Traveling to Russia these days is truly a different experience than it was a few years ago. Conditions have changed so much that many everyday things have been affected—like how you pay, how you get from one place to another, and how long it takes at the airport.
None of this is impossible, but if you don’t know about these things in advance, traveling to an already complex destination can feel unnecessarily more difficult and stressful.
I’ve compiled here the nine key things I’d tell anyone planning to travel here. These are the tips that really make a difference in your experience on the ground.
Visiting Russia in 2026 at a Glance
1. Download Yandex Go App
2. Bring Cash
3. Budget Extra Time at the Airport
4. Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help
5. Embrace Public Transport
6. Don’t Stress About Cultural Missteps
7. Pack for the Actual Weather
8. Get a Local SIM Card
9. Talk to People
1. Download Yandex Go Before You Land
If you install just one app before your flight lands, it should be Yandex Go. It’s essentially Russia’s “everything app” — through it you can order food, have groceries delivered, rent electric scooters, and use many other services. But for any visitor, the most immediately useful feature is its taxi service.
The thing is, Russian airports are quite far from city centers. Whether it’s Moscow’s three major airports or St. Petersburg’s Pulkovo, you can get to the city center by public transport, but if you have luggage, it involves trains, metro transfers, and a lot of walking. After a long flight, that journey quickly becomes exhausting.
Taking a taxi with Yandex Go takes about an hour and costs roughly 1,000 to 1,500 rubles (around $15). For that price, you eliminate all the hassle.
If you have the app ready as soon as you clear customs, you can start your trip much more easily and smoothly.
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2. Bring Cash — More Than You Think You’ll Need
This is absolutely essential. Due to sanctions, Western bank cards—such as Visa, Mastercard, and others—do not work in Russia. ATMs don’t accept them, and card terminals won’t process payments either. If you come thinking you can tap your card everywhere like in London or New York, you’ll very quickly find yourself in a difficult situation.
In Russia, most things are cash-based for visitors, so it’s essential to bring enough physical cash for your entire trip. My advice is to carry more cash than you think you’ll need. Food, taxis, accommodation, shopping, and entertainment—all of these must be paid for in cash.
If you run out of money, it’s a problem you can’t easily solve in a foreign country, especially when ATM withdrawals aren’t possible.
So it’s best to exchange your money at home and keep it in a secure place.
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3. Budget Extra Time at the Airport
Passport control in Russia can often take much longer than you expect, and this has become especially common in recent years. Western passport holders are often stopped for extra questioning, especially if your passport doesn’t already have Russian stamps.
A one- or two-hour wait at the border is not uncommon — it can be a bit frustrating, but it’s part of the current situation, so it’s best to factor it into your travel plans.
In practical terms, this means that if someone is coming to pick you up from the airport, let them know in advance that there may be a delay. Don’t plan any connecting transport or any immediate commitments right after your arrival, because the first few hours can be uncertain.
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A small but useful tip for flights to Moscow is to avoid, if possible, any flight that lands immediately after arrivals from Central Asia. Security checks for travelers from that region have become quite stringent, and if you end up in line with a large number of passengers undergoing intensive screening, your wait could be significantly longer.
4. Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help — Even With Limited Russian
In Russia, the level of English is generally quite low, especially outside tourist areas and among younger age groups. But that doesn’t mean people won’t help you. In my experience, Russians are often very willing to assist a confused-looking foreigner—it’s just that they don’t have the vocabulary for a full conversation.
The real trick is to keep things very simple. Don’t use long, complicated sentences. Just use the one word that tells them what you need. For example, if you’re looking for the metro, don’t say, “Excuse me, could you possibly direct me to the nearest underground station?” Just smile, make brief eye contact, and say: “Metro?”
That one word, spoken in a friendly tone, will often get you the right direction.
The same rule applies to toilet, taxi, hotel, and many other words, because they’re quite similar or easily understood in Russian. Keep it brief, smile sincerely, and finish with “spasibo.” (thank you) at the end. A little warmth really makes a big difference.
5. Embrace Public Transport — It’s Genuinely Excellent
I know that in some countries public transportation isn’t considered good—especially for Americans who are used to driving everywhere—but the metro systems in Moscow and St. Petersburg are truly world-class, and they’re fast, clean, reliable, well-organized, and very cheap.
In St. Petersburg, Russian public transport is a completely different story. It’s fast, clean, reliable, fully integrated, and very cheap. The metro systems in both cities are truly world-class, and they can take you almost anywhere you actually want to go.
