Here’s everything you can book for a trip to Russia, in the order you’ll need it. These are the services I recommend because you can pay for them with a foreign card; each one takes you to the page where I explain how to do it step by step.
Russiable Guide
The only up-to-date Russia travel guide: visas, flights, payments, Moscow, St. Petersburg and the Trans-Siberian.
1. Before you go
eVisa with expert help
Your documents are checked before submission and you get multilingual support. 135 USD all-in, 4–7 business days.
Invitation letter
Your visa support PDF in about 5 minutes, valid for a tourist visa.
Required
Travel medical insurance
Valid for the eVisa and the paper visa, accepted by consulates, and you pay with a foreign card.
Flights to Russia
Where to find routes to Moscow and other Russian cities and pay with your foreign card.
2. On the ground
Hotels and apartments
Book with Ostrovok and pay with your foreign Mastercard, from any country and without a VPN.
Train tickets
With RussianTrain you buy Russian train tickets with Visa or Mastercard, in English and without a VPN.
Airport transfer
Your taxi booked and paid with a foreign card before you land, so there’s no hassle on arrival.
3. Connectivity and payments
Essential
Yesim eSIM
Data from the moment you land: set up in 5 minutes, no roaming and no physical SIM.
Amnezia VPN
The big VPNs fail in Russia; Amnezia holds up. Set it up before you fly.
MIR card
Your Visa or Mastercard won’t work in Russia. With a T-Bank MIR card you pay like a local, delivered free to your hotel.
Send money to Russia
Run out of cash? With SendNow you send money to Russia without crypto or middlemen. It’s the service I use myself.
Not sure where to start? Follow the Russia trip planning guide and come back here when it’s time to book each thing.