Russia

Marble canyon: in Karelia's Ruskeala park, emerald water sits inside sheer white marble walls that are floodlit in the evening.
Valley of the Geysers: in Kamchatka the helicopter excursion is what to book, taking you over fountaining springs inside the craters of active volcanoes.
Chuysky Trakt: if you want to know where to go for the best driving views anywhere, it is this Altai highway with its passes, Geyser Lake and Martian-red hills.
Kivach waterfall: what to see in Karelia in a single day is this heavy cascade inside the nature reserve, plus the arboretum of rare Karelian birch.
Plyos: the Volga town trades on the landscapes Levitan painted and its cosy dachas, though be warned that room rates here are often badly inflated.
Sergiev Posad: the Trinity Lavra is worth the stop for the genuine Rublev iconostasis, but be ready for long queues and crowds of pilgrims.
Volcano museums: at the Vulkanarium in Petropavlovsk you can literally touch real lava, an easy win if you only have a day in the city.
Patmos rock: at Chemal in Altai a tiny church sits on an island in the Katun, reached by a narrow suspension bridge strung over the drop.

Currency: the ruble is the only currency in circulation, and prices in shops, on transport and in museums are always quoted in it.
Cards: payment cards issued outside the country are not accepted anywhere, and foreign cards will not work in ATMs either. Plan the whole trip on cash you bring in and change locally, and expect the domestic Mir system to be the only plastic that works, including in guesthouses deep in Altai or Karelia.
Cash: bring US dollars or euros in clean, undamaged notes and change them at a bank branch rather than a kiosk. Keep small notes on you at all times for ferry crossings in Tutayev, honey bought at an apiary or souvenirs at a country fair.
Tipping: in the big cities around ten percent of the bill is normal in restaurants if the service genuinely pleased you. Nobody will chase you for it, and it is not expected in cafes or taxis.

Item	Price (USD)
Lunch in a cafe	6.00
Cappuccino	2.50
Moscow hostel bed	15.00
Three-star hotel	70.00
Sapsan train ticket	35.00
Metro ride	0.80
Taxi 5 km	4.00
Litre of petrol	0.70
Crystal museum entry	5.00
Altai jeep tour	80.00
Red caviar (kg)	45.00
Shawarma in Yelizovo	3.50
Car hire per day	40.00
Flight to the Valley of the Geysers	1300.00
Hermitage ticket	7.00

Getting into the country. International routings mostly run through Istanbul, Dubai, Doha or Belgrade, with onward connections into Moscow and St Petersburg; from North America that means two stops and a long day. Book early for summer, and treat the arrival city as the start of a domestic leg rather than the destination itself.
Flying inside the country. Air travel remains the only quick way to reach Kamchatka, and summer seats are best bought about six months ahead.
Railways. Trains link almost every town on the Golden Ring, and the fast services cover Moscow to St Petersburg in about four hours.
Car hire. In Altai and Karelia a car buys you total freedom, but always film every existing scratch on the bodywork when you take the keys.
Mileage caps. Regional rental firms often impose a hard limit of 200-300 km a day, and every kilometre over that is billed separately.
On the water. In summer ferries and launches work the Volga, and in Tutayev they stand in for the bridge that does not exist.
Taxis. The Yandex and Maxim apps run reliably almost everywhere, and by international standards fares are very cheap.
Buses. Minibuses connect the smaller towns, but timetables shift, so always confirm departure times at the station ticket window.

City hotels. Book at least a month ahead, especially in popular Suzdal, Plyos or Sortavala where the good rooms go first.
Which platform. The big international booking sites are not the tool here; local aggregators such as Avito and Sutochno are how you find comfortable flats directly from owners in any region.
Guesthouses. In Karelia and Altai this is the best way to stay surrounded by forest, with home-cooked breakfasts and the compulsory evening banya.
Kamchatka is different. Rooms in Petropavlovsk cost well above the national average, so budget travellers often base themselves in neighbouring Yelizovo.
Off-season discounts. In March or November rates drop by almost half and availability opens right up.
Deposits. Most private landlords ask for a deposit, returned once they have checked the furniture and appliances at the end of your stay.
Hostels. Both capitals have plenty of genuinely good ones right in the centre, which keeps the accommodation line of the budget small.
Registration. Hotels and guesthouses handle the paperwork for you automatically; if you stay in a private flat for more than a week, ask the host to sort your registration rather than assume it is done.

Soups. Borscht with sour cream and garlic pampushki is the foundation, served in practically any canteen in any town.
Pelmeni. In the Urals and Siberia these dumplings are a cult, and you will find versions with venison, bear or local river fish.
One thing not to do. In Kamchatka never buy caviar or crab from people selling by the roadside; go to the official city markets instead.
Regional specialities. In Kazan try the triangular echpochmak pastries, and in Karelia the open rye tarts called kalitki.
Sweets. Chak-chak and Tula gingerbread are the classic edible souvenirs, they survive a long journey home and everyone likes them.
Fast food. The global chains have been replaced by local brands, and the burgers and fries are still done to a high standard.
Fish. At Lake Teletskoye or Baikal, order fresh grayling or whitefish grilled over coals by someone who does it every day.
Ordering in English. English menus are common in Moscow and St Petersburg but rare beyond them, so photograph the dish names or use a translation app on your phone.

