Why I won’t be visiting Russia
Written by Karen Bryan
I read a headline that tourist are “afraid to visit Russia“. Reading the article I’m not sure that afraid is the correct term I’d say more deterred by high hotel prices, the hassle of obtaining a visa, the language barrier and lack of cheap flights.
Peterhof, St Petersburg
Moscow has the highest global hotel prices which would certainly put me off. I expect if you get away from the popular cities, accommodation would cost a lot less. You need to apply for a visa, it costs from £30 for a UK citizen and it sounds like you have to attend an interview at a Russian consulate. I certainly couldn’t be bothered with that. Language can be a problem too, not just verbal communication but the fact that the most street signs and Metro stations are only named in Russian so it’s hard to find your way around. I remember having similar problems in Greece with bus destinatons but I did manage to master translating the Greek alphabet (in capital letters only) to decipher the destinations, so I assume I could manage this in Russian. I’ve never seen cheap flight to Russia either. I had a look for flights to Moscow from Newcastle and the lowest price was £300.
So although I’d love to visit Russia, I don’t see it happening as there are too many deterrents for me.
More Tips on Things to Do in Russia
We’ve lots of travel tips for what to do in Russia.
Karen, I have to totally disagree! I’ve been to Russia twice and firstly, it’s not as much hassle as it sounds, and secondly, it’s such a fascinating place that it’s well worth it.
I’ve also read about all the expensive accommodation but on both my trips I used homestay agencies to set me up with a spare bedroom of a local (and my 65 yo mother came with me the second time and found this great too). I never needed an interview to get a visa, yes it’s a bit of paperwork but not so bad. Not sure about flights from UK but I used a budget airline out of Munich and it was definitely than 100 euro. Oh, I could go on (Russia’s one of my favourite spots in the world!) but I’d fill up the internet :-)
[...] Fahren Sie nach Rußland? Oder haben Sie Angst davor? Oder ist es Ihnen einfach nur zu umständlich? Karen Bryan stellt sich heute angesichts dieser Meldung die Frage und beantwortet sie gleich hier: Why I won’t be visiting Russia. [...]
Amanda, thanks for your feedback, I did think it would be possible to find reasonably priced accommodation and of course home stay is a good option. I checked about the visa interview and I think you are correct that it is possible to apply by post, I misunderstood this on my first reading. I’ve become too used to free movement around the EU that having to apply for a visa seems so alien to me.
That’s a good point Karen, you EU passport holders have it easier in the rest of Europe :-) Of course it’s pretty decent for Australian passports too these days but I remember when I lived in Bratislava just a few years ago (2004) and as an Aussie I needed a visa to travel in almost every direction – Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary – even though I could see the Hungarian border from my balcony!
Yes, Amanda,we do take easy movement between EU countries for granted now. One of the things I picked up in the original article was the lack of spending in Russia to encourage foreign tourists to visit. Perhaps they should start a blog about visiting Russia?
I lived in St. Petersburg for 3 months and Russia really is an amazing place. And, despite what people say about it being expensive, it’s incredibly easy to eat for less than 10$ (US)/day. You just have to get out of the tourist parts. The visa is a hassle, but like so many things that require effort, it’s worth it.
Elizabeth, St Petersburg must be really beautiful. I think that the Russian government should be encouraging more visitors by ditching visa arrangements and more publicity about what there is to do and see there.
I think the trick is to avoid the really touristy places. People say the same about Tokyo, yet I always think of Tokyo as cheap. It’s the same with Moscow.
What bugs me is the visa process and the fact that there is a two-tier price system at many establishments – one for Russians and one for foreigners. I’ve managed to avoid that – my Russian is pretty good and I’ve always travelled with a local friend. But I can see how without any Russian skills you’d be a walking target for scams.
Anna, I’m impressed that you can speak Russian., so between that skill, having a local friend and avoiding the tourist traps, the only issue you’ll face is the visa.
