange rate; and then a long, warm section on Kazan that most guides skip. If you want a second view of these same cities, there’s also another reader’s chronicle across Kazan, Moscow and St. Petersburg. Over to Shea.

What follows is Shea’s own account, with his tips and his own photos. Thank you, Shea, for sharing it.

Shea’s route

Approximate route: Beijing → Moscow → Kazan. The line shows the cities, not the exact path. Map: OpenStreetMap.

Flying into Russia from China

I visited Moscow and Kazan as part of a summer trip that also took in several cities in China, so I flew into Moscow straight from Beijing. If you’re thinking of doing the same, it’s worth knowing that Air China runs daily flights between Beijing and Moscow. The useful part is that you can book them directly on Air China’s website with a Canadian, American or European card, which lets you sidestep the hassle of trying to buy tickets on sanctioned Russian airlines.

Landing at Sheremetyevo: the passport check

When I arrived at Sheremetyevo, I was told they needed to check something with my passport, and I ended up waiting about an hour before I was interviewed and had my phone searched. The officer asked whether I spoke Russian, and when I said I spoke a little, he ran the rest of the interview in Russian. My honest tip: if your Russian is very shaky, it might be easier to just say no when they ask, so the whole interview doesn’t switch into Russian. Other than that delay at the airport, I didn’t run into any other issues with the authorities.

Money: YooMoney, cash and the afternoon exchange trick

For paying inside Russia I used YooMoney. I set the account up in advance back in Canada, and I was able to pick up a physical card from a kiosk right in Sheremetyevo airport. I also brought US dollars to change into rubles — fresh, clean banknotes I’d taken out from my bank in Canada just before flying to China, which made a real difference at the counter. I had no trouble changing them at a Sberbank branch.

A Russian friend told me the exchange rate is often better in the afternoon than in the morning, and that sometimes you can even beat the official rate: I got 77 rubles per dollar while the Russian central bank’s listed rate was 75.

Getting online with an eSIM

For the internet I used an eSIM from Yesim, which worked well enough. The coverage did drop on occasion, so I got into the habit of saving screenshots of the route to my destination in advance, just in case I lost the connection on the way. It’s a simple trick, but it saved me more than once. One more thing worth knowing: in Kazan the mobile data almost always worked well inside the metro stations, even when it was not working out on the street.

Getting around: metros, buses and 2GIS

I mostly used the metro to get around in both cities. Moscow’s is vast and easy once you get the hang of it — if it’s your first time, Irena’s guide on how to use the Moscow metro covers tickets and the stations worth seeing. In Kazan I also needed buses fairly often, since the Kazan metro only has a single line.

One thing worth flagging: I navigated with the 2GIS app in all three cities, because Google Maps doesn’t show public transport options in Russia. 2GIS does, and it also works offline, which paired nicely with those saved screenshots.

Why I’m focusing on Kazan

There are already so many guides on what to do in Moscow, so I’d rather tell you about what I enjoyed in Kazan — a city a lot of visitors still skip. I’d genuinely put it near the top of any first Russia trip that has room for a second stop.

First, the Kazan Kremlin, which holds several museums, with the National Museum of Tatarstan right next door. Inside its walls stands the Kul Sharif Mosque, one of the most striking buildings in the whole city.

It’s also worth tracking down the famous Kazan cat statue, which sits between the Kremlyovskaya and Tukay Square metro stations — it’s one of those small things that’s fun to hunt for.

If you speak Russian (or, by some miracle, Tatar), I’d recommend catching a play at one of Kazan’s playhouses. The performance is usually in Tatar, but you can wear headphones that give you a live Russian translation.

And make time to sit down in a few Tatar restaurants: if you have a sweet tooth, try chak-chak, a kind of fried dough soaked in honey, and don’t skip Tatar tea, which I really enjoyed. Irena has a whole piece on what to eat in Kazan if you want ideas. For planning, I found the official Tatarstan tourism site (visit-tatarstan.com) a good resource too.

Was it safe?

Honestly, I felt very safe in both cities — safer than my home city of Vancouver, if I’m being truthful — and most people I met were friendly and helpful. The fact that I can speak some Russian probably helped with that. I did hear an air raid siren during one of my days in Kazan, but it ended fairly quickly and without incident, and it didn’t change how at ease I felt walking around, even in the evenings along the river.

Share your own trip

Have you been to Russia recently and want to share your experience? Tell me about your trip here and I’ll publish it in this section, with your name or anonymously, whichever you prefer. Stories like Shea’s are the ones that really help the people who are planning their own trip right now.