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

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If you’ve spent hours searching through forums, Telegram groups, and outdated blogs, you know how hard it is to separate what still works from what doesn’t. This guide eliminates that work: all the information is verified, organized, and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: same content, organized by chapters, and updated continuously. I recommend checking the web version whenever you need the most recent information.