[andy popp]

We're holidaying in Finland this summer and would love to go to St Petersburg for the day (perfectly feasible by train from Helsinki by train) but the visa process looks a pain in the arse, particularly for an independent traveller perhaps? Has anyone done this and how difficult was it?

[Tom de Gay]

I paid a UK travel agency to obtain my visa for Russia (and my transit visa for Belarus). The rest of my trip was organised independently, but the fee (which I can't remember) seemed worth it compared to the substantial hassle of trying to DIY it, and possibly failing.


I haven't done this trip, but the borders I crossed by train typically took several hours, so it would be worth double checking that a day trip is indeed feasible.

[andy popp]

Thanks Tom. I obviously need to rephrase: perfectly feasible going by stated train timetables. What was happening at the border that took several hours? It almost seems like they don't want people to visit.

[Tom de Gay]

The border guards (replete with revolvers and big military hats) checked the documents of everyone on the train, and any suspicious cargo. I shared a cabin with a chap who was importing hundreds of small porcelain figurines, which all needed to be unpacked and unwrapped. He also needed to unpack the contents of his wallet...


But all these delays were accounted for in the timetable, as far as I remember.



Perhaps the Finland border is a bit more relaxed, if it's a regular tourist run.

[Muenchener]

It almost seems like they don't want people to visit.

  Definitely the most foreigner-hostile process I've ever encountered anywhere. The fact that I'm visiting my mother-in-law when I go doesn't seem to score me any hassle-reducing points.

[tomtom]

We went to Moscow for 5 days a couple of years ago for a big family thing.. IIRC it cost us north of £150 each for the visa and someone had to go and que up at the Russian Embassy in London for us all...

I dont know what its like for a 'day trip' but suspect its a major ache of the balls...

St Petersburg is beautiful though... canals, architecture, galleries... They said they'd relax the visas for the Winter Olympics and the upcoming World Cup (2018) but I suspect its just for those areas...

[GraemeA]

Head straight for the Hermitage, spend all morning there. Go and get some lunch and then head back to the Hermitage and spend all afternoon there. Go and deliberately miss your train so you can go back to the Hermitage the next day.

Yes it really is that good, or it was 20 years ago.

Can't remember owt about visas from then but I looked into getting a visa for Moscow a few years back and it was a real mare - luckily my invite letter came too late so I could drop it and not go.