• Russian visa
• Best time to visit Russia
• What's to see in Russia
• River cruises or private tours?
• Best hotels in Russia
• Booking opera or ballet tickets
• Air vs rail
• Booking flights to Russia
• Russian national holidays
• 5 Tips for booking

Russia requires American, Canadian, Australian, European, and other Western travelers have visas before entering the country. Obtaining a Russian visa is not difficult, but can still be a hassle. The price of a standard tourist visa is $200 and takes one month to process.

With Travel All Russia, we take the stress out of visas. Every package tour and river cruise comes with the free arrangement of your visas. You can learn more about it on our page dedicated to Russian visas.

There has never been a better time to visit Russia! It is modernized, safe, and offers plenty of things to explore. The only thing to consider when planning your Russian adventure is the time of year: do you want to see Russia’s world-famous winter or its relaxingly warm summer?

World-renowned for being the coldest country on earth, Russia provides a winter unlike anything you have seen before. Snow coats every building, icicles dangle from roofs. The entire country transforms into a wonderland of ivory perfection. Though this season offers unsurpassable beauty, Russia’s summers are the most popular tourist times. May to September turns the country into a bustling hub of summer fun, with warm sunny days and gorgeous sandy beaches.

The drawback of the summer, however, is that the airfares and hotel prices skyrocket and museum lines lengthen. By booking a private tour in advance, you reserve good rates and bypass museum lines with the help of your personal guide.

If you are interested in a budget vacation, we recommend visiting just before travel season, in late April or early May, or right after it ends, in late September or early October. The museum lines will be short, but you will need to bring warm clothes as weather gets surprisingly chilly, especially in the evenings.

Tips: One of the perks of Russia in September is the stunning Golden Autumn. Visiting St. Petersburg in June-July will show you the White Nights, the time when the sun stays out through the night due to St. Petersburg’s northern proximity.

Related stories: Best time to go to Russia, Why is Russia so cold

The two most popular destinations in Russia are St. Petersburg and Moscow. Russia’s two largest cities, they have enough fascinating sites and beautiful architecture to fill your two-week vacation. Our most popular tour is the Treasures of Two Capitals, designed to show you the best of these great cities.

Another popular Russian tour is our Trans-Siberian Express. It begins in Moscow and takes you across Eurasia, ending in either to Vladivostok or Beijing, with stops at the gorgeous Lake Baikal and Ulan-Bator, Mongolia.

Our Golden Ring of Russia tour is one of our favorites. Moscow is encircled by once-powerful city-kingdoms that became the foundation of what is now Russia. This ring of cities is known as the Golden Ring of Russia. The Golden Ring is becoming an increasingly popular tourist destination since the launch of our Russian river cruises.

There are hundreds of other enthralling locations, such as the distant Kamchatka or the site of the next Winter Olympics, Sochi.

Related stories: Most unique places in the world to visit, Facts about Russia

Cruise or tour? Ship or land? Your Russian vacation hinges on this decision. A private tour caters to your personal needs while a cruise takes you to more destinations for the same price, and is all-inclusive. Both are excellent options, but which is right for you?

If you enjoy independence or like to stay in the hotel of your choice, our tours are for you. If you prefer to meet new people, travel in a large company, or unpack only once, you should hop onboard one of our river cruises.

Related: 5 tips for booking a trip to Russia, Why a river cruise could be a better option (a story dedicated to Russian river cruises)

Finding the right hotel in Moscow or St. Petersburg is no a simple task. At Travel All Russia, we have spent years hunting down the best hotels for our clients. Each travel season we meticulously inspect our choice hotels and select the ones that we consider to be the best. For 2010, our top picks for Moscow hotels are the Mariott Courtyard and Hotel Sovietsky. In St. Petersburg our picks are the Petro Palace and Herzen House.