In the cities. The big cities run thousands of cameras, and street crime rates are among the lowest anywhere you will travel.
Wildlife. In Kamchatka and Altai never leave a marked trail alone; bears are a real and lethal risk, not a talking point.
Roads in the mountains. Be extremely alert on Altai roads, where livestock can be lying on the tarmac just past a blind bend.
Winter cold. Siberian temperatures drop to minus forty, so proper layered thermal clothing is a survival item rather than a comfort.
Car insurance. Take the full cover option on any rental, because gravel thrown up by oncoming trucks smashes windscreens in the mountains regularly.
Scams. Ignore the touts working arrivals halls at airports and order cars only through the official apps on your phone.
Water on the trail. Hiking in Karelia, filter water from open sources however clear and clean it looks.
Before you book. Check your own government's travel advisory for current guidance, make sure your insurance covers the regions you plan to reach, and keep a paper copy of your policy with you.

Shoes off. Take your shoes off at the door of any flat or guesthouse; the host will hand you a pair of slippers without being asked.
Dress code. Visiting Golden Ring monasteries, women need a headscarf and a long skirt, and men are not admitted in short shorts.
Smiling. Do not expect polite smiles from strangers in the street, but around a shared table people open up instantly and turn out to be enormously warm.
Banya. The bathhouse is not a way of getting clean but a social ritual, complete with birch whisks and tea, and everyone should try it at least once.
Superstitions. Never whistle indoors and never hand anything across a threshold, unless you want to unsettle whoever you are with.
Toasts. If you are invited to lunch, be ready to listen to and deliver speeches, because drinking without a stated reason is not the done thing.
Tea. An offer of tea is always an invitation to a long, unhurried conversation, and turning it down closes a door you want left open.
Being a guest. Bringing something small, sweets or flowers in an odd number, lands very well; an even number of flowers is for funerals only.

SIM cards. Local SIMs with unlimited data cost almost nothing and take five minutes to buy in any phone shop, with your passport.
Roaming and eSIM. International roaming from a home network is either unavailable or ruinously expensive here, so a local SIM is the practical answer rather than an eSIM bought abroad.
Navigation. Yandex Maps and the 2GIS directory are far more accurate than the foreign equivalents, down to which entrance of a building you need.
Social platforms. Several Western platforms are unreachable without extra software installed in advance, so set that up before you arrive rather than after.
Messengers. Telegram and WhatsApp are the main channel for talking to hosts, drivers and guides, and everyone answers on them.
Network speed. 4G flies in the cities, but in the forests of Karelia or the Altai mountains the signal can disappear for hours at a time.
Apps worth having. Install the RZD app for train tickets and Yandex Go for calling an official taxi in seconds.
Language barrier. Outside the two capitals English is poorly understood, so keep an offline translator on your phone and learn the Cyrillic alphabet enough to read street signs.

English	Russian	Pronunciation
Hi	Привет	pri-VYET
Hello (formal)	Здравствуйте	ZDRAST-vuy-tye
Thank you	Спасибо	spa-SEE-ba
Please, you're welcome	Пожалуйста	pa-ZHAL-sta
Yes / No	Да / Нет	da / nyet
How much?	Почём?	pa-CHOM? (slang)
Where is the toilet?	Где туалет?	gdye tua-LYET?
Hang on a second	Погодя	pa-ga-DYA (slang)
Way too expensive	Конский ценник	KON-skiy TSEN-nik (slang)
Abandoned building	Заброшка	za-BROSH-ka (slang)
Great stuff, quality	Годнота	god-na-TA (slang)
Grub, food	Хавчик	KHAV-chik (slang)
Crowd, queue	Толпа	tal-PA
I don't understand	Не понимаю	nye pa-ni-MA-yu
Huh? What?	Чё?	CHYO? (slang)
Car, ride	Тачка	TACH-ka (slang)
Party, happening	Движ	DVIZH (slang)
Mate, buddy	Кореш	KO-resh (slang)
Awesome	Зашибись	za-shi-BEES (slang)
Ticket, pass	Проходка	pra-KHOD-ka (slang)
Nonsense, rubbish	Дичь	DEECH (slang)
Sharp, nicely done	Чётко	CHYOT-ka (slang)

Entry paperwork. Travellers from around 55 countries can apply for the electronic visa online, which is issued in about four days and allows a stay of up to 16 days, enough for a classic two-capital route. Check what applies to your own passport well before booking flights.
Seasons. July and August are the window for Karelia and Altai, while the Golden Ring is at its best in the golden autumn of early October.
What to pack. Carry a light down jacket even in summer, because weather in the mountains and by the lakes turns in a matter of minutes.
Closing days. Many museums and restaurants in the small merchant towns shut on Mondays, so build that into the itinerary.
Cash for tickets. Some regional museums still do not take cards at all, so keep small notes in your wallet for entry fees.
Road surfaces. The track to the ancient Girvas volcano, or to the Mars landscapes in Altai, is gravel and will punish an ordinary saloon car.
In an emergency. The number 112 connects everywhere, even when your own operator has no signal, so commit it to memory before you set off.
Border permits. Some border districts of Altai require a permit arranged in advance, so check the status of any route close to the frontier before you drive it.