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Russia’s two major capitals are largely tourist friendly. Much of the metro systems and city navigation are available in English. Many restaurants have English-language menus and even waitstaff that speak a little English. However, not everywhere will English get you by in a Russian-speaking country.
This bilingual resource hopes to build students’ vocabulary skills and cultural knowledge in areas surrounding travel and transport within Russia to encourage additional domestic travel while abroad.
Documents in Russia
The following bilingual Russian MiniLesson is meant to build your vocabulary by providing Russian phrases within English text. Hover over the bold Russian to reveal its English translation.
Получение визы в Россию (Getting a Russian visa) is not an easy process.
First, you will need an приглашение (invitation). For students, this will come from a университет (university) or registered school. Tourists usually get invitations from отелей (hotels) or туристических компаний (tour companies). Businessmen might receive one from a местной компании (local business). Researchers are usually invited by an учебным заведением или культурной организацией (educational or cultural organization).
Note that the приглашение (invitation) is not a виза (visa). It’s just the first step in the process of getting one. To get the visa, the invitation will be sent (usually electronically) to the consulate. You will then need to apply with your паспорт (passport), заявление на получение визы (visa application form), and визовый сбор (fee). Depending on what type of visa you are applying for, you may need other documents. Students must present a отрицательный тест на ВИЧ (negative AIDS test), for instance.
It is interesting to note that much of the process Americans go through for a Russian visa is modeled on the process that Russians will go through for an American visa. Russia models its visa processes on the assumption that взаимный обмен (reciprocity) is fundamental in all relations.
Время оформления визы (Visa processing times) differ depending on your type of visa. Student visas, for instance, can take as much as three months to fully process, including the приглашение (invitation) issuance. Once you have your visa (which might arrive at the last minute), you’ll need to get a ПЦР-тест (PCR test) before departing.
Upon arrival in Russia, you are issued a миграционная карта (migration card) by паспортный контроль (passport control). This card, about the size of a passport page, is the official record of your entry to Russia. If you are arriving as a student, you will also need a второй ПЦР-тест (second PCR test), available at the airport, in order to check into the dorms.
At the dorms, you will need your миграционная карта (migration card) to obtain your регистрация (registration). Everyone in Russia is required to be registered at their address – again, the US technically has this as well, by requiring that everyone maintain a current address on their driver’s license. However, Russia enforces the requirement strongly while the US is lax.
You can only be registered at the place you are living. As an American you are required to have this issued within seven business days. If you travel and are registered at a hotel, you will need renew your registration once back at the dorms. Registration is a computerized system now and every new registration will cancel the previous.
Failure to register can result in fines which you will be required to pay before you can leave the country. Two or more of these infractions can also привести к запрету на получение визы на несколько лет (bar you from obtaining a Russian visa for a number of years).
Thus, to пребывать легально (stay legal in Russia), you will need to maintain at least four documents: visa, passport, migration card, and registration. These are interdependent on one another and each is important to making sure that your пребывание в стране будет безопасным и приятным (stay is safe and enjoyable).
Airport Arrival to Russia
The following bilingual Russian MiniLesson is meant to build your vocabulary by providing Russian phrases within English text. Hover over the bold Russian to reveal its English translation.
After a traveler получил визу (received the visa), he/she должен купить авиабилет (needs to buy an airplane ticket). Sometimes, it is hard to get an inexpensive airplane ticket to Russia shortly before holidays such as Christmas and New Year. It is cheaper to buy невозвратный билет (a non-refundable ticket), but a traveler рискует потерять деньги (risks losing their money) if his/her plans change.
Most Russian airports have signage and at least some staff that speak English. However, if you check in at a Russian airport, especially one outside of major cities, it can be useful to understand a few phrases which a check-in attendant usually asks, such as “Куда летите? (What is your destination?)”, “Багаж есть? (Do you have baggage?)”, “Есть ручная кладь? (Do you have carry-on?)” After a passenger показывает паспорт (shows their passport) and получает посадочный талон (gets a boarding pass), a passenger can ask the attendant, “Куда идти на посадку (Where should I go to board?)” to understand where to proceed to зал убытия (departure hall). The number is usually printed on the посадочный талон (boarding pass) as well.
