Russia’s visa system is not known for being traveler-friendly. In fact, even the US Department of State calls it “restrictive and complicated,” and that’s putting it diplomatically. Gadling notes that the hassles involved in applying for a Russian tourist visa have encouraged a market for expensive shore excursions on Baltic cruises. Most Baltic cruise ships remain in port in St. Petersburg for 2 or 3 days, and Gadling points out that if you travel by yourself, you can easily get to and from Moscow for about $60, while a Moscow shore excursion booked through Silversea Cruises costs $999 per person.

The advantage of booking through the cruise line, however, is that the cruise line deals with the Russian visa system for you by obtaining a blanket transit visa good for all passengers on the ship. Avidcruiser.com explains:

These so-called “transit” visas, good for visits of up to 72 hours, allow you to exit the ship only on group or private tours conducted by that ground operator. You are not allowed to disembark the ship and travel on your own — not even to stroll Nevsky Prospect, the most famous street in all of Russia — unless you’ve taken the time to apply for a tourist visa.

Still, $999 per person? It seems like the chance to avoid the Russian visa bureaucracy is more precious than rubies for some people!

Of course, if you go through the trouble of getting a Russian visa, you’re free to travel on your own while the ship is in port, so you benefit from the opportunity to set your own itinerary and move at your own pace, plus you’ll have a lot more money for your next shore excursion.

To learn more about how to get a Russian visa, see “Russian Visas for Tourists.”

If you want to see Moscow but can’t stomach the thought of forking over a grand for the privilege, private visa services like RushMyTravelVisa can help. We’ll assist you with the application, helping you to avoid common errors that could cause your Russian visa to be delayed. Then, we’ll personally deliver it to the appropriate embassy office for the fastest possible processing.

Apply for your Russian visa today!

Tags: Russia, Russian visa

This entry was posted on Friday, August 20th, 2010 at 11:24 pm and is filed under Destinations. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.