Is it safe to travel in Russia? According to my experience, Traveling in Russia alone is safe. However, to try to give you the most enlightened opinion on the possible dangers in Russia, I went through the travel advice formulated by the several foreign ministries.
Official notices from countries on whether or not it is dangerous to travel to Russia
The Department of Foreign Affairs of Canada
The Department of Foreign Affairs of Canada publishes the voyage.gc.ca website. As for France Diplomatie, you will find on this site an opinion of the ministry on the security of the country.
The level of risk is noted on 4 levels:
- Take normal security precautions: for example, Sweden or Japan
- Use extreme caution: for example, France or Brazil
- Avoid non-essential travel
- Avoid all travel
- Is it safe to travel in Russia according Canada? The level of risk in Russia is “exercise great caution”, the same as for France and Brazil. So it’s the same level as for France or Brazil: traveling to Russia is therefore just as dangerous as traveling to France or Brazil according to Canada’s official opinion.
Certain regions of Russia are rated as very risky (“Avoid all travel”). It is therefore dangerous to move around. I reproduce here the list of November 2017:
- the republics of Dagestan, Ingushetia and Chechnya;
- the republics of Kabardino-Balkaria (including the region of Mount Elbrus), Karatchaevo-Tcherkéssie, and North Ossetia;
- the rion of Boudionnovski, Kourski, Levokoumski, Neftekoumski and Stepnovski, in the Krai of Stavropol;
- areas of Rostov Oblast which are adjacent to Ukraine.
Belgium
Here again, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Belgium insists that due to the size of the country, the situation can vary greatly from one region to another. However, a special note is made for the two big cities:
Moscow and St. Petersburg, as well as most major cities in the European part of the country can be visited without problems.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Belgium
A list of regions is however to be avoided, remember to consult the list if you plan to travel outside of Saint Petersburg or Moscow.
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs provides several useful information on its website for anyone wishing to travel to a foreign country. For Russia, the site address is: https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/conseils-aux-voyageurs/conseils-par-pays/russie/.
There is a “Security” section that interests us here. It is quite long, but I will quote the part that summarizes the situation:
“General security has improved in Russia since the early 2000s. Crime and crime levels are now no higher than in the countries of the European Union.”
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs
French Diplomacy also cites dangerous and avoidable regions. There is no Moscow or St. Petersburg on this list. So, at least, in those cities it is safe to travel in Russia in those cities.
Swiss Confederation
The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs provides advice to travelers on the website www.dfae.admin.ch/eda/fr/dfae/representations-et-conseils-aux-voyageurs.html.
The FDFA’s travel advice for Russia highlights the risk of an attack by citing the attacks that have taken place since 2010, notably in Moscow and Saint Petersburg. They also advise to avoid demonstrations that can lead to violent clashes. If you are going outside of Moscow and St. Petersburg, take a look at the list of regions to avoid.
Is it safe to travel to Russia: in summary
France considers Russia’s security like that of any other European country. Belgium considers that one can travel to Moscow and St. Petersburg without problem. Canada rates security in Russia at the same level as in France. However, this is a higher level than in Sweden. Official notices show that traveling to Russia is not dangerous. However, where everyone agrees is that there are particularly dangerous regions. So be very careful if you travel in these risk areas.
Travelling in Russia alone: is it safe?
Based on our own experience and feedback received from travelers, we can say that traveling to Russia alone or alone is not dangerous. Besides, if you are a woman and want to travel to Russia alone, this is not a problem either. Julie and her friends have already done so. From all that the travelers tell us, there is nothing to worry about. It is therefore not dangerous to travel to Russia.
We travelled in Moscow, St Petersburg, Siberia… etc. We saw many travelers travelling in Russia alone, girls also. According to their feedbacks, it is safe to travel in Russia alone. Even in Trans Siberian railway. But, you need to take care of your stuff, or to be careful, as usual. Russia is not as much safe than Singapour, for example.
Hope this blog post has been useful for you and that it has given you an objective opinion on this question.
Useful for a trip in Russia:
- When to go to Moscow?
- When to go to St Petersburg?
- Trains from Moscow to St Petersburg: tickets, train types and classes
