Travel instructions

Russia

Passport control and documents needed at the border

Visa is needed to Russia. See information of visas. Passport is obligatory to cross the border.If you are in a group visa, a tour leader will take care of it. Registration form (migration card) will be filled before the border. Tour leader will give the forms to the travellers.

Customs

You are allowed to have maximum 50 kg luggage (value not over 650 000 rub) over the border to Russia. It is not allowed to take seeds, perishable goods or plants with roots over the border. You can have max. 10 000 USD money without any special declaration.  You are allowed to have 2 litre alcohol drinks and 200 cigarettes. If you have special medicine ordered by a doctor, you need to have either as receipt or a package of the medicine, where is information of the medicine and to whom it has been addressed. Please, take only a daily dose and a few extra with you.

Vaccination

There is no obligatory vaccination while travelling to Russia. You will find all information of travelling to Russia including vaccination in the wed site of Finnish Foreign ministry. http://formin.finland.fi/public/default.aspx?contentid=65636&nodeid=15735&contentlan=3&culture=sv-FI

Rules in the monasteries in Russia

Monastery is a home to the brothers and sisters who live there. When we get guest to our homes, we know that they will respect our manners and way of life. So we also respect the rules and the way of life in the monasteries.

Orthodox Christianity in Russia is a thousand of years old religion. There have been many difficult times in its history but always it has appeared again, raised like a Fenix -bird from the ash. After 70 Soviet years Orthodox Christianity has now a very important role in the peoples´  life. The churches and monasteries have been built everywhere. We respect a lot of this work.

It is possible to take part in services in the churches. There are own rules for dressing. Women should cover their head by a hat or scarf and wear a long skirt (under the knees). Shorts are not allowed in the monastery. This concerns the churches as well as sketes.  There are some aprons and scarf in the gate to those who has no own.

Photographing inside the monastery and churches is forbidden. In some monasteriesi t is possible to buy a license to take photos, but in many of them it is not allowed at all.

Currency and money exchange

Rouble is also internationally convertibly currency so you can change money in you own country or at the aiport or in the border. Currency today is: 1 euro is 40 roubles.   

Credit cards are possible in big cities but in the countryside only cash is accepted. There are many cash points in cities and even some small towns where you can get Russian currency.