Is it possible to come to Russia in 2023?

Feb 10, 2023

Yes, it is possible to come to Russia. In this post we will explain to you possibilities and how to do the necessary steps to get to Russia. 

About Safety

Although there are a lot of governments that advice not to visit Russia as it would not be safe, this is not completely true. Visiting Russia is possible, and most of all, the biggest part of Russia is safe to travel. You better don’t visit some regions, like the border between Russia and Ukraine but a region like Altai Republic is absolutely safe. In general the attitude of Russian people didn’t change towards foreigners. They are still very interested in where you are from, why you visit their country and what places you want to see.

Getting a visa

At this moment you can apply for a business or tourist visa in your country, Russia is still granting business, tourist and privates visa’s to foreigners. You need a few documents of course for that. Your passport, a health insurance declaration, an application form with photo’s (you can fill it in here) and an invitation-letter from an official tour-operator like us. Since end of last year there are some changes in the visa’s, but we will write another post about that. If you have any questions about it, just contact us.

Travel to Russia

The next question is, how to get there. Of course, due to the sanctions there are some issues that you should be aware of. From most countries you can’t simply book a direct flight as it used to be. But there are some possibilities for you. Well known routes are flying via Turkey (Istanbul), Dubai, Kazakhstan and Serbia or via Finland (Helsinki) and then continue to cross the border between Finland and Russia by bus or taxi to go to St. Petersburg. Another route is via Gdansk (Poland) and then cross the border between Poland and Russia by bus/taxi to go to Kaliningrad. From Kaliningrad there are many domestic flights.

Maybe you noticed that some routes fly to a place outside Russia to continue by bus/taxi, that is because it is not easy to book a flight to Russia or a domestic flight inside Russia directly. If you book a trip with us, we can assist you in purchasing the tickets necessary to come to us.

Travel in Russia

First of all, you can’t use your foreign bank or credit-card, so you have to bring cash money to exchange that in a bank to rubbles. The maximum amount to bring into Russia per person is 10.000 dollars. Have a look which bank has the best rates because between banks there can be a big difference.

Before it was easy to use sites like booking.com or Airbnb.com to book accommodation. This is not possible anymore at the moment. But, as with many things, Russians found substitutes and moved to other sites like ostrovok.ru. It is easy to book and most accommodations you can pay when you arrive. Also many accommodations have free cancellation policies.

Sim-card

To save you some (actually it can be a lot) of money it is recommended to buy a Russian sim-card for your phone. If you stay in a hotel your whole trip, maybe you can use the Wifi there, but when you move around a lot it is easier to have your own sim-card. For a small amount of money you can buy it in a shop and use it for the time you are in Russia. Please be aware that depending on where you go, the preferent provider can be different as they are not available everywhere. Again, if you are travelling with us, we can organize this before your arrival and you don’t even have to go to the shop, just insert the sim-card and start using it.

 

Conclusion

So what does all this mean, well, it is very well possible to come to Russia and to have a great trip, or visit family and friends. There are some things to pay attention to but with some effort they are easily to overcome. As usual we can assist with all the necessary things when you book with us.

See you soon!

24 Comments

  1. Paul

    Hi, Can you please help me get health insurance and invitation visa to Russia? I am amazed on how hard to get this document and I speak, write and read Russian. I have been searching every website and no one able to provide this letter of invitation.

    Reply
    • Dennis

      Hi Paul, not sure if you have found it yet. But the Russian consulate in Australia directed me to an Armenian company – RGS. It worked perfectly and I was able to get my Russian health insurance through them, no problem. Hope that helps.

      Reply
    • Bhupendra lama

      I went visit in rasiya

      Reply
  2. Dennis

    Great article thank you for the factual and useful information. Actually, I’ve travelled to Russia twice since March last year. My wife is Russian so that makes it easier. But logistically I had no trouble coming from Australia. People I speak with in Australia are very curious as to what it’s like in Russia at the moment. And I am happy to tell them all the positive stories, similar to what you said in the article. Already looking forward to my next trip to beautiful Russia and especially hoping to visit Altai sometime!

    Reply
    • Navroop Chahal

      Hi, Dennis . Thanks for all the information. Wondering what flights fly to Russia from Australia?
      I want to travel to Sochi and Moscow
      Cheers
      Nav

      Reply
  3. Bev

    Thank you so much for this infomation. It is difficult to find information since the sanctions have been imposed. I am wanting to travel to Russia in Sept/Oct of 2023 and specifically to travel on the Trans Siberian. Can you tell me when you think it might be open to the part through Mongolia to Beijing. Thank you so much Bev. Canada

    Reply
    • kaichitravel

      Hi Bev, Sorry but we only organize trips in Altai, we really don’t know the situation regarding the Transiberian Express.

      Reply
    • Poppy

      I am in the same boat as you. let me know if you are able to find any information.

      Reply
  4. Isaura

    Is it possible to make a full day To St. Petersburg from Moscow. I am planing one week trip in Moscow.

    Reply
    • kaichitravel

      Hi Isaura, we only organize trips in Altai, if you need info about Moscow & St. Petersburg please visit Tstours.ru, they are specialised in both cities and speak fluently English.

      Reply
  5. Dyonbeauchampet

    Can someone give me some more info or details to go to russia? My girlfriend is russian, but i wanna go to moscow!! Someone got some tips or helpfully info?

    Reply
    • kaichitravel

      Hi Dyonbeauchampet, please sent an email to [email protected] with your specific questions, from where you want to come to Russia and when? regards, Kaichitravel.

      Reply
    • Jean Snertem

      Did you find more information? I’m in the same boat 🙂

      Reply
      • kaichitravel

        Hi, please sent an email to [email protected] with your questions. We will try to answer all your questions. Regards Kaichitravel.

        Reply
  6. Daniel Susainadan

    Hi
    Is it possible to travel by road from Baku to Makhachkala and vise-versa, Dagestan oblast

    Reply
    • kaichitravel

      Hi, we are sorry, but we only organise tours in Altai. Maybe some toher tour-organiser in DAgestan knows this. regards Kaichitravel

      Reply
  7. Jj

    Hey Laura can I bring € instead of $ to change in Russia

    Reply
    • kaichitravel

      Hi, yes you can.

      Reply
    • kaichitravel

      Hi Lisa, you are right the e-visa are available since 1 august, but please check if your country is on the list for that. And keep in mind that an e-visa is only valid for 16 days, so if you want to stay longer, you still need an invitation letter and regular visa. Regards Kaichitravel

      Reply
  8. akosah Emmanuel

    Is good

    Reply
  9. Mike

    Is it possible for UK citizens to visit Russia? I was there in 2018 & really enjoyed it.

    Reply
    • kaichitravel

      Hi, yes that is possible. You cannot use the e-visa but you can apply for a regular tourist visa. If you want a invitation letter from us, please write an email to [email protected]

      Reply

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