Do you dream of putting things in a suitcase in an instant and going on a trip somewhere abroad? We have selected hospitable countries where a visa is not required, and tedious transfers are easily avoided if you book a direct flight.
Content
- Turkey
- Kazakhstan
- Armenia
- Azerbaijan
- Uzbekistan
- Belarus
- Morocco
- UAE
- Sri Lanka
- Thailand
Turkey
Entry rules: you will only need a passport. But it is important to remember that at the time of entry, its validity period must be more than 120 days. The authorities allow Russian tourists to travel to Turkey for 60 consecutive days without a visa and registration at the place of stay, while in total they can stay in the country for up to 90 days within six months. For example, if you arrive in Istanbul on March 1, and leave on April 29, and then fly to Antalya and stay there from June 1 to June 30, then next time you will not be able to get to Turkey until the end of August.
How to get there: there are direct flights to Istanbul from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sochi, Kaliningrad, Mineralnye Vody and other cities. Aeroflot, Pobedy, Ural Airlines, Utair, S7, Azimut, Turkish Airlines and Nordwind Airlines planes are at your service.
If you fly in November from Moscow to Istanbul and back, then there is a chance to meet the 25,000 rubles. But for this price, you will have to travel light — only with hand luggage of 10 kg. There are also direct flights from Russia in autumn to Ankara, Antalya, Alanya, Izmir and Dalaman, but the price of tickets there is usually higher than to Istanbul.
Why go: all year round — walk through the narrow streets of Istanbul’s Fatih district and wander among the ancient ruins in Antalya, and in summer and in September — soak in the Mediterranean Sea and recline on countless beaches. We advise you to look into the culinary capital of Turkey — Gaziantep — and visit the fortress of Ankara — the Citadel of Hisar. If you come in winter, you can ski in the local ski resorts of Uludag, Davraz and Palandoken.
The best resorts in Turkey: where to stay, what to bring and what attractions you must definitely cover — everything is here, in the instructions About!The blog.
We advise you to take a look at the culinary capital of Turkey — Gaziantep. Photo: Nejdet Duzen/Shutterstock.com
Kazakhstan
Rules of entry: you will be able to enter the country using a Russian passport or a foreign passport. You can travel in Kazakhstan for up to 30 days, but if this period is not enough, you will have to register with the local migration service to stay in the country for up to 60 days.
How to get there: directly from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, Sochi, Samara and other cities. There are flights to Astana, Almaty, Shymkent, Aktau, Karaganda. Aeroflot, Air Astana, SCAT and other airlines fly to the country. In November, it is cheapest to arrive in Astana from Kazan — round-trip tickets will cost about 20,000 rubles, but this is the cost without luggage.
By the way, there is also a direct railway connection between the capitals of Tatarstan and Kazakhstan. The price of a one-way ticket in the reserved seat starts from 17,500 rubles, and you will have to travel 40 hours. And if you do not get off in Astana, then you can get to Almaty on the same train (though in another day).
Buses also run between the cities of Russia and Kazakhstan. For example, you can get from Yekaterinburg to Astana in 20 hours. The price of a one—way ticket in November starts from 7,500 rubles.
Why go: walk along Nurzhol Boulevard in Astana, enjoy the forest landscapes in the resort area of Burabai, imagine yourself in Arizona, photographing the Charyn Canyon — these are the plans you may have in Kazakhstan. In winter, people go to the country for active recreation: not far from Almaty there is a “Shymkent” ski resort with ten lifts and a length of trails of 25 km.
Enjoy the forest scenery in the resort area of Burabai. Photo: AlexelA/Shutterstock.com
All facets of Kazakhstan
We have collected cities and amazing natural sites of the country in a review article. They told me where to look for Gothic cathedrals, where to go for apples and why you need to go to Turkestan, a city on the Great Silk Road.
Armenia
Rules of entry: you need an internal or foreign passport, and you can stay in Armenia without registration for up to 30 days.
How to get: Aeroflot, Ural Airlines, Utair, S7, Nordwind Airlines and FlyOne have flights. The cheapest way to fly to Yerevan is via Sochi — in November, in both directions, the price for tickets with hand luggage of 5 kg starts from 16,000 rubles. You can also get to the capital of Armenia from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Samara, Novosibirsk, Mineralnye Vody and Ufa.
Why go: check if cozy Dilijan looks like Switzerland, visit one of the oldest observatories “Karaunj” near the city of Sisian, walk along the trails of the Garni gorge and hear the “Symphony of stones” — this is when on basalt rocks up to 100 meters high water flows, creating a melody. Additional reasons: admire Sevan, one of the largest freshwater lakes in the world, take a ride at the local Tsakhkadzor ski resort and bask in the healing waters of the Jermuk hot springs.