When a passenger проходит досмотр (gets through a security check); his/her ручную кладь могут выборочно проверить (carry-on may be inspected selectively). The Russian security folks might ask, “Откройте сумку, пожалуйста (Open your bag, please)” and/or “Включите ноутбук (Turn on your laptop)”. After checking, a security usually says, “Проходите (Move along)”.
Finding your терминал (terminal) and выход на посадку (departure gate)is not difficult. Russian airports are very much like the airports in other countries. Further, they generally do not have terminals spread out, with a train connection, such as in JFK or Heathrow airports. However, sometimes an airport can announce, “Выход на посадку был изменен (The departure gate has been changed)”, and a passenger will have to find the new gate. A notice will likely appear at the first gate as well.
While waiting, a traveler can make small talk to a Russian next to him/her. There are many ways to start a conversation, such as,”Вы тоже летите в США? (Are you also going to the US?)” or “Вы не знаете, это хорошее кафе? (Do you know if this is a good cafe?)” or “Не знаете, в Москве часто такая погода? (Do you know if the weather is often like this in Moscow?)” Many passengers are ok to chat with a fellow-traveler, especially while waiting.
On a plane, before take-off, passengers hear the following announcement, “Дамы и господа! Мы готовы к взлету! Пожалуйста, убедитесь в том, что ваши ремни безопасности пристегнуты (Ladies and gentlemen! We’re ready for take-off. Please make sure that your seatbelts are fastened)”. Before landing, it is announced, “Дамы и господа, через 5 минут мы приступим к снижению (Ladies and gentlemen, we are landing in 5 minutes)”.
At паспортный контроль (passport control), the agent might ask you, “Какая цель вашего приезда в Россию (What is the purpose of your visit to Russia?)?” This is important. You might be in Russia for many reasons, but the reason you give the agent should be the same as the purpose of your visa.
Watch for when the passport control agent gives you миграционная карта. (migration card) They often slide it into your passport without saying anything. You will need to keep it safe for getting your регистрация (registration) and for other purposes later!
Nowadays, transfer to the city from any Moscow airport is simple. Many travelers take the new аэроэкспресс (airport express trains). Otherwise, all airports will be serviced by автобусы (buses) and такси (taxis), with taxi company desks inside airports, right next to the exits. If you take a taxi, make sure to use this desk and not take one of the taxis that will call out to you as exit into the hall. Those may not be official taxi drivers and may likely overcharge you.
Students interested to see what airport arrival looks like specifically for SRAS students in specific locations can see this group of resources.
Lost Luggage
The following bilingual Russian MiniLesson is meant to build your vocabulary by providing Russian phrases within English text. Hover over the bold Russian to reveal its English translation.
Trains are the most popular form of travel in Russia. Due to Russia’s harsh weather, railways are much better developed than the roads, which are more difficult to maintain. While air travel is quickly becoming more developed in Russia, and now competes effectively with train travel in terms of prices, trains are a part of Russian culture and will be for a long time.
Commuter trains have several names in Russian. The most common name for one is электричка (elektrichka), but there are also a few slang names, such as элька and собака because электричка, подобно собаке, останавливается у каждого столба. (an elektrichka, like a dog, stops at every post).
Russians living near big cities often use the elektrichka to commute to work, to go shopping, or to reach wider entertainment or cultural opportunities. In the Moscow area, some people commute as far as 100-150 kilometers, spending up to six hours on the train in total every day. For these people, поездка в электричке (an electric train ride) is an integral part of their lives: they often have breakfast and supper during the trip, and even sometimes drink beer or vodka and chat with fellow travellers.
