Russia is the largest country in the world and one of the least visited right now. It offers something most popular destinations have stopped offering, but Russia still does. Here is what that looks like from someone who organizes group trips and brings real Western travelers there.
Last updated: September 18, 2026
Russia remains open to every nationality and is one of the most affordable travel destinations available today. What makes 2026 and 2027 different is simple: fewer Western visitors than almost anywhere, no tourist traps, and a country that feels nothing like the image most people carry from the news.
Group trip to Karelia, Russia — winter 2025
Reason 1: Russia Is One of the Least Crowded Destinations in the World
Most people assume Russia is one of those countries the whole world has always traveled to. The numbers say something different.
Russia is the largest country on Earth, covering 11 time zones. With that scale, you would expect millions of foreign visitors spread across it every year. But even before the pandemic, Russia was far behind the most popular destinations.
According to Tourism Statistics, here is how Russia compared in 2019, its last full pre-pandemic year:
Russia: 5 million visitors
Thailand: 40 million visitors
Italy: 64 million visitors
United States: 79 million visitors
France: 89 million visitors
And this is important to understand: at 5 million visitors, Russia never felt crowded. Because of the scale of the country, foreign tourists never gathered the way they do in smaller destinations. The Red Square during peak tourist season was still mostly Russian people, with some foreigners mixed in. Nothing like the Trevi Fountain in Rome, where you are surrounded by tourists from every corner of the world and can barely move.
Since 2022, those numbers have dropped further. In 2024, around 4.2 million foreign visitors came to Russia, and in the first 11 months of 2025 that number reached only 1.64 million tourists, still far below pre-pandemic levels, which were roughly 4,5 times higher. (Source: International Investment, March 2026)
The visitors who do come are primarily from China, Iran, the UAE, India, and Saudi Arabia. Western travelers from Europe, the US, the UK, Australia, and Canada have become genuinely rare.
To put this in perspective: more Western tourists visited Russia during the Soviet era, when the country was officially restricted, than come today. The difference now is not visa restrictions or closed borders. Russia is open to every nationality. The difference is the current narrative, shaped by news and government travel advisories, that makes people assume going is impossible or dangerous before they even look into it.
People who go find a country that feels nothing like a tourist destination, and that is something most popular destinations can no longer say.
Lunch at a local pelmennaya in Saint Petersburg
Reason 2: Russia Has No Tourist Traps
Russia has tourist infrastructure. Moscow and Saint Petersburg have world-class hotels, museums, restaurants, and everything a major destination needs. But what Russia does not have is rows of restaurants in the center built purely to take money from tourists who pass through once and never return.
In Russian cities, most restaurants downtown are built for Russian customers. Russian people are demanding. They expect good food, good service, and fair prices, and they come back regularly. These places compete for that local customer, not for a one-time visitor.
The result for a foreign traveler is that you walk into almost any restaurant in the center and you are treated exactly the same as a local. The price is fair, the service is real, and the quality reflects what the kitchen is capable of.
That is increasingly rare in the center of popular European cities, where most restaurants exist for tourists, not for the people who actually live there. In Russia that is not the case, and most travelers notice it from the first time they sit down to eat.
Traditional Russian food - kotleta with mashed potato and dill
Reason 3: Russia Is One of the Most Affordable Travel Destinations in the World
The Russian ruble has not been a strong currency for decades. For foreign travelers, that gap works significantly in your favor.
Current exchange rates as of September 18, 2026
1 euro = around 100 rubles
1 US dollar = around 87 rubles
What that looks like in practice:
A solid dinner at a good Moscow restaurant: 25 to 30 euros
A homemade lunch with 3 dishes at a local place: 5 to 6 dollars
To understand the scale: 1,000 euros or dollars is close to a monthly salary for many people in Russia, and above that outside Moscow. For a traveler, that same amount covers a full week of comfortable travel, or 2 to 3 weeks if you move more slowly and live simply.
Russia offers prices that most countries with this much history and this many things to see simply cannot match.
Reason 4: Russian People Are Genuinely Friendly to All Nationalities
There is a common assumption that Western travelers are unwelcome in Russia right now. The reality on the ground is the opposite.
Russian people are curious and warm toward foreign visitors. The political situation between governments has not changed that.
What has changed is how rarely Western travelers show up. Visitors from Europe, the US, the UK, and Australia have become genuinely rare, and many locals notice it and respond with real warmth, not suspicion.
The 2018 World Cup gave Russians something rare: cities full of nationalities from every part of the world, including countries with very different political relationships with Russia. The reception was positive on both sides, and that memory still shapes how locals respond to foreign visitors today.
On every group trip I have organized, participants noticed this within the first day. When locals notice a Western traveler, the reaction is genuine surprise, and after that, warmth.
Group trip to Sochi, Russia - September 2025
Is 2026 a Good Time to Visit Russia?
Travel advisories from many Western governments recommend against travel to Russia. That comes from a political position as much as a practical one, and the people who have been there in 2024, 2025, and 2026 describe something different.
Daily life in Russian cities is normal. The streets are safe, restaurants are full, and public transport works well. What people expect based on news coverage and what they find when they arrive are 2 completely different things. Every participant on my group trips has said some version of the same thing after the first day.
The practical side matters, but the timing of this specific moment matters more.
Traveling to Russia in 2026 requires preparation. It requires a decision that most people around you will not understand, possibly including your own family. It requires doing the research yourself instead of following the common narrative. And once you are there, you are in a country that almost no Western traveler is visiting, during a moment in history that is unlike anything before it.
The people who travel to Russia right now do not do it because it is easy. They do it because they want to understand something real, from the inside, not from a screen. You cannot understand what Russia is right now by reading about it. You have to go.
That takes independent thinking and some courage. That feeling stays long after you come back, and it is not something most travel gives you.
Ready to Visit Russia? Here Is How I Can Help
I work with international travelers individually, from the first question to the day they land.
That includes visa guidance, itinerary planning, and support throughout the process, tailored to your nationality and situation. If you want to understand what visiting Russia looks like in your situation, you can also read more about what it is like to travel to Russia right now.
If you are considering a trip to Russia, send me your nationality and your travel idea, and I will get back to you with a clear, step-by-step plan.
Pyatigorsk, Russian Caucasus - September 2025
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Western travelers get a Russian visa in 2026?
Yes. Russia issues tourist visas to all nationalities, including Americans, British, Germans, Australians, and Canadians. The process takes more preparation than before 2022, but it works, and people from all of these countries are traveling to Russia right now.
Do I need to speak Russian to travel there?
No. In Moscow and major cities, you can navigate without Russian, and translation apps handle most practical situations. Learning basic Russian is appreciated but not required. Every participant on my group trips arrived without any Russian and had no problems.
Is it possible to travel to Russia independently or only with a group?
Both are possible. Some travelers go independently; others prefer a small group with everything already organized, including visa support, logistics, and local knowledge. I help with both, depending on what fits your situation.
