Talk:Tourism in Russia

Untitled

• Crimea was a part of Russia for a very long time - until 1954, when Kruschev transferred it to the Ukrainian SSR. Abanamat 13:01, 27 April (UTC)
• should the crimea really be mentioned here since it isnt in Russia? (- unknown/unsigned)

• Cleaned up the article a little bit. Did not check for accuracy. This still looks like a stub to me. 71.132.15.129 23:03, 18 February 2006 (UTC)

More details can be found on http://www.destinationrussia.com

This article certainly needs a lot of rewriting. It is very basic and not well structured. To make Russia sound appealing to tourists it certainly needs to emphasise the attractions and what is so important or of historical significance for the modern-day tourist. Decadencecavy 10:16, 21 June 2006 (UTC)

• I've put this article through an extensive rewrite, based on a 11-day trip to Russia in July 2006. Russia is a very rapidly changing country, particularly with its rules and regulations. Much of the information on the web is already becoming obsolete, though many of the advisories and cautionary statements still hold. I'm afraid much of the information I present is from first-hand experience and thus not readily verifiable, though I have checked with a few other websites for consistency. Aside from this caveat, however, this information should be accurate to the best of my knowledge. Treat it as you would with any other Wikipedia article - with a grain of salt. (PS: if I've written the article to make it sound less than appealing to tourists... thats rather intentional. Traveling in Russia is a non-trivial experience not meant for the timid nor the faint-of-heart.) Thetaomega 01:07, 21 July 2006 (UTC)

How ironic that Wikipedia should mention Russia's "antiquated and costly" visa policy... Is there a similar page on U.S. visas? How about paying the $100 application fee to start with, regardless of the outcome? Has the author compared the denial rates for Russian and U.S. visas worldwide? RussianEmigrant

• I'm not the original author that calls the visa policy "antiquated and costly". However, I have made additions and edits (to someone else's edits done a day or so earlier than mine) in the article that describe what many in the world would find to be draconian regulations and enforcement of Russian visa policies. Combine that with a notoriously corrupt Russian police force, and most would probably agree that Russia has perhaps one of the strictest visa policies in the world. Thetaomega 04:53, 21 July 2006 (UTC)

Does this topic really need its own page? I suggested it be merged into the larger article on Russia. reverie98 8:34, 9 July 2006.

• Yes, this topic definitely needs its own page, given the extensive additions to the content I've now added. There are many practical considerations and preparations that prospective visitors to Russia should take to ensure a smooth and enjoyable experience. Many visitors to Russia greatly enjoy their time there, but many more things can and do go wrong than in a visit to most Western countries. Thetaomega 01:07, 21 July 2006 (UTC)

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Is it just me or does this page seem totally bias'd against russia? --60.224.14.194 07:59, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

Excuse me, but you make it sound like visiting is dangerous at the very least. That is not exactly true. And this article contains a lot of errors and misinformation. For instance, water in all russian cities is properly refined and thus is potable. But yes, there are petty crimes (but actually tourists are more likely to suffer from pickpocketing in Paris than in Saint-Petersburg). And militia is surely corrupt, but they don't usually mess with foreigners. Also, many places favoured by foreign tourists are not mentioned. For example, Lake Baikal, Altai Krai, Kizhi, Valaam or Mount Elbrus. So, in conclusion, this article needs rewriting.

--Bigsva 15:35, 5 September 2006 (UTC)

• Visiting Russia can be a safe experience, if proper precautions are taken and if visitors are properly aware of their surroundings. I would say, however, that visitors to Russia need to be more vigilent of certain things than visitors to most of Western Europe (and yes, I've visited Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, France, Holland, Italy, Sweden, and Switzerland, a number of them several times). Hence, the tone for much of the article is cautionary.

• Water is certainly not universally potable in Russian cities. The US State Department advises US travelers to drink and brush teeth only with bottled water. The popular Frommer's guide mentions that while water in Moscow may be potable, foreigners may have problems, and water in St. Petersburg contains giardia. I've added the references to that section.

• Militia - actually, they do frequently target foreigners, particularly near metro stations and popular tourist sites. I was present when they filmed the 7/12/2006 Today Show at St. Petersburg (at the Palace Square near the Hermitage State Museum); though this never made it to print, one of the reporters interviewed an American man (married to a Russian woman) who was literally robbed by the militia near the Church of the Savior on Blood in the evening, just a couple days prior. Most foreigners are lucky enough to not have this unpleasant experience, but many unfortunately do fall victim to corrupt militia. While it is possible that the situation is improving, it is a non-trivial issue that visiting foreigners should beware.