I know what you mean about the perception of destinations as being expensive, it isn’t alway borne out when you’re in the destination eg I’d always heard that Sweden was very expensive but when I was in Gothenburg I found the prices to be similar to the UK (don’t know about alcohol as I’m an unusual species a Scot who doesn’t drink alcohol).
I traveled to Russia when I was only 14 for a month. That was back in 1993 when there was actually something to be scared of! But, it was the best experience of my life, it truly changed my life. The Russian people are amazing, the culture is fascinating, the architecture and design of the buildings and churches are brilliant. There is no reason to be scared of Russia. Now, the cost is definitely something to be scared of, but Europe isn’t so cheap right now either.
Go, keep and open mind and have a blast.
Kimberly, I certainly didn’t agree with the article headline about tourists being “afraid” to visit Russia, more like scared off by visa hassle, expensive flights and high prices.
I have to agree with Amanda, Kimberly, and Anna (who, I’m guessing from that surname, is probably Russian anyway, or of Russian heritage) Russia is an incredible country to visit – and St Petersberg and Moscow are in my list of favorite cities. They are truly fascinating cities with some of the world’s greatest monuments – there are very few places that sent a tingle up my spine like visiting Red Square – the site of so much history! Between the two cities they must hold some of the world’s greatest collections of art in their museums and galleries (reason to visit alone), and they boast wonderful architecture, beautiful parks, fantastic food, great nightlife, and we haven’t even touched on the rich culture and history. The people are incredibly warm and generous, astonishingly intelligent and creative – get those stereotypes out of your mind – and most of the young people speak English. (Not that I think we should have an expectation that people in foreign places should speak English for us.)
What surprises me, Karen, as a lover of travel (and no offense intended – I’m honestly just surprised), is that you’d let little things like visas, signage and language, deter you. These are just part and parcel of travelling. As an Australian, aside from Europe I need visas for almost everywhere in the world – it’s no bid deal, you just fill out and submit a form, sometimes pay a fee – and Russia is no exception. It was easy.
As for language and signage, it’s no different to anywhere else. We travel continously and we buy a dictionary and phrase book for each country we travel too. If we’re driving, we’ll also make sure we get the best maps with translations on them. In Cyprus earlier this year we needed to translate the place names from Turkish to Greek and vice versa in the north as most of the good maps only have the place names in Greek and yet the road signs are in Turkish. We drove all over Bulgaria a couple of years ago and we continually had to use a dictionary as all the road signs are in Cyrillic, which is what makes Russia a bit tricky too, but that’s the fun of it. Once you learn the alphabet it’s a breeze. Get off the beaten track in mainland Greece and it’s the same – nobody speaks English and there are no signs in English.
Travellers should never let language and signage deter them from visiting a country – as far as I’m concerned the places where you need to use a dictionary and learn some language basics are the most rewarding places to visit. If the locals speaking English is a pre-requisite to your visiting, then you’re going to miss out on seeing half the world! :)
The things that y
Lara, thanks for your comment. I did say in my post that I didn’t think that language would deter me from visiting Russia and that I had managed to decipher signs in Greek. and there’s always sign language and dictionaries for communication. I don’t expect everyone to speak English and I hold my hands up to being a Brit who isn’t fluent in any other language but I do attempt a few words in the local language.
Yes the visa issue does put me off but that alone wouldn’t stop me, it’s that plus the expensive flights. Perhaps if the low cost airlines start flying to Russia more visitors will be attracted.
If I had more time I might try to travel overland but I still have the day job and twin sons at university.
Yes, sorry for giving you such a hard time – I still detected a bit of hesitation there..? ;) And I’m a bit fanatical about travellers who have this expectation everyone should speak English. Can’t tell you how many (mainly American) travellers we’ve been hearing yell (slowly and very loudly) to locals in Italy – in ENGLISH! – in their attempt to communicate, saying good morning and thank you in English, and so on. I just don’t get why people can’t use a few basics.
Well, if you ever get to Dubai, low-cost airline Air Arabia is now flying to Russia! :)
Lara,
I’m actually of Polish heritage. Your assumptions just shows how little English speakers know about Slavic names and languages. Trust me, nobody in Russia would ever think that my surname is Russian. LOL!
