Russia Travel Guide 2026 — The Only Truly Up-to-Date Guide

📅 Last updated: October 3, 2026

Traveling to Russia today is still possible, but it’s not as easy as it used to be. International sanctions, payment restrictions, and the lack of reliable information have left travelers without clear references.

No publisher (not even Lonely Planet) currently offers an updated guide to Russia. That’s why I wrote the Russiable Guide: a practical, easy-to-read book that gets straight to the point and helps you plan your trip to Moscow and St. Petersburg or along the Trans-Siberian step by step.

In PDF, ePUB and a web version, with all future updates included. After your purchase you get everything by email.

One-time payment with future updates · €29.95 + VAT where applicable

What you won’t find online

Some things you won’t find on Google or by asking an AI, because nobody publishes them. For example, what the border crossings are like right now, how long it takes to get through and what questions they ask you on entry. Or which cards work on each platform and which payment methods work at any given moment.

This guide comes from real experience: my own trips, Russian sources and what more than 3,200 travelers tell me when they get back. And I correct it every time something changes.

And if something isn’t clear, you write to me. The guide includes a private form for anyone who buys it. I read it myself and I answer myself, there is nobody else behind it. If you get stuck with the visa, if a payment won’t go through or if a link has stopped working, tell me. A good part of what gets corrected in the guide comes from exactly that: what readers ask me before they leave and what they tell me when they get back.

It compiles, expands and updates all the information from the blog, revised with the latest changes to visas, flights, payments and transportation within Russia. More than 3,200 travelers have already trusted the Russiable Guide to organize their trips.

What you get

The book in PDF: this is the main format. All the content in a single file you can download, keep and read offline on your computer, tablet or phone, or print if you prefer to carry it on paper.
The book in ePUB: the same book to read on an e-reader or in a reading app, with text that adapts to your screen size.
The book in a web version: the same book published with Pressbooks, the book-publishing platform it is made with. Same content, organized by chapters, and updated continuously until I regenerate the PDF.

🔐 After your purchase you’ll receive the PDF and ePUB downloads and the access details for the web version by email.

What You’ll Learn with This Guide

How to apply for a Russian visa or e-Visa depending on your nationality.
Which cards and payment methods work in Russia.
Where and how to book accommodation without issues using foreign cards.
How to get rubles, use a MIR card, or send money to Russia.
Documents and procedures you must complete upon arrival in Russia, with official examples.
How to buy tickets and tours online in advance.
Which apps, eSIM, and VPN you need to stay connected.
Detailed itineraries for Moscow and St. Petersburg with schedules, routes, restaurants, and local tips, plus a whole part on the Trans-Siberian.
Everything explained clearly and practically, with direct links to services that are still operating.

Why This Guide Is Different

Constantly updated with the latest changes in visas, flights, payments, and borders.
Based on first-hand information, not compiled from the internet: my own trips, Russian sources, and feedback from more than 3,200 travelers who have used it on the ground.
In PDF and ePUB to read offline or print, and with the same book in a web version you can read from any browser.
Perfect for reading on your phone or tablet while traveling.
Includes all future editions and updates.
A book that is revised constantly, adapted to the new context of traveling to Russia and translated into 5 languages.
More than 3,200 travelers have planned their trips with this guide.
Expands and updates the content from the blog, much of which was written before the most recent changes in Russia.
Spend less than €30 and save over €300 on your trip to Russia with the tips from this guide.

What Other Travelers Say About the Russiable Guide

Fantastic guide! It was extremely useful during my recent trip to Moscow and St. Petersburg, especially given how unclear the information was after the international sanctions. Clear, engaging, and detailed without overwhelming you with unnecessary data or endless lists of places that make other guides tedious and dull.
Alejandro F.
I’m writing to thank you for your guide and for the support you gave me during my trip to Russia (Moscow and St. Petersburg); it was a wonderful experience. I owe much of it to your guide and to you for the help you provided whenever I needed it. The food was delicious, and the people were very kind.
Armando A.
Thank you so much for creating such a well-organized and informative resource. For those who are unsure about traveling given the current situation with the war in Ukraine, I can say that I’ve just returned from Russia and life there is completely normal for locals. You shouldn’t pay too much attention to what’s said on TV.
Kateryna G.
A few days ago, I purchased your guide and I’m already preparing for my first trip to Russia — specifically to St. Petersburg. I’ll be going with my wife, who is Russian.
Everything in the guide is explained wonderfully; honestly, it’s been incredibly helpful. In fact, it even encouraged me to apply for the visa — and it’s true, the process is quite simple, but I think that’s partly thanks to the guide.
JHON
I bought your guide and just got back from spending four days in Moscow. Without it, the trip would have been possible but much more complicated. It helped us from the very first moment — all the procedures and suggestions were super clear.
We came back amazed by the trip; it’s a monumental city, and the food is fantastic. We went to Café Pushkin and White Rabbit, and we also ate at the GUM galleries. Your guide was the best part of the trip.
Olivia
I bought your guide, and it’s truly been a great help in organizing my trip to Russia in a few months. Thank you so much, and congratulations on the excellent work collecting and presenting all the information. I had been looking for guides to travel to Russia, but they had all been published before the war and contained outdated information.
XAVIER

PLAN YOUR TRIP TO RUSSIA

A book in PDF and ePUB — and on the web too

The main format is the PDF: a single file that you download once and take with you on your phone, tablet or laptop — offline and hassle-free. You can also print it if you prefer paper. And if you read on an e-reader or in a reading app, you have the same book in ePUB.

