With its colossal size, bureaucratic visa requirements, and post soviet renown, many travelers might feel intimidated about traveling to Russia. Once you get there, however, we hope you’ll find it easier than you expected. Here are ten tips from our month in Russia to help your visit run smoothly.
1. Download the 2GIS app. This mapping app works fully offline and includes offline directions and navigation, search in cyrillic and latin alphabet, and building entrances (very useful for figuring out how to get into your hotel).
2. Learn the cyrillic alphabet. Not only will this help you recognize streets, hotels, and transit stops, you’ll also start to spot many words with a common origin to English (“restaurant” is a useful one). If you speak French or any other latin language, you’ll recognize even more.
3. If you need help, ask. Despite their grumpy reputation, Russians are kind and willing to help. We had guesthouse staff go out of their way to help us find a print shop, and many restaurants (especially in the big cities) can find someone who speaks English.
4. Try to provide exact change as often as possible. Cashiers like to give round number bills as change, and it will help you get rid of all your coins.
5. Book train tickets online at rzd.ru. Although some of the website translations are a bit peculiar, the site is very functional and accepts foreign credit cards. (If you run into trouble with your card, your first recourse should be contacting your bank to unblock it.) Once you’ve purchased your tickets, you do not need to print them – just save the PDF on your phone and show it to the train attendant when you board.
6. Eat at the local “столовая” (stolovaya), or canteen. These cafeterias are usually indicated by the word столовая on the sign, and are a great spot to get a cheap and filling bite to eat. Two travelers can easily share mains, soup, and salad for a satisfying meal. Don’t worry if you don’t speak Russian – we got on just fine with the “guess and point” method. Cutlets (котлета) and mashed potatoes are always a safe bet. In Moscow, the chain “My-My” is a bit more expensive but reliably tasty.
7. At major tourist attractions, check next to the касса (ticket office) for self-service machines. These machines usually do not have a line since Russian tourists cannot use them to get their citizens’ discount, so you can grab your tickets and head straight for the entrance without waiting around. The machines accept cash or card payment.
8. Be organized, but not too organized. If you’re coming from central Asia, you’ll find that Russia is more organized than Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan – for example, minibus routes follow a more defined schedule (rather than leaving when full), and you might be able to book a seat online. That said, with a bit of flexibility you can also buy same-day tickets for transport and tourist attractions.
9. Try as many varieties of biscuits and ice cream as you can find. Russians love sweets, so the biscuit packets and ice cream bars you’ll find in the supermarket are tasty and cheap.
10. When in doubt, refer to Russiau.com. This excellent and comprehensive website can give you detailed instructions for everything from applying for your visa to finding inexpensive food in pricey Moscow. It should be your first port of call when planning your trip.
