Travel Information

We have listed the following information on this page for you :

Each section of information has some important advice for you, so please make sure you read through this page – it will help make your visit less stressful and way more enjoyable!

Obtaining a visa for the Russian Federation

You will need to have a valid passport and a visa to enter into the Russian Federation. All of the detailed information is available from your local visa processing centre. Normally we advise all of our guests to obtain a TOURIST visa, and the process to obtain the visa is relatively simple, easy and fairly quick.
The normal processing time is between 3 to 5 working days, although you can process the visa application within 24 hours (This will cost considerably more, and might vary depending on the country from which you apply for the visa).

In the United Kingdom we have used companies such as :
– JustGoRussia (who will process the tourist voucher you will need)
– Annual Travel Insurance (who will provide you with the necessary travel cover)
and both of these companies will process these documents and services entirely online, so no need to go see them in person.
** When you apply for your visa we recommend a normal tourist visa. **
In the UK and elsewhere it might be possible to apply in person at VFS Global Russia, which is a visa processing centre. The one in London is really great, just make sure you know the times at which you can process applications as they close the doors promptly and wont let you in if you are a few minutes late.

TOURIST VOUCHER / OFFICIAL INVITATION LETTER : Please visit www.JustGoRussia.com – which is a company that provides the official TOURIST VOUCHER (Invitation Letter) that you will need for your Tourist Visa.

Registration when you are in Russia

I suppose this goes back a number of years as to why we need to register when we are in Russia. The process is very simple and is normally completed by the hotel where you stay. They will take your passport details, and will submit your information to the Federal Migration Department, and then the hotel will issue you with a little slip of paper to confirm you have been registered at the hotel.
Make sure that once you have this registration slip, that you keep it safe. When you exit the country the immigration staff will take the paper and complete your details onto their computer system.

All tourists staying for more than 7 days in Russia MUST REGISTER!

Travelling around with your Passport

Yes you might think that it is not safe to do so, however every person in Russia is required by Russian law to be able to produce their passport on demand to any police officer when asked to. You don’t need to give the police officer your passport to take away, but it does help when they want to check that you are not an illegal immigrant, or when they are suspicious of your behaviour.
The police are there to ensure safety on the streets, and in the underground metro, and they will normally challenge single males with backpacks, and ask to check the contents of their bags.

Flying Time

Who would have guessed that Russia being such a large country, that you can fly from London Heathrow to Saint Petersburg in under 4 hours. And there are numerous other destinations in Europe that fly directly to Saint Petersburg. If you travel from further afield you might need to transfer via Moscow, or even use the connection from Dubai, which is only 6 hours from Saint Petersburg.

Travelling between Moscow and Saint Petersburg

You can take a high speed train, which travels the journey in around 4 hours or a little more between the two biggest cities in Russia. Flight time is around an hour, but the high speed “SapSan” train is well worth the journey. If you have a spare day or two, you can get to Moscow, see the Kremlin and be back in Saint Petersburg before midnight.

Saint Petersburg Taxi’s

From the airport into central Saint Petersburg can cost you around between $10 to $20 US Dollars (but pay in Rubles!). Thats between 700 to 1’400 Russian Rubles. They charge standard fares, so make sure you ask them how much it will cost before you travel. Most companies have someone who speaks English, and at the Airport there is a Taxi Kiosk just outside the arrivals hall where you can get a Taxi to your hotel.
When you are at the hotel, they can also order a taxi for you although it might be about 200 to 400 Rubles more expensive. Thats about an extra $3 to $6 US Dollars. So you can also ask one of the Russian ThetaHealers to help you, as there are a number of taxi companies that can be called which could get you from A to B.

Travelling on the Metro (Underground railway)

This has to be a highlight for any tourist. The underground was built in the days of the cold war and opened in 1955. Due to the geography and the rivers and canals, some of the metro stations and metro lines are very deep underneath the surface. The deepest station is 86 meters underground, and many of the station concourses exhibit soviet style decorations and pictures. It has to be one of the best metros in the world when you combine the regular service with the stunning architecture in the different stations. And it is really easy to use.
Yes – all stations have boards, and signage, which is in English and Russian of course. And if you get stuck, someone is bound to speak english, or you can use an information point and they will be able to help.

A single journey from point A to point B in any direction will cost you around $ 0.67 US Dollars which is 45 Rubles (last updated 12.01.2019). And they use a METRO coin which has a “M” on one side. There are even machines in most stations where you can insert notes or coins and get a METRO token to travel with.
A tip for you is not to take your luggage on the Metro. They sometimes have quite a few steps that you need to take, and during rush hour the Metro will be busy with very little space to stand.

