Climate
The climate is varied because of its immense size, but on the whole, in Russia winters are long and harsh, and summers are short and relatively cool. Average temperatures in Moscow are 9°C in January and 18°C in July. During winter, the Arctic Ocean is frozen right up to the coast and acts much as a snow-covered, frozen landmass. Although the summer (July/August) is the warmest time, it’s also the wettest, so spring (May/June) and early autumn (September) are the preferable season to visit European Russia. Winter should be avoided by all but the foolhardy, with frozen temperatures you are sure to have never experienced the likes of! However, it is a highly evocative time to visit Moscow and St. Petersburg, where you can dash around in traditional furs (or layers of fleeces for the ethically minded) and warm up with multiple vodkas!
Dress
Older Russians are still very conservative in their attire. Younger people in the European cities are adopting a more Western-style of dressing. If you go to Russia during the winter, bring very warm clothes, including hats and gloves and thermal underwear is a must. During the summer, bring waterproofs as rain often attacks suddenly. In addition, pack a well-insulated pair of boots with good treads. Jeans and trainers can be acceptable casual wear. For social gatherings, however, “informal” dress usually means the same clothes worn to work.
Language
More than 100 languages are spoken in Russia, and some of the ethnic republics have declared their own local state languages. The Russian language, however, is the most commonly spoken in business, government, and education. Russians speak their native tongue almost exclusively- in 1989 only 4.1 per cent of Russians throughout the former USSR could speak another of the languages of Russia. The government has helped many smaller ethnic groups develop their own alphabets and vocabularies; however, through educational policies, it ensured the widespread use of the Russian language. In the major cities and around tourist spots you will probably find enough people who speak English to get by, but a phrase book is an essential.
Food
Russian recipes represent a rich collection of tradition from old times to present day, reflecting the spirit of the Russian people. Food is generally quite bland, heavy on meat, potatoes and pickled vegetables – and portions are very small. The entrees called Zakusi are often the more interesting parts of the menu. If you get the chance, Georgian cuisine (a former USSR nation) is more exciting and spicier to eat. Bread has always been the central role in the Russian diet – usually dark, heavy rye bread. Soups are a speciality, especially in winter, famed bowls include shchi and borshch (beetroot and meat soup), served with a spoon of sour cream. Vodka is the national drink (meaning ‘water’ in Russian) and drunk before, after and during almost every dish – also used in the sauces themselves. A bottle of the spirit costs less than a bottle of wine!
Cash
Currency is the Russian Roubles (RUR) with one rouble made up of 100 kopeks
Prices vary enormously, with massive inflation during High Season (May, June and September) in the big cities. Moscow is one of the most expensive cities in Europe to visit, with a minimum of $50 a day to be spent on budget travel. You can expect to spend only a fraction of that if you heading out into the Eastern wilderness. Everything has inflated rates for tourists, more expensive trains, museums and plane fares. If you have a Russian friend or can make one quick, its better to get them to buy tickets for you.
Cash is the preferred method of payment.
People
Most of Russia’s 150 million people are congregated in the West. The majority of these are of Russian descent, ethnic groups include the Tartars, a Muslim group found to the east of Moscow, and the Orthodox Christian Chuvash, the Turkish Bashkirsand the Karelians in the North. TheChechens are a fiercely independent group seeking total independence from Russia in the South, the Cossacks in the North are a fierce group who suffered massacre under communism, renowned for their military traditions.
Health
Stick to bottled waters, tap water is suspect in some parts. No injections are needed when visiting the main cities of European Russia, however if you are planning on going trekking in the Eastern wilderness, its advised to immunise against tetanus, diphtheria, polio, typhoid, hepatitis A & B, encephalitis andTB. The biggest problem in winter, however, is likely to be frost bite and hypothermia, for which, arctic dress and many layers is a safeguard.
Travel
Travel Advisory
Please note that since the invasion. of Ukraine by Russia in Febuary 2022 it is no longer possible to travel to Russia from many parts of the world due to sanctions and the political climate which now resembles a new Cold War
Air travel has a poor reputation as being unsafe, but is no worse than elsewhere in Eastern Europe and other developing countries but should generally avoided unless you’re trying to cover vast distances quickly. Routes from Moscow and St. Petersburg to Europe, however, are highly safe.
Buses are the cheapest way to travel between towns and are not subject to inflated ‘tourist tax’.
The Russian train network is extensive, although fairly slow, and a great way to travel and meet locals. If you’re planning a long trip, travel 1st class for sleeping or 2nd class during the day. A 4th class known as ‘hard’ class is an unreserved spot on a wooden bench. The national network works on Moscow time, bear this in mind when reading timetables. A 2nd class train fare from Moscow to St. Petersburg will set you back around $30 US. Russian railway lines carry the heaviest freight traffic in the world.
The most frequent traffic on a single line occurs on the western Siberian section of the Trans-Siberian Railway, where trains run frequently. To relieve some of the traffic, parallel lines were built in western Siberia and northern Kazakhstan. A new line, the Baykal-Amur Mainline (BAM), was built through Siberia and the far eastern region to the north of the present Trans-Siberian Railway, but travel connections from West to far East are few and far between.
Moscow and St. Petersburg have an underground metro where you can see fantastic, elegant stations, artworks in themselves, and hear top class musicians busking whilst travelling at cheap prices. The trains are modern and user friendly.
Major Cities:
Moscow:
Russia’s capital city since 1918, Moscow is one of the world’s largest cities. The political, economic and cultural hub of Russia, the city boasts a number of significant institutions such as the stunning Bolshoi Theatre and the Tsaritsyno Museum. Few cities around the world can compare to its sheer breadth.
St Petersburg:
Founded by its namesake Peter the Great, Saint Petersburg was established with the intention of providing a window into Western Europe. It was founded with the purpose of creating an urban centre to rival the best in Europe. Widely considered to be Russia’s most beautiful city, Saint Petersburg functioned as Russia’s capital until the overthrow of the monarchy. It is often cited as Russia’s cultural capital, as home to a number of prestigious museums, the most notable of which being the monolithic State Hermitage Museum, the world’s second-largest after the Louvre in Paris.
