What to take

The best advice today is to travel as light as possible.

Clothes

For summer in Moscow and Siberia pack as for an English summer: thin clothes, a sweater and a raincoat. In every hotel you will be able to get laundry done, often returned the same day, for a few roubles. Take shirts and tops of a quick-drying cotton/polyester mixture if you are going to wash them yourself.

Winter in Russia and northern China is extremely cold, although trains and most buildings are kept well-heated: inside the train you can be quite warm enough in a shirt as you watch Artic scenes pass by your window. When you’re outside, however, a thick winter overcoat is an absolute necessity, as well as gloves and a warm hat.

Medical supplies

Essential items are: aspirin or paracetamol; slip salve; sunscreen lotion; insect repellent (vital if you’re travelling in summer); antiseptic cream and some plasters/bandaids; an anti-Aids kit containing sterile syringes and swabs for emergency medial treatment. Note that Western brands of tampons and condoms are not always easy available in Russia or Chine.

General items

A money-belt is essential to safeguard your documents and cash. Wear it underneath your clothing and don’t take it off on the train, as compartments are occasionally broken into. A water bottle (two-litre) which can take boiling water is essential as is a mug, spoon and knife.

Other useful items: ball-point pens, business cards, adhesive tape, folding umbrella, games, lavatory paper, penknife, notebook or diary, calcular (for exchange rates), sewing-kit, spare passport photographs, a copy of your address book (don’t take the original!), walkman… and very important: photocopies of passport, visa, air tickets, etc. (keep them in two separate places, just in case).

Provisions

The range of food and drink available on the train is quite good. There’s also now a good selection of things to eat available from the hawkers on the platforms at the stations along the way. It’s still wise to buy some provisions before you get on the train, though, especially if you are going the whole way without a break (although not recommended ;)

Money

In the biggest cities using ATM’s, cashing traveller’s cheques and getting credit card advances is reasonably straightforward.

It is best to take as much US$ cash as you fell safe to carry and the rest in traveller’s cheques. Always carry just a small amount of money in your pocket and the rest safely under your clothing in a moneybelt. Have a second stash hidden somewhere else for emergencies.

The rouble is the basic unit of Russian currency. This is divided into 100 kopecks which come in 1, 10 and 50 coins. Notes in ciruclation are 5, 10, 50, 100, 500 roubles. There are 1, 2 and 5 rouble coins. The use of US$ is illegal in Russia with the exception of a few sectors of the economy such as airline tickets and payment for visas. Up-market hotels and restaurants may quote prices in US$ (or ‘u.e.’) but they will want to be paid in roubles.

Credit cards are accepted in up-market hotels and some restaurants. You can almost use any credit card in an ATM, but check the rates before you leave home.

Exchanging dollars for roubles

You’ll never have any problem finding somewhere to change money as there are hundreds of official curency exchange offices (Obmen Valyuty) in hotels, banks, sotres and kiosks in most cities.

Exchange rates:

US$1               R29.00

Euro1               R35.00

Get the latest rates http://www.oanda.com/convert/classic

Health precautions

No vaccinations are listed as official requirements for Western tourists visiting Russia, China or Mongolia. If you plan to spend more than three months in Russia evidence of a recent negative AIDS test is required. 

You should have helth insurance, available from any travel agent, wherever you are travelling. Check some local agency and ask.

Where to stay

Main types of accommodation:

Top hotels. Many are owned by large Western chains such as Marriott, Radisson and Novotel. The service still has a touch of Soviet reticence atoub it. Their restaurants are normally excellent, they have banking facilities, room service and shops, etc. These hotels are mostly found in Moscow and St Petersburg and prices are high – US$150-400 per night.

Standard hotels. These are mostly the solid old Intourist hotels. They have all the tourist facilities of restaurants, banks and shops. In Moscow and St Petersburg, standard hotel rooms cost US$50-150 and in other cities they’re much cheaper: US$15-40.

Basic hotels. Once impossible for foreigners to stay in, these places are usually clean if basically equipped. Basic hotels normally have a restaurant but no shops, foreign exchange or room service. The rooms are simple with a TV and fridge; about 50% will have a bathroom. You will generally be offered one with a bathroom and as long as you don’t look too closely, the rooms are generally adquate. Basic hotel rooms range from US$10-20.

Very basic hotels/hostels. Some are quite good and others lousy. Sometimes foreigners ar refused a room at these hotels because staff feel that this isn’t quite the sort of place a foreigner should stay in and they’ll direct you to the local Intourist ohtel. Be persistent or return later. At most stations there’s a Rest Room (Komnata Otdykha) where you can stay overnight with a ticket for a train the next morning. Rooms at very basic hotels cost US$2-10.

Youth hostels. A few cities in Russia, including Moscow, St Petersburg and others have youth hostels. They have what you would expect in the West. Dormitory beds cost about US$15 a night including breakfast. Check out the Russian Youth Hostel Association.

Bedrooms

Mid-range hotels are generally furnished in the worst possible taste that often verges on the schizophrenic: pink roses on the wallpaper matched with purple nylon curtains. You may get phone calls in the evening to your room from women offering various “personal services”! It is not recommended to accept them ;-)

Where to eat

Most restaurants are now as good as in any Western city, but prices in the top places equal those in the West.

The cheapest places to eat are the self-service cafés (stolovnaya) found in most shopping streets where you can get a meal for around $1. In most cities there are Western fast-food chains such as McDonald’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken and so on; and Russian derivates such as Russkoe Bistro. In larger cities, particularly in Moscow and St Petersburg, cafés are good places to get a reasonably cheap meal.

What to do in the evening

Nightlife in Moscow and St Petersburg is now as good as you’ll get in any big city in the West. In these cities there are lots of night clubs, discos and bars. In the smaller cities, your major night life options are the hotel bars and discos which often stay open late, casinos which you may find difficult to get into and other cultural activities such as opera, theatre, ballet or circus.

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