What should you pay attention to when traveling to Russia?

Note:

1. Visa application

Although Russia and China are not visa-free, in a sense, they are actually visa-free. Because the independent travel visa can be obtained directly at the omnipotent Xbao. There are many agencies on it. As long as you send your passport and visa photos, the visa can be issued smoothly within a week. In addition, along with the visa, a printed invitation letter in Russian will be sent to you, so be sure to keep it.

2. Customs clearance

Therefore, when clearing customs, remember to keep the invitation letter properly, and be sure to book a return ticket in advance and present it. This way there is basically no problem. After you clear the customs, your visa will have a one-page entry and exit registration form, which will be collected when you leave the country. Remember to keep it well, as it will be very troublesome if it is lost.

3.? Network communication

It is recommended to buy a Russian mobile phone sim card in China. Generally, it is from the Beeline company. The trademark is a small ball in the color of a bee. If you want to play for a week, buy the one that includes 7 days of data plus phone calls. 5G of 4G network data allows you to surf the Internet unimpeded in St. Petersburg and Moscow. It also includes 500 minutes of calls + 200 minutes of international long-distance calls. The key is just over 60 yuan. It's just a bargain.

The ubiquitous wireless network will bring great convenience to your trip to Russia. By the way, people don’t have walls, so remember to download Google Maps and Google Translate on your mobile phone. With these two things, you can basically navigate the whole of Russia without any problems. There is no need to download the software recommended by other guides. At most, install Uber. and Airbnb.

Russia’s country code is +7

4. Language problem

Everyone will report that this is the most difficult one. From the Soviet Union to Russia, not only is learning English not encouraged, but there is a sense of rejection of English. Therefore, English is almost invisible in public places, road signs and transportation vehicles. The subway also has a row of small characters translated under the station name, and the bus stop signs are all in pure Russian. In larger restaurants, shops, and hotels, the service staff can usually communicate in some simple English. As for those small shops and restaurants run by individuals, don't expect it.

So I suggest using Google Translate to automatically translate after taking a picture to deal with various Russian languages. Of course, you also need to do some homework, such as subway stations, famous attractions, etc. You must at least know the Russian spelling. Over time, you will probably know the correspondence between English letters and Russian letters. In addition, if you encounter a situation where you really don’t understand Russian, just use gestures.

5. Transportation

It is worth noting that there are several airports in Moscow, each of which is a two-hour drive away. Be sure to remember clearly when buying air tickets, otherwise When I arrived at the airport, I saw something was wrong and felt embarrassed.

Russian train stations are different from other places. There is a specially named station wherever it leads. For example, there is a St. Petersburg train station in Moscow, which is bound for St. Petersburg. In the same way, there is a Moscow station in St. Petersburg. stand. I didn't have the chance to take the train from Beijing to Moscow because the price was much more expensive than flying.

There are no obvious signs in the subway station telling you that this is station XX. In other words, if you don’t understand the station announcement in the subway, you won’t be able to tell it from the platform outside. Of course, you can identify them by their style if you go there a lot, but new visitors should still rely on Google Maps. In which direction the subway goes, you can find the next station name on the route map on the subway platform. The stations in gray have already been passed.

Even the outside of the subway station must be designed to be magnificent. As for the inside, you’d better see it with your own eyes.

6. Accommodation booking

It is highly recommended to book a B&B on Airbnb. Because these B&Bs are often located in downtown areas, they have good security and are convenient to the main attractions in the city. B&Bs in Russia are generally the type of collective apartments left over from the old Soviet Union, and it’s quite nice to experience them. The heating is very sufficient and the facilities are complete. The environment is also relatively quiet. Moreover, people who rent houses on Airbnb are generally well-educated and speaking English is no problem at all. Generally, the price per night is around 200 yuan.

The corridors of the old apartments still have a hint of the Soviet era

If you book a hotel, try not to choose those well-known Russian hotels, because the price/performance ratio is not high, and the service attitude is also bad. generally. Also, don’t book small hotels in too remote areas.

7. Differences in food

Personally, I feel that Russian food is not as bad as I imagined. At least I want to have a cup of their hot soup every day. The real borscht is actually red cabbage soup, which is completely different from what we drink in China. But puff pastry soup, cream of mushroom soup and so on, all have familiar flavors.

Real borscht, next to it is cream, you can add it as appropriate

8. Safety:

Although I found on the Internet that the public security in Russia is not good, thieves are rampant , you can’t walk alone at night. But at least I didn’t feel this in the two big cities. Uniformed police patrols can be seen everywhere, and no pickpocket with any intentions was encountered from beginning to end. I've seen drunk people go crazy, so just ignore them. If you walk in a place like Nevsky Prospekt at night, you can rest assured.

Later, I once walked alone in an empty alley, and I didn't feel unsafe at all, but I still recommend being more vigilant.

9. Shopping

The depreciation of the ruble has made Russia almost a paradise for purchasing agents. It is true that buying many luxury goods in Russia is cheaper than in China. The cheapest one I've personally been to is near Nevsky Prospekt in St. Petersburg. It's about 1/3 cheaper than the average price in China. However, I haven't searched carefully. There may be even lower prices.

As for other specialties, caviar is very good, but the price/performance ratio is poor. . Besides, people in China are not used to this stuff. Amber, purple gold, etc. all look beautiful, but if you are not an expert, you should be careful about being deceived (I would also like those who use fake cultural relics to deceive foreigners). As for souvenirs such as matryoshka dolls and medals, they are mostly produced by small domestic workshops and command a high premium. In the end, I think vodka is the most worth buying.

Attractions worth visiting in Moscow:

Red Square Circle: Kremlin, Alexander Park, Lenin’s Tomb, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Saint Basil’s Assumption Cathedral, State Historical Museum, Guards National War Museum, GUM State Department Store, etc.

Other scenic spots in the city include:

Moscow University: The campus buildings are all gorgeous old buildings, and you can overlook the Moskva River from Sparrow Hill.

Novodevichy Cemetery: There are quite a few Russian celebrity tombs there.

Arbat Street: A commercial street suitable for shopping, but obviously not as good as Nevsky Prospekt in St. Petersburg.

Then there is the Golden Ring Town in the suburbs: it is a satellite town surrounding Moscow. The scenery still retains the feeling of a European town in the past, with various Orthodox churches, green mountains and green waters, and you can take the train It used to be good. The most famous ones are Sergeyev, Vladimir and Suzdal.

If you want to go to some unpopular, mysterious, exciting, and cool places, I would recommend these:

Cold War Museum

Star City : As a base for training astronauts in the former Soviet Union, it is now open to the public. You can enter the spacecraft and experience the training of astronauts, and you can also eat space food. The exhibits are full of the atmosphere of the space race when the United States and the Soviet Union competed for hegemony.

Gulag History Museum: Displays the (black) historical archives of labor camps across the Soviet Union during the Gulag period. Because this museum was only opened in 2014, it is quite high-quality and worth a visit.

Abandoned Hovrinskaya Hospital: The location of Moscow’s horror urban legend is an abandoned hospital where a female employee was once killed. The structure is very similar to the Umbrella company in Resident Evil.

Reference materials

Zhihu.Zhihu [cited on 2018-1-24]