Russia

Staying connected in Russia

Russia draws travellers to Moscow and Saint Petersburg, the white nights of June and aurora-hunting trips to Murmansk in winter. Many also go to study, work or visit family in the established Vietnamese community there.

Getting around Russia relies heavily on your phone: ride-hailing, metro routes and translating Cyrillic signs. However, internet access in Russia is currently quite restricted: several familiar apps are blocked and mobile internet can be temporarily cut in some areas, so have offline back-ups ready.

Coverage and networks

The plan information names this network in Russia: Beeline.

Signal and speed depend on where you are, your device and network conditions, and can differ between plans.

Choosing a data allowance

eSIM plans for Russia currently last 1 to 30 days and come in these types:

• Daily data (500MB, 1GB, 2GB and 3GB per day): suits a steady routine. Check when the daily allowance resets and what happens once it is used.
• Total data (3GB to 30GB): one allowance for the whole trip, handy when some days are heavier than others.
• Unlimited: always read the fair-use policy; after a set amount, speed may be reduced.

Suggestions for this trip

• A 7–10 day Moscow – Saint Petersburg trip: 1GB a day usually covers maps, ride-hailing and translation; choose 2GB a day if you often video call home.
• Aurora tours from Murmansk usually head out of town at night: 500MB or 1GB a day is about right, so save photo and video uploads for hotel Wi-Fi.
• A longer 20–30 day stay: 20GB or 30GB of total data gives you more flexibility.

Count your arrival and departure days. Before paying, check the exact plan for when validity starts, how days are counted, and whether hotspot, calls or SMS are included; these differ between plans.

Before you go

• Payments: Visa and Mastercard cards issued abroad do not work in Russia, including at ATMs, so bring enough cash to exchange for roubles.
• Restricted apps: Instagram and Facebook are blocked in Russia, and WhatsApp and Telegram are restricted too, especially for calls. Agree a backup way to stay in touch with family before you go.
• First day: Several sources report that foreign SIMs entering Russia may have mobile data suspended for roughly the first 24 hours, so save your hotel address, offline maps and airport transfer details beforehand.
• Rides and maps: Use Yandex Go for taxis and Yandex Maps or 2GIS for directions and public transport.
• Public Wi-Fi: Free Wi-Fi in the metro and cafés usually requires verification with a Russian phone number, so hotel Wi-Fi is the more dependable option.
• eSIM setup: Before buying, make sure your phone supports eSIM and is not carrier-locked. Install the eSIM before you fly, on a stable Wi-Fi connection, following the instructions sent with your plan.
• On arrival: Set the travel eSIM as your mobile data line and follow its roaming instructions. Turn off data roaming on your home SIM to avoid unexpected charges.