Things to Do in Russia

About Russia

The first blast of Moscow winter air hits like vodka straight from the freezer—sharp, clean, and suddenly you're awake. Russia doesn't ease you in: the metro escalators descend 80 meters underground like submarine hatches, babushkas sell pickled herring from buckets at Komsomolskaya station, and the smell of diesel from marshrutkas mingles with the cinnamon-vanilla of pryaniki cookies baking in basement kiosks. In St. Petersburg, the white nights of June turn Nevsky Prospekt into a perpetual dusk where teenagers drink 90-ruble ($1) Baltika beers on the Church of the Savior's steps while violinists busk Rachmaninoff. The Hermitage's 365 rooms could swallow your entire trip—weekenders see the gold Peacock Clock tick at 12:45 and call it victory. Out east, Lake Baikal freezes so deep in March that ice roads replace the Trans-Siberian for 405 kilometers; truckers sell omul fish smoked over pine needles for 200 rubles ($2.20) that taste like liquid campfires. Yes, visa paperwork feels like Soviet bureaucracy reenactment, and police might check your registration papers at 2 AM outside clubs where entry costs 1,500 rubles ($16) but water is free—bring passport copies everywhere. Yet standing in Red Square at 4 AM when the snow muffles everything except the Kremlin bells clanging 600-year-old bronze, you realize Russia's extremes aren't bugs; they're the entire operating system. This is the only country where you can breakfast on black caviar blini for 400 rubles ($4.30), lunch on Siberian pelmeni in a Stalin-era stolovaya for 180 rubles ($1.90), and dinner on Kamchatka crab in a Michelin-listed cellar for 3,200 rubles ($35)—all in the same day, all unforgettable.

Travel Tips

Transportation: Moscow's metro costs 57 rubles ($0.60) per ride—buy a Troika card at any yellow machine and load 500 rubles to start. The ring lines run every 90 seconds; during rush hour, Muscovites form human trains on the right side of escalators—stand left and you'll get shouldered. Between cities, the Sapsan high-speed train covers Moscow-St. Petersburg in 3h 30m; book 60 days ahead on tutu.ru for seats under 3,500 rubles ($38), otherwise expect 6,000 rubles ($65). Airport express trains (Aeroexpress) run from all three Moscow hubs for 550 rubles ($6) but marshrutka 308 from Domodedovo costs 150 rubles ($1.60) and drops you at Domodedovskaya metro—slower, but locals use it. Inside cities, Yandex Go beats Uber; drivers accept cash and the app works offline. One catch: suburban elektrichka trains require separate tickets—buy at station kiosks, not machines, unless you enjoy queueing behind pensioners paying in kopecks.

Money: Sanctions flipped Russia cash-heavy overnight. Cards work in big hotels and high-street chains, but the bakery on Arbat Street, the babushka selling kvass at Izmailovo Market, and most Trans-Siberian station vendors want rubles only. Withdraw at any Sberbank ATM; they don't charge local fees and give crisp new notes that ticket machines actually accept. Bring crisp $50 or €50 bills to exchange—torn corners get rejected. Exchange booths inside train stations give rates 5-7% worse than downtown; the little booth inside GUM department store (Red Square exit) tracks the Central Bank rate almost exactly. Tipping isn't automatic—10% is generous, but always round up taxi fares to the nearest 50 rubles so drivers don't hunt for change in glove boxes. ATMs occasionally run empty before long weekends; keep 2,000 rubles ($22) in small notes for emergencies.

Cultural Respect: Russian formality runs deep: shake hands when introduced, remove gloves first, and never shake across a threshold—invite the person fully inside. At entrances to monasteries like Novodevichy, women must cover hair with scarves (loaners available, but bring your own silk one to avoid polyester). On escalators stand right, walk left; blocking is social heresy. Before photographing anyone in traditional dress at VDNKh exhibitions, ask 'Mozhno?'—many costumed performers charge 100 rubles ($1.10) per shot. Raising voices with police is theatrical suicide; instead carry passport, migration card, and registration slip (hotel stamps back of migration card). If stopped, hand documents silently—smiling while arguing reads as sarcastic. Toast when vodka appears: first shot is for the table, second for parents, third for love; refusing is fine, but clink every glass anyway.

Food Safety: Mayonnaise is Russia's national condiment and heat is its enemy. Avoid Olivier salad sitting outdoors at summer markets—botulism loves that combo. Instead, join office workers at stolovayas cafeterias: look for ones with rotating turnstiles and metal trays; meals under 250 rubles ($2.70) come straight from central kitchens inspected daily. Street corn on the cob (150 rubles/$1.60) is safe—vendors boil on-site in dedicated drums. For pelmeni, the test is turnover: if the babushka at Gorkogvardeyskaya metro exit is folding dumplings nonstop, eat there; if trays sit, walk. Tap water is chlorinated but tastes metallic—buy 5-liter bottles for 60 rubles ($0.65) and refill at hotel kettles. Lake Baikal omul is smoked over open wood; if the seller's fingernails are cleaner than the fish, you're probably fine.

When to Visit

January delivers the full snow-globe: Moscow hovers at –7°C (19°F) but the sun glints off golden domes like scattered diamonds; hotel rates drop 35% and the Bolshoi runs 30% empty, so 3,500-ruble ($38) tickets appear online hours before showtime. February is colder (–12°C/10°F) but Maslenitsa pancake week means streets fry blini for 60 rubles ($0.65) each—stack them with sour cream and caviar while you still can. March brings crusty ice and slush puddles deep enough to swallow boots; prices stay low, but outdoor sightseeing becomes an extreme sport. April is the false spring: days hit 12°C (54°F) and locals picnic in Gorky Park, then snow dumps overnight—pack layers and expect 25% cheaper flights before May Day spikes demand. May is goldilocks: 18°C (64°F), lilacs blooming along the Moika embankment, and Victory-crowd Victory Day (9 May) tanks rolling past the Kremlin—book hotels 60 days ahead or pay double. June's white nights in St. Petersburg mean 4 AM twilight; rooms jump 50%, but canal boat parties run all night and the Mariinsky ballet schedules outdoor Swan Lake for 1,500 rubles ($16). July turns Moscow sticky at 24°C (75°F) and brings kamikaze mosquitoes to Lake Baikal—go anyway for the 200-ruble ($2.20) ferry to Valaam Monastery where monks chant at 5 AM. August is peak Black Sea beach season: Sochi hits 28°C (82°F), guesthouses triple to 4,500 rubles ($49), but the water feels like chilled soup and beach bars pour 150-ruble ($1.60) local sparkling wine. September snaps back to 15°C (59°F), golden leaves swirl around Red Square, and tour groups vanish—Trans-Siberian tickets fall 20%. October means raincoats in European Russia (8°C/46°F) but snow roads open in Altai; hotel prices slide another 15% and theater season peaks. November is grey, 0°C (32°F), and cheap—perfect for museum marathons until the snow finally sticks. December sparkles with New Year markets: 800-ruble ($8.70) wooden ornaments, ice rinks in former Soviet squares, and minus 5°C (23°F) air that smells of pine and roasted chestnuts—arrive after the 25th for shoulder rates before Orthodox Christmas (7 Jan) bumps them again.