Granted, this article as it is currently written tends to overlap a bit with similar content in Wikitravel. However, I stand by most of the information I've revised (check the history), and I do put out the disclaimer that all Wikipedia articles (and Wikitravel articles, for that matter) should be taken with a grain of salt. Thetaomega 16:18, 15 September 2006 (UTC)

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Describe Each Feature of the Elephant

I'll be pleased to add my two cents to the article on tourism in Russia when I return from there in about August of 2007. I am planning a summer visit to my in-laws to work on the dacha, fish, swim and perhaps make baby Russians. (There is no such thing as 'half-Russian', just as there is no such thing as 'half-American). We are planning an automobile trip from Moscow to the Rostov Oblast'. The bus ride usually takes 18-20 hours, the train takes just as long, when accounting for ground transportation from the Rostov train station to the final destination, and the air flight is a bit more comfortable, but it is hard to convince ordinary Russians to spend good money on the luxury of airplane tickets just to get somewhere a bit faster. We'll see how the car trip goes.

    Part of the trouble in describing tourism in Russia is the huge 'standard deviation' in conditions and the huge variety in people and expectations.  I have been exposed to the most virulent hatred of Russia from ex-patriate Russians, especially young ones who have never actually lived in Russia; from ethnic and religous minorities whose dogma dictate hatred; and from extremist right-wing Americans whose ideology prevents any sort of useful evaluation of the subject at hand.
    On the other hand, very few people are prepared to endorse a Russia with so many obvious flaws, or to pour out blind love and affection for a system that wants neither.  This leaves the innocent bystander with an unbalance of evidence - blind hatred but no blind love.
    If you are the innocent bystander, you already suspect that the truth is in the middle.  For example, in all my extensive visits to Russia, including Moscow and other cities, towns and small villages, I have never been hassled by the Militia (the police).  However, I have been present when others (Russian citizens) have had to pay "fines" or submit to searches, questioning, etc.  I also know that the milia are not paid a living salary and are tacitly or explicitly expected to make up the difference by bribery and extortion.  It will eventually occur to the Russian people that the first step to killing corruption is to take steps to stop encouraging it.
    I don't care what shade of political or social view you represent, you would have a hard time disputing the fact that Russia has the most pathetic collection of public restrooms you are likely to encounter anywhere.  The mop-water used to slop down the floors could probably qualify as a weapon of mass destruction. The quality of restaurants varies with the honesty and dilligence of the staff.  The beer is good, especially if you pay attention to the percentage of alcohol in whatever you're buying.  It is impossible to obey all rules, regulations and laws, even if you want to.  Many of them are mutually exclusive.  In Moscow, for example, it takes five days minimum to register your temporary residency if you are not in a hotel.  The law requires you to register in three days.  By standing in line and not paying a hotel to give you a bogus registration, you are two days late and will pay a fine (1,000 rubles the last time I paid).  Not only that, but a record is made of your violation and that may come up in future discussions with the lawfully constituted authority.  If you get caught with a false registration, you may be in even more difficulty.
    The Russian people are open, frank (even if not always strictly honest with outsiders), loving of family and full of pride (very little of it of the false sort).  Whether it is the War Museum in Volgograd (Stalingrad) or the village pumping station, Russians want tourists to see what is there.
    I'll let you know, God willing and the creek don't rise.

ls 18:00, 2 April 2007 (UTC)

Ok, so we have an 'budget' air company - SkyExpress. Come check their site skyexpress.ru if you're plannig a domestic trip in Russia. Prices can not be compared to EasyJet, but they are definetely better not that high as Aeroflot rates are. 194.85.148.66 (talk) 14:53, 20 June 2008 (UTC)Dmitry

STALINGRAD/VOLGOGRAD You could include a picture of the big statue in Volgograd for the Battle of Stalingrad. I think it can become one of the most important tourist destinations in the Russian Federation.--88.23.172.167 (talk) 00:52, 29 June 2010 (UTC)

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Reads like an advertisement

Quite a bit of this article's tone feels like a tourism advertisement, and it's woefully liking in citations. 148.64.8.60 (talk) 10:25, 3 January 2019 (UTC)

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