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For those of you just joining us, deciding for Flights to Russia post haste with TravelhouseUK will take a likely load off your shoulders. Touching upon the fringes of the Arctic is the land of singularities: blizzards and wizards! It is just as intriguing for the first timer crossing up days on the calendar for the big day of his departure as it is for the professional trekker expecting an odyssey on the highway.
The facility to cruise directly across the Alps and Carpathians and safely land on the other side of Europe is best offered by the British Airways. Direct or indirect flights, with Austrian Airlines, KLM, Lufthansa or Alitalia, all routes lead to Russia.
Moscow is definitely the pearl in the oyster. The wide spectrum of tourist attractions like The Kremlin, Red Square, Pushkin Museum, Gorky Park and the Fallen Monument Park, not to mention the several cathedrals in the metropolis, can be seen as a microcosm of the heterogeneity of the country at large. Saint Petersburg is the next best option. Winter is offseason though, which obviously means cheaper fares; however, the mountain air could be hell on your sinuses. Adrenaline junkies already living on the edge may fancy a dare to step ahead into the arctic tundra and have their fill of skiing, mountain climbing and sledging. But in spite of low seasons, prices may not undergo a complete free fall as many might imagine, as Christmas and New Year are two of the major events in the country.
Yes. Aeroflot, the national carrier of Russia, is the only airline which operates direct flights from UK to its home country. Commenced its operations in 1923, Aeroflot operates inbound flights to over 125 destinations worldwide from its hub Sheremetyevo International Airport (SVO) in Moscow.
The cheapest time to book flights to Russia is considered to be in the month of March, August, and November. With the highly competitive market for airlines that fly to Russia, the promotional and discounted offers are announced at any given time of the year.
Helsinki, Frankfurt, Zurich, Amsterdam, Singapore, Prague, Riga, Saint Petersburg, Turkey, Warsaw, Hamburg, Copenhagen, Munich, Bologna and Vienna are some of the popular destinations for stopovers on flights to Russia. Many airlines touch down at their hub airports for quite a brief period of time. Therefore, stopover preference for booking flights to Russia is not a matter of major concern.
Russia is an expansive country with a vast territory. In total, Russia has a total of thirteen international airports, operating in eleven different time zones. Out of these thirteen airports, the triplet airports of Moscow are the busiest airports in the country, followed by the Pulkovo International Airport (LED) that serves St. Petersburg city. The triplet airports of Moscow are named as Sheremetyevo International Airport (SVO), Domodedovo International Airport (DME)and Vnukovo International Airport(VKO).
You are required to apply for the visa at the consulate of The Russian Federation in London. Upon applying for the visa, a consulate fee would be required from the tourist as well as an invitation from an inviting party or a tourism company that is based in Russia and is registered in the United Federal Register of the Tour Operators of Russia. The Russian consulate asks for fingerprints of all applicants that need to enter Russia. It can take up to 2 to 10 days to process the visa applications, so it is advisable for the British passport holder to plan well in advance. Tourist visas generally are valid for 30 days.
Upon receiving the visa the applicant should double-check the details listed on the visa. The visa has two parts: one is the tourist voucher and the other is the confirmation of tourism acceptance. The details would include the cities that the tourist intends to visit, information of the Russian based tourism company and the information of hotels and other accommodations the tourist would be staying at.
The best time to visit Russia is between May and September, during the summer months. Russian winters are legendarily cold and inhospitable for tourists who are not accustomed to them. Russia, however, blossoms in the summer. Most of the cultural festivities are also conducted in the summer, which is an added incentive to visit Russia within the May to September months.
The most anticipated holidays in Russia are:
Most of Russia’s festivals and events circle around religion and classical traditions. The communist government does not extend leaves to its citizens on a few of these festivals, even though these festivals have been a part of the Russian culture for a long time, so visiting tourists should look around before partying. The majority of Russians follow the Russian Orthodox Church which means that Russians celebrate Christmas on the 7th of January and the Russian Easter is at least four to five weeks later than that celebrated in the West. Since most religious holidays follow the Julian calendar rather than the more universally followed Gregorian calendar, it is hard to illustrate the exact dates of many festivals. Apart from these religious festivals, Russians celebrated many festivals with food, dance and drink.
Russia has a stunning collection of landmarks, each more spectacular and amazing than the next. The Russian culture and landmarks are heavily influenced by the Romanov dynasty that ruled Russia till the beginning of the 20th century. Modern buildings recently constructed in Eastern Russia also amaze the viewer.
The choices of Russian accommodations and hotels are as unrestrained as the size of the country. The cities of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sochi and Kazan offer a variety of lodging options. Below is just a little selection of the diversity of accommodations Russia can offer.
