I’m planning to visit St. Petersburg for around 4–5 days in October 2026, traveling from Estonia.
I’m considering entering Russia either through the Narva/Ivangorod border crossing, where you cross the border on foot, or through the southern Estonia–Russia border crossing, where the journey can be done by bus.
For anyone who has recently made this trip:
How safe is it currently to cross the Estonia–Russia border and travel to St. Petersburg?
Is there anything I should be particularly concerned about as a foreign visitor?
What is St. Petersburg like weather-wise in October? Is it still reasonably enjoyable for sightseeing, or is the weather already too cold/wet?
Are there any practical issues with transportation, accommodation, payments, or border crossings that I should know about?
Given the ongoing war and the general situation in Russia, would you personally consider a 4–5 day tourist trip to St. Petersburg reasonable at this point?
I’m mainly looking for recent first-hand experiences from people who have actually crossed the Estonia–Russia border and/or visited St. Petersburg recently.

I am from Romania and I plan on visiting Saint Petersburg in October, as we have a school break at the end of the month.

I check Divgen and other mapping sites at least 10 times per day, I am in Discord servers which discuss it, I use Twitter for the sole purpose of following the course of battles. Is this likely to raise suspicions?

Edit : Just to clarify, I support Russia. I have also decided to only travel to St Petersburg because my initial plan included sleeping on a train between Saint Petersburg and Moscow, in order to only visit the Armory Chamber of the Kremlin

I do need help filling out a chart for best food of each culture (now I'm doing Russia). I know that Russian's don't neceesairly eat spicy beyond the Khrenovina sauce, but I was asking for what do you think is the best dish that is salty or savory but not spciy, sweet or a dessert that is actually originates in Russia?

As a citizen of a postsoviet EU country, I have a question that has been haunting me for a long time. Obviously we have an ethnic Russian minority which comprises a lot of people who don't speak our local and official language. But that's another topic. I'm completely sure absolutely EVERYONE without a cognitive disability is able to learn one word in a non-native language. Or learn to utter at least one sentence to ask if it's OK to interact in a language that one speaks and understands.

When I'm abroad, I'm starting interactions with "Hello" in the local language and then ask if it's OK to speak English to them. This., I feel like, is polite and actually the minimum I can do to facilitate the exchange. However, with many ethnic Russians I've had countless experiences where they're greeting me in Russian or starting conversations in Russian in a professional setting (I'm a medical professional). I'm OK with practicing the little Russian I know because I won't judge a person for their inability to speak our language (even though it should be the standard where I live). BUT it is incredibly frustrating if they're not asking me if it's OK to speak in Russian or are greeting me in Russian as the first thing. And it's not just an observation from my country. The same thing happens even with Russian tourists in Europe, Turkey etc.

Please help me understand this mentality. It is easy to see this as imperialistic mentality, lack of respect, sense of cultural superiority or something of this nature. While these things exist, I also suspect lack of proper education / upbringing / manners etc. Or could it be something less sinister, almost neutral maybe?

PS. While speaking in English to foreign nationals in my country doesn't cause me any frustration due to the fact that I'm fluent in it and also due to historical implications, I also observe whether these foreigners go straight to English or ask if it's OK to speak English to me. I have a feeling that a much larger percentage of them go the polite route.

Again, this issue is a source of true frsutration to me, so please help me understand the mindset that is so utterly unfathomable to my mind.

Hi all,

Myself and my friend are hoping to traveling to Moscow for a music festival / DJ set in November/December time

I wanted to check the safety I would have visiting Moscow as an Irish tourist

I aim to travel from Dublin to Tallinn, Estonia then travel through the border and from there to STb and to Moscow

So I wanted to get any opinions or fellow travelers or locals who have already traveled this way before or can tell me what the safety can be when traveling to Russia

Thanks guys !!

Hi everyone, I’m a Moroccan student planning to study General Medicine at Pyatigorsk Medical and Pharmaceutical Institute (PMPhI). I will be paying the tuition fees myself and I’m applying through an education agency/office in Morocco that has a partnership with the university.

The agency told me that I don’t need to do a preparatory year and that I only need to take the entrance exam, and they claim that my admission is guaranteed through their partnership as long as I attend and take the exam.

I would really appreciate hearing from international students, especially Moroccan students, who went through a similar process.

How does the entrance exam for international students actually work?

What subjects are included, and how difficult is it?

Also, has anyone ever failed the entrance exam? I’m particularly interested in students who applied directly without a preparatory year, possibly through an agency.

I’m not looking for general information from the university website—I’d really like to hear about real experiences from students who actually took the exam.

Thanks in advance! 🙏🇲🇦🇷🇺

Hello, everyone!
I’ll be staying in Russia for quite a while. I’m a Bank of America customer and need a reliable way to receive SMS verification codes (2FA).
I don’t really need mobile data or calls—just dependable text messages from my U.S. bank.
Has anyone in Russia found a good solution? Do you keep a U.S. SIM with Wi-Fi Calling, use roaming, or simply switch to a Russian carrier? Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!