The elektrichka is different from a regular long-distance passenger train. While обычный пассажирский поезд (a regular passenger train) приводит в движение электровоз (is powered by an electric locomotive), электричку приводят в движение вагоны (the elektrichka is powered by the carriages) , которые оборудованы электромоторами (which are equipped with electric motors). В электричках есть автоматические двери (the elektrichka has automatic doors) , управляемые с пульта машиниста (which are managed from the driver’s control panel). Meanwhile, у поездов двери открываются проводниками (regular passenger train doors are opened by conductors). An elektrichka has 5-8 or, at most, 12 carriages, while a скорый поезд (fast train) typically has at least 20 carriages. Also, электричка разгоняется и тормозит значительно быстрее, чем скорый поезд (an elektrichka gains speed and stops much faster than a fast train).
Tickets for the elektrichka are sold at пригородные кассы (suburban ticket windows), while tickets for long-distance trains are sold at кассы дальнего следования (long-distance ticket windows). Most Russian train stations have both – often in different places in the station, and usually clearly labeled with these names. Цены на билет зависят от расстояния (ticket prices depend on the distance to be traveled). You must tell the ticket vendor exactly where you plan to go and often on what train you plan to go on.
In Moscow, area passengers have to проходить через турникет (go through a turnstile) to сесть в поезд и выйти из поезда. (get on and off the train). However, some people find ways to проехать без билета (ride without a ticket) by пролезать через дыру в заборе (squeezing through a hole in the fence) or перепрыгивать через турникет (jumping over the turnstile). You must use your ticket when entering and when leaving to operate the turnstile.
A passenger can frequently see толпы «зайцев» бегут по вагону от контролеров (crowds of stowaways running away from ticket collectors along the carriage). Ticket collectors, mainly женщины предпенсионного возраста (women of pre-retirement age), enter the train, requesting, “Ваш билет” (‘Your ticket?’) or “Предъявите билет”, (‘Show your ticket’) and then компостировать билеты (punch the tickets). They can also обилечивать (sell tickets) to those who do not have a ticket and are ready to pay. If someone says to a ticket collector, “У меня нет билета”, (‘I don’t have a ticket’) that person will either have to buy a ticket or conductors can высаживать зайцев (kick stowaways off the train). However, it also happens that many conductors will accept some small payment in return for not making a заяц (stowaway) buy a ticket or leave the train. For this reason, the work of a ticket collector is considered to be денежная (profitable).
It is hard to rest on the elektrichka, because the seats are not so comfortable, the trains are often crowded, and торговцы (vendors) громко рекламируют свой товар (loudly advertise their goods): “Пиво, сухарики, фисташки!” (‘Beer, crackers, pistachios!’). They sell many different items, from toys to food to books, and enter the carriage every few minutes. Also, попрошайки (beggars) bother passengers by asking for money, saying, for example “меня обокрали/ ограбили” (‘I was robbed’), and “помогите собрать деньги на билет на Украину”. (‘Help me collect money for a ticket to Ukraine’).
There are many types of people who use the elektrichka – студенты (students), работяги (workmen), дачники (people going to their country cottages in summer), работники офиса (office employees), and even гопники. (small-time criminals)
There are many jokes about the elektrichka, such as: “Прежде чем ехать на электричке, необходимо убедиться в том, что конечного пункта нельзя достичь на каком-либо другом виде транспорта. Только осознание этого факта может являться достаточным основанием для поездки в пригородных электропоездах.” (Before travelling by elektrichka, one has to make sure that no other method of transport can be used to reach the final destination. The only reason to make a trip by electric train is if there is no other method available).
Another joke is related to the fact that the elektricka is often very crowded: “Если вам удалось сесть, то необходимо заранее настроиться на то, что стоячие пассажиры будут смотреть на вас, как на личного врага. Людям с чувствительной нервной системой или обостренным чувством социальной справедливости ехать в электричке сидя не рекомендуется. ПОМНИТЕ: сидячих мест в вагоне значительно меньше чем стоячих, поэтому кому-то все равно стоять придется!” (If you manage to get a seat, you had better be prepared for other passengers, who are standing, to look at you like their personal enemy. People who are sensitive or stand for justice are not recommended to sit on the elektrichka. Remember: There are always fewer seats than standing room, so somebody will have to stand anyway).
