Traditions & Culture
Russia is indeed a unique country, which, along with highly developed modern culture carefully preserves the national traditions deeply rooted not only in the Orthodox religion but also in paganism. The culture of the Russian people developed over the nation’s history that spans more than a millennium and was influenced by various cultures over the years including the Western European culture.
Russian culture is often tradition-driven. Traditions govern everything from how many flowers to give a woman to how to drink a bottle of vodka. Learning about Russian traditions will enrich your experience in Russia because you’ll be able to navigate social situations more confidently.
Food and Drink
Russian cooking incorporates influences from various international culinary traditions such as Eastern and Central Asian traditions and Siberian traditions.
A variety of ingredients are used in Russian cuisine including pork, mushrooms, and honey. Soup and porridge are essential staples of the Russian cooking tradition with cabbage soup being the first course for most families regardless of their social standing. Alcohol is an integral part of Russian culture with the country being well renowned for producing high-quality vodka.
Safety
Russia is not more dangerous than any other developed country. Nevertheless, don’t forget about basic safety even in the quietest of places. In general, Russia is a safe country, especially if you’re traveling as a student to large cities (such as Moscow, St. Petersburg, Vladivostok, etc.) or if you are making the Trans-Siberian route. However, there are a number of risk areas in Russia, which is advisable not to travel to: The border with Ukraine.
Health
Only first aid and emergency medical care is available to foreign citizens in Russia free of charge. In Russia, healthcare is provided by the state and by private companies. You need a health insurance policy in order to be treated at state hospitals and health centers, including student clinics. Private clinics admit patients without insurance as long as they cover their own expenses.
Voluntary health insurance policy
International students typically come to Russia for quite a long period (from one term to 4-5 years) which is why an ordinary travel health insurance policy from their country of origin is unsuitable. This type of insurance policy is not valid in the majority of Russian hospitals and under such a policy the patient often has to pay for the treatment themselves and apply for a refund from the insurance company only once they have returned home. This is very inconvenient for students who are studying abroad.
Upon arrival in Russia you need to purchase a voluntary health insurance (VHI) policy, which covers the minimum of medical services required by Russian law (including out-patient and in-patient care, hospitalization and transportation) and is accepted at clinics and hospitals located near the place of your studies or residence. In this case, you will not be required to pay to see a doctor as it would be sufficient to present your student ID card (or passport) and your policy.
Before your departure for Russia, contact your university representatives and find out whether they provide assistance in obtaining a VHI policy. This is usually arranged by the international student offices. They will help you to arrange and obtain insurance from a partner company of university at a lower rate. You can also obtain a VHI policy independently from any Russian insurer, but it will be quicker and less expensive to arrange it through the university.
According to the Russian law effective since 2016, foreigners have been required to take out health insurance immediately upon arrival in Russia. When taking out private health insurance remember that the minimal price for foreign citizens increased to 100,000 roubles (1,660 US dollars) from 1 May 2016.
How much does a VHI policy cost?
The cost of a VHI policy depends on the region, range of services (out-patient care, doctor call-out, emergency dental care, etc.) and the term of validity (from 3 months to 1 year).
In 2018 Russian insurance companies offered Moscow students VHI policies for between 4,000 and 12,000 roubles (60-180 US dollars).
What documents are required to arrange a VHI policy?
Usually a passport and a migration card are required. In some cases a referral from the dean’s office may be required. For further information please contact your chosen university’s international office or insurance companies.
Transport
Russia is a vast country with enormous distances, but even if it is your first visit to Russia, it is not difficult to get to a destination on your own. The main thing is to plan your route, like during a journey to any unfamiliar places.
Usually staff will send detailed instructions on how to get to the university. It is easy to find your way around in Russian cities with mobile maps that work without Internet access (OsmAnd, Mobile Yandex maps, 2 GIS and others). Don’t forget to download them before your journey.
From the Airport to the City
You can get from the airport to the city using various forms of transport. Most often these are regular buses, fixed-route or private taxis, and suburban trains. Express trains operate in some major cities from airport terminals.
The advantages of buses and fixed-route taxis are that they are inexpensive and frequent (every 10-15 min). They can be found at bus stops at the airport. Buy tickets in special kiosks or on the bus.
You can get from Moscow airports to the city for 55-120 roubles and by fixed-route taxi for 75-120 roubles. Prices are even lower in other Russian cities. For example, the Plus Metro rate (1 journey by train + 1 journey by metro), Airport-to-Airport (2 journeys by aero express + 1 journey by public road transport) and other Aero express tariffs are available from Moscow airports.
High-speed trains take passengers to the city Centre. They are fast, comfortable, frequent (every 30 min.), they have more luggage space, and different tariffs are available online.
For example, the Plus Metro rate (1 journey by train + 1 journey by metro), Airport-to-Airport (2 journeys by aero express + 1 journey by public road transport) and other Aero express tariffs are available from Moscow airports.
It’s relatively easy to find ticket offices for express trains by following special signs at the airport. You can also buy tickets at the airport, but it is cheaper to purchase online.
City Transport
In Russian cities and towns you can get around by metro, bus, tram, trolleybus, and private fixed-route taxi.
There are underground systems in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Samara, Kazan, Yekaterinburg, and Volgograd.
The larger the city, the higher the fare. In Moscow one journey will cost you 55 roubles*, in St. Petersburg 45 roubles*, in Yekaterinburg just 28 roubles.* A journey by public road transport (bus, trolleybus, tram) will cost you 55 roubles* in Moscow, 40 roubles* in St. Petersburg, 25 roubles* in Kazan, and 16-18 roubles* in Tomsk.
Students on full-time courses at Russian universities can purchase tickets on public transport at discounted prices. Passengers pay cash in fixed-route taxis and no discounts are offered.
Discounts for students:
Monthly travel with a student social card costs 5 times less than a regular ticket. As soon as you get a student card, arrange a student travel or social card (depending on the city). Learn more in the “Benefits for Students in Russia” section.
Before you receive your travel card, you can still save on regular travel cards using various tariffs. It is not worth buying tickets for 1 or 2 journeys. A travel card for several journeys (5 or more) will work out cheaper: the more journeys you purchase, the cheaper they become. In Moscow, you can also buy a travel card at the “90-minute” rate, which allows you to make as many journeys as you like within an hour and a half, using both the underground and/or public road transport. Similar tariffs apply in other Russian cities as well.
Tickets on public road transport can be bought from the driver, but they will be much more expensive than from ticket offices or special kiosks.
Traveling around Russia
Intercity travel is possible by coach, train, boat and plane. Discounts are also available for local trains (within one federal district): a 50% discount is available between September 1 and June 15. To apply this discount when purchasing a ticket or travel card, present your student card (student social card, depending on the region).