FAQ

As in any country in the world, Russia has rich regions that are safe for both locals and tourists, and also regions where you should keep an eye on your stuff and money.

Except Moscow and Saint Petersburg, many regions of the North Russia are traditionally safe to travel, such as Khanty-Mansiysk Region and Yamalo-Nenets Region, as well as most of the regions in the middle of the European part of Russia – Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, Krasnodar, Ryazan, Yaroslavl, Lipetsk, Sverdlovsk regions and others.

These regions have a good standard of living, which leads to a low crime rate.

Traveling with our company, we guarantee the safety and security of you and your stuff. However, sometimes you should also be more careful.

In the far regions of Siberia, such as the Altai territory, Buryatia, Baikal territory, the Republic of Kalmykia, Tuva, and Altai region there are large number of indigenous peoples. Many of them are still true to their principles and want respect for themselves, regardless of their social status. These regions are mostly safe, you only need to observe certain limits of decency and treat local residents with respect.

Also we want to note most of the regions of the Caucasus – such as Dagestan, the Chechen Republic, Ingushetia and others. These regions have long been populated by conservative and very religious people, mostly Muslims. Traditionally, for them, issues of family, friends, relatives and relatives are fundamental. You always need to follow the local regulations, so as not to become misunderstood in the future and avoid conflicts.

The streets of large cities like Moscow or Saint Petersburg are comparable to the streets of large European and American cities in terms of security. The issue of safety was acute at the turn of the century after the collapse of the Soviet Union, but now the situation has completely changed.

The streets of all major cities are always patrolled by the police. In Moscow and other big cities you will always find Tourist Police, which will help you in case of any difficulties.

However, you should pay attention to the safety of your stuff and try to keep them with you. We also advise you to put your passport and migration card (which is issued at the border) in a safe place and always monitor them.

Regardless of the way you travel around the country, whether on foot or by car, by train or by plane – you should always keep in mind some aspects that will make you feel safe:

Walking
You should always be careful when walking on the streets of the city, because cases of traffic violations in Russia, unfortunately, are quite common.

Taxi
You should also be careful with taxi drivers – you can often meet illegal taxi drivers on the streets, who can use the fact that you do not understand Russian and do not know the real taxi prices, so they can increase your final price. It is always better and more comfortable to use accredited services such as Uber.Russia, Yandex.Taxi, CityMobile, Gett and others.

These applications are free and only require downloading. They are always working in all major cities.

Train
Trains in Russia are one of the safest, most reliable and developed in the world. However, there are some safety rules to follow: it is always better to keep your valuables in the compartment under the bed or seat. If you go away from the compartment, never leave valuables, although some of them are closed to prevent theft.

*More information about trains in Train Topic*

Plane
If you plan to travel to Russia on local routes by plane, we recommend you to book flights from any Russian international companies (for example, S7 and Aeroflot), because they have aircraft and equipment that follow international standards, while local airlines can use old technics.

Car
The situation with travelling by car in Russia is not clear at all. By the FIFA World Cup 2018, the situation with roads in big cities has been highly improved, but in small cities and far regions it still being sad. It is more convenient and reliable to travel between large cities by train or plane.

Metro
The metro in Russia, especially in Moscow and Saint Petersburg – is the most easy, safe and fast way to get around the city. However, please note that during rush hour (from 07:00-10:00 and from 16:00 – 19:00), the metro may be very uncomfortable. At this time of high traffic in the metro, you need to take a closer look at your belongings

We often receive questions about single travelers and girls who plan to come to Russia. We can say with confidence that large cities are completely safe for all categories of travelers. Well-established police work, calmness and tolerance of the local population reduces the risks to almost zero. They are also can be, but there are no difference which traveller are you.

But if you are traveling deeper, then you should be more careful. The chances are very small, but still, solo travelers can get into trouble because of misunderstanding by locals, and girls can be object of attention.

We recommend that you travel to Russia in group, so that you can meet new people more easily, and language will not be such a big trouble.

To travel to Russia, you must apply for an international insurance policy. It is always recommended to make a policy that will provide the best possible medical coverage in order to get the necessary medical care in case of unforeseen circumstances.

In case of an emergency, you can always call 112 (in Russian and English 24 hours a day) from any phone, including without a SIM card.

In the event of a medical emergency or accident, you can contact the Embassy and Consulate to help you contact your family and your insurance company.

You can exchange currency for Russian rubles before departure or during your trip. We recommend that you do this on arrival at ATMs (the most popular are Sberbank) to avoid an inflated exchange rate. For the same reason, we do not recommend changing currency at the exchange offices at the airport.

In addition, in large cities, you can pay with a Bank card at any institution or store, so we do not recommend that you immediately change large amounts in rubles. In the far regions, there may be a problem with the cards, so we recommend you to carry from 3 to 5 thousand rubles, this amount will be enough for small expenses.

Note that American Express may not always work, but there are no problems with VISA and MasterCard payment systems.

Despite some problematic regions and the mentality of the local population, generally, Russia is a nice and safe country for tourism, which was once again proved by the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the Sochi Olympics, the Universiades in Kazan and Krasnoyarsk, and other international festivals. People in many regions still look at foreigners with surprise and a little distrust, but this does not make them less positive, kind and hospitable.

We are waiting for you!

Unified rescue service (all emergency services are called): 112

Police: 101

Fire department: 102

Ambulance: 103

Information and reference service: 118

Hotline service: 128

Ministry of emergency situations of the Russian Federation: 112

Internal Affairs Ministry: 8-800-222-74-47

In many of our tours we use trains. Despite the fact that Russian Railways are considered to be one of the most reliable and comfortable In the world, however, they also need to comply with certain rules of behavior and safety to ensure a comfortable trip.

• The first and one of the main rules of any traveler is not to be late. The train usually departs strictly on schedule at a set time.
• At the start of trip, fellow passengers of the same compartment are introduced to each other in an official manner – it's customary and in the course of the trip, addressing a neighbor on any issue becomes less awkward.
• Luggage and personal things should be placed on the top shelf, or in a special compartment under the bottom shelf.
• Passengers from the upper shelves have the right to take a seat on the lower shelves during the day.
• Opening and closing of windows is negotiated between fellow travelers, for comfort of everyone.
• Recently, Smoking on the train is strictly prohibited. You should take a smoke break at long stops.
• It is worth noting that loud music, conversations on the phone or conversations between fellow passengers can cause discomfort to other passengers.
• Alcohol are not allowed on the train, and can also be punished with a fine.
• The night time of the trip and sleep is also an important stage of the journey. Do not make noise while sleeping fellow travelers, talk loudly or listen to music, turn on the lights in the compartment.
• The conductor warns you about approaching each of the stops. On the wall of the car near the conductor's compartment, there is a diagram showing the entire route of the trip with all the stops.
• If the train is equipped with a bio-toilet, its visit also requires compliance with certain safety rules. Among them-do not throw bottles, garbage, or foreign objects into the toilet.
• When driving in large cities, a sanitary zone is declared, and toilets may not work. During the movement in such a zone, the bathrooms are closed, usually by a junior conductor.
• Also, if necessary, depending on the train class, you can use a number of additional services during the trip, such as a shower, lunch, light snacks, hot and cold drinks.