The following companies, with offices in Moscow, offer priority mail services between the U.S. and Russia.

Telephone Services

You can usually make long distance telephone calls from your hotel. You can also go to the Central Russian Telephone and Telegraph Office, 5 Tverskaya Ulitsa, (which is the cheapest way to call). To use a U.S. telephone credit card in Moscow, call:

Russian electricity uses 220V, 50 Hz. Most American-made devices do not have switches for using the different current and will immediately burn out. Be sure to either buy devices capable of running on various power sources, bring along adapters, or stay only at Western hotels that have 110V current.


Weights and Measures

Russia uses the metric system and temperatures are measured in degrees Celsius. If you are not completely comfortable with the differences, visit: www.reedline.com/conversion.htm to view conversion tables.

If you want to stay at one of the better hotels (the American Radisson Slavyanskaya, the German Olympic Penta, the Russian Metropol, or the French Novotel) and plan to eat there as well, budget for about $350 a day. You can stay elsewhere much cheaper, and still be comfortable, especially during months when air conditioning is not a concern. The Hotel Izmailovo offers totally adequate rooms, and it is located right next to the Izmailovsky Park bazarre. This is the best place in the city to buy Russian souvenirs of all kinds. I recommend staying in the Novotel the night before you fly out. It is right next to the Sheremetevo-2 Airport and it has a shuttle service. Any other arrangement is, at best, much more time consuming.

Plan ahead for business dinners. Go to the restaurant early and play up the importance of your group. Sometimes, it may take a bribe to get a good table (or any at all). There is a very popular Russian saying, "If you don't grease the wheels, you don't get anywhere" (Nee pawd-maw-zhesh nee paw-yeh-dish).


Tipping and Haggling

Very few places in Russia expect you to tip. Top-end hotels and restaurants add 5% to 15% to your bill, while porters expect around $1 a bag. Shops have fixed prices, but in markets you'll be expected to bargain. If you go to Izmailovsky Park, prices will go up as soon as they know you are an American. Don't hesitate to haggle and walk away if you don't like the price. You'll be surprised how often a vendor will suddenly drop their price significantly, or even run after you to haggle more. (Izmailovsky Park is the best place to buy your souvenirs. The selection is incredible. Go on weekend mornings, right next to the Hotel Izmailova.)


Crime

Street crime against foreigners continues to be a problem in Russia's major cities. The subway, overnight trains (and train stations), markets and tourist attractions are the places where you need to be most careful. Usually, if potential thieves know that you are alert, they will look for easier targets.  If you are the victim of a crime, you should report it to the local police "militsia" by dialing 02.

Should your credit cards be lost or stolen, you may cancel them by calling the appropriate credit card company. You may make collect calls 24 hours a day through Sprint at 155-6133 or AT&T 155-5042. A calling card is not necessary.

If you find yourself in the middle of a demonstration, especially one of the anti-U.S. variety (which has happened to me 3 times, usually coming out of a metro station) take off your (high quality) glasses (a dead give-away), look down and don't smile, keep moving, don't talk – even if you speak Russian (feign laryngitis if necessary), take off or hide your wedding ring (Russians wear silver ones on their right hands vs. gold on the left). And, if you know ahead of time that you are likely to be moving about town during a period of unrest, look at what the average Russian is wearing and dress similarly.

Russian customs laws and regulations are in a state of flux and are not consistently enforced. You should declare all items of value on your customs form upon arrival in Russia. If your customs form is lost or stolen, report it to the Russian police "militsia" and obtain a certificate to show to customs officials when you depart the country. Americans without a stamped customs form may only take $500 or less out of Russia upon departure. Those with stamped declaration forms are permitted to take out a sum equal to or less then the sum declared on entry.

Generally speaking, you should obtain a receipt for all items of value -- including caviar -- purchased in Russia. Furthermore, old artifacts such as icons, samovars, rugs, and antiques must have a certificate indicating that they have no historical value. You may be able to obtain this certificate from the store that sold the item or from the Ministry of Culture. For further information, you can call Russian Customs at (095)265-6628 or 208-2808.

As of this writing, to obtain permission to bring in a cellular phone, an agreement for service from a local cellular provider in Russia is required. That agreement and a letter of guarantee to pay for the cellular service must be sent to Glavgossvyaznadzor along with a request for permission to import the phone. Based on these documents, a certificate will be issued. This procedure is reported to take two weeks. Without a certificate, no cellular phone can be brought into the country, whether or not the owner intends to use it. Permission for the above devices may also be required from the State Customs Committee of the Russian Federation.

The State Customs Committee has stated that there are no restrictions on bringing laptop computers into the country for personal use. The software, however, can be inspected upon departure; and some equipment and software have been confiscated because of the data contained therein or due to software encryption, which is standard in many programs.

For More Information Contact:

The State Customs Committee of the Russian Federation, Russia, 107842 Moscow, 1A Komsomolskaya Pl.
Tel: 7-095-975-4070.

Department for clearance of items for personal use:
Tel: 7-095-975-4095.

Glavgossvyaznadzor
Russia, 117909 Moscow, 2-nd Spasnailovkovsky 6
Tel: 7-095-238-6331
Fax: 7-095-238-5102

Public transportation is very reliable. Trains are normally always on time, as is the metro (subway). The "Red Arrow" train (Kraws-naw-yaw streh-law), between Moscow and St. Petersburg, always leave for Moscow at precisely 11:59. (Through some quirk in the bookkeeping system, this provides a little extra pay to the operators.)

