Russian visa registration – farewell to frustration & faff

As you might have read in the Travel Press, IntouristUK has sliced through the red tape, harnessing the latest cool technology to save you timewasting tedium. Now you can register your visa directly from your office or apartment in Russia, without ever going near an OVIR office or sitting in a straggling queue.

The whole thing works smoothly – you simply photograph your Immigration Form (the one they stamped at Passport Control) and send it by MMS to us. (For you advanced people with scanners, yes, you can use them too). Your completed Registration pops-up in your email inbox for you to print-out.. and it all conforms to local rules, the perfect antidote for inquisitive cops. “Old hands” will already know this, but registering your visa is a local legal requirement – hotels will do it for you, but if your stay is based on a rented apartment, or you are visiting an industrial site, or with friends, the only legal route (until now!) was a visit to a Police Station (OVIR) with all your documents… and often a second visit if they didn’t like your documents the first time around.

The price for the service is £50 including official legal fees – surely worth saving the entire day your OVIR visit would take? And you can’t put a price on comfort, convenience, and reassurance! This special service is available to all world travellers visiting Russia – even if your travel didn’t originate from the UK. IntouristUK are the only agency offering this service!

Russian business visa turnaround time – halved!

Now that the “chill” in Anglo-Russian relations is over, more and more business travellers will be looking to make the most of the opportunities on offer in Russia. IntouristUK is at the forefront as ever, with services tailored very directly to what every business traveller wants – controlling cost, and eliminating wasted time!

Russian business visa turnaround time – halved!

There’s no need to pay through the nose for a faster turnaround time for Business Visas, now that IntouristUK is offering a Express invitation + processing time of just 14 calendar days from Invitation Application to departure-date. Compared to other companies offering the same service in 27 days, this isn’t just faster – it’s better value too, since they’ll surcharge you for a 14-day turnaround.

IntouristUK takes the sting out of travelling to Russia, offering a one-stop service for the entire visa process. But for those already holding Invitation documents from their Russian business partners, IntouristUK will happily do the spadework of the application process, and charge you only for the parts of the service that you need.

Baltics, Helsinki & St. Petersburg Tour: Estonia-Latvia-Lithuania-Finland-Russia

This fabulous tour allows you to visit five countries in ten days! From Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania to Finland and Russia you are sure to embrace new cultures and ways of life on a daily basis. Travel to Riga where you can find beautiful palaces and gardens built in the early 1700’s. From Riga you travel to Vilnius which is known for the beauty and history that embody the Old Town, you are sure to make the most of this fantastic city as you take a walking tour that allows you to admire the unique architecture and churches that stand in the city. Tallinn is also known for its colourful history and striking architecture, to get to grips with this fantastic town you can take an exciting walking tour. Helsinki is the next destination on the tour and it is a thriving metropolis to be admired. Its culture is influenced by both East and West and this can be seen from its inhabitants and the city itself. The final destination on the tour is Russia’s former capital, St Petersburg. This is a city rich in history, spurring from its foundation in the 1700’s. Also known as the Venice of the North this city has so much to offer travellers in the way of its architecture and major tourist attractions such as the Hermitage, Pushkin Palace and the beautiful Peterhof and grounds.

TOUR INCLUDES:

• Economy class return flights from London Heathrow, including airport departure taxes and fuel surcharges
• Flight from Vilnius to Tallinn
• Ferry ticket from Tallinn to Helsinki
• Second class train ticket from Helsinki to St Petersburg
• Arrival and departure airport/ train station transfers
• Chosen hotel accommodation based on 2 sharing a twin/double with private en-suite facilities
• Excursions as per itinerary
• Services of an English speaking guide

TOUR DOES NOT INCLUDE:

• Regional UK Flights
• Russian Visas
• Optional Excursions

Day 1	You arrive in Riga and transfer to your hotel where you can spend the night.
Day 2	Enjoy breakfast at the hotel before enjoying a walking city tour of Riga. This tour leads you down the cobbled streets of the Old Town where you can see a variety of architecture including gothic, baroque, classic and art nouveau. Further explore the city as you please with a free afternoon.
Day 3	Have breakfast in your hotel before continuing your travels to Vilnius. At this point you also have the chance to take an optional private transfer to Vilnius which includes a tour of Rundale Palace. This spectacular palace dates back to 1736 and all 138 rooms are now open for public viewing. Upon arrival in Riga you transfer to your chosen hotel where you will spend the night.
Day 4	On day four enjoy breakfast at your hotel before embarking on a walking city tour of Vilnius. This tour allows you to appreciate all of the historical architecture in Vilnius and allows you to get up close and personal with the city. Vilnius is well known for its beautiful churches including St Peter and Pauls and St Anne’s. Enjoy a free afternoon in Vilnius and spend the night at your hotel.
Day 5	Following breakfast at your hotel transfer to the airport for your flight to Tallinn. Upon arrival in Tallinn you transfer to your hotel.
Day 6	Wake up with breakfast in your hotel before going on a walking city tour of Tallinn. This tour begins in the town of Toompea where there is much architecture and beauty to be admired. From here you will see the Russian Orthodox Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and Dome Church. Spend some free time exploring Tallinn before spending the night in your hotel.
Day 7	Breakfast is provided at your hotel in Tallinn before you transfer to the pier for departure to Helsinki. Upon arrival in Helsinki you transfer your hotel. From here you can enjoy a walking city sightseeing tour with an English speaking guide who walks and talks you through some beautiful sights such as Uspenski Orthodox Cathedral, South Harbour and Senate Square.
Day 8	From Helsinki transfer to St Petersburg by rail (after morning meal). Upon arrival to St Petersburg you are transferred to your hotel. Spend some free time in St Petersburg or entertain yourself with an optional excursion.
Day 9	Today you have some free time to enjoy sightseeing or you can enjoy an optional excursion.
Day 10	Your trip comes to an end here as you are transferred to the airport.

