Russia Travel Guide - Essentials

Safety: a heavy dose of common sense with a sprinkling of the Russian language can go a long way. Always guard your belongings; never carry around large wads of cash; and try to mix in Russian words in communication. Moscow in particular can be dangerous after dark so make sure you know where you are going and have a safe means to get there.

Gays and lesbians should be wary of displaying any behaviour which may identify them as such given the high degree of intolerance in just about all parts of the country. The roads in Russia are also notoriously unsafe. As a pedestrian, assume you never have right of way and try to stay on the pavement as much as possible to avoid the majority of problems. Getting behind the wheel is a different matter and should only be attempted by confident drivers with at least some Russian and a sense of adventure.

Money: despite a reigning in of the old currency in 1998, the ruble is still the currency of choice in Russia and it is sub-divided into 100 kopecs. One kopec is the smallest coin available and one ruble the biggest, with the 5,000 ruble note the largest single denomination currently in circulation.

Language: due to longstanding efforts to consolidate the language over the vast territory of Russia and particularly during the Communist era, Russian remains by far the most widely spoken language from Moscow to Vladivostok in the Far East and just about everywhere in between.

Emergency: getting emergency healthcare in Russia mostly depends on where you are. In Moscow and St Petersburg, for example, services are readily available but good quality treatment can be expensive. Usually cash is required upfront; meaning that if you have insurance, it is likely that you will have to be reimbursed.

Emergency services: 112 (used everywhere by 2012)

State service ambulance: 03

Car accident info service (Moscow and Oblast only): (495) 2086413

Business needs: there is no doubt that Russia has become a significantly easier destination in which to do business in the past 20 years, not least because of the end of Communism. Russia is not crying out for foreign investment although there are still some obstacles that the foreign entrepreneur in the country faces, namely: corruption, difficulty getting credit, and the expense of cross-border trading, among others.

The cost of getting a container in and out of Russia, for example, is about three times higher than for Western Europe. In big cities, business infrastructure is generally very good with a reliable power supply, internet and phone lines.