Russia

Russia has exceptionally onerous visa requirements. In most cases, you have to obtain a notarised letter of invitation from a Russian citizen or organisation before you can apply for a visa. Some parts of the country ― for example, Chukotka and Norilsk, and many of the border regions ― are closed to foreigners unless they acquire special permits from the government. In most cases, you will need a local sponsor in the region to issue you an invitation through the local FSB office before you can apply for the permit, but some of these regions can be visited by foreigners on package tours, in whi…

Most foreign credit and debit cards no longer work in Russia. Your access to funds may be hindered as Russian banks have been shut out of the international monetary system. Wire transfers are not possible. As a result, you will need to bring physical cash into Russia and open a Russian bank account, which is relatively easy with Sber or Tinkoff Online.

The enormous distances hamper all forms of transportation. While the Russian government has tried to make the vast space more accessible since tsarist times much of the country is still hard to reach and even where trains and roads go, travel time is often measured in days not hours. Consider flying for far-off destinations — domestic flight routes cover the country pretty well.

Russian is the main language of Russia. The language is a member of the East Slavic language family and is closely related to Ukrainian and Belarusian, but with only limited mutual intelligibility. Other Slavic languages, such as Bulgarian and Croatian, are not mutually intelligible but still share a slight similarity. Russian is considered one of the most difficult European languages for an English speaker to learn, mostly because of very complicated grammar. You will not learn the language in…

For the most part, Russia is a moderately safe country to visit. The crime rate has fallen dramatically since hitting an all-time high in the 1990s. Assault, robbery, or pickpocketing are the most common crimes. They often happen in underground walkways, the subway, overnight trains, train stations, airports, markets, tourist attractions, and restaurants.

]] Medical facilities in general vary. A majority of hospitals are extremely well equipped, clean, and possess all of the latest technologies, while there are some that are well below Western standards, with shortages in medication and neglected equipment.

Most Russian news outlets that don't report the government's views uncritically have been closed down, and many foreign newspapers and broadcasting companies have withdrawn their journalists because of the 2022 laws on "fake news" – ordinary journalism could land them in jail. Getting information on developments in e.g. Russia or Ukraine may thus depend on personal contacts and resources.

Russians are generally reserved and well-mannered, and tend to be more traditional than other Europeans. This is partly due to the influence of the Russian Orthodox Church, which is a major force in Russian society.

. White birch is considered to be a national symbol of Russia]] Russia's list of holidays is divided into federally and regionally established, ethnic, historical, professional, and religious. The first two types are all-country day-off and should be taken into account while planning a trip. These are official holidays in Russian Federation: