Waymark

Russia travel guide

Best time to visit from the UK, weather, festivals, flights from London and FCDO travel advice.

Saint Basil's Cathedral
Saint Basil's Cathedral. Photo: Tsy1980, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
3h 30mflight from London
Russian rublecurrency
Visa neededfor UK passports
Type C, Fplugs

Onion domes, Lake Baikal and the Trans-Siberian, when advice allows

Don't miss

  1. Red Square
  2. Saint Petersburg
  3. Lake Baikal
Good forHistory & ruinsAdventure

Best time to visit Russia from the UK

The UK government advises against all travel here. Check the FCDO advice below before making any plans.

Check FCDO advice: currently advises against all travel. Otherwise May–Sep, or winter for snow. Busiest and priciest: Jun–Aug.

-10.6 C-11°J-9.6 C-10°F-4.1 C-4°M4.2 C4°A12.6 C13°M16 C16°J19 C19°J17.2 C17°A11.5 C12°S4.2 C4°O-2.2 C-2°N-7.7 C-8°D
Best valueBusy and pricierQuietAverage temperature in Moscow, °C, 2001–2025 (NASA POWER).

Each bar is the average temperature in Moscow for that month, and its colour shows the season for visitors: best value (good weather, fewer crowds and lower prices), busiest and priciest, or quiet (off-peak, sometimes because the weather is poorer).

  • Warmest: July (19°C) · coolest: January (-11°C)A 30°C swing between the warmest and coolest months.
Temperatures as a table
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
-10.6-9.6-4.14.212.6161917.211.54.2-2.2-7.7

Festivals and events

  • Maslenitsa Feb–Mar · Nationwide
  • White Nights Jun · St Petersburg
  • Scarlet Sails Jun · St Petersburg

Festival dates move from year to year: check before you book.

Getting there from the UK

Flight time
About 3h 30m
Distance
2,522 km
Main airport
SVO

Flight times are straight-line estimates for a direct flight from Heathrow; journeys with a change take longer.

Practical info and travel guidance

Russian rubleCapital: Moscow
Type C, F · 220VBring a UK adapter
Drive on the rightOpposite to the UK
112
EmergencyPolice, fire, ambulance
Safe in citiesBottled elsewhere
  • FCDO adviceAdvises against all travelYour travel insurance may not cover you.
  • VisaVisa needed in advanceApply in advance
  • HealthcareSome free urgent careA UK reciprocal agreement covers some urgent state care. Still take travel insurance.
  • LGBT+ travellersSame-sex relations are illegal or prosecutedRead the FCDO LGBT+ advice before you go.
  • Women travellersNo specific FCDO warningTake the usual precautions.

For British passport holders, summarised from the FCDO's advice for Russia, checked October 2026. FCDO page last updated 18 September 2026. Rules change: read the official FCDO travel advice for Russia before you book and again before you go.

Open Russia on the map Log it as visited, drop pins for the places you went, or plan it as your next trip.