Russian Links have been moved to www.unclepasha.com/resources.htm

Scroll down for the old version.

Backpacking, budget, alternative, adventure, eco-travel, travel with a cause

 

Here I've just got to insert my own advertising: Cheap accommodation in Moscow: www.cheap-moscow.com. Yes, we can put you up for $10!! The dacha experience, horses, gadflies, walking in mud in oversized rubber boots etc. Or worded for wimps: "Horseback rides and trips in the picturesque hills over the Volga river. Genuine and unspoiled rural Russia." Proceed to  www.russian-horse-rides.com

• www.bootsnall.com - Packed with independent traveller information. Through them I found Moscow's only laundromat (Vavilova 11, Tram #39 from M. Leninsky Prospekt or M. Universitet, open 7am to 10pm Mon. to Sat.)
• www.ecotravel.ru - Ecological Travel Center with focus on Siberia and Lake Baikal.
• www.we-friends.com - accommodation world-wide   Nothing on Russia as of May 2003
• Travel with a cause - http://www.miramed.com/articles.htm    [think about using this approach to promote rural travel]
• http://www.thebackpacker.net 
  Quite a few entries on Russia. An informative site, no-registration BBS.. My major complaint is their beer board where Baltika No. 9 is recommended. Don't!! Read my Beer and Vodka page and be safe and well both during and after your drinking binge.
• http://www.sv-agency.udm.ru - Svezhy Veter ("Fresh Wind")
  Izhevsk, Udmurtia, the Urals Range. Teaching opportunities, real-life immersion tourism, informative interactive site, good feedback from my clients in Moscow on their way to and especially from them.

http://www.vagabondo.net/Indexeng.htm?/Eng/Thenet/europe/russia.html   Good site but the Russian links collection is rather perfunctory, eg. the Country Description section features a site by the American government and CIA.

www.backpackers.com

•  http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/ecoliza/
• Cycling Club - http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/8640/
• http://www.geographicbureau.com/
• http://www.globalfreeloaders.com - free accommodation, a few offers from Russia.
• www.hospitalityclub.org - more free accommodation
• WWW.TRAVELROOMERS.COM - another free accommodation site
• More free accommodation sites: www.couchsurfing.com, www.globalfreeloaders.com, www.stay4free.com, www.place2stay.net
• http://www.LostLuggageTales.com">Lost  - A compilation of resources for budget travellers.
• http://www.sleepinginairports.net/europe/moscow.htm - Sleeping in Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport
• http://www.couchsurfing.com/   - a database of people who offer a free place to stay in exchange for same.
• http://www.hospitalityclub.org/ - Hospitality exchange, no money involved.  LOTS OF ACTIVITY, RECOMMENDED
• NEW   http://www.familytravelboards.com/  has just been called to my attention. Family travel, as the name suggests. Three generations, pets, scooters. I see these once in a while. These are almost always budget and time-consuming clients but I don't mind because working with family types is easy and relaxing. One exception was an American ex-military type who told his children to smile and be happy or else they won't get their ice cream. As a former Utilitarian after the John Stewart Mill sort I was overwhelmed by the simplicity of approach. Took me a week and a couple of bottles of vodka to recover.

• http://www.thegreenguide.com

• http://www.ecoclub.com

• http://www.unotravel.com "Travel with a heart" concept.

• http://www.unotraveler.com/  New site, mostly empty at the moment (Jan. 2005). Check back.

• http://www.innsite.com/ - A directory of Bed & Breakfast offers. A few from ex-USSR countries, nothing from Russian so far but I'm sure it is coming in the next year or two. The time is right, the demand is there, and Russians are about to overcome their fear of opening their homes to "strangers". One of these days I'll compile a list of silly reasons why a starving babushka with a 4-room flat in the center of Moscow would not run a small B&B operation.

• ......

Russian search engines, or search engines with good Russian content.