Epic "White Nights" Train Tour of Northern Russia

An incredible 7,000km journey during the Russian "White Nights" travelling from Moscow to Imperial St Petersburg and onto Murmansk, inside the Arctic Circle. Followers of rail travel will delight to the sight and sound and the re-creation of a bygone era of rail travel combined with modern-day onboard facilities and comfortable accommodation on this unique voyage.

Day 1	MOSCOW Flight arrivals into Moscow and transfer to the 5 star Hilton Leningradskaya hotel (or similar) for a one-night stay. We enjoy a welcome reception dinner at our hotel and meet your fellow travellers.
Day 2	MOSCOW We transfer this morning to Moscow’s Yaroslavski station to join our private sleeping car train that will be our home for the next 14 days. There will be a welcome reception and introduction to the train staff in the bar car, followed by dinner, as we depart eastwards towards Yaroslavl; Be warned, there will not be many hours of darkness in the next two weeks as this is the time of year the Russians call "White Nights".
Day 3	KUNGOR & YEKATERINBURG Kungor, located in the Urals, is famous for its Ice Caves which date back some 12,000 years. One of the biggest caves in the world, the network of 100 grottoes and 60 lakes are connected by nearly 6 kilometres of underground passages. Late evening we continue our journey towards Yekaterinburg. Founded in 1723 by Peter the Great, the third largest Russian city is also the capital of the Urals. The cultural and architectural influences of European and Asian civilisations come together in this fascinating and cosmopolitan landscape. Our short city tour takes us to the poignant site where the Romanov, Nicholas II of Russia was executed with his family by the Bolsheviks in 1918. Now a church dedicated to their memory, this site provides us with a powerful insight into the turmoil of the Russian Revolution.
Day 4	KALINO This morning we arrive in the town of Kalino where we take the opportunity to visit the preserved Perm-36 Gulag and Museum in nearby Kutchino. Here was the site of one of the harshest Soviet Gulag prison camps for political opponents during the communist Soviet period, only closing in 1990. Perm-36.
Day 5	VELIKIY USTYUG In Slav culture the traditional character of Ded Moroz plays a role similar to that of Santa Claus. The literal English translation of the name is Father Frost. We will visit the official residence of Ded Moroz which is located close to the town of Velikiy Ustyug, as well as touring the once important and beautiful city on the bank of the Sukhona River.
Day 6	VORKUTA In the afternoon we arrive in the coal-mining town of Vortuka which is the location for one of the more notorious forced labour camps of the Gulag which was established in 1932 and remained open until the 1980s.
Day 7	LABITNANGI From Labitnangi we cross the River Ob to prosperous and modern Salekhard for a tour of the town. It is believed to be the only town in the world that is located right on the Polar Circle. After leaving Labitnangi, we make a stop in the mid-afternoon at the Europe/Asia Monument.
Day 8	KOTLAS Kotlas is a town in the south of Arkhangelsk Oblast, situated at the confluence of the Northern Dvina and Vychegda Rivers. Kotlas is an important river port as the Northern Dvina is one of the largest and most important waterways of the northern European portion of Russia. It flows 462 miles (744 km) in a generally northwesterly direction and enters the Dvina inlet of the White Sea.
Day 9	ARKHANGEL We spend the day touring Arkhangel, a town located on the banks of the White Sea that was the chief seaport of medieval Russia. On our city tour we will have the opportunity to visit the British and American Arctic Convoy War Graves and the Wooden Architecture Museum.
Day 10	SOLOVETSKY ISLAND After arriving early morning into Kem we transfer to a small boat bound for Solovetsky Monastery on Solovetsky Island in the White Sea. The Island is also infamous for its "Special Purpose Camp" set up by Stalin and is the location used as the basis for Solzhenitzyn’s Gulag Archipelago. Late this evening, in daylight, we will cross the Arctic Circle as we head to the most northerly point on the journey.
Day 11	NIKEL MURMANSK & MURMANSK Mid-morning we will arrive at Nikel, on the border with Norway. The station is close to the Nikel smelting plant which in part has caused the devastation to the surrounding countryside that will have been evident for the 20 miles before our arrival. An eerie place but has been one of the highlights of our previous tours. Early evening we will arrive in Murmansk for a city tour and a visit to the Nuclear Icebreaker Museum Ship.
Day 12	ON BOARD A leisurely day onboard our private train as we return south from the Arctic Circle.
Day 13	PAVLOVSK & ST PETERSBURG After breakfast we alight in Pavlovsk and visit Catherine’s Summer Palace in Pushkin, including a visit to the Amber Room. Lunch at the Podvorye Restaurant (a typical Russian Log House) after which we continue to St Petersburg hauled by Russia’s oldest working steam locomotive Ov. 324 built in 1905. There is an afternoon tour of the city of St Petersburg incorporating a visit to the Imperial Waiting Room at Vitebski and an optional visit to the Railway Museum before we rejoin the train for dinner.
Day 14	NOVGOROD & PSKOV In the morning we tour Novgorod, one of the oldest towns in Russia, with its five-domed Cathedral before continuing to Pskov with its ancient and well restored centre on the Latvian border and in whose station Tsar Nicholas II abdicated on 15th March 1915.
Day 15	MOSCOW Our final morning on the train sees us travelling down the St Petersburg - Moscow mainline with a before we arrive at Moscow Leningradski station and transfer to the 5 star Marriott Aurora Hotel (or similar) located in the centre of the city. Enjoy free time in the afternoon before the tour farewell dinner is served in the hotel.
Day 16	MOSCOW Breakfast in the hotel brings the tour to a close and airport transfers are provided for departing flights.

* This itinerary is provisional