And speaking of Air Arabia – after my recent adventures with them when trying to get to India, I’d rather chew my leg off and bleed to death than ever board an Air Arabia flight again.
Fair enough on the flights, I thought there were more budget flights into Russia but that’s only because last time I did it I was looking from Germany, where there are quite a few. I see that Germanwings is flying from London Stansted to St Petersburg now for 98 pounds … not super cheap but still … maybe they have specials sometimes. Russia is SO worth visiting …
Oh, the other way is to fly to Tallinn and it’s a 4 hr bus ride to St Pete’s … maybe too long for a weekend break but not impossible.
@Anna – is Air Arabia that bad?
@Amanda – I only looked at flight from one of my closest airports, Newcastle, as I live in the far north east of England.
I’ve been talking about this topic to other people and received fairly negative feedback about three separate visits to Russia.
1 A Scottish writer who visited on a lecture tour who was constantly accompanied by English speaking students remarked that she wouldn’t recommend it to independent holiday makers.
2 A Baltic cruise stop at St Petersburg – the shore excursion was delayed for ages while the passengers were interrogated.
3 A Moscow city break from the UK, not cheap, yet the hotel room was dingy and the sheets didn’t look clean.
Karen,
my impression is that Air Arabia is trying to be the Ryanair of the Mideast/Indian subcontinent. Minus the management and efficiency of Ryanair, plus all the hassle and mess you’d expect from a very poorly run enterprise. All that was missing from my flight were goats and chickens. Needless to say, I flew back on a different carrier.
Myself, I’m waiting for Kingfisher to start offering international flights.
Hi Anna, Maybe nobody in Russia would think your name Russian, but my Russian-Polish friends in Buenos Aires who share your name would. They left Russia & Poland (it was a romance on the run) at the same time as my grandparents left Russia (‘Lara’ being a typical Russian name, middle name is Natasha), so I grew up in my grandmother’s Russian-speaking household, so while I understand and can read a bit, I chose to pursue Spanish instead, so my Russian is pretty lousy.
I love Air Arabia actually – I’ve flown them lots and never had a problem. The airline has been around quite a number of years now and yes, very quickly became the RyanAir of the Middle East – but then I am based in Dubai so they’re much more handy for me than RyanAir. Come winter we’d wait and watch the snow reports and after the first fall we’d be on a flight to Beirut for some snowboarding. But then I’ve travelled all over South America and the Middle East so I’m used to chickens on buses. Each to their own. It’s dirt cheap, so I don’t expect anything more – it makes for much more interesting travelling than RyanAir. If I’m going long haul and want Business Class I’ll fly Emirates.
I’ve also flown a lot of the no-frills airlines in the Europe, especially the Baltic countries, Eastern Europe and Scandinavia, and they’re no different in terms of organization, only the passengers are different. But that’s what’s wonderful about the world, isn’t it?
Karen
1. There are a lot of places I wouldn’t recommend to independent ‘holiday makers’ (after a recent research trip for several books we’re writing, Venice in the summer – full of tour groups (more than ever before) is definitely one, and Russian would have been on the list about 15 years ago, but things have changed a lot – this is a destination I would be sending independent travellers, especially now it’s so easy to get out of the cities and travel around.
2. But aren’t delays part of travelling? I was delayed on my flight from Venice to Melbourne the other day for 3 hours. And my worst experience of interrogation was actually in Canada! We were pulled out of transit because we were the only two Australians on a plane full of Japanese and Mexicans on a Japan Airlines flight that went from Sydney via Tokyo and Canada to Mexico – they therefore thought we were couriering drugs – it didn’t matter that I had my Parliament House ID (I was chief of staff to the Speaker), they simply had it in their mind we were Australian drug couriers. Interrogations can happen anywhere. Australian Immigration and Customs are the worst actually.
3. When I was young the only hotels I stayed in were dingy hotels, in cities all over the world – but because they were cheap. If someone is staying in a dingy hotel that’s expensive, then they’re not doing their research very well. Moscow is an expensive city, but there are definitely clean hotels there.