Cities and regions - see "outside of Moscow" page at www.cheap-moscow.com

Moscow and St. Petersburg

• These two are sufficiently covered so I will not bother except perhaps pointing to this excellent collection of Moscow maps by Traveller's Yellow Pages: http://www.infoservices.com/moscow/map/  

• Maps of Moscow: http://www.moscowmap.ru

• New: Organizations for/by expats, or expat-friendly - This page is meant as an answer what to do with yourself and how an English speaker can integrate socially into the Moscow scene

• Maps of Moscow, in English, very detailed: www.eatlas.ru.

North-west of Moscow, including Tver, Novgorod, Rzhev, Pskov, Valdai, Staraya Russa, New Jerusalem, Volokolamsk, Torshok...

• Pskov: http://oasis.fortunecity.com/bali/526/pskow/pskcity.htm  Check!!

• Another Pskov site: http://members.xoom.com/avkl/gallery/pskov/english.html (link dead July 22 2002)

• Tver: http://www.tversu.ru/archives/tverarch.html   

• Novgorod: www.novsu.ac.ru/city/travel/tourism.html (dead July 22, 2002

• Yaroslavl:  http://clib-r.yars.free.net/

• Suzdal: ftp.funet.fi/pub/culture/russian/religion/monasteries/Suzdal.html

• Vologda: http://necco.net/category/regional/russia/vologda.htm    and http://www.vologda.ru/~avo/Eng/HomeE.htm

• Staritsa: www.unclepasha.com/staritsa_eng.htm (and the Village of Dubrovki)

• Latvia: http://www.nexteurope.com/tourism/

Siberia
(see also the Master List, Train Tickets, Tomsk...   

Olesya's page on buying Trans-Siberian tickets and other practicalities and technicalities of the Trans-Siberian and other Russian trains: www.russiangirlfriday.com/trans-siberian.htm )

• Trans-Siberian Railroad - http://www.trans-siberia.com
  

Making contact. Post your Russia-related questions, accommodation wanted ad, read about problems our fellow travellers encountered and solved etc.

• www.budgettravel.com/messages/index.htm (has an odd Russia-related message, active and no-hassle to post.

• www.we-friends.com (nothing on Russia - Jan. 18, 2003)

• Russian stock market - http://www.bradynet.com/bbs/russia/

• Adoptions BBS - http://www.littlemiracles.org/bbs-russia/bbs-russia.html (not much activity May 2004 and now you have to register)

• http://www.studyrussian.com/bbs/ (active, dynamic, relevant, no registration hassled, RECOMMENDED)

• http://www.sv-agency.udm.ru/forum/ - An active discussion board by Svezhy Veter in Izhevsk. And I spoke with their happy volunteer teachers on several occasions too, and thus recommend them if for some reason shoveling dirt and carrying stones in the village of Dubrovki as a working holiday doesn't appeal to you (see www.rural-russia.narod.ru or www.unclepasha.com/horses_e.htm )

• Russia.com Web Guide -  http://www.russia.com/   Some of the most active Russia-related forums are here. You have to register, which is a minor pain, the the board is alive which is the main thing.

• http://www.russianmeetingplace.com/forums/index.php - Active forums. The point of the site seems to be Western men and Russian women.

• http://www.expat.ru - The site seems to contain nothing remarkable but forums are active so let's list is under "making contact". An active accommodation section.  A SURGE OF ACTIVITY OCT. 2004, RECOMMENDED

• http://www.virtualtourist.com/f/90a60/

• http://www.vivreenrussie.com/forum - French forum

• http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=485 - Lots of practical questions on travelling within Russia on this forum. Active and NO HASSLE TO LEAVE YOUR POSTING. RECOMMENDED.

• www.loot.ru - Lots buy and sell postings

• http://masterrussian.net/mforum/ - This one has a discussion on IMMIGRATING TO RUSSIA

• http://www.russianatlanta.net/forums/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=13 - A lot of Russia-related travel activity seems to be happening in Atlanta.

