Top 7 Stereotypes About Russia

Russia is very cold and there are polar bears walking around the streets

No, there are no bears on the street. Only in the zoo or circus (but in some Siberian villages, the bears sometimes really do come to town!). As for the climate, this really depends on the region: Russia is large, and one place may be completely different from another. Let's look at the situation in an even broader context. The largest northern countries are Canada and Russia, but most of the population of Canada lives in the south of the country - on the border with the United States. Geographically this means that most of the Canadian population lives to the south of the Russian city of Volgograd, and it follows most of Russia including Moscow, St. Petersburg, Murmansk, Ekaterinburg and many other cities are situated in areas further north than most of the populated parts of Canada. Consequently there are extremely low temperatures in winter. Summers can actually be quite hot because much of Russia is landlocked - generating a hot continental climate in the summer (Siberia for example). At the other end of the scale, in the central part of Russia it can get down to negative 30 Celsius (-22 Fahrenheit), but only for a week or two in January or February. The temperature in the winter is more typically around -10 C or in the teens in Fahrenheit, and in the summer in the upper 20s and low 30s Celsius or the mid 70s to mid 80s in Fahrenheit. Learn about the best time to visit Russia.

Russia is dangerous and it is scary to walk around

Though corruption is still rife in Russia, the majority of it is rather dull and bloodless white-collar crime (think tax evasion and forged certificates) and the days of the mafia and triple-locked doors are long gone. In actual fact, due to the incredibly high police presence in Russia’s main cities, Russia may actually be safer than most western countries. As long as you stay clear of all public gatherings—even Jehovah’s witnesses are considered to be terrorists by the Russian government— and always carry your passport and visa on you, you’ll be able to walk at anytime of day or night through the police state that is Russia without much concern. Though it is true that there are still no go zones, like Chechnaya and North Ossetia in the Caucasus and Crimea in Ukraine, the rest of Russia and the surrounding regions are generally safe. The central districts of both Moscow and St Petersburg are especially safe, even for lone female travellers. Vigilance is still necessary, however, especially when in underground walkways, on overnight trains and in areas around bars and clubs. Should you get stopped by the police on your travels, remain calm and show them your documents. In the rare case when the police officer insists on a bribe, note down the officer’s name, badge number, location and call your country’s embassy.

Pay attention when you are on the streets. Russian drivers can be rather reckless. They drive fast along downtown streets and don’t tend to respect pedestrian’s right of way. It is therefore vital to look both ways before crossing. In the dark days of winter try to wear bright or even fluorescent colours to ensure drivers see you properly. Nowadays, with uber and yandex, taxis are rather reliable however there are still unlicensed taxis rattling around the cities which, apart from being more expensive, also tend to have rather dangerous and sometimes criminal drivers. You can learn more from our guide to using taxis in Russia. 

Above all, understand that problems happen everywhere in the world, whether you are in St. Petersburg, New York or even peaceful Finland - use your common sense. You can find more safety tips here.

Russia is a very expensive country for foreigners

With the rouble at around 60 to the dollar, most foreigners will be surprised to find Russia an exceedingly affordable destination. You can learn more about Rrussian currency and prices in this article.

Prices for Russians and foreigners should be the same in most places that you go (except for some museums and theatres) but you still have to be aware that Russian people can be eager to make money off of foreigners, who are not accustomed to daily Russian practices. This happens because people consider the standing of living in Europe or America to be much higher than in Russia, thus justifying a price hike for foreigners. It is hard to do anything about the prices in museums, or theatres (unless you get a Russian friend to buy your tickets, but this works less and less because of the old women, ticket police that stand at all the entrance to these places and are experts at spotting foreigners… you could still try…), but it is easy to negotiate at the market and in galleries and souvenir stores. The main advice here is not to give your money away immediately. Do your own small market survey - check out the prices of the competition, don't commit. Then, once you know the prices, get a quote and negotiate down. Once you have a basic feeling for prices it is much easier to determine if someone is trying to cheat you. Also, it is a great idea to ask locals for advice on where to go and what to buy. Don't feel embarrassed about asking such advice. You'll find that many people are ready and happy to help. 

Russia is an impossible place to visit

The West is still full of rumours about rampant crime and prostitution, relentless drug-trafficking, mile-long queues for nonexistent food and a general end-of-the-world aura encompassing Russia. Most of these things have been left far behind in the past, especially in Russia's major cities. The country is definitely not as frightening as it is sometimes depicted by the foreign media - those guys are always looking for a good, sensational scoop.