These kind of posts raise lots of interesting questions and issues, don’t they Karen? Fascinating reading! Thanks!
Yes Lara, it’s great that my post has had many comments and shown differing attitudes to travel in Russia.
Well, Lara, it just proves to show the ignorance of emigrants regarding the origins of their last names. But I’m not surprised. “Etmanski” is actually a typically Kashubian surname. ;) Pity your friends never bothered to look it up.
back to the topic…
as much as I love Russia, being a Pole, I face more scrutiny when applying for a visa and I’m regarded with greater suspicion than most westerners. I have never been interrogated like that in any other country, including the US. Sorry to say, but even getting to Belarus was easier.
Anna, I’ve heard it said that some Russians enjoy the “power” of making visitors from established consumerist societies wait in queues as they themselves have had to queue for ages and like to give visitors an “authentic” experience through dishing out the same treatment to visitors as they’ve been through themselves.
However you never know what to believe, I’d heard horror stories about long queues and interrogation at US immigration and arrived in San Francisco with our twin sons to no queue and an official who flatteringly told me he though I looked like our sons older sister. (Maybe he loved th Scottish accent?)
My 2 cents … I’ve definitely had stacks more trouble at US immigration than Russian immigration; and I only ever had wonderful experiences within Russia and certainly not awful queuing or anything like that. I recommend it to everyone :-)
To pick up on an earlier point Karen made, in my experience it is true that there’s not much tourist information or tourist promotion around within Russia (unless that’s changed since my last visit – 2006) but then you just need a decent guidebook and a bit of a sense of adventure.
Karen – there have actually been been many journalists from all around the world (Australia and the UK for instance), including travel writers, who’ve quite literally spent days in US immigration being interrogated since 9/11.
Anna – my friends do indeed know the origin of their name… they’re extremely well-educated people, so I’m not sure where you got that from… I think you misunderstood me.
And I’ll now bow out of this discussion!
Amanda, glad you picked up on my point about lack of tourism promotion and tourist information from Russian authorities. I do think that Russia could be making more revenue from tourism, in fact I think in the article I originally linked to it said that numbers of tourists had fallen. We could certainly recommend some good bloggers for the a Visit Russia blog. But on a serious note I don’t understand why Russia isn’t keen to promote itself to potential visitors.
I am a little late in joining this forum but I am travelling to St Petersburg in May (via train from Riga) and I am about to apply for my visa. On the form it asks if I have sickness insurance – is this compulsory as I usually dont bother just for 6 days stay. The form does not say it is compulsory and its a bit vague.
Sharon, thanks for your comment. I’m afraid I now nothing about the visas, I’m hoping that someone else who has commented my be able to help you. Perhaps it would be safer to contact the Russian authorities.
I always have travel insurance just in case and an annuol policy for Europe costs around £30 but check the small print to see if the area in Russia yu are visiting is included in the Europe list of countries as there are variations between insurance companies.
A Russian visa is much easier than it looks (apart from the fact that you have to pay with a postal order!!). If you really want to get there the cheap way, take a flight to Helsinki and then it’s no distance to St Petersburg. You can also get very good value hotel rooms (even in Moscow) if you shop around & are prepared to stay a couple of metro-stops outside the ‘circle line’.
In answer to the most recent question on health insurance, if you read the Russian embassy site closely you will find that there are some nationalities for which medical insurance is essential – British is not one of them.
Rachel – thanks for the information and tips.
Dear Friends,
I’m an American woman of 66 who has been living in Moscow for the past 19 years with only “survival level” Russian language skills. I’ve also traveled a fair bit in the country.
I can say that there is no need to be afraid or put off in visiting Russia, even though it is not what I would call a “user-friendly” place. The less adventurous are, indeed, deterred by an under-developed tourist industry, often surly (non)service leftover from the Soviet period, and high prices.
