Russia, anyone been?

[Nicktendo]

I'm off to Russia and Lithuania with uni at the end of this month and I have absolutly no idea what to expect. I'm going to Kaunas (Lithuania) and Kaliningrad (Russia) Which is in the far west of the country (near Finland). So has anyone been to this region of the world before and is there anything I can expect to encounter good or bad. Going there with no knowledge at all makes me a bit apprehensive but from the pictures it looks like a weird contrast of military grey buildings with massive amounts of green open space.

 

Thoughts??

[Letty]

Be careful..... I've heard that Russia comes to YOU!!! 0_0

[Nicktendo]

Yeah I'm a bit nervous tbh. Since Litvinenko got murdered in London in 2006, Russian & British relations soured a bit and citizens of the UK now have to pay £75 for a Russian tourist visa. We've been advised not to drink outside of the hotel or really leave it after 10pm... Hmmmm.

[Daft]

I've been twice. Once to St Petersburg and another time to Moscow.

 

I didn't much care for Moscow, if you think Londoners are bad then you're going to hate Moscovites.

 

St Petersburg was lovely though.

 

I wouldn't be too worried, just be cautious. Same goes with any part of the world, really.

 

Not drinking outside the hotel and not leaving after 10 pm seems a bit too cautious but I haven't been for a couple years and both Moscow and St Petersburg are major cities so its kind of different.

[Ten10]

I think I've heard if you are found drunk in the street you will be imprisoned.

[not_so_tiny]

I went to Russia for a school trip a good few years ago. Had an absolutely wicked time. Went to St Petersburg and Moscow. The buildings and scenery were amazing and going to see Lenin's body was creepy. You will see some crazy stuff, like people walking bears like they were dogs and I think at that time over half the male population were alcoholics so don't be surprised by the number of people staggering around. St Petersburg is quite a dirty city, saw a lot of parked cars covered in thick dust, but Moscow was beautiful. You really will have a great time.

[S.C.G]

I dare not go to Russia, if I ever found a tank then... reinacting the scene from Goldeneye of driving one down the streets of St Petersburg would be just too tempting.

[Jav_NE]

We were thinking of going at the end of our travels, but we just cant afford it. It's way too expensive and the appeal sort of get less and less the more we looked into it.

 

I'm sure its very pretty, but we want more than that. The food is supposed to be pretty bland and i'm not a big vodka drinker, so it all came down tot he people, who are supposed to be quite nice and accomodating, and the scenery, which im sure is breathtaking, but, like i said, its not enough.

 

We'd love to see the northern lights though. Aparently there's a place to the north of Russia where you can see them really well when it happens.

 

We also liekd the sound of a place called Kamchatna (or something) - the land of fire and ice. It sounds amazing; volcanoes still active but surrounded by ice. Helicopter tours was the only way to see it though as clearly there arn't many roads around there, and they cost a bomb.

 

Shame really. Maybe we'll go one day, but China is far more appealing at the moment.

[Coolness Bears]

If you don't like it, go to Russia...

 

 

...wait. >__>

[Shorty]

I'm not convinced Russia really exists.

[weeyellowbloke]

Expect to see lots of scary looking guys in sharp suits gathered in small groups smoking furiously and staring at passers-by. Also if you're in a bar and girl comes over to you and starts chatting check over your shoulder to see if one of these men is in the corner staring at you. If they are, get the hell out of there.

[Patch]

I've been to Moscow and St. Petersburg. There's plenty to do in both places, though I preferred St. Petersburg.

 

If you intend to do some solo-travelling, then here are some tips:

 

If you have a tan, you will stand out. You might be stopped by the police who will expect you to be able to produce a passport and maybe your visa. Take these with you at all times and keep them safe.

 

Police often carry automatic guns as a matter of course.

 

Do not photograph military installations.

 

Be watchful for pickpockets, especially on the tube in Moscow. In our case, there was a rather obvious collection of young gypsy women who spotted us foreigners a mile away. Apparently this is quite common. Don't smoke on the tube (you can get a fine).

 

Take a credit card for most purchases and for ATMs. For cash, take either Euros or US Dollars, to exchange into Rubles at verified exchange centres only (hotels / banks etc...).

 

Have a great time!