Russia: main airports
Russia is served by numerous airports, including the three Moscow airports (Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, Vnukovo), Saint Petersburg, Sochi, and numerous regional airports from the Urals to Siberia to the Far East.
Since February 2022, the situation for travel to Russia has changed profoundly: there are no direct flights from the EU, United Kingdom and United States, major international credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express) do not work in the country, and several Western governments maintain travel advisories at the highest level. Always check your country's official updated advisories before planning any trip.
Russia: recommended activities
Russia: visa and entry requirements
Citizens of about 64 countries (including Italy) can apply for a free e-visa online, processed in about 4 business days and valid for tourist stays of up to 30 days, usable only at designated border crossings (over a hundred, including air, road, rail and sea).
The e-visa cannot be extended once in Russia: overstaying carries severe penalties, including a ban on re-entry. There are no direct flights from the EU/USA: transit typically occurs via 'neutral' hubs such as Istanbul, Dubai or Belgrade.
Russia: safety
Several Western governments, including the United States and many EU countries, strongly advise against or prohibit any travel to Russia since 2022, citing the risk of arbitrary detention of foreign nationals, drone attacks that have reached major cities including Moscow and the Belgorod/Rostov region, and the absence of full Western consular assistance in the country.
Drone attacks have caused repeated temporary closures of airports in various Russian regions throughout 2026: always check the current operational status of your airport before any internal travel.
Russia: health situation
No mandatory vaccinations are required for entry from Europe. Given the absence of fully operational Western consulates in many areas, medical and consular assistance in an emergency can be significantly limited: always carry travel insurance with high coverage and check in advance how to contact your embassy.
Tap water should generally be avoided in major cities: drink bottled water.
Russia: currency, payments and connectivity
The currency is the Russian ruble (RUB). International credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express) have not worked in Russia since 2022: bring sufficient cash in a major non-EU currency (US dollars, UAE dirhams or similar), as even Russian airline websites often require a Russian MIR bank card.
The official language is Russian, written in the Cyrillic alphabet; English is not widely spoken outside major hotels and the tourist areas of Moscow and Saint Petersburg.
Russia: travel guides
Vladivostok: where Russia looks to the Pacific
Moscow: what to see in 1 day
Murmansk: the Arctic gateway on the Barents Sea
Ulan-Ude: the Buddhist temple and the world's largest Lenin head
Yakutsk: the coldest inhabited city on Earth
Grozny: the rebirth of the Chechen capital
Tomsk: Siberia's wooden architecture
Rostov-on-Don: the gateway to the Russian Caucasus
Omsk: Dostoevsky's Siberian exile
Sochi: subtropical sun at the foot of the Caucasus
Krasnoyarsk: the stone pillars of Siberia
Kazan: the Kremlin where a mosque and cathedral coexist
Belgorod Today: The Russian City Under Attack at the Ukrainian Border
Khabarovsk: Russia facing China
Ufa: the bronze horseman of Bashkiria
Yekaterinburg: where the last tsar met his end
Saint Petersburg: the Hermitage and onion domes
Novosibirsk: the capital of Siberia
Irkutsk: the gateway to Lake Baikal
Volgograd: Russia's tallest statue
Kaliningrad: Russian Prussia on the Baltic