• http://www.aardvarktravel.net/chat/viewforum.php?f=5 - A well-moderated and thus clean and focused forum on East European travel. Seems to be a lot on Romania presently.

• www.expatriates.com has a page on Russia. Easy to post ads.

• http://www.russiatrek.com/wwwboard.shtml - Active board, comprehensive links to English language resources on smaller towns and distant regions.

The above Russian forums will put you in touch with fellow travellers and those involved into foreigner fleecing. Here I've started compiling a list of internet resources that will put you in touch with Russians. These are of course in Russian but hey, for a small fee I'll run your ad. Here:

• www.board.46info.ru

• www.izrukvruki.ru (leading advertising daily)
   

Health and safety
(the safety issue is periodically raised in Uncle Pasha's Message Board)

• Petty street crimes, incl. money exchange - http://www.kidalovka.narod.ru/
  (in Russian, but a must to read nevertheless; on request I'll happily do a review with my clients..)
• My own musings on the safety aspect of Russian travel. [to be added; the main idea is that Russia can be remarkably safe or otherwise, depending on who you are, the objectivist world-view fails utterly here; examples of my own and other's experience]
• http://www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/scams.html - Tourist scam alerts, mostly apply to western Europe, but it would not hurt knowing them if you are on your way to Russia

Official and semi-official platitudes and truisms

• US government information for Russia-bound travellers
• Official City of Moscow
• More banalities at  http://ru.orientation.com/eg/home.html
• www.russiatoday.com/

Maps, schedules, pictures  ==>> WILL SOMEONE RECOMMEND A LINK TO A GOOD MAP OF MOSCOW?!!!
(Check out our own VIRTUAL WALKS AND DRIVES IN AND AROUND MOSCOW)

• Moscow - http://sunsite.sut.ac.jp/asia/russia/moscow.jpg DOES NOT WORK
• Interactive map of Russia  -  http://www.cs.toronto.edu/~mes/russia/photo.html  NO MAPS THERE
• Photos -  http://redsun.cs.msu.su/moscow/main.html
• The Kremlin photos - http://www.online.ru/sp/cominf/kremlin/english/
• http://www.metro.ru/map/2003.html   - Subway (metro) maps
• http://www.euroave.com/maps/frame1.php?xcity=moscow - Said to have plenty of good maps of Moscow. CHECK OUT!!
• Moscow subway map: www.metro.ru
• Train schedules: http://www.poezda.net/en/index
• New!! Satellite maps that include the area between Moscow and St. Petersburg: http://www.mapmart.com/scripts/hsrun.exe/Single/MapMart_New/MapXtreme.htx;start=HS_Handler

Russian Language, Culture, History...

• http://langintro.com/rintro/first.htm  A recommended place to learn the Russian alphabet.
• http://www.funet.fi/pub/culture/russian/
• East Slavic languages from Wikipedia
• History of the Russian language

Russian Cinema
Hi, I found your page very informative.
I have a reference site dedicated to Russian Cinema:
http://www.geocities.com/rusatg/dir.htm
It contains rated listings of Russian movies, films for children, awards,
actors, directors and alphabetical catalog pages.
And I would like to ask if you would find it appropriate
to add a link to my site on your link page.

• Rural living: www.csica.com/selyanka/ruralvideo.htm
• www.alincom.com/russ/
• Museums: http://www.museum.ru
• http://gromco.com/music/rim_archive/    - Modern music scene, including description of groups and sound files
• www.slavophilia.net - culture and music oriented site   Down March 10, 2003
• http://ingeb.org/catru.html - a huge russian .midi and .wav collection with lyrics
• Sher's Russian web -  http://www.websher.net
• guide to Russian literature http://waytorussia.net/WhatIsRussia/Literature.html
• http://www.mtu-net.ru/rrr/bill.htm - Genealogy: Researching Russian Roots
• Books from Russia
  e-shop LIRA   Books, audio, video, software and souvenirs for all Russian-speaking population of the world. Delivery in 7-12 days by air around the world. All major credit cards accepted. Contact info@lira.ru or  +7(095)280-8624
• Russian literature blogs: http://blacksquare.blogspot.com/