Yet, in Russia public transit is highly subsidized (and cheap) and efficient, the cultural wealth is world-class, and the history is rich and deep. There is a stark contrast in quality of life between major cities and provincial centers, yet each offers rich rewards of personal hospitality and genuine interest.
I’ve traveled in and out of Russia for two decades. My favorite ways have been overnight train from Helsinki and by plane from Amsterdam. The cheapest have been a flight from Berlin last August and an overnight train from Kiev, Ukraine.
For accommodation, I highly recommend using either hospitalityclub.org or couchsurfing.org for local hosting. I myself, “lenoreinmoscow”, have hosted around 50 guests in the past three years as they visited or passed through Moscow. I was able to assist and advise them in many ways to navigate the city (largest in Europe) and do what most interested them while they were here. By the way, these organizations offer lots of benefits through Russia and the world for making local connections and finding interesting hosts. Rachel, you’d be welcome to stay with me.
And, let me assure you, the Russian visitor visa regime (maximum one month) is so much easier than long-term visa headaches here. But Russia is not for everyone or for the feint-hearted. It will, however, reward those who venture to discover it’s wealth.
Erin – thanks very much for your comment and telling us about your travel experiences in Russia and explaining why we should visit Russia.
Thought I would offer up some of my experience of visiting the Russian Federation, especially as I too started from the same point as you Karen. I was led to believe Russia was the ‘Wild East’. That Russians were rude, did not speak any English (so not an easy place to visit as a native English speaker), accommodation poor, everything was old and run down and what would there be to see in Russia?!
The visa application process must now be done on-line (for UK citizens) quickly and simply. You need some supporting documents sure but none of this is difficult. I do it all via the post in around 7-10 working days.
With flights direct to St. Petersburg from the UK from as little as £175, not expensive (the most I have paid is £276).
You really should ensure you have travel and medical insurance although the UK and Russia have a reciprocal health agreement (A Reciprocal Health Care Agreement operates between the UK and Russia. This entitles British nationals to free treatment in a Russian hospital. However, any treatment you receive is likely to be limited.)
On arrival in Russia you pass through immigration, I personally have never had any problems, they look at you, then your passport (and repeat this about 20 times, which it the same for Russian nationals), scan it, smile and welcome you to the Russian Federation!
You need to register your visa within 72 hours of arrival, but this is done by your hotel, there is a small 1 rouble per day (£1 = 50 RRub) charge for being in Russia.
St. Petersburg is truly fantastic, the Museums are world class, the metro efficient and cheap and the people friendly and helpful generally. Not more or less so than any other place I have been too and trust me I have been a fairly industrious traveller.
Accommodation costs vary, so you need to pick your type and standard of accommodation to fit your budget, and do some research…. for example in St. Petersburg prices during June (for the ‘White nights’ and the ‘Scarlet sails’ festival) can be up to 3 times more than in April).
Getting a Russian guide can be a huge benefit for the less adventurous and at around 1500-2000 roubles a day not expensive, they will probably save you that in dealing with tickets (which they will get at Russian prices (see earlier post for the Russian/Foreinger prices divide)) you get a better meal, and for less, and some local knowledge.
Moscow is now the most expensive city on Earth (mainly due to property prices), but on my last visit in June 2009 my stay in Moscow cost £50 per night, and I spent around £50 per day, and I was doing the ‘tourist’ circuit, and not really scrimping.
If you want the best customer service then choose somewhere else, but if you want fantastic sights, friendly people, safety (yes Russia is very safe, in the major cities), and a real east meets west experience then Go! Go! Go!
I have included a link here: http://www.inrussia.co.uk/index.php/photo-galleries.html to photos I have taken during my recent visits in April and June of 2009. Hope people find them interesting and it nudges them to make the trip?
Craig – thanks for your very detailed explanation of your experiences about visiting Russia. Sounds like we should all be heading for our hols in Russia.
