RUSSIA MINI GUIDE

Russia: General information

Location: Europe

Local time:
Kaliningrad: From 30 Oct 05 to 26 Mar 06 GMT +2, From 26 Mar 06 to 29 Oct 06 GMT +3
Moscow, St. Petersburg, Astrakhan & Naryan-Ma: From 30 Oct 05 to 26 Mar 06 GMT +3, From 26 Mar 06 to 29 Oct 06 GMT +4
Izhevsk & Samara: From 30 Oct 05 to 26 Mar 06 GMT +4, From 26 Mar 06 to 29 Oct 06 GMT +5
Perm, Nizhnevartovsk & Ekaterinburg: From 30 Oct 05 to 26 Mar 06 GMT +5, From 26 Mar 06 to 29 Oct 06 GMT +6
Omsk & Novosibirsk: From 30 Oct 05 to 26 Mar 06 GMT +6, From 26 Mar 06 to 29 Oct 06 GMT +7
Norilsk & Kyzyl: From 30 Oct 05 to 26 Mar 06 GMT +7, From 26 Mar 06 to 29 Oct 06 GMT +8
Bratsk & Ulan-Ude: From 30 Oct 05 to 26 Mar 06 GMT +8, From 26 Mar 06 to 29 Oct 06 GMT +9
Chita & Yakutsk: From 30 Oct 05 to 26 Mar 06 GMT +9, From 26 Mar 06 to 29 Oct 06 GMT +10
Khabarovsk, Vladivostock & Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk: From 30 Oct 05 to 26 Mar 06 GMT +10, From 26 Mar 06 to 29 Oct 06 GMT +11
Magadan: From 30 Oct 05 to 26 Mar 06 GMT +11, From 26 Mar 06 to 29 Oct 06 GMT +12
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky: From 30 Oct 05 to 26 Mar 06 GMT +12, From 26 Mar 06 to 29 Oct 06 GMT +13

Capital: Moscow

Language: Russian, many local languages

Electricity: 220V AC 50Hz

International direct dialling code: 7

Driving: Driving is on the right. National licence with authorised translation or International Driving Permit required. Self drive car hire is very limited and not recommended for westerners

Currency: Russian Ruble (RUR)
Notes: RUR: 10, 50, 100, 500, 1,000
Coins: RUR: 1, 2, 5

Traditions/Mores: English is widely spoken and German is also a useful language when visiting. Alcohol is available and smoking is widespread

Emergency services: Police: 02. Fire: 01. Ambulance: 03

Air Travel

The national airline is Aeroflot – Russian International Airlines (SU) (website: www.aeroflot.com). Other airlines serving the Russian Federation include Air France, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, Czech Airlines, El Al, Finnair, Lufthansa and SAS Scandinavian Airlines.

Approximate flight times:

From Moscow or St Petersburg to London is three hours 45 minutes. From Moscow to Almaty is four hours 40 minutes, to Baku is three hours 10 minutes, to Bukhara is three hours 40 minutes, to Kiev is one hour 45 minutes, to Minsk is one hour 20 minutes, to Odessa is two hours, to Samarkand is three hours 50 minutes and to Yerevan is two hours 50 minutes.

International airports:

Moscow (SVO) (Sheremetyevo) (website: www.sheremetyevo-airport.ru) is 35km (22 miles) northwest of the city. Taxis are available at the airport to the city centre for approximately US$10-15 (travel time – 30 to 40 minutes). ‘Autoline’ fixed-route taxis and buses are also available. Express coaches depart for the city every 20 minutes (0545-0030). Coaches depart for the airport from the Central Air Terminal in Moscow, 37 Leningradsky Prospekt (travel time – 50 minutes for international flights). Express trains leave every 30 minutes. Airport facilities include outgoing duty free shops, banks/bureaux de change, post office, car hire, restaurants and first aid. Moscow also has three primarily domestic airports: see Travel – Internal section.
St Petersburg (LED) (Pulkovo) is 17km (10.5 miles) south of the city. Buses are available to the city centre 0700-2000 every 10 minutes (travel time – 10 minutes). Taxis are available for roughly US$10 (travel time – 15 minutes). Airport facilities include banks/bureaux de change, flight information, duty free shops, restaurant, bar, snack bar, left luggage and first aid.

RUSSIA FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Where to find cheap, possibly non-stop tickets to Russia? Can I get the best lowest airfare at the last moment? Which airlines fly to Russia? Which travel documents, passport, visa required, what are health immunization requirements in Russia.

Recommended immunisations:

diphtheria, hepatitis A, *hepatitis B, *Japanese B encephalitis, polio, *TB, tetanus, *tick-borne encephalitis, *typhoid
* recommended in some circumstances, travellers making 3 or more visits per year, stays of more than 3 months in a rural area, high-risk occupational groups & backpackers staying more than 1 month

Health risks in Russia:

Rabies

Russian Passports

Required by all

Notes:

Passport validity: Passports must be valid 6 months after date of return

Russian Visas

Required by all

Notes:

Transit

Required by all except:
1) Persons remaining in the transit zone of Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport with an onward or connecting flight within 24 hours of arrival

Notes:

Transit visas are required while travelling through Russia to Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine & Uzbekistan. Transit visas are valid for maximum of 3 days

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