Foreigners coming to Russia by ferry can stay in Russia 72 hours without visas

Russia’s State Duma supported a draft law "About amending Article 25.11 of the Federal Law “On the procedure of departure from the Russian Federation and entry into the Russian Federation” in the first reading during the session on September 19.

As a REGNUM correspondent passes, the draft law states that foreigners arriving in Russia do not need a visa, if they stay in the country 72 hours. The government of the Russian Federation is to make a list of marine and river ports that foreign tourists can use.

Judy Carter: Story - "My Trip to Russia"

It really is hard to believe that anyone would allow a twelve year old kid to travel half way around the world alone, but it happened to me. It wasn't planned that way. I was supposed to join my mom and dad at the LaGuardia airport and then we were all going to fly together from there. My parents' flight was delayed and the plane had taken off before I could scream bloody murder, get me off this thing. I've lost my parents. The airline attendant attempted to reassure me that Pelto airlines could locate my parents and insure that we met up once I arrived in Moscow. The airlines had already lost my parents one time and yet they expected me to believe that they were omnificent. I didn't buy it and I was nowhere close to being reassured. I have traveled a fair amount for a kid so I am used to flying and I know how to work the radio, how to maneuver in the restroom and how to signal the attendant. If I had had a credit card, I could have called Grandma and filled her in on my dilemma. But I didn't have a credit card. I was just hoping that this was not an omen of how this trip was going to go. I like to think I am pretty grown up for my age but I wanted my parents. It was hard to keep the tears at bay. Every time an announcement was made in a foreign language, I panicked. I'd listen as hard as I could for the English version before I could convince myself to relax.

The sun never really set. We were treated to this non-stop sunset throughout most of the trip. I must have fallen asleep at some point because as we approached our destination, it was daylight and the sunset was gone. How weird. I was wishing I could remember enough about the earth's rotation and all to explain this, but I couldn't.

Oh, yeah. Why am I taking this trip anyway? My Russian pen pal, Sasha, wrote a letter to President Clinton. It must have been some letter because I got a phone call from the President of the United States asking me if I would like to go visit Sasha in Moscow, accompanied by my parents, of course. I knew Sasha was intelligent and clever but this took the cake.

The airline attendant introduced me to some Russian university students on the plane. The students made it clear to me that I would not be abandoned at the airport in Moscow. The students worked out a plan to get me through customs and to Sasha's home and to also take care of my parents once they arrived. I would soon find out that this was a sample of Russian hospitality. I had counted on this from Sasha but not from utter strangers. I no longer worried about the airlines not assisting me-I didn't need them any more.

We arrived in Moscow around 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday. I had left my home town at 7:00 a.m. Monday. What a long flight and so disorienting with the 11 hour time difference.

The bus ride into town was about an hour and a half long. I was astonished to see billboards in both Russian and English. It made me relax a little bit. The landscape reminded me of my grandmother's home in Indiana-flat with lots of trees and sort of dreary. No big blue sky where you can see forever like where I'm from. After riding for about 25 minutes, I realized there were no houses anywhere. As we got closer to town, I saw huge apartment buildings, but no suburban housing areas like we have outside our cities in the U.S. How strange!
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My new friends were true to their word. Two of them accompanied me right to Sasha's door. The plane my parents were on was scheduled to arrive later that night and some of the students were going to go back and meet them and deliver them to me at Sasha's. Little did I know at that point that my parents would never make it to Moscow.

Sasha's family was well off financially by Russian standards. They owned a car and had another flat right in town. But by U.S. standards, Sasha and his family lived quite simply. It was just Sasha, his brother, Yori and his parents. They lived in one of those huge, ugly apartment buildings. Sasha and Yori shared a small bedroom and his parents had a bedroom and then there was a little living room and a tiny kitchen. The bathroom was this minuscule room, probably 4 by 4 feet and then there was another room the same size right next to it with the sink. They had a little balcony about the same size as our car and that was it. If this was a wealthy family's home, I could hardly imagine what kind of a place your average Russian lived in. The garage was called a shell because it was this metal box shaped kind of like a big clam shell and that was the way it opened up to drive the car in. A large car would never fit in these things. What did they do? Get a new car, get a new garage? Actually, Sasha told me that they kept their cars forever. When you figure it was a sign of a certain level of wealth to even have a car, it makes sense.