Hello there…I’m an Italian citizen who loves visiting Russia…I’ve been there many times and every time I go there I always find something new and amazing, I will never be bored about this country…Yes, probably it is true that it is not so cheap to fly to Russia, but you can find a budget flight if you have a time and patience to search through the airline companies’ websites. The only one problem for me was to get the visa, every time I had to attend a long and expensive applying process…Recently I found a very useful website which provides invitation for visa very quickly and with a small price…the website is russian-visas.net
However, in spite of everything, Russai is certainly a place worth to visit…
Giogio – Thank you for your comment and the tip about the website which can assist in obtaining a visa more quickly. I still have never seen a reasonably priced flight to Russia from my local airports, Edinburgh or Newcastle. For example I am flying to Pisa from Edinburgh for £2 return with Ryanair next week.
I’ve been to Russia but I’m not sure my experiences would be much help to other travellers. I went in 1991 on a school trip with the German school I was an exchange student at. The German school organised all the necessaries and we stayed with Russian families in Moscow.
I’ve never been to St Petersburg and I’d love to go.
I know friends who’ve been to Russia on an Intrepid tour and loved it. If logistics and visas are a hassle, an organised tour might be the way to go even for usually independent travellers.
Caitlin – I agree that an organised tour could make a visit to Russia simpler but I suspect it would also make it more expensive.
Hi Karen
I’ve travelled to Moscow more times than I can remember and while it does have an ‘expensive city’ tag, you can try a few things to reduce costs.
Flights: Direct flights from London are typically £250 (Aeroflot, BA or BMI/Transaero) upwards but if you want to fly from the north, you should consider connecting through a European city. I have seen prices from London via Zurich with Swiss for around £120 and as already mentioned, there are low cost options if you connect through Germany.
Hotels: Until a couple of years ago, the Rossia was an ideal 3* hotel right on Red Square but it has been demolished as there is a drive to have luxury hotels rather than budget ones in the centre. There are a couple of Holiday Inns and there are reasonably priced 3* hotels around 20-30mins from the centre such as the Izmailova and Cosmos. Another option is to rent an apartment and you can get these near the centre at places like Tverskaya, Mayakovskaya or Novy and Starry Arbat.
Visas: I believe the Russian Embassy has now outsourced this service and there are a number of agencies in London who can get your visa and its also a service that travel agents can provide too. It generally costs around £100 including fees. If you did it yourself, it would be around £60 and the visa form can be a bit intimidating. Once in Russia, you have to register your visa within 3 working days. If you stay at a hotel, they will do this for you. If you stay at an apartment, you will have to go to an office to register it which just takes time rather than being a major problem. EU passport holders pay less for there visas than us Brits due to an agreement between Russia and Schengen.
Russia is well worth visiting and I would recommend you visit both Moscow and St Petersburg, ideally 3 nights in each to give yourself a chance to look round. If you are happy enough to buy your tickets in Russia, there are plenty of trains between Moscow and St Petersburg although internal flights can be cheap too.
Rob – Thanks for all the info and tips. I must say I just don’t like idea of having to pay £100 before I can enter a country, I find that unwelcoming and off putting.
Karen – Do you consider the UK unwelcoming to visitors?
Russian tourists have to pay a higer fee for their visa than we do when we visit Russia.
Rob – If I were a Russian I’d be unhappy paying more than £100 to visit the UK. I admit I don’t know for which countries Russians need visas or the cost. I’ve become so used to the notion of being able to travel freely through most of Europe.
Maybe you should stay in your home and don’t go anywhere out at all. There is still some countries that don’t translate signs, that is why dictionaries are invented.
Just to clarify my original comment on visa fees as my figure of £100 was a ballpark one. I’ve checked on the websites.
A standard single entry Russian tourist visa is £50. Associated fees from the handling agency plus record delivery for your passports will take it to just under £90. You can’t apply direct to the Russian embassy any more.
According to the UK visas website, a standard tourist visa for foreign nationals requiring a visa to visit the UK is £67. Again there may well be additional costs involved.
My point is that I believe you shouldn’t judge a country to be unfriendly based on the costs of their visas. The people you meet in that country will be normal folk like you or me and they will have no more say in their governments visa regulations than we do here.
alfiks – thanks for your comment. As I explained I am used to being able to travel freely around most of Europe so don’t like the idea of having to pay for a visa to enter a country.