Currency and paying for things

Most places accept credit or debit cards. The currency in Russia is the Ruble, and the rates are

We suggest that you get some Rubles before you arrive in Russia, maybe about 2’000 Rubles, which will be enough to get you from the Airport to the Hotel where you will stay.
Once you are in Russia, you can use one of the many ATM machines, which would ask you which language you want to use, and normally give you the option of using English. The banks might charge you a ATM usage fee, and also a currency conversion, but that depends on the bank and also the agreement you have with your bank.
There is a bank at the airport which is open throughout the day and night, where you can covert some foreign exchange into Rubles. Once at the hotel, look for other options are there are many competing currency exchange places on Nevsky Prospect and the surrounding areas where you could get a better commission or exchange rate.

Language

Russians speak Russian. And there are number of people who do speak English. In most hotels they will have someone on the staff who speaks English. In some hotels they might offer other languages too.
If you are travelling around the city, most street names will have the Russian Cyrillic name and also the name written in Latin (english) characters.
Don’t worry too much about not being able to communicate. Saint Petersburg is know to be one of the easiest cities in Russia in which you can communicate without Russian. And if someone in the shop does not speak English, many Russians who do speak English are sure to be willing to help out. They are often proud to show how good their English is.
One tip – don’t expect the Taxi drivers to speak English. Sometimes you get lucky with someone who can speak German or another language, and sometime you are even luckier to get an English speaking Taxi driver.
Get to know Spacibo, Isvinite, Dobri Den, Dobro Utro and a few other words. They always like it when you make some effort to learn their language.

Car Rentals

We don’t advise that you rent a car, unless you are a qualified rally driver with a lot of experience. Russian drivers can be known to drive very fast, and not knowing the city or the signposts can be challenging for a first time. The other factor is that they drive on the right hand side of the road, so if you come from the UK then you are in for a very big learning curve. The use of public transport, the Metro and Taxi’s should be more than sufficient for you to get around.

Wi-fi / Mobile or Cell Phones

There are a number of places around the city with free wifi. Most hotels have free wifi in the rooms or in the lobby areas. You might be charged roaming fee’s so make sure your roaming settings are disabled. If you need to speak to someone or make a phone call, it should be very easy if you can connect to a fee wifi connection. Skype / WhatsApp are great for calling outside of Russia.
And the internet speeds in Saint Petersburg can be pretty fast. Sometimes way better than the USA or even the UK.

The opening of the bridges and water taxis

For the tourist this is a sight to see. The bridges which span across the many river crossings of the Neva will open around midnight making it impossible to cross until early morning. You can take a night cruise on one of the many water tour boats or taxis, and see the bridges open. There are also a number of water taxis that will take you from one spot to the next. Our favourite is the water taxi (the Hydrofoil) which runs from the city to Peterhoff during the day. This is a trip well worth it, and on a good sunny day can be quite stunning with the picture you can take.

Safety in the city

Like any large metropolis these days it is wise to take some basic precautions when travelling through the city. Leaving your bags unattended, or placing your mobile phone where you cant keep an eye on it in a busy restaurant is obviously inviting someone to attempt to deprive its use from you. Generally the police in the city are very quick to act on drunken behaviour on the metro, and they keep a watchful eye out for those who are out to stir trouble. During the day you will feel incredibly comfortable walking Nevskiy Prospekt or through one of the many shopping malls.
There are police stationed at every entrance and exit to the Metro station, and people in general are very helpful with keeping the city safe and inviting for tourists all year round.
Whatever you do, don’t get confrontational with Police. It is best to be polite and ask for their help, rather than to get angry with them for something they do. If you really are in a pickle, grab your phone and send us a message on facebook etc. We might be able to help.
And remember – there are ‘nomadic romany gypsies’ all over Europe, including here in St. Petersburg. Avoid them, don’t confront them, as where there is one there will be many more around the corner!

Accommodation in Saint Petersburg

We have a great venue for the events and there are many hotels that you could chose to stay in.
Have a look at booking.com for the options. We will look to negotiating a discounted rate for the event hotel, however please remember the average Russian hotel is not a 5 star hotel. Once we have received your host fee we will inform you of the location. You can select a hotel based on your need, and prices can vary so have a look around for the best option for you.
We provide the location details after host fees have been paid, as we have a large number of people who want to arrive on the day to get a chance to meet Vianna. So we do our best to honour you as a student ThetaHealer, and the investment in time and money that you have made to attend the seminars. We want to provide you with the first option when it comes to the accommodation, and we want to minimise the number of interruptions that are caused by many non-students who arrive and insist on meeting with Vianna. They are welcome to contact us and make requests for a meeting, and that is left to creator and Vianna to make sure those who are in need are given the opportunity in a fair and non-disruptive manner.