How to travel around Russia - useful tips

Recently Russia has become one of the most attractive destinations. Russian tours fascinate millions of tourists with the country's epic landscapes, world-class museums, and diverse society. Planning a trip to this still unknown country is exciting and cannot be underestimated to enjoy a successful trip. Holidays in Russia can be fascinating if you know some useful things to avoid misunderstandings traveling independently. On the other hand, if you buy tour packages from a Russian travel agency, you will be given all the necessary information by your travel agent. However, if you decide not to use any Russian travel company and go independently, you need to prepare for your trip carefully.

A few tips can help when planning your trip to Russia.

Traveling in Russia: Where to spend the night?

Probably one of the most critical parts of any trip is the accommodation. Reasonable accommodations can make your trip memorable, while bad accommodations can ruin it entirely.

Hotels in Russia can be high- quality international chains as well as 3-5 star local hotels do not belonging to any hotel chain.

If you go with family or a group of friends or if you're going to Russia for a more extended stay, it's a good idea to rent a tourist apartment. There are several local rental platforms, although there is also the option of staying in apartments through the Airbnb platform.

For younger people, such as students, or people traveling alone, hostels are a good option. Hostels usually offer bunk beds and shared bathrooms. A hostel is a form of cheaper accommodation, an excellent place to meet people from around the world. You can easily find the perfect hostel for your stay at Partyhostelguru.com.

Traveling in Russia: Where to eat?

In big Russian cities, you can find a good range of eating options; smaller towns and villages offer fewer choices. Restaurants can be quite formal, but you can find modern ones as well. Cafes are less expensive and often a bit more cozy.

Food & Drink

Russia is not a food destination, but the country has plenty of delicious traditional dishes to try. You can be surprised at the variety and flavors of Russian food. Most Russian dishes are influenced by European, Asian, and Middle East cuisines. The classic Russian recipes are made of wheat and vegetables. The cuisine is famous for its tasty soups, porridges, and stuffed dough.

Everybody knows that Russia is famous for vodka. You will find many varieties of Russian vodka. However, tea, mineral water, beer, and soda can also be found on Russian menus as well. Kvass is a popular refreshing fermented beverage made from black or regular rye bread or dough and is worth trying.

Traveling in Russia

Understanding that Russia is a huge country, tourists often wonder which transport to choose for their travel – car, plane, train, or maybe hitchhiking.

Traveling by car

Exploring Russia by car is an excellent option as you'll save on travel costs and will be able to see the country. The petrol prices are low, and the roads are quite good if you drive along the highways between the larger cities. The infrastructure is pretty well developed – you'll find a lot of motels, places to eat, and petrol stations along the way.

If you are traveling from one of the Baltic States, Germany, Finland or Sweden, then driving your own car to Russia may be a good option. However, if you don't want to deal with the border-crossing hassle, you can also rent a car in Russia.

Traveling by train

There is a number of overnight trains between the cities, and there is a super-fast Sapsan train between Moscow and St Petersburg, which does the route in just over four hours. There are different classes of trains. 1st class is called "lux" or "spalny vagon" in Russian and that there are usually two beds in there and a private shower. The 2nd class, or "kupe" in Russian, varies in quality, but it may be a good option when you want privacy. The 3rd class, called "platzcart" in Russian, is a common carriage, where you'll share the whole carriage with other people, but you'll have your own bunk bed.

Traveling by plane

If you are going far away – to Lake Baikal or Kamchatka or other faraway destinations, planes will most likely be your choice. Each major city has an airport, and the leading airline Aeroflot is flying to all those destinations.

Hitchhiking

You will not find centralized websites in Russia dedicated to hitchhiking, where you could find a ride online, this way of traveling is hugely popular among young people. It's a bit more rough and dangerous than in Europe, but quite easy to do as the roads are relatively busy and the drivers are used to it.

Russia is the world's largest territory with a huge variety of transportation options for independent travelers who want to explore Russia at their own pace and with the flavor of adventure. Whatever transportation option you choose, this incredible country will guarantee a memorable experience and a lot of fun.