Amaury Dreher

RUSSIA TRip REPORT

Population : 150 millions

Capital : Moscow

Main language : Russian (and many others depending on the republic)

Visa : Intermediate/easy

The Russian territory covers 17 million kilometers which makes it the largest country in the world. Many people do not know it, but Russia is a multi-ethnic country with extremely diverse cultural characteristics. There are about 170 nationalities and no less than 100 languages are spoken across its huge territory.

Getting the Russian visa used to be a deterring element due to the numerous requirements (applying for letter of invitation, submission of an itinerary, insurance certificate with non-printed stamp, etc…). Nowadays, an electronic visa is being implemented and hopefully this will greatly facilitate the travel opportunities.

I recently ended a Transiberian journey of 9000km across the country which you can read here.

I had my first trip to Russia back in 2016 when I was an Erasmus student in Helsinki. From the very first day, I instantly knew that Saint Petersbourg would be my favorite city in Europe. The following years I came back at multiple times with always the same fascination. Eventually, I was lucky enough to live three months in Saint Petersburg as a Russian language student. This experience provided me plenty of opportunities to shoot the city. Likewise, I spent some time in Moscow, the Russian capital. The latter offers a completely different architecture and atmosphere which turns particularly astonishing during nighttime.The subway stations alone are attractions and it is not uncommon to see hordes of Chinese tourists taking group photos. Let's talk about the metro. It's probably one of the most efficient transportation systems I've ever tried. The trains are modern and never late, the platforms are immaculate, advertising is almost non-existent and security seems to be omnipresent. (which is not to be disliked by anyone who has ever experienced the Paris metro...). In addition, the metro has a very convenient circular line that forms a ring around the city center and allows you to connect very easily.

Due to its gigantism, the country owns an extremely diversified geography with unique landscapes and, of course, a fascinating culture.

Saint-Petersburg is a very underrated city and for me the most interesting one in Europe. Not only because of its stunning architecture but also its cultural life which is boiling. By hanging out in cafes and bars it is common to meet all kinds of artists : musicians, painters, actors, writers, etc… Needless to mention the Hermitage museum which is located in the Winter palace and host one of the biggest collections in the world featuring many artistic movements from the major European cultures. To get an impressive overview of the city with aerial shots, I recommend watching the following drone video :

In the recent years, the country has been tremendously developing its infrastructures. The high-speed train (SAPSAN) is really efficient and comfortable. For budget travelers it is also possible to to take overnight trains. The train tickets booking platform has been modernised and it turns out quite convenient to use : https://eng.rzd.ru. Within cities, the local Uber app is called Yandex which is both cheap and very efficient to use.

Very few people speak English fluently, hence I recommend learning some basic Russian sentences. Also, it is convenient to get familiar with the Cyrillic alphabet (it is much easier than it seems, I promise!)

For low-budget travelers I definitely recommend staying at Soul Kitchen guesthouse whose location and value for money are unbeatable.

Russia is an adventure on its own. In contrast with the local opinion, I much more recommend going at winter 😈. It is indeed way more mysterious and one can enjoy a kind of atmosphere that I did not find anywhere else in the world.