Around nine o'clock that first night, my parents called me at Sasha's home. Misfortune was to be their friend again. Dad developed signs of the flu before they had even left home and in his maligned state, he left their carry-on baggage on their first flight and away went their passports. They could not even leave the United States. Which in the end was for the best. Dad had to have his appendix removed within 24 hours and that was most certainly not something to go through in Russia. They had been frantic when they first discovered that I had gone onto Moscow without them but were convinced I was in good hands once they had spoken with my new[found university friends from the plane ride. These students had contacted my folks after being informed by the airlines that they never even left the U.S. Talk about guardian angels. So there I was in Russia for two weeks without another American anywhere close at hand. I was so lucky that Sasha could speak English as well as he did. There were times when we couldn't figure out what the other person was trying to say, but it didn't happen that often. Imagine trying to learn to read a foreign language when the alphabet is not even the same. Words could be written upside down and I couldn't even tell it sometimes. Needless to say, I learned very little Russian. I could say the first place Sasha took me the following day was to Red Square and I will never forget the overwhelming feeling I had standing in the middle of it surrounded by such beauty and grandeur and history.
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Guide to catching a taxi in Russia

Any traveller in a foreign country may once find themselves in a situation when they have no better options to get to the destination but going by taxi. Here is what foreign guests must know about the peculiarities of travelling by taxi in Russia.

Taxi in Russia can be divided into 2 general types: “official” taxi and private transporters. The main identifier of official taxi is yellow colour of the cars and the emblem of black checkers along with a light table with the word “taxi” situated on the car roof. A private transporter is any ordinary Russian driver with a private car who does not belong to a taxi company but is willing to make money on giving someone a ride for a certain fee. Private transporters also can use a yellow table with the word “taxi” written on it, and this often makes it impossible to guess whether it is an official taxi car or not.

The main pluses of official taxi are fixed prices (but generally more expensive) and predictability of the drivers` behaviour. Besides, travellers can order a taxi by phone – in this case a car arrives in 10-15 minutes. However, the number of official taxi cabs in the streets is much less than the number of private transporters; therefore, catching a private car takes less time in this way. At the same time one must be prepared to encounter some undesired behaviour of a private driver, such as smoking without the passenger’s permission, listening to some weird radio turned too loud, or driving like a kamikaze.

Although using private cabs in Russia is relatively safe (at least for Russians), here there are some rules and tips foreigners must be familiar with. Here it starts. In order to catch a car, no matter official taxi or a private car, a traveller must raise their hand at the curb of the road. If it is not a deserted place but a thoroughfare and a busy road, a car will stop within a minute. Seeing a potential passenger, private drivers sometimes even start to queue. The price is always negotiated before travelling to the destination. The average price for a 20 minutes drive is around $10USD (250 roubles). Traffic jams can considerably influence the taxi price.

One must keep in mind, that one of the main problems with private drivers in Russia (and perhaps with Russian services on the whole) is the drivers` poor knowledge of foreign languages, including English, along with the belief that all western foreigners are rich.

If a private driver notices that his potential passenger is a foreigner, he most likely will try to double the price. This is especially true for drivers at airports – catching a car there may cost a fortune even for non-poor people. If it seems to a foreign traveller that a Russian private driver wants too much for giving a ride, they’d better try another car. After all there are always drivers offering their service for an honest price.

As for safety, the best advice to foreign travellers who cannot speak even little Russian is to not catch a private taxi without more or less Russian speaking mate. It is also strongly not recommended to get into cars which already have a passenger and it is better to have the traveller’s destination point written in Russian on a paper and show it to the driver.


Lavrentyeva Natalya

Russia Travel Tips

Visas
Travel in Russia has become easier than ever. Remember, however that visas are required. A complete explanation of the process can be found here.
Water
Water quality varies widely in Russia. Your best bet is to drink and brush your teeth only with bottled water. Be careful to avoid ice and raw foods and vegetables.

Crime
With the demise of the Soviet police state crime has been rising throughout Russia, however, it is still safer here than in many American cities. Precautions include not flaunting valuables, or walking alone at night through city streets or parks.

Taxis
In Russia, taxi fees are usually negotiated with the driver ahead of time. Do not use gypsy cabs or accept rides in cabs that already have a rider.

Tipping
Tipping is increasingly expected at restaurants. Tip 10-15% depending on service.

Electricity
Electricity throughout Russia is 220 volt/50 hz. The plug is the two-pin thin European standard. Be sure to bring your own converter as most places in Russia do not carry them.

Currency
All prices are generally quoted in rubles. Currency can be freely converted at banks, hotels or kiosks specifically for tourists.

Telephones
Despite the recent rapid improvements in the telecommunications infrastructure, telephoning in Russia can be difficult and expensive. Best bet is to use the phone at your hotel or use AT&T, Sprint or MCI's USA direct services. Tokens are required for street pay phones, which can be purchased at newsstands, in some stores, and many kiosks.

Time
Time is GMT +3 for both Moscow & St. Petersburg.

Medical Care
Remember to bring any medications you may need. Check with your health insurer before you depart to ascertain your coverage in the event of emergency. Many insurance providers offer specialized riders which can cover emergency evacuation.
http://www.geographia.com

Moscow Yellow Pages

One can find the Moscow Yellow Pages Site in English very useful, as it is very easy to find the information you need when you come to Moscow, such as emergency call services, legal services, medical help and many others.
For instance, if it is a problem to make a call may be you are unaware of Changes in phone codes in Russia , but now you know the way to check them up.
Table of weights and measures or Table of clothing sizes and footwear may also turn to be very useful when you are in Russia.