The following bilingual Russian MiniLesson is meant to build your vocabulary by providing Russian phrases within English text. Hover over the bold Russian to reveal its English translation.
The marshrutka is often used to travel to locations just outside of major cities. The word маршрутка is a shortened form of ((literally – “route taxi,” but the term “shared taxi” is often easier for native English speakers to instinctively understand) маршрутное такси. These are minivans or minibuses that usually duplicate routes used by public buses – and usually display the same numbers.
In smaller towns, a маршрутка is often (the most common form of public transport) самый распространенный общественный транспорт because buses run until 9 or 10 pm, while маршрутки usually run later. Everywhere in Russia, маршрутки are popular because they can (maneuver) маневрировать better in traffic and are thus faster than busses, trams, or trolleys.
Some маршрутки are very convenient for travelers, allowing them to (exit where it is convenient for the passenger) выйти там, где удобно пассажиру. A passenger should (let the driver know before they need to exit) заранее предупредить водителя о необходимости выйти, by saying, for example, (‘Stop at the end of the building’) “В конце дома остановите”, or (‘Stop after the intersection’) “После перекрестка остановите”. A passenger should state his/her (request for a stop) остановка по требованию (in a loud voice) громким голосом, but (not shout) не кричать ; you must make sure that the driver can hear you but try not to disturb (or frighten!) the other passengers as that is considered rude. A more vernacular way to request a stop is to say, (‘Stop at the end of the building’) “Тормозни у конца дома” or, one can also use shortened forms such as simply (‘at the bus stop’) “на остановке” and the driver will understand.
If one is unsure what маршрутка to take, one can try asking other people waiting at the bus stop a question like (‘How do I get to 168 Volgogradsky Prospect?’) “Как добраться до Волгоградского проспекта дом 168?” and the answer will usually be a маршрутка number and a bus stop to ask for. Or, one can ask the driver of the маршрутка a question like (‘Will you go past 168 Volgogradsky Prospect?’) “До Волгоградского проспекта дом 168, проедет?” If one is unsure where that is, if the driver answers that question in the affirmative, one can ask in advance, for instance, (Please stop at the (next) bus stop) “На остановке остановите, пожалуйста.”.
(the most important seat) Самое важное место in a маршрутка is right behind the driver; the passenger sitting there will have to (to pass the fare money) передавать деньги за проезд . Other passengers pass money to him/her, asking their neighbors, (‘Pass (the fare), please’) “Передайте, пожалуйста”. If one does not have the exact amount, he/she clarifies, (‘Pass for one/two (people)’) “Передайте за один/два”. If a passenger has a large bill, such as a 1,000 ruble-note, he/she can ask the driver first, (‘Do you have change?’) “Сдача будет?”
Sometimes the маршрутка is crowded, and to make sure that there is a seat left, one can ask the passengers or the driver before entering, (‘Are there any seats?’) “Места еще есть?”. If all the seats are taken, one can ask the driver, (‘May I (travel) standing?’) “Можно стоя?” A маршрутка should be equipped with handrails to accommodate standing passengers. If there are no handrails, the driver may ask you to step out and wait for the next маршрутка.
One should be aware that some маршрутка now have (automatic doors) автоматические двери. These occur, as a rule, in foreign-made vehicles. In Russian minibuses, people close and open the doors by hand. The person sitting nearest the door should make an effort to open it for departing passengers.
There are many jokes about (shared taxi drivers) водители маршруток who must have a unique ability to multitask – (drive, collect the fare, and give change) водят, собирают плату за проезд, и дают сдачу . Also, there are many Russian jokes on the Internet about people making phone calls in маршрутка and revealing intimate details of their lives. Long or loud phone calls are also against common etiquette in a маршрутка – although many will still have them.
Housing and Registration in Russia
The following bilingual Russian MiniLesson is meant to build your vocabulary by providing Russian phrases within English text. Hover over the bold Russian to reveal its English translation.
