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Here you will find travel information and insider tips about Russian_Federation that has been cooperatively contributed by other friendly Hospitality Club members. Please become active as well, and share your vast budget travel and backpacking knowledge with other members and the internet community - it is very easy to edit any information here (more info in the Help File). We hope that these Travel Guides will quickly become a great and fun resource. If you want to print this guide out to take with you, we have prepared this Printer Friendly Travel Guide for you. Enjoy!
For Introduction, Top Things to See and Do, Neighboring Countries, Who is coming?, Want more guests!, Hospitality Club Meetings and the geographic navigation please see the main Russian_Federation Page.
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Basic Facts |
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Official Country Name: Russian Federation (Rossiyskaya Federaciya) or Russia (Rossiya) - these names are both recognized official
Capital: Moscow (Moskva, about 11 million inh.)
Population: 144 526 278
Telephone Code: 7
Time Zone: there are 11 time zones weaternmost is GMT+2 (Kaliningrad), Moscow is in GMT=+3), the easternmost is GMT+12(Chukotka) Area: 17 075 400 sq. km (the biggest country in the world!)
Language(s): Russian is th official lang ... more |
Attractions and Things to See and Do |
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Northern Caucasus
A beautiful piece of land and by far not as dangerous as it's amde out to be by the media. It's Russia spiced with the mentality and the traditions of the native Caucasian peoples.
Places worth visiting:
Vladikavkaz - build as a Russian forepost to the Caucasus, the city offers beautiful sights on the mountains (5 min by car only!), interesting architecture and so on.
Kislovodsk - nice little SPA ressort, won ... more |
Maps |
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Here you can include references to maps that are somewhere on the internet. Two conditions apply: they cannot be protected by copyright, (or you have to make sure that we are allowed to use them), and you have to make sure that it is ok if we call them up from here. If that is a problem, you can also send us the image file and we will upload it to our server. |
Off the Beaten Path and Insider Tips |
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Suggested Itineraries |
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1 Day, 1 Week, 2 Weeks, 1 Month ... |
Transport |
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Getting there and away,
By air - Moscow and St.Petersburg are linked by direct flights with almost all european capitals and main cities of USA. There are also many flights to Asian countries. There exist some flights to Africa and south America but generally people change plane in Europe. To go to other big cities you have to go via Moscow (but it's not always the best way, especially if you have to change airports) also big cities like Kazan, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, are linked with direc ... more |
Accommodation |
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If you do not want to stay with other HC members, or noone is available, here is what other members suggest. Hostels Hotels Camping Other Options |
Food and Drinks and Local Specialties |
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Restaurants, Supermarkets, Street Food, Local Specialties ... |
Money and Costs |
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Currency, Exchanging Money, Credit Cards, Tipping, Bargaining, Costs... |
Visa and Documents and Embassies |
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Most of foreigners need a visa. It is IMPOSSIBLE to get one at te border - you should apply in a consulate. In theory it costs about 80 US$ but it is hard to obtain without invitation. The best way is to apply via an agency (but they will also charge an additional fee). Check out to be sure that they will register your visa when you are in the country. Only the person/organization who delivered the invitation can do it. On arrival you must fill in a "migration card" in 2 parts, the first is kept ... more |
Borders and Customs |
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Post and Communications and Internet |
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Post, is very slow and inefficient. A letter sent from Moscow to EU may take more than a week to arrive. Price for send a postcard to Europe is 10 roubles (0.30 Euro). Parcels are even more slower. If you want your letter/card to arrive faster post it from a big city and in a postbox of its central post office. If you need to send get something in urgence the only way is to send it via UPS/DHl or similar services, which exist in most big cities.
Telephone, network iss well de ... more |
Questions and Answers or Forum |
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Here anything goes, you can post questions you have, and other members will answer you. If you do answer, please send the reply directly to the asking member as well, and try to integrate the information into the categories above. If too difficult to do, just answer right here and a volunteer will integrate in the future. Also, you can put thanks notes in here. Add new questions on top so they show up on the Travel Guide page. Please post messages not related to traveling or the aim of the Hospi ... more |
Hospitality Club Meetings |
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Use this section to add more info if you organize meetings and events (you can add a short note on the main country page). You can also invite other members to parties, sports events, whenever you would like to meet up with someone. |
Travelogues |
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Have you written a story about a trip to this country? Just paste your text in here and share your experience with other members. |
Photos |
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Here you can include photos that are hosted somewhere on the internet. As with maps, you have to make sure that it is ok for us to use the photos here (so they should be either your photos, or you should ask the owner), and that it is allright to call them up from here. |
Activities and Sports |
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Nightlife and Entertainment |
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Bars, Cafes, Discos, Cinemas... |
Population and People |
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Culture and Conduct or Local Customs |
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Language and Useful Phrases |
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Events and Holidays |
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Festivals, Sports, Concerts, Public Holidays... |
Climate and When to Go |
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There is a big climat diversity, due to the big territory.
In general, the climat is mostly continental, or rough-continental, so it's hot in summer (which is it's cold in which is short in some areas) and cold in winter. Don't be afraid to come in winter. It's not so terrible as many paople think and if you take good winter clothes with you you will see it. the country in winter may look very beatiful, althugh it's a bit sinister. The worst time to come is early spring. All snow begins to mel ... more |
Geography |
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Environment and Flora and Fauna |
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Dangers and Warnings |
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Tourist Traps |
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Health |
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History |
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Government and Politics |
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Economy |
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GDP, GDP per head, Annual growth, inflation, Major Industries, Major trading partners... |
Arts |
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Music, Literature, Theater, Movies ... |
Media |
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Newspapers, Radio and TV, Magazines ... |
Religion |
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Volunteer Opportunities and Work |
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Organized Tours |
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What to Bring or Packing List |
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Shopping |
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Books and Further Reading |
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Guidebooks, Travel, History and Politics
Please enter Amazon links to the books - we will put info on how to do this here shortly. This way we hope to get a bit of funding for the running of the club, if someone buys the books you recommend. |
Other Information |
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Could not fit it into any of the categories above? Put it here...:-) |
External Links |
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Official Country Website:
Only add really valuable resources here. Also, please ask the webmaster of the site you link here to add a link back to the Hospitality Club. If the link exists, please add (L) behind the URL of the link. |
Offtopic Messages |
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Here you can add messages that are not exactly related to the aims of the Hospitality Club (but related to the country). Do you need a visa invitation? Looking for an internship, job or a flat to rent? Just add this here, and if you are lucky other members will read it and contact you. Remember: do not send messages like this directly to members - after giving you this space here, we will fight spam even more strictly! |
Disclaimer: The Hospitality Club has no control over the information above and accepts no responsibility for any loss, injury or inconvenience sustained by anyone using this website. Please correct false information or send us feedback about it.
Copyright: Feel free to use the text on your website as long as you notify us and include a clearly visible link to www.hospitalityclub.org above the text. |
