EuroCheapo's Russia Articles

Russia: Are visa policies becoming easier?

monastery in russia
Goritsky Monastery of Dormition in Russia. Photo: World-wide-gifts.com

Aug 09 German Magazine Spiegel reports that Russia and Poland now allows visa-free travel for residents within 50 km of the Kaliningrad border. While this policy change only currently affects our Cheapos in Gdansk (Cze??, czytelnicy!), the hope is that moves such as this, which “Kremlin officials are viewing … as a first step toward a complete elimination » Read more

Posted in Europe, News, Practical Info, Russia, St. Petersburg, Trip Planning

European Train Schedules: New trains for 2012

European Train Schedules: New trains for 2012

Nov 30 Europe’s new rail schedules come into effect on Sunday December 11, 2011. And these new schedules will, for the most part, apply through December 2012. The latest monthly edition (dated December 2011) of the Thomas Cook European Rail Timetable has just landed on our desks, and we’ve been taking a peek at what rail travelers » Read more

Posted in Belarus, Budapest, Copenhagen, Denmark, France, hidden europe, Madrid, News, Poland, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, Train, transportation

Tinkering with Time: Daylight savings time in Europe

Tinkering with Time: Daylight savings time in Europe

Oct 26 It’s that time of year when we are apt to meddle with time. Most European countries adopt daylight saving time (DST).  All those that do favor seasonal DST will thus set their clocks back by an hour early next Sunday morning, October 30. This means that overnight trains in Europe next Saturday night will pause » Read more

Posted in Belarus, Europe, Events, hidden europe, Iceland, Local Customs, Media, Practical Info, Russia, Trip Planning, Ukraine

Kalmykia: Russia with a twist

Kalmykia: Russia with a twist

Sep 13 Anyone for Kalmykia? It is a republic that lies in eastern Europe between the Volga and the Manych River. Kalmykia is in the premier league of offbeat destinations in Europe. It is even less visited by leisure travelers than Ruthenia, Lusatia or Moldova. If you like feather grass steppes and wide open spaces, then Kalmykia » Read more

Posted in Europe, hidden europe, Russia, Train

From St. Petersburg to Helsinki, by bus

From St. Petersburg to Helsinki, by bus

May 25 The new high-speed rail service linking Helsinki with St. Petersburg, just launched last December, has been an immediate success, with passenger numbers in the first four months of 2011 up over a third on the same period in 2010. With the journey time slashed to 3 hours 36 minutes, it is no surprise that cross-border » Read more

Posted in Bus, Day Trips, Europe, Finland, Helsinki, hidden europe, Russia, St. Petersburg, Train, transportation

European Ferries: 4 interesting new options for 2011

European Ferries: 4 interesting new options for 2011

Mar 09 Europe’s ferry schedules are famously fluid, and it’s often devilishly hard to keep pace with new route developments. Here is our choice of a quartet of interesting ferry options for spring and summer 2011. 1. St. Peter Line to Russia The news last week that over 60 ships were trapped in thick ice in the » Read more

Posted in Alternative Transportation, Estonia, France, hidden europe, Ireland, Malta, Russia, Scotland, Spain, St. Petersburg, Stockholm, Sweden, Tallinn, transportation, Trip Planning, United Kingdom

The Psychogeography of Europe

The Psychogeography of Europe

Aug 18 We had a friend from Russia staying over the weekend. “It’s so nice to be back in Europe again,” he said as we met him from the train in Berlin after his overnight journey from Kaliningrad. His comment made us ponder European geography. Kaliningrad is just 330 miles from Berlin and it is most certainly not » Read more

Posted in Estonia, Europe, hidden europe, Netherlands, Russia, Tallinn, United Kingdom

Google Goggles and the Future of the Guidebook

Google Goggles and the Future of the Guidebook

Aug 11 If an article in last week’s Financial Times is to be believed then the end is nigh. Not of all life as we know it. The FT merely predicts that the days of the guidebook are numbered, as ever more travellers switch to online sources to get key information on destinations. The newspaper noted that » Read more

Posted in Book Reviews, Europe, hidden europe, London, Practical Info, Russia, technology, Trip Planning

European Capitals of Culture: Istanbul, Pecs, Essen, and Görlitz

European Capitals of Culture: Istanbul, Pecs, Essen, and Görlitz

Mar 31 It was 25 years ago this spring that Athens assumed the mantle of being Europe’s first ever “Capital of Culture,” and so kick-started a program that has developed into a mainstay of the European culture and travel calendar. Since then, cities from Bruges to Bologna, Stockholm to Sibiu, have basked in the limelight for a » Read more

Posted in Europe, Events, Festivals, Germany, hidden europe, Hungary, Luxembourg, Russia, tips, Turkey

March Travel Update: News on Fastnet, Euroferries, Varsity Express, Ryanair, and more

March Travel Update: News on Fastnet, Euroferries, Varsity Express, Ryanair, and more

Mar 24 Three weeks ago, we reported here on EuroCheapo on how booking on a new air route or ferry service can cause a lot of grief for travelers intent on sticking to a fixed itinerary. All too often, teething problems can mean that a new service might not get started as smoothly as a carrier might » Read more

Posted in Airlines, Bulgaria, Europe, Finland, Germany, hidden europe, Ireland, plane, Poland, Practical Info, round-up, Russia, Ryanair, tips, transportation, Trend Update, Trip Planning, United Kingdom