In Russia today, you can get almost every type of food no matter where you decide to go. The water is not so good in some places, but you can buy good bottled water in every grocery store. For more details, please read our article on food and drink in Russia.

The general cost of living is low. Crime and drug issues won't touch you at all unless you create these problems yourself and put special energy into nurturing their creation. So it is very possible to happily visit or live in Russia and to take advantage of Russia's countless cultural treasures. Russia is definitely a must-see destination and it's not difficult to get by here. 

Russians drink vodka all the time

The healthy eating, living and, hence, no drinking trend has become mainstream among Moscow’s and St Petersburg’s younger generations. Your once typical Russian man who could be found in a bar most weekends shouting “yesho, yesho” (more, more) while banging his shot glass is practically an endangered species. Especially when compared to the blatantly boozy Finland, modern Russia is a rather sober country.

Despite its history and tradition, vodka has all but been replaced by Georgian wine and craft beer in the hipster pubs and wine-bars of Russia’s metropolitan cities. Head to the country side, however, and you’ll find things as they were twenty years ago. Vodka, along with cigarettes, is everywhere you look. In the left-behind villages, the lonely inhabitants entertain themselves with "kitchen talks" (get-togethers in kitchens which involves hours of drinking alcohol and tea). Perhaps the drinking culture that is still so problematic in the regions has something to do with the "magical and deep Russian soul" which is always searching for the answers to really difficult life and death questions. Or maybe it is something left over from serfdom or Soviet times, when people always had some type of father figure that took care of them - taking away some of their own responsibility (before the revolution this might be the master or feudal lord and during Soviet times this was obviously the State).

Should you join the Russians in their sinful pleasures beware that they can drink a hell of a lot before they start to show signs of drunkenness, but most other people who are not conditioned to alcohol in this way will get sick much sooner - so watch out! And the last tip: don't ever buy hard alcohol from unknown, dubious or strange kiosks or shady characters. It might not be alcohol at all but paint thinner or sun tan lotion! And if you do get drunk, try to avoid going outside on the street, especially at night. If you are in a club stay in and chill out, if you are at friend's house, try to spend the night there. If not, at least get a taxi.

Russians are not friendly, do not smile and don't like foreigners

People in Russia are quite nice and open. They like to talk and in most cases will kindly answer questions and give directions or explanations. However if they don't know the language they might be ashamed and confused and may just walk away. To get advice it is really better to ask younger people. They probably know some English and can help answer your questions. Also hotels, information centers, big stores, cafes and restaurants have English speaking staff, so these are usually good places to go for help.

Most Russians won't pay much attention to you just because you are a foreigner. They just go about their normal life and don't take much notice unless you are behaving strangely, speak or laugh too loudly in public, dress really weirdly, or act rude without any reason. Other than that you are going to be treated nicely and many people will actually take an interest in you if you are acting sociably in a club for example.

However, some older people and not very well-educated people may go overboard with their patriotism. But if you don't attract their attention they won't disturb you. If unfortunately you do get noticed by these types, it's better if you don't pay attention and just walk away. Most of the population here is very normal, polite and nice to tourists and guests from abroad. Sometimes you will even be surprised at how disarmingly generous and hospitable Russian people can be.

Russian women are very beautiful and hardworking

This is true. Girls and women in Russia are beautiful. This is easy to understand because Russia is a big, multi-ethnic country. This mixture gives Russians a very diverse, interesting and often attractive appearance. Middle-aged and older women who grew up in the Soviet Union tend to be very family oriented. Since WWII took away many great, brave men there was a lack of men in the country. Maybe this why many women in the older age group were taught to take extremely good care of their men and to always put themselves in second place. This also made them quite strong and unflinching in their ways. Russian dyevushki (girls) had starkly different upbringings from their babushkas, however.

Many young women are career-oriented; they are independent and know what they want out of life. They are also much more in tune with Western culture - MTV has definitely come to Russia. Though the majority of Russian women still expect to receive rather old-fashioned pleasantries from men— such as opening doors, giving up seats on public transportation and paying the whole bill on dates— there is a growing appreciation of equal rights and feminist ideals. Quite a few young women would think it right to offer to split the bill on a first date.