Check if the cozy Dilijan looks like Switzerland. Photo: Chalermpon Poungpeth/Shutterstock.com
Azerbaijan
Rules of entry: you can enter the country with a valid passport, you do not need a visa. At the same time, they are allowed to stay in Azerbaijan for up to 90 days, but within 15 days after entry, you need to register at your place of stay. The receiving party, for example, the hotel, must submit a guest application form to the local migration service through its website or send by e-mail: qeydiyyat@migration.gov.az .
How to get: you can fly to the capital of Azerbaijan on board the airlines Aeroflot, Ural Airlines, Utair, S7, Red Wings, Azimut, Azal, IrAero. There are direct flights from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, Samara, Ufa, Astrakhan, Yekaterinburg.
In November, it is cheapest to fly to Baku from Sochi — for a price of 21,500 rubles. you can take 10 kg of hand luggage with you on the road. In addition to Baku, there are flights from the Russian capital to Ganja, but in this direction the price for a one-way flight in November starts from 30,000 rubles.
Why go: take a walk through the old Baku quarter of Icheri Sheher and see there the most important architectural monument of the country – the Maiden Tower with the palace of Shirvanshahs. In Lankaran, learn the history of the Khan’s fortress and the Talysh people, and in Sheki go straight to the bazaar to plunge into the atmosphere of a real Azerbaijani market and taste local delicacies. If you are in the vicinity of Gabala in the summer, plan a trip to the Seven Beauties Waterfall, and in winter the Tufandag or Shahdag ski resorts are waiting for you.
Take a walk through the old Baku quarter of Icheri Sheher and see there the most important architectural monument of the country – the Maiden Tower with the palace of Shirvanshahs. Photo: Kadagan/Shutterstock.com
Uzbekistan
Rules of entry: you can get to Uzbekistan without a visa, you only need a passport. You can be in the country for the first 15 days without registration. If you plan to stay longer, you need to get a temporary registration at the place of stay. In most cases, this is handled by the hotel administration. If necessary, a Russian tourist can get registration at the place of stay on the site himself emehmon.uz .
How to get:Tashkent, Samarkand, Urgench, Ferghana — choose a destination for your trip. And the planes of Aeroflot, Ural Airlines, Utair, S7, Uzbekistan Airways will be delivered there directly. The geography of flights from Russia is large: you can fly to the cities of Uzbekistan from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Sochi. To Tashkent from the capital of Russia, prices for direct round-trip flights start from 28,000 rubles. The ticket price includes hand luggage — 10 kg.
The capital of Uzbekistan also has direct railway connections with several Russian cities, for example, Moscow, Samara, Volgograd, Kazan and others. But it will take a very long time to go. For example,if you go from Novosibirsk, then you will have to spend 64 hours on the road to Tashkent and pay for one—way travel from 16,500 rubles.
Why go: walk through the streets of the ancient city in Tashkent and go down to the local metro – one of the most beautiful in the world a world with an unusual station design. We recommend visiting Registan Square in Samarkand, Ark Fortress in Bukhara, and Ak—Sarai Palace in Shakhrisabz. There is a beautiful jade lake Urungach in Ugam-Chatkal National Park — trekking tours are organized there in the warmer months. Ski Uzbekistan also exists: in winter you can go skiing and board in Amirsoy or Beldersay.
In Samarkand, we recommend visiting Registan Square. Photo: Framalicious/Shutterstock.com
Gastronomic guide to Uzbekistan
Do you know how Tashkent pilaf differs from Samarkand or Bukhara? Or what do tukhum-barak and shivit-osh dishes consist of? The answers to all gastronomic questions are in the culinary guide. It told about traditional local dishes and where they can be enjoyed in Uzbekistan.
Belarus
Rules of entry: it is easy to enter the country using a Russian passport, but if you plan to travel for a long time, then after 90 days you need to get registration at the place of stay. When traveling by car, you must apply for a “Green Card” — mandatory insurance. You can apply for it in Russia online or right on the way to the border — along the way you will meet points for obtaining a “Green card”.
How to get there: the capital of Belarus can be reached by plane and train. It takes about 7 hours to drive from Moscow to Minsk on the Swallow, and the price for one-way travel starts from 3000 rubles. If you are planning a flight, you can choose Aeroflot or Belavia.
Round—trip tickets from Moscow to Minsk – from 10,000 rubles. The price includes hand luggage of 10 kg. In addition to the capital of Belarus, Russia also has direct flights to Gomel, the price of round-trip tickets also starts from 10,000 rubles.
Why go: in Minsk, take a walk along the Trinity suburb — a historical area with streets and cafes, in Brest, first of all, visit the famous hero fortress. In the same place, we recommend walking along Gogol Street, where almost at every step tourists are greeted by sculptures of characters from the writer’s works. Not far from Grodno is the Mir Castle, which was built in the XVI century and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site — it is convenient to combine a trip there with a visit to the Nesvizh Palace.
