Travel to Russia by Plane:
Aeroflot (Russian Airlines) constitutes Russia's national airline. Airports are in Moscow, Saint Petersburg and most other cities. Airports are in all big cities in the Asia part of Russia.
Travel by Train:
Train service is usually reliable. Main routes from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania have fairly frequent trains to St. Petersburg and Moscow. Most long distance trains have 2 to 6 passengers per room, 4 being the most common. The Trans-Siberian Railway spans the entire country and connects European Russia with Russian Far East provinces.
For overnight travel three main kinds of cars are available. The third class car is called platzcart and is set up with unwalled compartments of four fold out beds opposite two beds on the window wall.
These compartments are generally less safe than other classes, but provide for a much more immersive experience. Also, woman travellers sometimes prefer the platzcart to other classes where they might end up in a closed compartment with other male strangers (Russian trains do not have separate cars or compartments for males and females).
The second class is called coupe and consists of private compartments of four each. The first class is called SV, and consists of compartments for two persons.
Conductors always provide free water in samovars in every car and will usually sell you tea and lend you a mug and spoon for about 10 rubles, or 35 cents. Most long distant trains also have dining cars. Expect to pay around 60 rubles, or $2.20 for linens (this is required) once you board the train.
When going through the countryside locals will sell food and liquor at pretty resonable prices.
Often babushkas will even be selling pre-made meals! Frequently, traders will walk through the traincars between stops and sell everything from crockery to clothes to Lay's chips.
Bring your own toilet paper and soap.
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Travel by Car:
Travelling in Russia by car is difficult, and the roads are often intentionally unmarked.
Car rental services are only starting to develop in major cities such as Moscow or St.Petersburg, and are expensive. Crossing the border by car is also a peculiar entertainment.
There is no doubt that car travel is the best way to see the country, but it is a risky enterprise which is recommended only for the brave and capable.
Service is scarce and poor, and the countryside can be quite dangerous without experience and fluency in the Russian language.
This country is simply too large and too underdeveloped for car travel.
Visas:
Citizens of most non-Russia or CIS countries must obtain a Russian visa prior to arriving to Russia. An invitation is required to obtain either business or tourist visa. You can get a tourist invitation directly from a hotel that you book or by using a reliable online hotel booking service like HotelsRussia.com. Then you have an option of apply for the visa at a local Russian Embassy or have a local travel agent do it for you.
Tourist visas are not hard to get. Business visas are issued by the government. Obtaining one is time consuming and costly. They can be obtained with the help of most large international travel agencies in 6 to 12 weeks.
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