• Russian Translation USA   
• www.raga.org  A collection of good and perceptive analytical articles on Russian history and politics
• www.masterrussian.com Learning Russian. Active discussion forums, one of which is dedicated to IMMIGRATION TO RUSSIA
• http://www.suite101.com/course.cfm/18808/overview  An on-line course on Russian culture

Teaching English in Russia

http://www.eslcafe.com/  An extensive and growing compilation of resources on ESL teaching in Russia.

http://angl.by.ru/forum.htm  (in Russian, a good place to post your ad)

http://www.language.ru/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi  (same)

http://www.interced.ru/forum/  (same)

"Russian brides"

• Elena's Models: www.elenasmodels.com.  Extensive discussion of Russian Brides scam. Lists of known scammers. (Speaking of scam, I've been getting a lot of scam-related inquiries as of recent and decided to make scam control services official - see Russian brides and scam control)
• RS Russia Today  -  General information on Russia geared towards Russian bride seekers: e-mail forwarding, flower and gift delivery, translation, how to bring your Russian bride home etc.
• Background checks: Graham and Natalia (speaks Russian too) at Visaplus in London, Great Britain. http://www.visaplus.co.uk/

Russian prices

• Examples of prices for everyday commodities - I don't mean to appear immodest but this little page remains the only clear and comprehensive resource on the subject.

Tickets and visa support

• Jettrav@com2com.ru, www.jettravel.ru, Inexpensive and hassle-free to deal with. (095) 207-9008, 207-1800, fax 207-1876,    Sretenka 16, office 48, Moscow 103045. [E-MAIL NOT VALID - NOV. 2003]
• Sharma Travel - In Ottawa I and my friends always bought from Sharma Travel - 36-174 Colonnade Road, Ottawa K2E 7J5, (613) 224-4447. They can get real deals.. [will anybody tell me if they are still alive?? - March 17 comment]
• AS OF RECENT WE GOT INTO BUYING EX MOSCOW TICKETS ON YOUR BEHALF AT LOCAL PRICES PLUS $25 SERVICE FEE

   Olesya's page  www.russiangirlfriday.com/trans-siberian.htm

For a list of visa support agents see www.cheap-moscow.com.

Public transportation - live and up-to-date sites

• http://www.poezda.net/train.htm  - Train schedules. These stay same for years.
• ?????? - Bus schedules. These are less reliable, don't totally rely on them.
• For actual arrival times at the Moscow International Sheremetyevo Airport see www.moscowdrivers.net/airport_tips.htm

Travellers with special interests

• Vegetarians - http://www.vegsource.com/travel/europe/
• More Vegetarians - http://www.veg.org/veg/People/Russia/
• Vegetarian restaurants in Moscow - www.happycow.net
  Lots more on my Vegetarian Moscow page
   
• Gay and lesbian - http://www.gay.ru
• More Gays and Lesbians - http://www.guides.gay.ru/index.shtml 
• Gays and Lesbians who are ALSO vegetarians: http://www.vvgg.freeserve.co.uk
• Physically challenged - http://home.comset.net/voi/english/indexen.htm

• Travelling with pets - http://www.moscowanimals.org/advice/moving.html

Adoption, helping orphanages

www.russiatravel.org

www.littlemiracles.org

See also my own little project somewhere at www.unclepasha.com/staritsa_eng.htm

http://www.russianadoption.org/

Charity

http://www.donorsforum.ru/df/infocore/index.shtml

Mail order brides

See Olesya's Russian Women Page

• Concerned about scam? You may want to read www.russia-scam.org
• Leaving Katya by Paul Greenberg. A must to read for anyone contemplating a Russian-American love affair.
• Information, hints, discussion: www.global7network.com
• A discussion of Russian women on Way_to_Russia: http://waytorussia.net/WhatIsRussia/Women.html

http://smh.com.au/articles/2004/01/04/1072908963038.html.....

http://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/08/08/russia.internet/.....

http://sandiego.fbi.gov/2003/mccoy.htm

 www.russia-scam.org

Leaving Katya by Paul Greenberg. A must to read for anyone contemplating a Russian-American love affair.

