Practical Information for visiting Russia

The currency is the Russian rouble (RUB), and the critical practical fact is this: Visa, Mastercard and American Express do not work in Russia. Cards issued outside the country are blocked, foreign ATMs will not dispense, and Apple Pay and Google Pay do not function.

This means bringing all the cash you will need, in euros or US dollars, and changing it at banks or exchange offices. Bring clean, undamaged notes. Budget generously, because there is no way to top up once you are there.

Some visitors open an account with a Russian bank or use a card from a country outside the sanctions regime; the rules around this change and are worth checking rather than assuming.

Domestically, Russia is otherwise highly cashless — Russians pay for everything by phone — which occasionally makes handing over notes awkward.

Tipping is around ten per cent in restaurants.

Coverage for mobile networks is good across populated Russia, with 4G in cities and along major routes, and thin to absent across large parts of Siberia and the Arctic.

Buying a local SIM requires a passport and registration. International roaming may be affected by sanctions depending on your home operator — check before you travel rather than after you land.

The internet is filtered and increasingly so. Many Western platforms and news sites are blocked, VPN services are themselves restricted and periodically throttled, and mobile internet has been shut down regionally during security incidents. Install what you need before arriving, and do not rely on being contactable.

Wi-Fi is widespread in cities and frequently requires a Russian mobile number to authenticate, which visitors often cannot supply.

Read your government’s current advice before doing anything else. Many advise against all travel to Russia, and several warn specifically of the risk of arbitrary detention of foreign nationals. Insurance is frequently invalidated by travelling against that advice, and consular assistance is limited.

• Arbitrary detention is a documented risk for foreign nationals, including on charges brought without warning. Dual nationals are at particular risk, and their second nationality may not be recognised.
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• Speech and social media. Laws criminalise what the state calls discrediting the armed forces, including retrospectively and including posts made abroad. Avoid the subject entirely, and be conscious that any Russian you discuss it with is taking a far greater risk than you are.
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• Border regions with Ukraine, and areas that have experienced drone or missile activity, carry additional risk.
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• Photography of military, transport, government and infrastructure sites is prohibited and treated seriously.
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• Everyday crime is relatively low; pickpocketing in Moscow and Saint Petersburg is the usual extent of it.
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• Cold is a genuine physical danger in winter across most of the country.

Medical care in Moscow and Saint Petersburg is reasonable, with private clinics used by foreign residents. Standards fall sharply in provincial and remote areas, and evacuation is complicated by sanctions and by restricted flight routes — check carefully what your insurer can actually deliver.

Vaccinations: routine cover plus hepatitis A. Tick-borne encephalitis is a genuine risk across the forested belt from spring to autumn, including around Saint Petersburg, Siberia and the Urals, and vaccination is recommended for anyone spending time outdoors. Rabies is present.

Cold injury is the seasonal hazard. At −20°C and below, exposed skin freezes in minutes; proper clothing is not optional and layering, mittens and a hat covering the ears are the local standard.

Water. Tap water is not recommended for drinking, particularly in Saint Petersburg where giardia has historically been a problem. Use bottled.

Bring all prescription medication with you, with documentation — some drugs common elsewhere, including those containing codeine, are controlled and have caused arrests at the border.

Do not discuss the war or politics. This is the single most important point, and the risk falls mainly on the Russians you speak to.

Shoes off on entering a home; slippers are provided. Bring a small gift — flowers in odd numbers only, as even numbers are for funerals.

Toasting. Vodka is drunk in toasts, with a few words each time, and the first is usually made by the host. Refusing every round is noticed; declining with an explanation is accepted.

Smiling at strangers is read as odd rather than friendly. Reserve is normal and does not indicate hostility.

Churches. Women cover their heads and shoulders; men remove hats. Do not photograph services, and note that Orthodox churches have no seating and worshippers stand.

Registration. Foreign visitors must be registered at their address; hotels do this, and private accommodation requires the host to do it. Carry your passport and migration card at all times — police may ask.

Emergency numbers: 112 works nationally. Separately, 101 is fire, 102 police, 103 ambulance. English is unlikely; your hotel is usually the faster route.

Medical. Private clinics in Moscow and Saint Petersburg — the European Medical Center and similar — are used to foreign patients and expect payment in cash, given that foreign cards do not work.

Consular. Several countries have reduced their diplomatic presence substantially, and some have suspended consular services. Establish before travelling what assistance would actually be available to you, and register with your embassy if it offers that.

Communication. Given the possibility of internet restrictions, agree a check-in schedule with someone at home and leave a copy of your itinerary outside the country.

Keep offline copies of your passport, visa, migration card and insurance, and enough cash in hard currency to leave at short notice.