2.5 Hours at Passport Control, then Kazan to Vladivostok: Michael’s Trans-Siberian Chronicle

Michael lives in Sweden and in September 2026 he crossed Russia from west to east in about three weeks: he flew into Kazan via Istanbul with an electronic visa, travelled on through Yekaterinburg, Omsk, Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk and Irkutsk, mostly on overnight trains in third class, and left from Vladivostok on a flight to Beijing. He doesn’t speak Russian, and he got by, in his own words, with his hands and a smile.

His chronicle is short but full of things worth knowing: the longest passport check I’ve had a reader describe (two and a half hours in Kazan, with his phones and laptop gone through), which bookings worked with a foreign Mastercard and which didn’t, what platzkart costs, and a 48-hour internet block on arrival in Yekaterinburg. If you’re planning the same route, read it alongside Philippe’s story, who also took three weeks, and Guy’s, who did it non-stop.

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

Michael’s trip at a glance

Traveller	Michael, from Sweden
When	September 2026, about three weeks
Entry into Russia	Electronic visa (eVisa), by plane: Gothenburg – Istanbul – Kazan with Turkish Airlines
Passport control	About 2.5 hours at Kazan airport: phones and laptop checked, and a search for tattoos
Route in Russia	Kazan – Yekaterinburg – Omsk – Novosibirsk – Krasnoyarsk – Irkutsk – Vladivostok
Trains	Third class (platzkart), about $50 per leg, overnight; tickets paid online with a Swedish Mastercard
Hotels	Couldn’t pay on Ostrovok or ZenHotels with his Mastercard
Money	$6,500 in cash; exchanged at the airport and at banks along the way
Internet	Proton VPN; blocked for 48 hours on arrival in Yekaterinburg
Insurance	Solidarity travel insurance
Exit	Flight from Vladivostok to Beijing, bought on City.Travel with his Mastercard

Michael’s route

Michael’s route: flights from Gothenburg via Istanbul to Kazan and from Vladivostok to Beijing (dashed), and the cities he stopped in across Russia (solid). Approximate route.

Getting there: Gothenburg to Kazan via Istanbul

Hi, I flew with Turkish Airlines from Gothenburg to Kazan via Istanbul, spent 10 hours at Istanbul airport. I travelled with 6,500 dollars in cash. Don’t buy anything there, it’s ridiculously expensive. I had a Solidarity travel insurance.

2.5 hours at passport control in Kazan

Landed at Kazan airport at 15:30. At the passport control, she kept my passport and asked me to wait. After about 30 minutes an officer asked me into his office. He went through my phones (I’ve got two phones) and went through my computer looking for pictures and contacts, and I also had to pull my shirt and my trousers up, so they could look for WW2 tattoos. This procedure took about 2.5 hours.

I had some roubles with me but I needed more for taxis and restaurants. I exchanged 400 US dollars at the airport (no other choice).

Hotels, train tickets and internet

I could book hotels on Ostrovok.ru, but I couldn’t pay with my Mastercard. I also tried ZenHotels.com, but it didn’t work at all. Train tickets at russianrailway.com: on their site I could pay online with my Swedish Mastercard.

Internet in Kazan was poor. The hotel’s Wi-Fi was working, but it took forever to load sites with my Proton VPN.

Kazan to Yekaterinburg

I went to Yekaterinburg from Kazan-2 train station. If you go there, eat and shop before: that train station had poor supplies. Arriving in Yekaterinburg, I was blocked from the internet for 48 hours. The friendly staff at the hotel let me use her Russian phone number to log on to the hotel’s Wi-Fi, no problem there.

On through Siberia, in platzkart

In Omsk and the rest of the trip, no issues, except I couldn’t log on to VK with the VPN, only without.

All train tickets, I chose 3rd class, without animals, and they cost about $50 for every trip. That’s an open carriage, everyone was friendly. They depart in the evening and arrive in the morning.

I went to the banks on my way to buy roubles, didn’t find any other choice.

Vladivostok and on to Beijing

In Vladivostok I bought a flight to Beijing on the City.Travel website and paid with my Mastercard.

I don’t speak Russian, but with my hands and a smile, they were all helpful. This trip took about 3 weeks.

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