You should make sure that any housing option you choose in Russia will be able to register you upon arrival. Americans are required to register their visas within seven business days of arrival. Hotels can be expected to do this automatically. Hostels and Airbnb locations will sometimes do it automatically, sometimes for an additional charge, and sometimes will refuse to do it (although they are legally obligated to register any tenant renting housing from them).
Not registering can incur fines and bar you from obtaining future Russian visas, so always ask if (Can you provide registration?) У меня будет регистрация? If they seem confused, tell them the full name of the process: (Registration of a Foreigner at Their Place of Stay) Регистрация иностранных граждан по месту жительства.
Because of registration issues, if you will be staying in Russia for only a few days, желательно останавливаться в гостинице. Finding and reserving an affordable hotel room has been made quite easy with the advent of rental sites like booking.com, which is Russia’s most-used booking service.
If you’ll be staying longer, especially as a researcher or student, or if you are just determined to use Airbnb, we recommend that you read this resource on our sister site, GeoHistory. It will explain the legalities of renting and registration in Russia in greater detail.
If you have to (spend the night) переночевать in a Russian provincial town, you might stay in (a Soviet-style hotel) гостиница в советском стиле. As a rule, it is a (multi-storied building) многоэтажное здание, constructed sometime between 1950–1980, (with large, spacious areas) с огромными площадями, with (heavy wooden doors) тяжелые деревянные двери and (a granite floor) гранитный пол. Inside there is (minimum comfort; a minimum of amenities) минимальный комфорт: (The room is equipped with a bed, table, chair, and often with a sink) Номер оборудован кроватью, столом, стулом и зачастую раковиной. There is a (communal toilet) общий туалет, and the (bathroom unit) санузел is often (in bad condition) в плохом состоянии. Sometimes (entry is not allowed at night) вход ночью запрещен.
While some of these museum-piece hotels still exist, there are also many hotels that have been purchased and updated by private entrepreneurs—both in major cities and outside of them. Booking.com will make it fairly easy to see what you will be renting in advance.
Looking at things historically, in the Soviet epoch, provincial hotels (were intended to serve) были предназначены для обслуживания (business travelers) командированные or (artists/actors) артисты, but in the depths of the country, there were not many such travelers, and provincial hotels often (stayed empty) пустовали. Meanwhile, the hotels in bigger cities always had (a small sign reading “No vacancy”) табличка «Мест нет» on the reception desk.
A frequent complaint about hotels in Russia, especially smaller ones, is that it can sometimes be hard (to reach a hotel by phone) дозвониться до гостиницы. However, service is not always bad. Often, the staff in a provincial hotel can give you a hand, explain directions, and help resolve problems you might encounter in a new place.
Many popular (tourist destinations) туристические места also have (private hotels) частные гостиницы which provide (conveniences and better service) удобства и лучшее обслуживание.
Here are some basic phrases for checking in and staying in a hotel in Russia:
Checking in:
(Do you have vacant rooms?) У вас есть свободные номера?
(What do you charge per night?) Сколько стоит номер в сутки?
(Do you have a cheaper room?) У вас есть что-нибудь подешевле?
(I have reserved a double room.) Я заказывал двухместный номер.
(What floor is my room on?) На каком этаже моя комната?
(What time should I check out?) Во сколько я должен выселиться?
Making a reservation:
(I’d like to reserve a room for __ days) Я бы хотел забронировать номер на __ суток.
(I’d like to check in on….date and check out on…date) Я бы хотел заселиться __ числа, а выехать __ числа
Staying over:
(Could you tell me where I can get a meal?) Подскажите, где я могу поесть?
(The television in my room does not work.) У меня в номере не работает телевизор.
(Could you give me a wake-up call in the morning at…o’clock?) Не могли бы разбудить меня утром в __ часов?
(There is no towel in my room. Could you give me a towel, please?) В моем номере нет полотенца. Дайте, пожалуйста, полотенце.
(Could you tell me how to call a taxi? I need to go to…) Не подскажете, как вызвать такси? Мне нужно ехать в…
(May I leave my belongings till evening?) Можно я оставлю вещи до вечера?
