Have you been to Russia recently? How safe was it?

11 comments

1. I don’t know why anyone would want to travel to Russia at the moment.

2. Does… damn I guess 14 years ago isn’t recent.

   Anyway Russia is a very big country, safety is very much a function of where you’re going and what you’re doing. Staying in a tourist group in Moscow? You’re probably fine. Going out wandering on your own in Moscow? Bit more dangerous, especially if you don’t speak Russian. Going to Makhachkala? Very bad idea unless you are/can blend in as a local! Crimea (controversial)? Avoid due to sanctions.

   edit: my own experience was mostly in Saint Petersburg but I also went to Moscow, Kazan, and Vladimir. I didn’t really encounter too much crime or criminality, a big exception was when I drank all night until sunup and passed out on the bus in Saint Petersburg, someone went through my pockets and an angry bus driver kinda hustled me out at some stop near a random metro station. That’s more my own fault, can’t really blame whoever robbed me. They didn’t steal my passport though so that was very kind.

3. I have never been. I’d love to go. I don’t see it happening any time soon.

   I had a very good friend in college that spent about a year there in 2003-2004. She was in St. Petersburg and Moscow and stayed with Russian families. She also went up to Solovietsky and some surrounding rural areas. No problems. She does speak fluent Russian but with an American accent.

   No safety issues other than guys hitting on her aggressively but not in a frightening way.

4. My grandmother visited in the late 90s with a tour group. She had a good time but was confined to the hotel at night and advised that people would kidnap her if she stayed from the group.

   This wouldn’t surprise me as Russia was a very different place then, a lot of crime and desperation.

5. I went in 2010 but I don’t know if that’s “recent.” I love Russian history and literature, and I felt safe as a solo young woman (I grew up around NYC so feel comfortable in cities) except I did get taken advantage of in Sochi (some crazy charge on my hotel bill). I was otherwise in Moscow and St Petersburg

6. I would be incredibly shocked if Russia was approving American visas right now. I’ve met many Russians and Ukranians here in Germany in the last few months though.

7. Russia is fine if you’re not a foreign journalist or openly gay. Or make fun of the president. Or so I’ve heard…

8. I went to Russia 4 years ago, to St. Petersburg as a part of a 3-day group tour which did not require a visa. The city is pretty incredible, and steeped in a lot of history. Weather was cold, and food was mostly unremarkable (except at a Georgian restaurant, which was amazing). However, there are a lot of interesting landmarks there, such as Pushkin Palace, Church of Savior on Spilled Blood, and the Hermitage Museum (which is absolutely massive, and ended up being one of my favorite museums of all time). I did not feel particularly unsafe at anytime, but I avoided areas that looked sketchy.

   I’m not going to revisit Russia currently with all that is going on, but when things settle down, I would love to. Moscow is on my to-visit list, and I would also like to go to Lake Baikal and perhaps other areas of Siberia.

9. Not since the war started. But I was there about three years ago (New Year’s 2019). I’ve been to Russia several times, as I studied abroad in college and have friends there.

   Moscow and St. Petersburg are, frankly, the only places worth visiting. When it comes to common crime, they are as safe as any other European cities. But the laws are more strict with regards to speech and whatnot. Nonetheless, if you’re just a tourist and you exercise common sense — keep a low profile — you won’t have any problems. Traveling between the two is very easy. There’s a high speed train that gets you from one to the other in a few hours. Both have excellent public transit systems.

   Only about 10% of locals, even in large cities, in my estimation, speak good English. So be prepared for that. Google translate will be your friend. If you have time, learn the Cyrillic alphabet. It’s pretty similar to ours and should only take a few days. Being able to read Cyrillic will be indispensable, as it will help you navigate (street names; a lot of words for basic places are the same).

   I ***would not recommend*** visiting while the situation in Ukraine is volatile. The Russian government is not to be trusted, and they are known to engage in arbitrary arrests and detentions, often to prove a point. While the chance of something bad happening to an everyday American is minimal, I still think it’s worth putting off a trip until things simmer down. If you do decide to visit anyway, be advised that the mandatory visa process is relatively expensive (~$250 if I recall correctly) and will require you to submit a decent amount of information about yourself. A visa needs to be obtained well in advance and you’ll have to get an invitation from a travel agency for a small fee. U.S. consular assistance is limited due to the diplomatic kerfuffle Russia is currently experiencing with most western countries.

   That all being said, they are both lovely cities with a lot of history, good food, and very welcoming people if you can manage to engage with them (They’re kinda reserved and shy, but that’s not to be mistaken with coldness. It’s just part of their national character — the opposite of Americans in that sense.)

   Edit: I see from the other comments that you’re a Russian and just want a tourist POV. So I guess most of this info is irrelevant to you. But I’ll leave it here in case anyone here is thinking of a trip in the near future! 🙂

10. I don’t think this is the right time for an American to be a tourist in Russia for a lot of reasons.

11. Sorry this is one of those “not me, but a friend” replies..

    My buddy just got back from Russia after living there for the past 18 months. He told me it was crappy with everything going on with the currency (he works for an American company with an office in Russia), but didn’t mention anything about it being more or less than unsafe in general.