Tourism in Russia
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Tourism > Tourism in Russia
Russia is not the typical country for westerners to go to during their vacations though it has much to offer: Russia has rich cultural heritage, embodied in the cities of Moscow with Tretyakov Gallery, Bolshoi Theatre or the Kremlin's collections, and Saint Petersburg on river Neva, close to the Baltic Sea, with its famous "white nights", the art collections of the Hermitage Museum and the Russian Museum.In the countryside there are many little towns with old cloisters and castles. There are cities with an own rich tradition like Kaliningrad (formerly Königsberg) on the Baltic Sea coast, Novgorod on Lake Ilmen, Tver, Vologda, Nizhni Novgorod, Kirov, Ekaterinburg or Rostov.
Famous for tourists are trips on the big rivers like Volga, Lena or Yenisei as well as trips on the famous Trans-Siberian railway to Vladivostok on the Pacific Ocean. Russia is not only cold: The coasts of Black Sea and Caspian Sea offer a climate like the Mediterranean Sea. A famous city for vacations on the beach is Sochi.
The Crimea is also a favourite vacation resort; even though this autonomous region is in Ukraine, many people associate it with Russia because of its long historical connection to Russia. Yalta is the best known vacation center, though Sevastopol is also well known.
Russia is famous for vodka and for various foods, including caviar, borscht, shashlik and potato pancakes (although this is actually a Jewish dish not only found in Russia).
Russia presents many obstacles to the foreign tourist. The visa system is antiquated and costly. Hotels are too few and too expensive in the main cities. Also, with the recent terrorist actions being associated with the darker-skinned Caucasian population, official police racism against all dark skin people is rife.
RUSSIAN VISA
Since the introduction of the new Immigration Law in 2002, Russian visa regulations and requirements have changed significantly. Now, it is not as simple as giving a "bribe" in order to resolve your problems with the visa issue or its regisrtaion in Russia.
Russian consular staff is progresively adopting the British/US style in processing visa applications, i.e. you may be required to present a proof of your earnings, to attend an interview or get your visa application rejected without giving any explanation. However, the visa processing is quite straightforward and the only difficulty is to obtain your Visa support documents: Invitation and travel voucher at the right price from a licensed Visa support documents providor.
Visa Registration in Russia
Please note that not registering your Russian visa may lead to serious problems: detention by police, fines on departure, prevention from boarding the plane, etc. You can register your visa ONLY at the local OVIR, if you are staying in private accommodation, or by the hotel where you are staying. Visa registration by companies offering this service for a fee is ILLEGAL. If caught, you may end up in a serious trouble.
For a detailed information on Russian visa regulations and registration procedures, visit [http://www.RUvisa.co.uk]
To apply for Russian visa online, visit www.Russia-visa.com (http://www.Russia-visa.com)