If you are thinking about a trip to Russia, and plan on taking a long weekend break there, or are fulfilling your dream of a Baltic cruise, then you will need Russian visas.
Most travel agents and companies include Russian tourist visas in the package price. Taking a package deal is probably the easiest way of travelling to Russia for the first time. Russian visa applications need to be made no sooner than three months before your intended trip.
In order to process Russian tourist visas your travel company will need full UK passports for you and your partner; these must have at least two pages free and should still be valid six months after your trip to Russia. You will need to enclose a signed and completed application for each of you, together with a passport sized photo, attached to the form’s bottom left hand corner.
Depending on the individual travel company, you will either need to enclose a cheque for the full amount of the visa costs, or you may have the option to make the payment online, and you can leave the rest up to them.
Russia is a vast country that is stretched between the Pacific Ocean and the Eastern European borders. If you are only in the country for a few days, then the historic, capital city of Moscow is a must, here in the centre you will find the famous Red Square and the Kremlin and not too far away is the world famous Bolshoi Ballet.
The population of the city of Moscow is growing all the time and is counted the biggest metropolises in the world. During the communist regime, Russia’s shops were empty, but that has changed, particularly in this vital city where you can find top designer boutiques, although things might be more expensive than at home.
If you are looking for something different then perhaps a Baltic cruise would suit you better, providing the cruise takes less than thirty days you can still travel to Russia on one of the tourist visas.
Some Baltic cruises are bound for the beautiful Russian city of St. Petersburg with its palaces, cathedrals and fantastic sense of history. Whether you are looking for a business trip, a pleasure trip or a bit of both, if you are male then you can go on one of the group tours and enjoy lots of fun and games, and even meet some ladies.
The pleasure come business tours are suitable for single males or for young men intent on enjoying European football trips. Some travel companies even run tours for sports teams and gymnastics troupes who would like to see more of Russia’s historic cities once their games and displays are finished.
Group tours like those just mentioned are ideal if you want to combine sightseeing with some business or even to find yourself a date. Gymnastic and sports groups who plan on being in the country for more than thirty days may have to apply for their Russian visas through the embassy, if a group has been invited to perform in Russia then the visa process should go smoothly.
For more information an Russia visa prices check out our specialist Russia visa page.
