Previously, upon presentation of a school certificate, children from 10 to 18 years old received a 50% discount from September to May.
Currently, you do not need to provide certificates, but you need to indicate your citizenship on the Russian Railways website, since discounted travel is valid only for Russians. There are restrictions: the discount is not valid on high-speed trains (Sapsan, Lastochka, Aurora, Nevsky Express, Finist), and on other long-distance trains within Russia it is not applicable in compartment, SV, and lux cars. That means that reserved seats, shared cars, and 2nd and 3rd class cars remain. Last October, the Ministry of Transport proposed introducing a year-round discount, and the Russian government managed to issue a corresponding decree by the start of ticket sales for the summer.
Aviation sanctions
Robert Agee, head of the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia, said that the report prepared for the US government primarily proposes lifting sanctions in the aviation sector: “Russia operates a significant fleet of Boeing aircraft, and we believe that they need to be provided with spare parts and technical support.”
The head of the Lufthansa Group, Carsten Spohr, acknowledged that the closure of Russian airspace remains a serious obstacle for European air carriers, especially when expanding routes to Asia.: “Depending on the negotiations between the United States, Russia and Europe, we hope that Russian airspace will be reopened, which will allow us to operate flights to North Asia more efficiently.” Recall that European airlines now operate flights to North Asia bypassing Russia, which increases flight time and costs.
A travel trip as a gift
More than a quarter (27%) of Russian women would like to go on a short trip as a gift on International Women’s Day on March 8, according to a survey conducted by the research center of a major domestic job portal. Money is in second place (16%), and theater, cinema, or museum tickets are in third place (8% of respondents). In reality, two-thirds of the women surveyed (61%) receive only a bouquet of flowers on March 8, while 13% noted that they are not given anything at all.
The Negative Telegraph
Cuba. Two Russian tourists drowned in Varadero. A man and a woman decided to swim, despite the fact that there was a yellow flag on the beach. The Russians were dragged down by the rip current, they were able to get out of the water, but they could not be pumped out.
El Al. The Israeli airline has extended the suspension of flights from Tel Aviv to Moscow at least until the end of April.
The Positive Telegraph
Moscow. In 2024, the capital was visited by a record 26 million guests. This is 1.5 million more people than in 2023, and 3% more than in the most successful 2019 for the industry.
Aeroexpress. In March, a Standard ticket on Saturdays and Sundays will cost 400 rubles instead of 650. The discount does not apply when paying with a bank card at turnstiles and when buying at ticket machines.
In the spring, where and how much
Experts from a major domestic travel service analyzed the demand for air and train tickets and found out where Russians will go this spring. Most often, travelers bought train tickets from Moscow to St. Petersburg, and plane tickets from Moscow to Kaliningrad. Russians will travel abroad to Minsk by train, and by plane to Baku, Istanbul and Paris.
The average price of a train ticket from Moscow to the Northern Capital is 3,400 rubles. Compared to the spring of 2024, train tickets in this direction have increased in price by 7%. Travel from Moscow to Simferopol has increased the most: a ticket costs an average of 10,300 rubles, which is 39% more expensive than last year. The most popular foreign railway destination was the route from Moscow to Minsk, accounting for 37% of total sales. The average ticket price is 4,600 rubles, and it has not increased compared to 2024.
Kaliningrad is the most popular Russian air destination for travel in the spring. On average, tickets departing from Moscow cost 12,100 rubles, and in 2025 they increased in price by 8%. Tickets to Mineralnye Vody from Moscow went up the most (by 18%) – 20,600 rubles, tickets from St. Petersburg to Sochi went up a little less (by 17%) – 26,500 rubles. Baku has become the most popular of the neighboring cities. Tickets cost an average of 26,800 rubles. The Sochi – Istanbul route has become the most popular among foreign cities. A ticket costs an average of 24,900 rubles, compared to 2024, the price has not changed. Travelers bought about the same number of tickets to Istanbul with departure from Moscow. The average price is 31,100 rubles, which is 15% lower than last year.
The service’s experts also analyzed tickets to Europe. Paris became the most popular destination with departure from Moscow. A ticket costs an average of 71,700 rubles. Interestingly, the only direct route in the second place in the ranking of popular European destinations is Moscow – Belgrade. And it costs more than all other popular connecting routes to European cities – 84,200 rubles. For example, a flight to Barcelona costs an average of 68,700 rubles per ticket, to Milan – 80,000 rubles, to Munich – 78,900 rubles.
If we talk about organized tourism, then, according to ATOR analysts, in March 2025, tours to Egypt are among the leaders in sales. ATOR also notes that Thailand’s share has increased dramatically compared to last March, both in search queries for tours and in real sales. There is also a growing interest of Russians in tourist destinations outside the leading five “mass” countries, primarily Vietnam and China.