Rob – thanks for the further info on visa costs. I’m not judging the Russian people,just the bureacracy that requires visa payment to enter any country as a tourist.
@Karen on US immigration, I think it really depends on the airport (as well as the individual border guards). I find LAX (Los Angeles) to be unfriendly, JFK a bit less so, and almost everywhere else to be pretty friendly. The nicest US border guards I met were in Detroit, though maybe that’s changed with the recent Christmas bomber incident.
@Karen >>I agree that an organised tour could make a visit to Russia simpler but I suspect it would also make it more expensive.
Perhaps, though I understand that Intrepid tours are not high end.
It really depends what you are expecting. From the UK, it’s not reasonable to expect Russia to be a cheap city break. It’s 2500km or 1500 miles from London to Moscow. You’re practically in another continent.
If you are going to fly that far, you need to go for at least a week in my opinion. Most of Europe can be done as a short-haul city break but with Russia you’re talking about a bigger vacation.
Sure, it’s more expensive than going to France for the weekend. But is it more expensive than a week in New York or a safari in Kenya? That’s probably a fairer comparison.
You’re skipping out on a country because you “can’t read the signs”? That’s limiting yourself to an awfully small portion of the globe…
Kelsey – I did say in my post I would manage to work out signs, my main reasons for not visiting Russia are the cost of visa and lack of cheap flights from the UK.
Hi,
Can anyone give me an idiots guide rundown of how to apply for a visa to Russia – we will be staying with my daughter, all I know is that she has to invite us???
please help
I’m Erin, and I’ve been living in Moscow and getting Russian visas for the past 20 years.
I assume, Jackie, that your daughter is NOT a Russian citizen. You can stay with her but she is in no position to invite you (besides, it takes about 2-3 months to do a homestay visa which is good for 3 months).
So, to get a regular visitor’s visa (one month maximum) you need to go to a visa agent (online or through a tourist agency) and buy an “invitation”. With that and your visa application form, photos and passport you need to file with a Russian consulate in your home country for a tourist visa. I don’t know what country you are from but the visa forms differ between EU countries and the U.S., as do the price of visa.
It’s not hard to find the information you need either at the official Russian Embassy sites or at various Russian travel and visa service sites. They will walk you through the steps.
Sorry it is a bit complex and requires some planning time. But it possible.
One other thing, when you get to Moscow or St. Petersburg, you need to register your visa within 3 working days. If your daughter is renting a flat, her landlord can do it at the post office for a small fee. Again, the visa agent sites will provide details on this procedure and some services will even do the registration for you.
I hope this is helpful,
Erin Bouma
Erin – thank you for your reply to Jackie’s query.
Thankyou so much Erin for your reply and I am sorry for the long delay in thanking you – you have been very helpful.
Jackie
If you are in the UK, why don’t you just fly to Tallinn or Riga and take a bus into Russia, would be a hell of a lot cheaper. Ryanair and esayjet are just two of the compainies that do flights to countries near the Russian border.
Greetings all! I have found all the information so far provided on Russia to be fantastic. I hope to travel to St Petersburg myself during October to visit an internet friend (waits for warnings), we have been speaking for about 2 years now and have been very close over the past 13 months. She was due to visit me, but there have been some difficulties obtaining her visa and passport. So I have taken it upon myself to go there. I’ve seen flights from London to St Petersburg for £157. The flight has 1 stop/swap (yet to confirm) on the way in at Dusseldorf, Germany. I feel quite lucky that I know someone from St Petersburg who can help me see the Russian culture and sights. I believe I will find the Visa the difficult part, but I will not let this stop me from going. Karen we live in a country where people are constantly stressed from their daily lives and bills flooding through the door, you might not be one of these people, but I am. If I can take a leap, dig deep and clasp the small change in my pocket for an experience of culture and lifestyle then so can you. Would you rather regret paying the money, or regret never taking the chance to go?