Passport control

When you arrive in Russia, you will first proceed to Passport Control. There, your passport and VISA will be examined, and after stamping your visa, the officer will return your passport and visa to you. After retrieving your luggage from the baggage carousel, you will pass through customs. There are two lanes. If you have nothing to declare, you may proceed through the Green Channel. However, since you will probably have some foreign currency, you will have to pass through the Red Channel. Here, you will fill in your customs declaration form. Please keep it with you until departure.

 

Russian Visas

Travel to Russia requires a visa covering the duration of your stay in the country. Visas are issued by Russian Consulates in your home country, based on an invitation from an authorised Russian sponsor.

To obtain a Russian visa, you should submit the following documents to a Consular Section:

Completed visa application form (one per person)

Valid national passport (its validity should exceed the planned date of departure from Russia by 3 months)

Three black-and-white passport-size matt-finish photographs

Invitation from an authorised sponsor

A Russian visa is a document either inserted into the passport or stamped inside it. It lists entry and exit dates, your passport number, any children travelling with you, and visa type. It also lists, but does not limit, the cities you are planning to visit. Your visa is also an exit permit, so if you lose it or stay longer than your visa stipulates, leaving the country may be rather complicated. You will have to register your visa upon arrival in Russia. When you`re checking in at the hotel, you submit your passport with the visa for hotel registration. It normally takes up to an hour to register a visa. Visa extension is a complex procedure and only your Russian Sponsor - the company which has arranged for your invitation letter - can secure its extension. It`s better to ask for a few extra days in the invitation that can cushion your entrance and exit. It is next to impossible to extend a visa which has not been duly registered, and getting out of Russia with an unregistered visa could be a very expensive proposition. Reisebuero WELT is officially registered with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a legal entity able to grant visa support.

We take care of visa support for our travellers. Moreover, we render it free as far as tourist visa is concerned.

 

Important to know: the visa fee is paid to the Consular service issuing visas in the respective country. Its cost varies. We process your visa support application and hotel reservation request within 24 hours. Business visa support can be rendered upon separate request. Please contact us for details.

 

 

Airport transportation

If you are with a group or have been met, transportation to your hotel will be provided. If you are travelling alone, you can take an official taxi or one of the many private cars that provide a service. The charge can vary significantly, and for reasons of personal safety, we strongly discourage our customers to use unlicensed vehicles. It will cost you less to order a car in advance. Reisebuero WELT can provide you with TRANSPORT of any kind. You should indicate the type of vehicle you require and indicate your flight number on the application form at the time you order your hotel.

 

Money matters

It is illegal to bring Russian currency into Russia. You can change your currency at approved banking facilities at your hotel, in town or at the airport. Rates can vary a little.

 

Hotels

Hotel arrangements in Russia can be made through numerous reputable travel organisations offering considerable discounts on accommodation. The hotel accommodation services of Reisebuero WELT are detailed in this site`s HOTELS section. Here, you will find all necessary information about Moscow and St. Petersburg hotels, their locations and services, room facilities and Reisebuero WELT`s standard tariffs. You can also book a hotel here by filling in the BOOKING FORM.

 

The Metro

The best way to avoid traffic jams in town is to use the subway, called the Metro in both Moscow and St. Petersburg. Street entrances to the stations are identified by a large red capital letter "M". The system is clean and very inexpensive; many of the stations themselves are architectural masterpieces. Each station has a large map of the network, as do the subway cars.

Here are several signs you will meet inside the Metro:

 

A sightseeing itinerary

Russia is rich in history and culture. Besides the two major cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg, there are many other cities and villages with splendid architectural and cultural traditions. Cities of the "Golden Ring" close to the capital are Suzdal, Vladimir, Kostroma, Ivanovo, Sergiev Posad, Rostov Veliky, Yaroslavl and Pereslavl Zalessky. What follows is a sketch of places in Moscow and St. Petersburg that you might want to see if you are travelling on your own and designing your own sightseeing schedule.

 

Entertainment

No trip to Russia is complete without a visit to the theatre. Group bookings can be made as part of your schedule. If you are on your own, you can buy a ticket at one of the many ticket kiosks throughout the city - prices might be low but seats are not necessarily the best. You can order tickets through the theatre desk at your hotel, though prices might be more expensive than going through a booking agency - between $US60 and $US80 per ticket. You may also try to purchase a cancellation ticket by going to the theatre about an hour or less before the performance. Prices are in line with those at a booking agency. The most famous of Moscow theatres is the Bolshoi opera and ballet house. The Bolshoi Ballet often performs in the Kremlin Palace of Congresses. Opera and ballet is also staged at the Stanislavsky Musical Theatre, while the Operetta performs Russian and foreign musicals. The Tchaikovsky Concert Hall will be a must for music lovers in Moscow. And don`t overlook the world-famous Circus at Tsvetnoy Boulevard. Visitors to St. Petersburg will surely put the Mariinsky Opera and Ballet Theatre (The Kirov) on their itinerary.

 

Nightlife

For late evening entertainment, try one of the night clubs or restaurants, many featuring floorshows. You can find full information about Moscow and St. Petersburg nightlife in the numerous advertising magazines to be found at our offices or at hotel reception desks.

 

Food and drink

A restaurant meal in Russia is an event to be enjoyed for the best part of an evening. You`ll have the choice not only of Russian cuisine but Georgian, Armenian, Uzbek, to name just some. There are many international restaurants offering American, Italian, Japanese, Chinese and Mexican menus, too. You can find information about restaurants and their addresses in advertising publications, or through us.

 

Tipping

If a service charge is not already included in your restaurant bill, you might wish to leave the small change that is returned to you. Tips are not obligatory, but welcomed in Russia - from 5 per cent to 10 per cent of the total is normal.

 

Medical care

Medicines are available at pharmacies. Most are very cheap. If you need medical care, facilities are available at the American Medical Center and the European Medical Centre: Ulitsa 2-nd Tverskaya-Yamskaya, 10; the International Medical Clinic: Grokholsky pereulok, 31, 10th Floor; and the Botkin Hospital: 2-nd Botkinsky Proezd, 5 (Diplomatic Block). You can also contact a provider specified in your travel insurance policy.

 

Communications

Most post offices are open from 9a.m. to 7p.m., with an hour`s break for lunch. The main post, telegraph and telephone office at 7 Tverskaya Ulitsa is open round the clock. To mail abroad costs about $US1. You can usually place local telephone calls from your hotel room by dialing a single number for an outside line.

 

Souvenirs

For Russian souvenirs, you might check the speciality shops or visit the Izmaylovo market (Metro "Izmaylovskiy Park"). Among traditional Russian handicrafts are painted wooden dishes from the city of Khokhloma, exquisite lacquered boxes from Palekh and Mstyora. You might also want to buy linen, Kzhell porcelain dishes, "Matryoshki" painted wooden nested dolls, or even caviar and vodka.

 

Temperature measures. Weather

Temperature is measured in Centigrade in Russia. To calculate it from Fahrenheit, take the Fahrenheit reading, subtract 30 and divide by 2; or conversely take the Centigrade reading, multiply by 2, and add 30. Here are the average temperature ranges of the two main tourist centres: Moscow (-10.8C to 18.5 C) = 12.6 F to 65.3 F; St. Petersburg (-7.7C to 17.5 C) = 18.5 F to 63.5 F.