In Moscow, you can get a Troika card from a machine at any metro station. You load money onto it and then tap it at the barriers—it’s really easy and hassle-free. If you have a Russian bank card, you can tap it directly, just like on the London Underground.
For everyday travel, using public transport instead of taxis can save you a lot of money, especially if you’re staying for more than a few days. There’s no need to be intimidated. Once you actually start using it, the system isn’t as complicated as it seems from the outside.
6. Don’t Stress About Cultural Missteps
Many travelers worry that they might go to a new country and accidentally offend someone. That concern is indeed valid in some destinations, but Russia is quite relaxed in this regard—especially for Western visitors.
Russians have plenty of exposure to Western culture and have been interacting with foreign visitors for a long time, so most of your actions won’t shock them or be considered rude.
Especially when it comes to tipping: it exists in Russia, but it’s completely optional. If you don’t tip, nobody will take offense. Think of it more like the UK style—a tip is just an appreciation for good service, not a mandatory requirement.
If the service is good, tip; if it’s not, don’t. There’s no problem and no one will stop you. Just stay relaxed. The cultural learning curve here is much easier than in many other countries.
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7. Pack for the Actual Weather — Not the Stereotype
If everything you’ve seen about Russia comes from movies, you might have the impression that it’s snow all the time. But that image is completely wrong. The weather changes dramatically at different times of the year. In Moscow, summer temperatures can even climb above 40°C (100°F). In late August it really gets scorching hot—so hot that wearing a winter coat would feel impossible.
By contrast, in winter temperatures in Moscow can drop to around –40 °C, which is unimaginably cold for people from most temperate regions. Both extremes are real, and the difference between them is enormous.
So the practical advice is to not just look at the general weather for “Russia” before your trip, but to check the weather for the specific city and month you’re visiting. Pack accordingly.
If you show up in October wearing shorts and the temperature is near freezing, the start of your trip can be really uncomfortable. You can buy clothes there, but then you’ll waste a day and spend money you didn’t need to.
8. Get a Local SIM Card on Day One
This tip consists of two parts, and both are important.
The first is a financial reason: roaming charges for Western SIM cards in Russia have become really high. Even with normal data usage over a week, you could end up paying hundreds of dollars. By contrast, a Russian SIM card offers a fairly large data package at a much lower price, and there’s no long-term contract. When you leave Russia and don’t recharge it, it automatically deactivates—no extra charges, no ongoing hassle.
Another thing that surprises many people: almost every Russian service requires phone number verification. Whether you’re booking a taxi with Yandex Go, ordering food, or connecting to the Wi-Fi at a restaurant or shopping mall—you’ll get an SMS verification code. Without a Russian number, you’re effectively shut out of a large part of everyday digital services.
You can get a SIM card as soon as you arrive at the airport, or from the mobile network shops that are everywhere in Moscow and St. Petersburg. It’s best to take care of this on your first or second day so you won’t have any trouble for the rest of your trip.
9. Talk to People — The Friendliness Will Surprise You
The stereotype that Russians are cold, unfriendly, and unapproachable is one of the most false stereotypes I’ve encountered in all my travel experiences. In reality, Russians—especially when they meet a foreigner who has genuinely come to experience their country—are often very warm, curious, and genuinely happy to connect.
You don’t need fluent Russian for meaningful interactions. Even with broken English and gestures, conversations often turn into a genuine exchange. And in any major city you’ll definitely meet people who speak perfectly fluent English and are genuinely happy to talk with a native speaker.
If you’re shy, here’s a simple trick: go to the smoking area outside any bar, pub, or club, speak English in a normal voice, and within minutes people will come up to you. It sounds strange, but it really works. Russians are genuinely interested in the world and in visitors who come.
Every person you talk to adds a new dimension to your journey. Don’t miss out on the part that makes Russia so memorable by staying in your comfort zone.
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Final Thoughts
Traveling to Russia has become more complicated now than before—it’s a fact in the current circumstances. But for travelers who come with prior information and proper preparation, it remains an extraordinary destination. The cities here are very beautiful, the culture is very deep, The food is better than its reputation, and people aren’t the caricatures often imagined.
The essential thing is to sort out the practical details before you arrive—like the cash situation, apps, SIM cards, and possible airport delays—and then really keep yourself open to experiencing the place.
That’s when the real journey begins.
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