Visiting Russia
Entry paperwork, routes, paying for things, staying connected, and what a first week in Moscow actually looks like. Every page says when it was last checked.
Visas & paperwork
Moscow
Moscow Travel Guide 2026: 7-Day Itinerary, Real Tips
How to actually visit Moscow in 2026: e-visa, eSIM, cash without Visa, the metro, where to stay, what to eat, and a 7-day itinerary that skips the tourist tr…
Not yet re-checked for 2026Moscow, unfiltered
Photos and notes from the city as it looks on a normal day, not on a postcard.
Not yet re-checked for 2026Foreigners living in Moscow: who films it, and what it costs
Most foreign creators in Russia live in Moscow, and that skews everything you see. The metro is beautiful, the deliveries arrive in fifteen minutes, the parks are new, the salaries are the highest in the country — and none of that describes the other 88 regions.
Not yet re-checked for 2026Money & prices
Cost of Living in Russia 2026: Real Numbers from Moscow to the Regions
Real 2026 prices: rent, groceries, restaurants, metro, taxi, utilities, gym and three full monthly budgets — Moscow, St. Petersburg, and a typical region.
Not yet re-checked for 2026Mir Card & Money in Russia 2026: Bank Accounts, SBP, SWIFT, Crypto
The complete 2026 guide for foreigners: opening a Russian bank account, getting an INN, Mir card abroad, SBP instant transfers, what's left of SWIFT, and usi…
Not yet re-checked for 2026Is Russia expensive for foreigners in 2026?
Food, transport and services are cheap by Western European standards; housing in Moscow, electronics and anything imported are not. A single person outside Moscow lives comfortably on far less than in the EU, while a Moscow family with a rented flat lands much closer to European numbers than the supermarket videos suggest.
Not yet re-checked for 2026Language
Say it in Russian
Real phrases people actually use, with pronunciation you can copy out loud.
Not yet re-checked for 2026Russian alphabet
All 33 letters with sound, look-alike traps and what each one really sounds like.
Not yet re-checked for 2026Transliterator
Turn any Latin text into Cyrillic and back, instantly.
Not yet re-checked for 2026Cyrillic keyboard
Type Russian without installing anything, then copy the result.
Not yet re-checked for 2026Your name in Russian
How your name is written and said in Russian, including the friendly short form.
Not yet re-checked for 2026Which Russian city fits you?
Eight questions, one city, and a reason for each answer.
Not yet re-checked for 2026Regions
Living in Siberia as a foreigner: Baikal, Irkutsk and the small towns
Four time zones from Moscow, the arithmetic changes: land and housing are a fraction of the capital's, and everything else — specialist medicine, imported goods, a flight home — costs more in time and money.
Not yet re-checked for 2026Foreigners in the Russian countryside: farms, villages and winter
The countryside is where the largest foreign audiences actually are: a Danish homesteader in the taiga, a Canadian family with a tractor in the Nizhny Novgorod region, a Brazilian driving a Lada between villages. Land is cheap, neighbours are curious, and the work never stops.
Not yet re-checked for 2026Not what you needed?