Yekaterinburg Solo: Iñigo’s Chronicle from the Heart of the Urals

I’m carrying on with the traveler chronicles, the section of the blog where other readers tell me, unfiltered, how their trip to Russia went. Today it’s Iñigo’s turn — a reader from Burgos, in Spain, who back in March 2026 went to Yekaterinburg on his own, right in the heart of the Urals, and came back delighted.

Yekaterinburg isn’t a usual destination for first-time travelers to Russia — most people start with Moscow and St. Petersburg — so his account is doubly valuable: he tells you how to get there, how to pay and what to see in a city there’s barely any information about in English. If you’d like to read other chronicles, you can do so in the experiences section from other travelers.

What follows is Iñigo’s account, with his own tips and photos. Thanks, Iñigo, for sharing it.

How I got to Yekaterinburg: Bilbao, Istanbul and Ural Airlines

I made the trip on the eVisa, which I got without any trouble. I flew from Bilbao to Istanbul with Pegasus, spent a night in Istanbul and the next day caught the Istanbul–Yekaterinburg flight with Ural Airlines. I landed around 3:00 a.m. and spent about an hour at passport control in the airport.

At that hour I’d planned to take a taxi to the hotel, and my advice is to take an official taxi: there’s a desk in the airport itself where you can book one.

Irena’s note: Iñigo entered on an electronic visa. If you don’t have one yet, I explain how to apply for it step by step in the Russian eVisa guide.

The hotel and how I got by without speaking Russian

For my six nights I stayed in a simple, quiet hotel close to the center, a few metro stops away. Check-in gave me no trouble at all and the stay was very pleasant. Whenever I needed to communicate with the staff, I used the translator on my phone and we understood each other without any difficulty.

Money: I changed my rubles in Spain

I arrived in Yekaterinburg already carrying rubles, because I did the currency exchange in Spain before leaving. I had no problem paying in cash in various places. That said, it’s a good idea to let them know you’ll be paying in cash, though nobody ever gave me any trouble over it.

Internet: I ended up without an eSIM and relied on wifi

Before traveling I looked for an eSIM on several websites, but I couldn’t find any compatible with my phone, so I made do with the wifi at the hotel and other places. It wasn’t ideal, but I managed.

Irena’s note: so the same thing doesn’t happen to you, check compatibility beforehand. Here are the eSIMs that work in Russia.

What to see in Yekaterinburg

I’m really into history, and Yekaterinburg is worth several days. Let me start with what I liked most.

The Boris Yeltsin Presidential Center

A museum devoted to the life and work of the first president of the Russian Federation, with several exhibitions on Russia’s transition in the 1990s. If you’re interested in the country’s recent history, it’s well worth a visit.

The Church on the Blood

It’s built on the spot where the Ipatiev House once stood, where Tsar Nicholas II, his family and their servants were murdered. It’s one of the most symbolic places in the city, and you can see it right at the start of this article, with its golden domes.

The UMMC Museum of Military Equipment

On the outskirts of the city is this museum run by the Ural Mining and Metallurgical Company (UMMC), split into three areas: an automobile museum, a military museum and an aviation museum. There’s a huge collection of vintage and Russian-made cars. It’s one of those places where you can easily spend the whole day.

The best panoramic view: the Vysotsky

The best view of the whole city is from the observation deck of the Vysotsky Business Center. It’s worth going up.

Sevastyanov House

A 19th-century palace and one of the most beautiful buildings in the center.

The Europe–Asia border monument

About 17 km from the city stands the monument marking the border between Europe and Asia. A must for a photo: you can stand with one foot on each continent.

To get around, I’d take the metro into the center and walk from there. When I wanted to visit a museum or somewhere further out, I’d grab a taxi — much cheaper than in Spain. And it’s not all history: the city has great food — I mostly ate at Russian and Italian restaurants, some of them gorgeous — and plenty of cultural life. I enjoyed two concerts at a jazz club.

Safety and atmosphere

I felt safe the whole time in the areas I moved around in, very comfortable throughout the stay. And the people I dealt with were wonderful.

What I take away from Iñigo’s chronicle

That’s Iñigo’s account. I’m left with several very practical takeaways: that you can travel solo to a city like Yekaterinburg without knowing Russian, leaning on your phone’s translator; that arriving in the middle of the night is no problem if you take the airport’s official taxi; that bringing your rubles already exchanged from Spain works perfectly; that it’s worth checking your eSIM’s compatibility before you leave; and that taxis come out much cheaper than back home. A city with a huge amount of 20th-century history and a perfect gateway to the Urals.

Have you traveled to Russia recently and want to share your experience? Write to me with your account and your photos and I’ll publish it in this section, under your name or anonymously, whichever you prefer. Accounts like Iñigo’s are the ones that really help people who are planning their trip.