In Brest, first of all, you need to visit the famous hero fortress. Photo: Kovaliova Tatsiana/Shutterstock.com
Morocco
Rules of entry: to enter the country, you do not need a visa, it is enough to provide a passport with a remaining validity period of up to 6 months. And you can travel freely in Morocco for up to 90 days.
How to get there: Royal Air Maroc flies from Moscow to Casablanca. In November 2024, the cost of round-trip tickets starts from 81,500 rubles. And unfortunately, this price doesn’t even include luggage.
Why go: if you get tired of sunbathing and surfing in Agadir, go for a walk through the Menara gardens in Marrakech and the ancient Kasbah fortress in Tangier. In the “blue city” of Chefchaouen, you can admire those very colored houses. If you have time, get to the ancient caves of Hercules and date oases.
If you get tired of sunbathing and surfing in Agadir, go for a walk in the Menard Gardens in Marrakech. Photo: Panuvat Ueachananon/Shutterstock.com
10 things to do in Morocco
Getting lost in the medina, feeling like the hero of the movie “Casablanca”, visiting African Hollywood — these are just some of the adventures that you can get in Morocco. You will learn more from the article About!The blog.
UAE
Rules of entry: there is a visa-free regime between Russia and the Emirates, so you can get into the country using a passport valid for up to 6 months. An important rule of the UAE is that you can stay in the country for 90 days within six months.
How to get there: Aeroflot, Pobeda, Ural Airlines, Utair, S7, Emirates, Etihad, Flydubai, Air Arabia fly to Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. The cheapest way to go to Dubai is from Moscow — the price in November 2024 in both directions starts from 25,000 rubles. For this price, Utair will give you the opportunity to take 5 kg of hand luggage with you.
Why go: to begin with, just lie on the Marina Beach in Dubai or view the beauty of the city from the Burj Khalifa observation deck (this is a must—see and a must-seedu). But to see other Emirates, it is worth going to Mount Jabal Jays in Ras al Khaimah, visit the fortress of Fujairah and walk through the ghost village of Al-Madam, which was abandoned because of the sand that came close. From the desert to the oasis: we recommend taking an excursion to the man—made lakes in the Al Qudra desert.
To begin with, just lie down on the Marina Beach in Dubai. Photo: frantic00/Shutterstock.com
Sri Lanka
Rules of entry:To visit Sri Lanka, you will need a passport with a validity period of at least 6 months. It is also necessary to obtain an electronic travel permit on the website in advance. You can also apply for a free visa there. If you do not do this, you will have to arrange everything upon arrival in the country, but the visa will no longer be free — you will have to pay $ 60 for it. Tourists are allowed to travel around the country for up to 30 days.
How to get there: In November, Aeroflot and Azur have direct flights from Moscow and St. Petersburg to Colombo. It is cheaper to fly with a Russian airline — the price for round-trip tickets with hand luggage of 10 kg starts from 79,000 rubles.
Why go: see the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy and take a walk through the Royal Botanical Garden. For clean, cool air and emerald tea plantations on the hills, go to Nuwara Eliya, for colonial architecture in Galle.
Go to Nuwara Eliya for clean cool air and emerald tea plantations on the hills. Photo: InfiniteDesigner/Shutterstock.com
Thailand
Rules of entry:You do not need a visa to stay in the country for up to 60 days, but if necessary, you can extend the visit for another 30 days. To enter, you need a passport with a validity period of more than 6 months.
How to get there: autumn-winter is the traditional season for a trip to Thailand. Aeroflot, Ural Airlines, Utair, S7, Red Wings, Azimut and IrAero airlines organize charters and regular flights to Bangkok and Phuket from many Russian cities. You can fly from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Krasnoyarsk, Khabarovsk, Irkutsk, Novosibirsk, Vladivostok.
In November, from Moscow to Bangkok and back, the price for flights with hand luggage (10 kg) starts from 75,500 rubles. Cheaper to Bangkok and back, you can fly from Irkutsk — from 55,500 rubles.
Why go: to get to the Loikrathong Sky Lantern Festival in the northern province of Chiang Mai (in 2024, the dates are November 15-16). Take a look at Ayutthaya and marvel at the majestic ruins of the ancient city. Rafting on the river Kwai and, of course, sunbathing in the resorts of Phuket and Pattaya.
You can get to the Loikrathong Sky Lantern Festival in the northern province of Chiang Mai. Photo: Just2shutter/Shutterstock.com
Thailand Vacation Life hacks from a local resident
Nastya has been living in Tae for two years now. During this time, she learned a lot about the country and was happy to share practical tips on how to organize a trip to Thailand so that it would be as comfortable and memorable as possible.
There are many more options to travel without visas and transfers, but these ten countries also open up a lot of room for imagination. As usual, the Island will help you with the search for hotels — you can book foreign hotels and apartments with us by paying for your stay with a Russian bank card.
Cover photo: Salitha Gayan/Shutterstock.com