Related stories: Moscow hotels, Herzen House

Come see why Russia’s opera and ballet are world-renowned. The popular shows are booked far in advance, especially the ones that cater to the international crowds. If you don’t want to pay double for tickets, we recommend making reservations two months before the actual performance.

Book Russian Theater Tickets

Related: Guide to the theaters of St. Petersburg

There are two ways to get from Moscow to St. Petersburg: train or plane. Both of these have distinct advantages and disadvantages.

A plane is by far faster. It only takes 1 hr 30 minutes to cross from Moscow to St. Petersburg or back again, while an Express train takes 3.5 hrs. It takes much longer to get to and from the airport than to the train stations, which are located close to the city centers. Another advantage of the train is the experience. Flying has become too modernized; an overnight train trip will immerse you in Russia’s culture.

Price-wise, trains and flights cost about the same, so it all comes down to your personal preferences. If you have never ridden on a train, we recommend an overnight trip or the Express. If you are just passing Moscow on your way to St. Petersburg, or vice-versa, you should fly.

Tip: When you book the “Treasures of Two Capitals” package tour from Travel All Russia, you can select a train or plane for your transportation from one capital to another.

Related: Russian rail tickets

All major airlines that are members of SkyTeam or Star Alliance offer flights to Russia, either direct or with convenient layovers in Europe. There is also Aeroflot, Russia’s national airline.

From the U.S.
Delta operates direct flights to Moscow from New York and Atlanta. United flies direct from Washington DC and Chicago. Aeroflot has direct flights from New York and Los Angeles. Singapore Airlines flies direct from Houston to Moscow. There are no direct flights to St. Petersburg, but there is a choice of convenient layovers in Europe by Lufthansa, Air France, British Air, Finn Air, and so on.

From Europe
There are direct flights from every European capital to Moscow. As for St. Petersburg, there are convenient connections in Frankfurt (Lufthansa) and Helsinki (Finn Air).

From Canada
There is a direct Aeroflot flight from Toronto.

From Australia
A convenient connection is offered via Beijing or Dubai.

A round trip from New York to Moscow is about 10,000 miles. We understand that it may be important for you to fly with a particular airline for bonus miles and we will be glad to arrange those flights for you.

Tip: Compare the rates that you find online to rates that we can offer you. We have access to special unpublished rates which are sometimes better than what is offered on websites such as Expedia or Travelocity.

Tip: Ask your tour manager for a flight quote – we may be able to help you find a deal on airfares from your home airport.

Visiting Russia when it is in the full-swing of a celebration is a cultural experience that shouldn’t be missed. These are its most popular holidays:

January 1-10th: New Year and Christmas
February 23rd: Men's Day
March 8th: Women's Day
May 1st: Labor Day
May 9th: Victory Day
June 12th: Independence Day
November 4th: National Unity Day

 

Russia offers plenty of things to see. The challenge is to see the most of it in a short time period that you will be there. Distance is a huge factor and we recommend speaking to our professional travel specialist to plan a perfect trip. To give you a bit of taste of what you can see, play the video Touch Russia below. You can also explore our Russia section to learn more about Russian destinations, sights, history and culture. Popular destinations and sights

When is the best time to visit Russia? Not sure whether you want to tour from the deck of a ship or the sturdiness of land, in a small group or at your own pace? Is it better to travel by train from Moscow to St. Petersburg or by air? All of your miscellaneous travel questions are answered here! We can help you decide which option best suits your traveling desires.

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So now you know where in Russia you would like to go. Lets now make your travel arrangements.

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Your trip is booked and you’re ready to embark on your journey! But wait - do you have everything you need? This section will tell you what you should bring to Russia and what you should leave behind. We have compiled a list of traveling necessities, from money to credit cards to clothes and travel documents. Also learn what books you should bring along to enhance your exploration of this mysterious and dynamic country. 

Tips before you go  


Now that your trip is booked and your bags are packed, you are ready to embark on the adventure of a lifetime! Please take a moment to read a few final tips and notes about what to expect on your journey.