From the courtroom
Another successful lawsuit against the Ministry of Internal Affairs due to an error in the passport happened in Orenburg. Tourists were unable to fly to Dubai due to the incorrect gender of the child in the document. As a result, the cost of the trip, transportation costs and compensation for moral damage were collected from the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
An interesting decision was made by the Oktyabrsky District court of Yekaterinburg – a family of four was refunded not only the cost of the tour (650 thousand rubles), but also the same amount in the form of penalties and fines, totaling about 2 million rubles.
Telegram fever in Southeast Asia
One of the major Telegram channels with more than a million subscribers, specializing in hot (read yellow) news, has been launching news about “massive cases” of dengue fever among Russian tourists in the resorts of Southeast Asia for three weeks in a row. Rospotrebnadzor, Russian embassies abroad, and the tourism industry had to refute the “sensations”.
It all started with Bali. “An outbreak of dengue fever has been recorded on the island, which has affected dozens of Russian tourists,” the controversial Telegram channel wrote. “According to local authorities, there have been no mass cases of dengue fever infection among foreign citizens, including Russians, in Indonesia. The appeals of compatriots to the Russian Embassy on this issue are isolated,” the Russian Embassy in Indonesia replied. Rospotrebnadzor has confirmed that it is monitoring reports of infection of Russians with dengue fever in Indonesia. The dengue virus is characteristic of tropical areas with high humidity, especially during the changing seasons, and the danger of catching a fever does exist (and has always existed), no wonder local authorities talk about the basic symptoms of fever and urge caution.
Then the Telegram channel discovered an outbreak of dengue fever in Thailand. The Russian Embassy in Thailand and the Russian Consulate General in Phuket said they had not received information about the dengue virus in Russia. Further, the Telegram channel shared the news that the Vietnamese authorities allegedly issued an “emergency warning” about the increase in dengue fever. ATOR, commenting on this news, noted that since the beginning of 2025, there have been no relevant warnings, announcements, etc. of a national or regional nature on the website of the Ministry of Health of Vietnam. In addition, ATOR contacted the largest travel insurance company in the Russian Federation, which noted that it had registered 4 cases of dengue fever in Bali in 2025. In addition, there have been isolated cases in Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
Visa News
The Russian Foreign Ministry cancelled the recommendation to refrain from traveling to Abkhazia. This recommendation has been in effect since November 2024, tours were not sold, but individual tourists could travel to the republic without restrictions. Following the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia lifted restrictions on the sale of tours to the republic.
On March 14, The New York Times reported that the Trump administration plans to ban citizens of Russia and Belarus from entering the United States on immigration and tourist visas. According to the publication, the US State Department has developed draft recommendations in which 43 countries are divided into three categories – “red”, “orange” and “yellow”. Russia and Belarus have been included in the “orange” list, and the issuance of visas to citizens of these countries will be restricted. Entry may be allowed only to “wealthy business travelers,” but not to those who enter on immigration or tourist visas, the publication points out. As The New York Times notes, the recommendations may be officially presented this week, but the final list may change. It is also unclear whether the restrictions will apply to those who already have valid visas, or whether their visas will be cancelled.
On the same day, the Reuters news agency denied possible restrictions on entry to the United States for Russians. According to the publication, the Trump administration is indeed considering restrictions on entry to the United States for dozens of countries, but Russia is not on this list. Belarus is not on the “orange” list, but on the “yellow” list, meaning it may be “suspended from issuing visas to the United States if the government does not make efforts to eliminate deficiencies within 60 days.” The Agency emphasizes that there may be changes in the list and that it has not yet been approved by the administration.
Recall that upon taking office on January 20, Trump issued a decree requiring the State Department to identify countries “for which information on screening and screening is so insufficient that it requires partial or complete suspension of entry of citizens of these countries.” The State Department was given 60 days to prepare a report for the White House with this list, meaning it should be ready by March 20-21.
Telegram question
I bought Turkish Airlines tickets with a stopover (a long transfer of more than 24 hours. – AN’s note) and a free hotel in Istanbul, but I can’t find anywhere on the carrier’s website what to do with my luggage – should I pick it up or not? Nikolay Kochetkov, Troitsk
Indeed, we did not find this important point on the Turkish Airlines website either. However, it is written on relevant forums that if the connection is longer than 24 hours, your luggage will be checked in only to Istanbul, and not to the final destination. And the boarding pass will be given only for the first segment. Check-in and baggage check-in in Istanbul will have to be done again.
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Источник: argumenti.ru
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