Information, hints, discussion: www.global7network.com

www.russianfoods.com/russian-women/

Periodicals in English

• The Russia Journal www.trj.ru
• The Moscow Times - www.themoscowtimes.com

New not sorted out:  (in the process)

www.destinationrussia.com - "Welcome to Destination Russia, the world's
Russia Travel information / news portal and the most comprehensive guide
to the Russian Federation."  [something non-descript, keep for the sake of link exchange]

www.Hotelsrussia.net - Hotels Russia provides online booking and
reservations for DISCOUNT Russia travel accommodation including hotels
and apartments across Russia  [same as above]

Minor search engines:  http://rank.stars.ru/

Major search engines: http://www.aport.ru/

Aviso Online Classifieds-Russia http://www.aviso.kiev.ua/aviso/eng/
AY Search Engine-Russia http://www.au.ru/
Azerbaijan Search Engine-Russia http://www.search.az:8101/
BR Search Engine-Russia http://www.br.by/
Brama Web Directory-Ukraine http://www.brama.com/index.html
BrightonBeachAve Search Eng-Russia http://www.brightonbeachave.com/
CIS Enterprises Directory Russia http://www.trifle.net/cis/e_index.html  irrelevant
Fair Index-Russia http://www.fair.ru/site/ dead
FarEastern Russian Index http://www.fareast.ru/  irrelevant, kill
Hayastan Search Engine-Russia http://www.hayastan.com/  - Armenian portal, English
Holms Search Directory-Russia http://www.holms.ru/  irrelevant, kill
Ivan Susanin Search Engine-Russia http://www.susanin.net/  empty, delete
Job Online BBS-Russia http://www.yourbbs.com/v2/?bbs=3836  dead
Kharkov Search Engine-Ukraine http://search.kharkov.ua/  dead. delete
Kopilka Search Engine-Russia http://chirinsky.virtualave.net/  delete, irrelevan

http://reenic.utexas.edu/reenic/countries - Brief reviews of CIS countries

Krygistan Online-Russia http://www.online.kg/   Live, English,
LinkMaker Directory-Russia http://www.ipclub.ru/linkmaker/  - Irrelevant to Russia but hosts catalogues
List Of Russian Webservers-Russia http://weblist.ru/   Dead May 2003
List.RU-Russia http://www.list.ru/   Live, search engine/directory, Russian
Mafias Top Rated Directory http://www.mafia.ru/top100/   Dead as of May 2003
Meta Ukraine-Ukraine http://meta-ukraine.com/defeng.asp  Ukraine, English
Newman Search Engine-Russia http://search.newman.ru/  remove
Ping Search Engine-Ukraine http://www.topping.od.ua/  Ukraine, Russian
Rahoo Search Engine-Russia http://yahoo.kts.ru/  Give a chance to open up (establish category) then remove.
Rambler Search Engine-Russia http://www.rambler.ru/  move to Russian search engines, in Russian
Reenic Directory-Russia http://link.lanic.utexas.edu/reenic/Countries/Kazakhstan/kazakhstan.html  Chang eto http://reenic.utexas.edu/reenic/countries/russia.html   University of Texas. Comprehensive.
RegionRU-Russian Directory http://www.region.ru/  remove????
Russia on the Net(Search Engine-Russia Only) http://www.ru/   Move under Russian search engines. English.
Russia Today Classifieds-Russia http://www.russiatoday.com/classifieds.php3  Alive, fairly weak, English