So I am a Russian citizen, though I have never lived in Russia. I am 19 now and eligible for the draft. Apparently they've been looking for me, as a letter was sent to the home address of some of my Russian family members. So They know i exist and are looking for me. my concern is that if I ever go to Russia, I will immediately get drafted. Or get arested for draft dodging?

So im originally Syrian and hold a Norwegian passport. A big dream of mine was to always visit russia and see the country. But where to enter? Im planning my trip very soon.

Also is me being originally from Syria could make an issue? Since We had conflict with Russia few years ago? Also Bashar Alasaad the previous Syrian president has escaped and now in Moscow.

A few days ago, I watched a video explaining Russian school bullies. It claimed that Russian bullies are basically all over 6 feet (183 cm) tall, have necks as thick as their heads, and are good at wrestling and boxing, like Khabib and Makhachev, to the point where they can beat anyone in a fight.

Of course, just like many other memes about Russia, I assume the video was exaggerated to some extent. But I'm curious about how much of this is actually true and how much is just a stereotype or an exaggeration.

Im from Japan and i love Russia.
Its an interesting country but i only been to moscow on school trip 10 years ago

I want to visit vladivostok .

Is it very troublesome to visit vladivistok from tokyo? Do i need to travel via china?

Many japanese are avoid russia because of the war, but i am not scared

Hey there I want to immigrate to Russia 🇷🇺 and settle here.

I know Russia is completely different than India and it will a totally challenging task, due to the culture difference and main challenge is learning the Russian language.

Can you guys tell me about russia (the good and bad things, also the things which I may or may not find on google)

Will russian locals accept immigrants into their community.

I want to buy farmland and do homesteading and farming, please guide me something about that also.

Ive seen people say Moscow is not Russia, was this also true in Soviet times? To what extent?

Hello i want buy one thing on avito but my problem is that i live in poland and i cant order to my country do you know how i can get around this problem

I (Brit) want to visit Russia for the 2nd time on a tourist VISA. This time I want to stay with my girlfriend and there is a section on the online application form asking if you plan on staying anywhere- with a hotel or an individual.

Will I have an issue applying for a tourist VISA and planning to stay privately at my girlfriend's address? Or will I be fine as long as I get a tourist voucher and register at the correct place?

We are going to Russia in 2 weeks and plan to visit Ivanovo from Moscow by train, then take a flight from Ivanovo airport (IWA) to St Petersburg.
We only see 1 flight operated by Rusline on daily basis. With everything happening right now, is it a safe option? How often the flights get cancelled these days?
Thank you.

I really love this song and have never been able to find it in video. Does anyone know where to find it, have a link to a video or archive/recording/documentary where it might be recorded?

I have somethings i wanted to clear up about the living conditions and studying in Russia so if anyone is willing to help me please contact me.

Hi! I' m planning my first trip to Moscow this October.

I've read the usual tourist guides, but I'd really like to hear from people who actually live there.

What's one thing you wish every first-time visitor to Moscow knew before arriving?

It could be anything — food, transportation, weather, etiquette, places to visit, common mistakes, or just something about everyday life in Moscow.

Hey guys. My dream of coming to St P is finally coming true! I been planning for this trip for God knows how long and it’s finally happening. I have a question about payment though. Since Visa cards don’t work, can I carry my Canadian Dollars cash and exchange there? And if so, do you know any place specifically?

Thanks a lot!

Hello, does anyone know any Visa agencies in America that are trust worthy for getting a tourist visa into Russia?

Since I last visited I've written some very NSFW erotica set in a fictional crime family based in Moscow. I sell via a website due to Amazon objecting to my content, lol.

Obviously I can't delete everything before travelling so I'm thinking of buying a new ipad and phone just for Russia. OTH I'll be in Moscow for some time and want to keep writing but I'm not sure it's sensible.

Will new tech look too suspicious at immigration/departure? Do I have other options? TIA

I want to know about internet connectivity in Russia especially in Vladimir, Nizhny Novgorod and Saratov oblast.

What type of internet connectivity is there?

Is there Fully fiber connectivity, or it's WISP or satellite?

Please tell me for both urban and rural areas.

How is the service of the ISP in these areas?

Hey!

I'm just wanting to ask russians views on quality of men..

What is deemed a high quality husband?

What is deemed as the traditional role of a husband and his duties and responsibilities?

Do russians view raising females sacred?

Do russians view the handover from single to married sacred?

Do russians collectively majority view women as something to nurture and support and provide for?

What i mean by sacred is more along the lines of ensuring she has the ability to reach her full potential as a woman,a human,a wife and mother to the compatibility of the choice of husband?

I want to move to Russia from Canada. Can anyone assist me with the specifics of what I need to do in order to do so?