Every expat knows what an ordeal it can be to get a new Russian visa. Even researching your options is exhausting. We all know you have to leave Russia every year, visit a consulate in a foreign city, and come back into the country with fresh documents. But which consulates are the most efficient? Which are the least expensive? Which cities are easiest to get to from Moscow, and which offer the best perks for visa-runners who are fated to camp out for a few days while they wait for their visa to be processed?
This month PASSPORT provides you with all the answers. Our insider’s visa-run guide surveys 15 destination cities and explains the pluses and minuses of making a visa run to each city. We also provide helpful tips that will make your visa experience quicker and less of a headache. This is the inside stuff, and it’s all here for 15 top destination cities.
Even if your visa isn’t up, autumn is a great time to break free of the traffic jams and crowded sidewalks of Moscow and explore a new place. Consider Rostov Veliky, a charming little city three hours from Moscow that is home to monks and boat-builders and artists of all sorts. Elizabeth Buchanan set out for beautiful Rostov this month and tells of her adventures in an eloquent travel feature that brings the town to life.
Also in this issue, read about the roots of Russia’s top women’s tennis talent, the history of Tverskoi Boulevard, a tour of the Red October chocolate factory and the story behind Margarita – a little Russian cafe that has survived for 17 years near Patriarch’s Ponds.
We always welcome your feedback on the magazine. What would you like to see us writing about that we’re not? What personalities would you like us to profile? How do you think we can improve?
Happy reading and see you in November.
J. Quinn Martin Editor |