📘 You also get the same book in a web version, published with Pressbooks: same content, organized by chapters, and updated continuously. I recommend checking the web version whenever you need the most recent information.

Buy the book for €29.95 + VAT where applicable

Why buy this guide?

If you identify with any of the following situations, this guide is made for you:

You’re planning a trip to Russia, but you feel a bit lost because, after the international sanctions, it’s hard to find clear, up-to-date, and reliable information online.
You don’t want to waste weeks scrolling through forums or social networks looking for confusing or contradictory information about visas, flights, or payments.
You prefer to travel independently and value having practical, organized, and verified information to plan your trip to Russia according to your own preferences and budget.
You’ve already started planning your trip, but you still have many questions about procedures, borders, transportation, or bookings.
You don’t want to overpay by relying on agencies or intermediaries to handle tasks you could easily manage yourself with the right information.
You want to have everything you need in one place to prepare your trip with peace of mind, without relying on outdated sources.
You’re looking for a practical, realistic guide, written from first-hand experience and tailored to Russia’s current situation.

BUY THE GUIDE

Russia Travel Guide 2026: The Only One Still Up to Date

How the Guide Is Organized

The book is divided into three main parts with over 120 chapters and sections, covering everything from trip planning to day-by-day itineraries in Moscow and St. Petersburg and the Trans-Siberian journey.

Part 1. Before the Trip

The 10 essential steps to prepare your trip to Russia: visa (electronic and traditional), flights, accommodation, trains, money, MIR card, travel insurance, eSIM, internet, shows, and much more.
It also includes the current border situation, booking tips, and everything you need before you go.

Parts 2 and 3. During the Trip

Day-by-day itineraries for Moscow and St. Petersburg, with schedules, routes, transportation, museums, restaurants, and local recommendations.
It also includes excursions to the Red Square, Peterhof, Tsaritsyno, and other iconic sites, with practical information to plan each visit and make the most of your trip.
Part 3 is all about the Trans-Siberian: from Moscow to Vladivostok, with stops in Kazan, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk and Lake Baikal.

Formats: PDF, ePUB and web version

Maps showing the location of major attractions, stations, airports, and entry points for the electronic visa, plus useful links.
All of it in a clear, easy-to-read book in PDF (and ePUB) and in the web version of the same book, published with Pressbooks and updated continuously.

Frequently Asked Questions

For a general idea, yes. For the details that decide whether a procedure works out, no: an AI can only tell you what someone has already published on the internet, and what you really need to know to travel to Russia today is almost never published. This guide gathers what travelers tell me when they get back and what I check myself, and it is corrected every time something changes. And if anything is unclear, you write to me and I answer.

Yes. With the guide you get a contact form that comes straight to me. I read it myself and I answer myself. I don’t build custom itineraries or make bookings for you, but if you get stuck with any of the steps I explain in the guide, write to me and I’ll give you a hand.

The blog gives you scattered pieces of information. The book gives you the complete system: everything organized step by step, updated with the latest changes, with maps, direct links to services that work, and chapters you won’t find on the blog. Many blog articles were written before the most recent changes in Russia; the book compiles all that information — revised, expanded, and brought up to date.

If you’ve spent hours searching through forums, Telegram groups, and outdated blogs, you know how hard it is to separate what still works from what doesn’t. This guide eliminates that work: all the information is verified, organized, and ready to use. The time you save in planning is worth far more than the price of the guide.

You can find scattered information for free, yes. What you won’t find for free is a complete, up-to-date, step-by-step guide for traveling to Russia under current conditions. No publisher offers a Russia guide today. Lonely Planet stopped updating theirs. For less than €30 you get the complete book, with all future editions included — and with the payment and booking tips alone, you can easily save over €300 on your trip.

It’s reviewed whenever there are relevant changes to visas, flights, payment methods, borders, or transportation within Russia. Changes appear first in the web version and are then incorporated into the PDF, which I regenerate periodically. All future editions are included.

That’s actually when the guide becomes most useful: the day-by-day itineraries for Moscow and St. Petersburg, on-the-ground payment tips, the apps you need, how to use public transport, where to eat, what paperwork to complete on arrival… that’s what makes the difference between an ordinary trip and one that’s truly well planned.

Yes. Although there are sanctions and restrictions, travel is still possible by following the routes and methods explained step by step in the guide. Thousands of European travelers continue to visit Moscow and St. Petersburg every year.

Yes. Russia is a safe country for tourists who respect local regulations. The guide explains basic precautions, how to avoid restricted areas, and which apps and services currently work within the country.

Yes, payment is processed through Stripe and accepts any international debit or credit card. Inside the guide, you’ll also find all the options for paying in Russia with a foreign card, a MIR card, or cash.

It’s a digital book, not a course or an app. The main format is the PDF: a single file that you can download, keep and read offline on your computer, tablet or phone, or print if you prefer paper. You can also download it in ePUB if you read on an e-reader or in a reading app. You also get the same book in a web version, published with Pressbooks (a book-publishing platform): same content, organized by chapters, and updated continuously. I recommend checking the web version whenever you need the most recent information.

Start planning your trip to Russia today

Get access to the only truly up-to-date guide for traveling to Russia.
All the practical information you won’t find anywhere else.

Buy the book for €29.95 + VAT where applicable

Thanks to your purchase, you help keep this practical and up-to-date guide to traveling in Russia alive at a time when reliable information is hard to find.