Results tagged “Russia” from Intelligent Travel Blog

Okay, I admit it: before a recent excursion to Russia, I could do little more than find it on a map. Having scored an embarrassing four out of ten on Traveler's Worldwise Quiz on Moscow, I was clearly starting from scratch when it came to preparing for this trip.

Now that I've been, I know that Russia is incredible and definitely worth a visit, but you ought to be in the know before you leave. Here are a few helpful tips to get you started.

• Apply for your visa early. You need a visa to visit Russia--and to get one you need someone in the country to sponsor you. Usually your hotel or a Russian travel agency will act as your sponsor. Be sure to apply for your visa at least three weeks in advance and make sure all the information on it is correct before you go.

• Keep your papers with you. By the time you leave Russia, you will probably have enough slips of paper to fill a scrapbook--there will be a form for just about everything you do, and yes, people will ask you for them. The first important document you'll receive (besides your visa) is the Migration Card you get upon arrival. You'll give half to the customs official when you enter, and keep the second sheet. Don't lose it! You need this form to exit the country. 

It's 1,300 feet high, towering far above the elegant city laid out by Peter the Great, and four times higher than the maximum building limit established by city planners to preserve the architectural integrity of the czarist-era city. Developers of the controversial new Gazprom office building received the green light this week from the governor of St. Petersburg to start construction on the tallest skyscraper in Europe. Not everyone's pleased about it.  The London Times reports:

UNESCO expressed "grave concern" in July about the impact of the tower and warned Russian officials that it could place St. Petersburg on the "World Heritage in Danger" list next year. It urged them to suspend work on the project, adopt a different design and submit a report by February on measures to protect the 306-year-old city centre.

A Times' reader commented:

Are you a fan of polar bears? (Who isn't?!) Well there's some good news from our friends over at the NatGeo News Watch blog:

Russia will create a new 3.7 million-acre (1.5 million-hectare) park in the Arctic, a central area for the Barents and Kara Sea polar bear populations, WWF said today.

Announcing the park, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said he hoped it would be a major attraction for tourism, and announced that he personally plans to vacation there, WWF said.

The new Russian Arctic park is located on the northern part of Novaya Zemlya, a long island that arcs out into the Arctic Ocean between the Barents and Kara Seas, WWF said. It also includes some adjacent marine areas.

Check out the entire post for more info on the park.

Photo: NGS photo of polar bear in the Russian Arctic by Gordon Wiltsie