Russian Cities On The Web http://www.city.ru/   Alive. Add URL doesn't work
Russian World Directory http://www.serve.com/andrey/russian/business/add.html  Dead
RussianLondon BBS(Russian) http://www.russianlondon.com/wwwboard/wwwboard.html  Irrelevant, remove
RussianStar Search Engine-russia http://www.russianstar.com/index1.htm  dead
Russkie Search Engine http://www.russkie.com/  Dead
Search Kit-Russia http://www.alf.ru/search/1.htm   \Dead
Sensa Ukraine Search Engine http://www.uazone.net/sesna/  Ukrainina search engine, English
Susanin Search Engine-Russia http://www.susanin.com/   Russian directory
Tamapcmah Index-Russia http://www.kcn.ru/tatweb/grepsrch/srch.cgi/tatweb/tatweblist  Tatarstan, in Russian, run by the Kazan State University, slightly stale as most official projects (move under Regional)
UDM Search Engine-Russia http://search.udm.net/  Search of Udmurtia Region, the Urals, Izhevsk (that's where Sverzhy Veter operates and seems to be doing a good job attracting visitors to Izhevsk)
Ukraine Meta Search Engine http://www.meta.kharkiv.net/  Active, in Russia, based in Kharkov (Kharkiv)
Ukraine.com Web Guide http://www.ukraine.com/  No content, remove
Ukrania Resource Web Guide http://www.ukrania.com/  Alive and IN ENGLISH!!
Ukranian Homepage Directory http://search.uar.net/  Does not exist as of May 2003
Uzonline Search Engine-Russia http://www.angelfire.com/ak/Uzonline/  Does not exist as of May 2003

Wanted.RU Directory-Russia http://www.hochu.ru/  - Mostly Russian (place under Russian search engines, recommended if you are looking for something exotic and very un-turisty, so 98% of you have no business here)
 

Yahtka Search Engine-Russia http://www.ulitka.ru/  - Mostly Russian, more of a directory than a search engine. Alive May 2003

Yandex Search Engine(Russia) http://www.yandex.ru/   - Mostly Russian language resources, alive May 2003
 

Zubr Search Engine http://www.zubr.com/eng/    - Alive as of May 2003, specializes in Belarus, in English   (move under search engines)

CIA World Factbook - Russia - http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/rs.html
Presents general facts on the country and focuses on its economy, government, people, transportation, communications, and geography.  - Too perfunctory, remove.  (general info)

Russian News Network - http://www.russiannewsnetwork.com. Statistical and historic briefs on CIS and Baltic states, in English. Don't expect to find "new" news there however.

.  - live and active as of May 2003, specializes in news coverage, English.

Little Russian Gate - http://home.earthlink.net/~bikbov/
Collection of Russian web sites, message boards guide.   An informative, cozy and totally non-commercial in feel. Don't be fooled by it, many powerful resources out here lack commercial lustre.  (classifications??, mark as my pesonal favourite)

Russian Phone Search - http://russianphonesearch.hypermart.net/
Searching phone numbers by address and addresses by phone number in Russia.  - Site alive. Anybody tried that service?

ASMO-Press - Encyclopedia - http://enc.ex.ru/cgi-bin/n1fsrc.pl?lang=2
Information about Russian manufacturers.  - Seems rather dead as of May 2003. Check back in a year.

Russian Cities on the Internet - http://mitglied.lycos.de/Cityweb/Worldwide/Europe/Russia/russia.html
Collection of links of Russian localities.  -  Many links outdated and in Russian only but could be an excellent resource if updated.

WorldSkip Guide to Russia - http://www.worldskip.com/region.asp?RegionID=ru
Links to news, information, products and services from Russia.  - does not open, remove

FreeGK.com: Russia - http://atlas.freegk.com/world/europe/russia/russia.php
Including map and overview of history, culture, economy and currency.      - too supeficial and  perfunctory, to be removed.

http://www.einnews.com/russia/classifieds.php3 - You can place your classified there. Not much Russian content, mostly spam, but shows up well.

CHECK:
Zamoskvorechye map
Map and description of Zamoskv.
Metro system, in English
Visa and registration issues

 

 

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