St Petersburg - Advice Please

grez

grez

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I have a rough idea to go to St Petersburg end August/Early September due to a change in holiday plans. I have read the Russian Visa thread but was wondering if anything has been updated since Dec 14. So far got as far as working out I can get there and back in time, aiming for Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia then St Petersburg. Trying to work out the visa requirements and will I need to fill out customs forms at the border? Any recommendations or advice/warnings about traveling the route would be much appreciated, plan to stay a few nights in St Petersburg so if anybody has stayed in a decent hotel with secure parking would be helpful. I know I need to do a lot more planning and update my travel insurance (apparently my current worldwide cover includes Europe only for riding a bike) and found out I don’t need a visa for any other country.
All help gratefully received (if you have read any of my travel reports you will realise I need all the help I can get as my trips usually flirt with disaster).
 
If you get nothing on here, I can recommend the HUBB on the Horizons Unlimited website for this kind of query.
Had superb advice on there in the past.
Good luck.

ps my nephew has just come back after working in St Petersburg for two years - the tales he was telling me about the driving would turn your hair white !!!
Take care.
 
Hi Grez,
We entered Russia from Estonia and rode to the edge of St Petersburg in 2014, when bringing our bikes into the country ahead of riding the Eastern Bam.
We had to get visas ahead of visiting. Beamer, of this parish, organised all that so I can't give you much info. The visa cost, IIRC, £200 back then. that was for a double entry, business visa. we needed this as we were riding the bikes in, coming home and flying back a month later. You may not need a double entry, so it may be cheaper.

Re bringing the bike in. You fill in a form at the point of entry, with all the details of your bike. No charge or negligible charge. This ties the bike to your visa. If you are subsequently recorded leaving the country but your bike is not, they'll start accruing import duty and you'll be presented with that bill, should you return at a later date.

Make sure you have your original number plate on your bike leaving Estonia. Read the prologue on my blog http://www.ridingthebamroad.blogspot.ie to see why. :rolleyes::D
 
Kamikaze said:
Hi Grez,
We entered Russia from Estonia and rode to the edge of St Petersburg in 2014, when bringing our bikes into the country ahead of riding the Eastern Bam.
We had to get visas ahead of visiting. Beamer, of this parish, organised all that so I can't give you much info. The visa cost, IIRC, £200 back then. that was for a double entry, business visa. we needed this as we were riding the bikes in, coming home and flying back a month later. You may not need a double entry, so it may be cheaper.

Re bringing the bike in. You fill in a form at the point of entry, with all the details of your bike. No charge or negligible charge. This ties the bike to your visa. If you are subsequently recorded leaving the country but your bike is not, they'll start accruing import duty and you'll be presented with that bill, should you return at a later date.

Make sure you have your original number plate on your bike leaving Estonia. Read the prologue on my blog http://www.ridingthebamroad.blogspot.ie to see why. :rolleyes::D
Click to expand...

Awesome read. Loved that.
 
Me too...I really like the idea of going to Mongolia. Not sure why, but it really jumps out at me as a place I would really love.
 
I travelled this route in 2013.
You need a MotorTourism Visa with your bike number listed! for which you need a Letter of invitation which you can buy from an agency or if you book a big hotel they could probably issue for free. Just make sure it has the bike make, model and registration on it. I used and would highly recommend http://www.stantours.com
Now the border crossing at Narva enrolee from Talinn to St Petersburg is a bit strange in that its a bridge right in the centre of town with very little space so they have a giant holding queuing area on the outskirts of town where you have to buy a ticket and wait in line until your registration is flashed up on screen and then you are are given a ticket to go to the border a couple of kms away.
 
Done a little more planning (not that much) but come up with a rough route but there are a few challenges.

1 - Vilnius to Tallinn in a day – map says 374 miles and just over 7 hours – anybody done it, is it possible?

2 - St Petersburg to Oulu in a day, bit more of a challenge as the map says 450 miles and just over 9 hours?

Most I have done in a stretch was 625 miles in around 14 hours from Italy to the coast of France so can do it but is the distance and time on the map optimistic?
Comments gratefully received (even comments about my sanity).
 
Vilnius to Tallin in 7hrs...well pushing yes but with following speed limits no. Many towns with very low speed limits and mr.Polizei to check speed ;)
Did Tallin to Bialystok in 9hrs last summer. And that was with massive roadworks along the road there.
St.Petersburg to Oulu...ad least another 5-9hrs to it to be safe.
 
Thanks for the advice, I now have a plan (of sorts)


As my plans never survive contact with the Continent it will be interesting to see where I actually end up.
 
Hi, brothers. I can't give any advices about visa, but if you need help with routing or something else inside russia - I can.
Dont forget about StPetersburgs suburbs with gorgeous palaces and beautiful nature.
Also you can visit Veliky Novgorod and Pskov, interesting old cities.
And if you have more time - welcome to Moscow :)
 
Having enough trouble with the visa. Passport has unreadable stamps in it and my last two employers no longer exist. It is almost like they do not want any visitors.
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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