Russia opened its land borders on July 15. Now you can go not only to Belarus, Kazakhstan and Mongolia, but also to Finland, Norway, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. See how you can do this and where to buy tickets.
Now only Air Serbia flies from Russia to Europe and that to Belgrade. To get to the Schengen zone, you will have to make transfers. It costs from 30 thousand rubles one way.
Entry into Europe through land borders
To save money, you can enter Europe through land borders. Using examples from popular European cities, you will see that it is cheaper.
A couple of important points:
- To enter European countries bordering Russia (except Belarus), you need a Schengen visa.
- Also be prepared for long queues at the borders – especially when leaving Russia.
Border guards very carefully check the documents of those leaving, some may even be taken away for interrogation. Allow as much time as possible before flying further into Europe, otherwise your trip may end up being late for your flight.
Finland
On July 1, the Covid restrictions were completely lifted. All you need is a passport with a valid Schengen card. Finland issues visas the same way as before – anyone can apply.
There are no direct flights, trains have also been cancelled. But there are buses from St. Petersburg. They pass through two checkpoints – Torfyanovka (closer to Helsinki) and Brusnichnoe (closer to Lappeenranta). A bus ticket costs from 2700 rubles, travel time is from 6 hours.
- Fly to Paris directly from St. Petersburg: from 30 thousand with a transfer in Istanbul.
- Fly to Paris via Helsinki: From 2,700 rubles for a bus, from 2,700 rubles for a low-cost airline ticket (or from 4,000 rubles for a direct flight). Total – from 5400 rubles.
Estonia
Nothing is required for entry except a passport with a visa. You will have to obtain a visa from another country. Estonian tourist Schengen cards are not currently issued.
There are two options for crossing the border: on foot and by vehicle. In the first case, when leaving St. Petersburg, it is better to use the Parusinka checkpoint in Ivangorod.
If it is inconvenient to walk, there is a car checkpoint in Ivangorod. Buses from St. Petersburg pass through it – a ticket to Tallinn costs from 1500 to 3500 rubles.
You can use your own transport through Pskov and the local checkpoint “Shumilkino”, there are less long queues there.
From the Estonian city of Narva, closest to Russia, there are buses to Tallinn. And there are already inexpensive tickets for planes or ferries.
- To Rome directly from St. Petersburg: from 34 thousand rubles with a transfer in Belgrade
- To Rome via Tallinn: bus from 2700 rubles and plane from 2000 rubles. Total – from 4700 rubles.
Latvia
To enter you will need a passport and a Schengen visa. But Latvia does not issue visas to Russians (but allows visas from other countries easily).
The only option to get to the country is by car. Buses run into the country from Moscow. For example, Ecolines will charge 8 thousand rubles for a trip. But when buying, keep in mind that the travel time they write is approximate: no one knows how much time you will spend crossing the border.
A quieter option is to travel to Latvia through Belarus. Checks at this border are not as strict, so all formalities are completed faster. Buses from Minsk to Riga run daily and cost from 2500 to 3500 rubles.
- To Stockholm directly from Moscow: from 45 thousand rubles with a transfer in Belgrade.
- To Stockholm via Riga: 2000 rubles for a train to Minsk, 2500 rubles for a bus to Riga and from 1000 rubles for a plane to Stockholm. Total – from 5500 rubles.
Lithuania
Passport and visa required. Lithuania does not currently issue Schengen tourist cards, but allows people with Schengen visas from other countries.
This is the only European country (except Belarus) that can be reached by train. Trains to Kaliningrad transit through it, and all passengers undergo border control at the Kyana and Kibartai stations. They are allowed to leave the train after completing all the formalities (and to enter too).
At the same time, trains also stop in Vilnius, but passengers are not released. If you want to go to the Lithuanian capital, get off at Kyana station, there are trains from there.
There are also buses to Lithuania from Kaliningrad (to Siauliai), Minsk and Grodno – tickets cost from 1,500 rubles. There are also minibuses for those who need to go to the airport. Vilnius is the base of low-cost airlines Wizzair and Ryanair; they can fly to almost anywhere in Europe.
- To Vienna directly from Moscow: from 40 thousand rubles with a transfer in Yerevan.
- To Vienna via Vilnius: from 3500 rubles for a train ticket and from 1700 rubles for a plane ticket. Total – from 5300 rubles.
Norway
To enter since February, you don’t need anything other than a foreign passport and a Schengen card (Norway doesn’t issue it). You can enter through the only checkpoint Borisoglebsk. There is no regular bus service through it; from Murmansk you will have to order a transfer.
Next to Kirkenes airport. Low-cost airlines do not fly to other countries from there, but there are local airlines with flights to Oslo or Bergen. And then the path opens throughout Europe.
- To Oslo by plane from St. Petersburg: from 30 thousand rubles with a transfer in Istanbul.
- To Oslo via Murmansk and Kirkenes: from 3000 rubles for a transfer to Kirkenes, from 5000 for a plane ticket. Total – from 8000 rubles.
Poland
The most difficult option. Poland does not allow Russians in directly – neither through the Russian section in the Kaliningrad region, nor through Belarus. Exceptions are made for those who have a Polish visa D, residence permit or compelling reasons (tourism does not count as such). Poles also do not issue visas.
Therefore, for trips to Europe it is better to go through Riga or Vilnius. You will have to make a detour through them if you need to go to Warsaw.
- To Lisbon from Moscow: from 35 thousand rubles with transfers in Ankara and Dusseldorf.
- To Lisbon via Warsaw: from 3,500 for a ticket to Vilnius, 16 euros (about 1,000 rubles) for a ticket to Warsaw, from 3,500 rubles for a ticket to Lisbon (so cheap – also with a transfer in Milan). Total – from 8500 rubles.
Bonus: Georgia
Another European country from which you can fly cheaply. It’s cheap to get to Tbilisi from Vladikavkaz by minibus (costs from 3 thousand rubles) or by taxi (from 5 thousand rubles). But be prepared for long traffic jams: it’s peak season in the country.
Airlines mostly fly from Tbilisi. But Wizzair flies from Kutaisi, a city between Tbilisi and Batumi. It can be reached by shuttles (20 GEL) or trains (16 GEL).
- To Athens from Moscow: from 35 thousand rubles with a transfer in Belgrade.
- To Athens via Kutaisi: From 5 thousand rubles for a ticket to Vladikavkaz, from 3 thousand rubles for a transfer to Tbilisi, from 20 lari (400 rubles) for a transfer to Kutaisi airport and from 9 thousand rubles for a ticket to Athens. Total – from 17,500 rubles.
Where to buy tickets in Europe
Aviasales has them and you can even pay for them with a Russian card through Russian agencies. To do this, just select in the site settings to search for offers in rubles.
But keep in mind that tickets for low-cost airlines are mostly non-refundable, and if the trip is disrupted, the money for them will not be returned. For return tickets, the return period may be extended; there are currently too many requests for refunds.
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