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Africa Guides

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Asia Guides

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North America

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South America

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Despite the country’s partly European identity, travel to Russia is not always as straightforward as it perhaps should be. Crime can be relatively high in big cities, the weather excruciatingly cold for much of the year, and visa rules strict and draconian compared to supposedly less sophisticated countries. None of these factors should deter the traveller however, given the rewards usually far outstretch any minor inconveniences.

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When to go: November to February in most parts of Russia will usually mean snow and temperatures hovering around freezing. If this is a problem, look to go between May and September when the sun means temperatures are usually pleasantly warm. Farther north of Moscow into the Arctic Circle in Siberia and the Far East of Russia means months of darkness in the winter and some of the coldest temperatures on the planet that would likely prove harsh for any visitor.

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The Cyrillic alphabet used in Russian looks strange at first but can be mastered easily enough; while many Russian words are familiar to English and German speakers, even if grammar – and particularly tenses – prove more difficult. Picking up a little Russian will undoubtedly help a great deal as English is generally scarce outside of big cities and not exactly widespread even in Moscow.

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Recommended hospitals:
Moscow – Botkin Hospital (495) 2378338
St Petersburg – The International Clinic Medem
(812) 3363333
Vladivostok – City Hospital #2 (4232) 326346
Yekaterinburg – Oblast Hospital #1 (343) 2403363
Omsk – Emergency Hospital (3812) 133216

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Typical business hours:

Government departments: 09:30 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 17:00, Monday to Friday.
Retail: 10:00 to 19:00, daily (sometimes closed for lunch 13:00 to 14:00).
Banking: 09:30 to 17:30, Monday to Friday.

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