Aeroflot

The Aeroflot of old is now a patchwork of smaller airlines. There is no airline regulation to speak of, and Russian airlines (and Tai airlines, from what I hear) are the least safe in the world. Flying within Russia is generally problematic. Sometimes there is no fuel to return after you've reached a destination. Or, you may have to fly on a different aircraft than you expected (an AN-2 "Colt" single-engine biplane from Samarkand to Bukhara, Uzbekistan, for instance). In any event, if you must fly, try to stay on flights with international destinations. More stringent rules apply to these flights.

Train Travel

The Russian train system is cheap and reliable. They are also fairly comfortable. (Just make sure to get the best class tickets available.) If you go by overnight train, buy up the other seats in the compartment to have it to yourself, and don't let anyone talk you into giving up the unused space. (They will try.)

The Subway "Metro"

The subway "metro," especially in Moscow (although St. Petersburg's is nice also) is, hands down, the best way to get around in Russia. The Moscow metro is a work of art, as well as being extremely dependable. Actually, it would be more accurate to say that it is an art collection. Each station is unique, and many are truly beautiful. A great deal of effort went into making this, the main form of transportation for "the workers," a joy to behold.

Russian buses and trolleys are a great way to get around. Especially in places where there is no subway. Driving yourself in Russia should be avoided, unless you're the type that can't stand to be without a car. The road conditions are awful in many places, it can be difficult (or worse) to find gas, and many maps are not accurate. It is quite an experience though! (If you do drive, carry a small jar/tin of black pepper with you. If you get a radiator leak, pour it into the radiator and refill the water. It will stop all but the worst leaks for a long time.)

Boat Travel

Travel by boat along Russia's rivers is still a major form of transportation. It is also one of the most enjoyable ways to get around. The main passenger routes originate in Moscow with popular destinations in St. Petersburg, and various locations along the Volga and Don rivers, including Yaroslavl, Nizhny Novgorod, Volgograd (formerly Stalingrad), Astrakhan, and Rostov-on-the-Don.

Driving in Russia

The following information about driving permits, registration of vehicles, accidents, liability, and fines was provided on April 25, 1997 by Public Outreach Division of the Moscow Gosudarstvenaya Avtomobilnaya Inspektsia (GAI) [Traffic Cops]. For further information you may contact the central GAI station for foreigners at telephone 231-8157. The station is located at Stariy Tolmachevskiy Pereulok, dom 8.

Driver's Licenses

A license and registration are required to operate a vehicle in Russia. Foreigners visiting Russia for less than six months can use their state driver's licenses as long as they also have a certified translation of the license. License translations may be done at 7 Leningradskiy Prospekt. If an American is in Russia for over six months and intends to drive a car, s/he needs to obtain a Russian driver's license. In order to get a Russian driver's license, an American needs: his or her U.S. passport and a Russian visa registered at UVIR; a medical certificate (a standard form available at any major clinic); a U.S. state driver's license and a photocopy with translation. The original license is returned to the applicant.  If the driver's license is valid, the applicant takes a written test and gets a Russian license. If the applicant has an expired license, they will also need to take a full driving test before a Russian license can be issued. The fee is approximately $9.00 U.S. at this time. If an American does not have a US driver's license or is unable to submit it to GAI, s/he will need to attend driving school, collect all the above listed documents, and pass both written and driving tests. Before they enroll, Americans should make sure that the school is authorized by GAI and will register the students for the tests. Currently, there are approximately 150 authorized driving schools in Moscow offering courses ranging in prices from $175 to $525. It is also possible to take both tests without attending a school, provided that the host organization ("sponsor") submits a written request to GAI asking for a waiver. In this case the fee is $110. The GAI station at 8 Staryy Tolamchevskiy Pereulok, telephone 231-8157, handles all driver's license applications for foreigners.

[Note: Jokes about bribing traffic officers (formerly known as, and still often called the GAI - pronounced guy-ee) are among the most popular in Russia. However, in fact, this is sometimes exactly what it takes to get you on your way.]

The driver does not have to get out of the car, although it is considered "courteous" to do so. The GAI officer is required to introduce himself by stating his name, rank and his station. All GAI officers acting in their official capacity should have a metal badge clearly visible on their uniform. The badges have unique numbers, so that any GAI officer can be identified in case of a dispute.  After identifying him/herself, the officer will ask for the license and registration and explain the reason he pulled the driver over. GAI reserves the right to stop vehicles for random document checks, even if there is no traffic infraction. If the GAI officer believes there was a violation, he will present the driver with a protocol. The driver should read the protocol, make notes if his/her understanding of the situation is different, and sign the protocol. The protocol will serve as the primary evidence in the event the driver chooses to dispute the claim at a later date. Grievances should be addressed first to the head of the local GAI station, then to the district headquarters, Moscow headquarters, and, finally, to court. A GAI officer has the authority to collect fines directly from the driver (a receipt will be issued to the driver) as long as the total does not exceed one minimum wage (amount changes to often to list it). If the fine is greater than one minimum wage, the officer will seize the license, issue a temporary driving permit, and instruct the driver to pay the fine at a Sberbank office. Upon proof of payment, the driver may receive their license from the GAI station in the region where the violation had occurred and exchange the receipt from Sberbank for the license.

Accidents

In case of an accident the driver has no obligation under law to notify GAI, unless the accident resulted in injury or death. Should everyone involved agree that there is no damage or that the damages can be settled out of court, they are free to do so. However, the GAI has to be informed and allowed to inspect the site of the accident if a police report is required for insurance purposes or for settling any claims that cannot be settled on the spot. It is a criminal offense to leave the site of an accident if anyone was injured. In case GAI involvement is necessary, the vehicles should be left as they were immediately after the accident. To report an accident, call the general police number (02) or the GAI duty officer at 924-3117 or 923-5373.

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